Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[McParadigm]

I refuse to give up hope that this record will get shelved

This part seems likely, if not the rest.

In Through the Mordor 2014

[Kevin Davis]

Just to clarify: I love RVM (studio version), it's one of my favourite early PJ songs. But if I get it live and I check my watch during the 'jam' in the middle, it's because all of the tension has been sapped out of the song by the band's wankery, and then by the intro I'm not interested anymore. The studio version (and some earlier live versions I guess) had just enough tension and release. If these guys were virtuoso musicians and able to carry a ridiculously long jam session, it might be a different story, but they aren't, so it isn't.

Agreed. That jam can be nuclear winter in length sometimes.
Steals from the immediacy and intention of the song.

I think the jam had its in-bloom phase too--it's exactly the sort of thing the band was in the frame of mind to pull off during, say, the 2000 tour, a few moments of introverted catharsis where nothing mattered beyond the five guys onstage. But like itself the song has since 1995-6, the jam has been pretty lifeless since about 2003. It's really not about being virtuoso musicians, it's just about having the presence of mind to listen to what the other guys in the band are doing, and new-and-improved extroverted shout-it-from-the-rooftops Pearl Jam just aren't conditioned for the sort of patience and focus required for improvised music in general, let alone a passage like this that's about collective mood and texture rather than just a band supporting a soloist.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Holy shitballs. 57 days to go.

[harmless]

Just to clarify: I love RVM (studio version), it's one of my favourite early PJ songs. But if I get it live and I check my watch during the 'jam' in the middle, it's because all of the tension has been sapped out of the song by the band's wankery, and then by the intro I'm not interested anymore. The studio version (and some earlier live versions I guess) had just enough tension and release. If these guys were virtuoso musicians and able to carry a ridiculously long jam session, it might be a different story, but they aren't, so it isn't.

Agreed. That jam can be nuclear winter in length sometimes.
Steals from the immediacy and intention of the song.

I think the jam had its in-bloom phase too--it's exactly the sort of thing the band was in the frame of mind to pull off during, say, the 2000 tour, a few moments of introverted catharsis where nothing mattered beyond the five guys onstage. But like itself the song has since 1995-6, the jam has been pretty lifeless since about 2003. It's really not about being virtuoso musicians, it's just about having the presence of mind to listen to what the other guys in the band are doing, and new-and-improved extroverted shout-it-from-the-rooftops Pearl Jam just aren't conditioned for the sort of patience and focus required for improvised music in general, let alone a passage like this that's about collective mood and texture rather than just a band supporting a soloist.

Agreed, yep. But that listening and reciprocation on stage is part of what makes a virtuoso musician, so that's a big part of what I meant. The reason jazz musicians are so great at improv is that their ears are fine-tuned to what the rest of the band is doing, so that if one of them is enjoying a part that, say, the pianist is playing, they can instantly get on and ride it. Because PJ are all about the big, singular bombasic effect now -- and not so interested in that interplay between the players -- I'm not so interested in their jams. It's like they assume that most of their fans will be happy if they just do any kind of waffling for as long as possible. And, well, there are plenty of fans that would take any kind of jam from them, no matter what it sounded like.

[verb_to_trust]

Just to clarify: I love RVM (studio version), it's one of my favourite early PJ songs. But if I get it live and I check my watch during the 'jam' in the middle, it's because all of the tension has been sapped out of the song by the band's wankery, and then by the intro I'm not interested anymore. The studio version (and some earlier live versions I guess) had just enough tension and release. If these guys were virtuoso musicians and able to carry a ridiculously long jam session, it might be a different story, but they aren't, so it isn't.

Agreed. That jam can be nuclear winter in length sometimes.
Steals from the immediacy and intention of the song.

I think the jam had its in-bloom phase too--it's exactly the sort of thing the band was in the frame of mind to pull off during, say, the 2000 tour, a few moments of introverted catharsis where nothing mattered beyond the five guys onstage. But like itself the song has since 1995-6, the jam has been pretty lifeless since about 2003. It's really not about being virtuoso musicians, it's just about having the presence of mind to listen to what the other guys in the band are doing, and new-and-improved extroverted shout-it-from-the-rooftops Pearl Jam just aren't conditioned for the sort of patience and focus required for improvised music in general, let alone a passage like this that's about collective mood and texture rather than just a band supporting a soloist.

Yep. Good post KD

[VinylGuy]

Habit everything sounded best in 1998.

Breath sounded better in 1992.

Doesn't count. Different band. You're thinking of the Mookie Blaylocks....

Remember when 5H helped organize the Breath sign campaign in 98 then talked shit about other groups doing their own sign campaigns? I'm a 5H/MFC survivor. Never forget

Man that thing was great...those girls were a little bit too much intense though.

[Mine]

Just to clarify: I love RVM (studio version), it's one of my favourite early PJ songs. But if I get it live and I check my watch during the 'jam' in the middle, it's because all of the tension has been sapped out of the song by the band's wankery, and then by the intro I'm not interested anymore. The studio version (and some earlier live versions I guess) had just enough tension and release. If these guys were virtuoso musicians and able to carry a ridiculously long jam session, it might be a different story, but they aren't, so it isn't.

I agree. I think any jam really is out of place in RVM. I doesn't fit the song well.

[harmless]

Is this getting close?

[Cleverman]

Habit everything sounded best in 1998.

Breath sounded better in 1992.

Doesn't count. Different band. You're thinking of the Mookie Blaylocks....

Remember when 5H helped organize the Breath sign campaign in 98 then talked shit about other groups doing their own sign campaigns? I'm a 5H/MFC survivor. Never forget

Man that thing was great...those girls were a little bit too much intense though.

Yea, not counting the old Usenet groups, that was the first real online PJ community i participated in.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Is this getting close?

Its getting closer, but not fast enough though

[harmless]

Is this getting close?

Its getting closer, but not fast enough though

[ItsOkay]

So I'm excited again about the album. After listening to many new albums (to me) on a long road road trip, I realize how good Pearl Jam is, how they have a multiplicity to their sound while still being themselves. Already we have 3 very different songs from the new album. Though I may not love them all when LB comes out, at least there's variety.

My thoughts while listening:
Artic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am: Fun, enjoyable rock! By track 6 or 7 - "Didn't I already here this? Nope, just sounds like 1-5."
Silversun Pickups, Swoon: "wow they have a Smashing Pumpkins feel...if Simese Dream were limited to track 1 & 2."
U2 - Zooropa: "what just happened? Where am I?"

Only REM "Out of Time" had enough diversity and cohesiveness to listen through completely without skipping.

Some albums aren't great because of awful songs (see "Nightswimming" and "Everybody Hurts"). But others, like Artic Monkeys and Silversun Pickups don't have bad songs, just all the songs start to sound the same. Diversity doesn't make an album good, but a good album always has diversity.

These opinions are after only one playthrough, so the above albums might grow.

But either way I kept thinking, bring on the Liiigggtning Boooollllt!

[harmless]

Some albums aren't great because of awful songs (see "Nightswimming" and "Everybody Hurts").

[verb_to_trust]

Some albums aren't great because of awful songs (see "Nightswimming" and "Everybody Hurts").

[verb_to_trust]

[Lounge Lizard]

I wanna hear more.
Where were those snippets again?

[VinylGuy]

Nightswimming is a masterpiece.

[harmless]

Nightswimming is a masterpiece.

[ItsOkay]

If Nightswimming is a masterpiece then Just Breathe is the Mona Lisa.

[verb_to_trust]

If Nightswimming is a masterpiece then Just Breathe is the Mona Lisa.

Are you deaf?