Red Mosquito

S/T, Backspacer, and LB all suck and beating them is not an impressive accomplishment

LoathedVermin72 wrote:S/T, Backspacer, and LB all suck and beating them is not an impressive accomplishment

You like Working on a Dream...

I feel pretty good about having Gigaton in my 4 spot, but I've also put every new album there at some point, so I do need to see how the songs sit with me.

No Code Sometimes, Hail, Hail, Who You Are, In My Tree, Smile, Off He Goes, Habit, Red Mosquito, Lukin, Present Tense, Mankind, I'm Open, Around the Bend

Now that is a list of great songs. Probably 8-9 top tier tracks.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:Yeah Vitalogy is the weakest pre-PRAMG album

Honestly I held this opinion for a really, really long time, just because I had no patience for what I perceived to be the clutter on it, and I only thought about the albums relative to each other in terms of that strict songs-I-like-to-songs-I-don't ratio.

Even now, I think Ten and Vs. are more consistent listening experiences, but I relate to something Vitalogy taps into more.

Gigaton will never eclipse any of the first seven albums for me, but it presents a version of present-day Pearl Jam that absolutely shattered my expectations. I'm more than pleased with it, and I'm glad that it makes PHATJ so happy that it becomes impossible to determine whether he is just super into Gigaton or high.

stip wrote:

reconstruction_ seeds wrote:

Release_Me wrote:I'm talking rock music fans in general, not specifically the people found on PJ forums. But yeah, even on most PJ forums, when asked to rank the best albums (not the ones you most listen to today), I'd still expect the majority to rate the first 3 very highly. This is not just about their impact which obviously plays a role but because those early albums really are that good.

What good is an album a person never wants to listen to? Some albums were created with no thought to longevity, whether it be in the music, lyrics or both. Thats what I keep in mind when ranking favorite albums from any band.

We've had these albums for decades. Vitalogy is my favorite album of all time, but there are definitely pearl jam albums I listen to more. I know every note on Vitalogy by heart. I don't need to hear it anymore. REM's automatic for the people is the same way (my second favorite album). When I hear those songs I am immediately reminded of just how ridiculously good they are. But I no longer feel compelled to hear them.


I struggle with that when I do some of these ranking threads. There is where I'd rank a song in terms of the overall quality and what it's meant to me over time, vs. what I would prefer to listen to right now in this moment.

If a band releases an album with plenty going on instrumentally and without cheesy or destined to be outdated lyrics, whether it be jazz or blues influenced or just straight rock, if a fan is into hearing instruments there's no reason the album should ever become dusty for that type of fan. That's why I continue to listen to all albums by a particular band.

Monkey_Driven wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:S/T, Backspacer, and LB all suck and beating them is not an impressive accomplishment

You like Working on a Dream...

Well, I would if I could stand listening to it

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

Monkey_Driven wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:S/T, Backspacer, and LB all suck and beating them is not an impressive accomplishment

You like Working on a Dream...

Well, I would if I could stand listening to it

Kevin Davis wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:Yeah Vitalogy is the weakest pre-PRAMG album

Honestly I held this opinion for a really, really long time, just because I had no patience for what I perceived to be the clutter on it, and I only thought about the albums relative to each other in terms of that strict songs-I-like-to-songs-I-don't ratio.

Even now, I think Ten and Vs. are more consistent listening experiences, but I relate to something Vitalogy taps into more.

Gigaton will never eclipse any of the first seven albums for me, but it presents a version of present-day Pearl Jam that absolutely shattered my expectations. I'm more than pleased with it, and I'm glad that it makes PHATJ so happy that it becomes impossible to determine whether he is just super into Gigaton or high.

This

If Pearl Jam had a studio album hall of fame, what songs would go into it?

Ms Harmless wrote:it's better than S/T, BS and LB

it's the 8th Wonder of the World

I'm happy enough with that

I agree, In two years it could either be the same, or fall below S/T.

All I know is I love this fucking record. It carries all the things I love about pearl jam. Playfulness, intensity, somberness, ferociousness. Its touching and sometimes funny. its catchy and aggressive.

Sleek yet vigilant.

There are 0 missteps on this record. They feel like "Artists" again. It feels like they care.

I absolutely just love it.

Strat wrote:All I know is I love this fucking record. It carries all the things I love about pearl jam. Playfulness, intensity, somberness, ferociousness. Its touching and sometimes funny. its catchy and aggressive.

Sleek yet vigilant.

There are 0 missteps on this record. They feel like "Artists" again. It feels like they care.

I absolutely just love it.

I agree. While I usually skip TTLW, I do find there are some cool pieces in it.

reconstruction_ seeds wrote:

stip wrote:

reconstruction_ seeds wrote:

Release_Me wrote:I'm talking rock music fans in general, not specifically the people found on PJ forums. But yeah, even on most PJ forums, when asked to rank the best albums (not the ones you most listen to today), I'd still expect the majority to rate the first 3 very highly. This is not just about their impact which obviously plays a role but because those early albums really are that good.

What good is an album a person never wants to listen to? Some albums were created with no thought to longevity, whether it be in the music, lyrics or both. Thats what I keep in mind when ranking favorite albums from any band.

We've had these albums for decades. Vitalogy is my favorite album of all time, but there are definitely pearl jam albums I listen to more. I know every note on Vitalogy by heart. I don't need to hear it anymore. REM's automatic for the people is the same way (my second favorite album). When I hear those songs I am immediately reminded of just how ridiculously good they are. But I no longer feel compelled to hear them.


I struggle with that when I do some of these ranking threads. There is where I'd rank a song in terms of the overall quality and what it's meant to me over time, vs. what I would prefer to listen to right now in this moment.

If a band releases an album with plenty going on instrumentally and without cheesy or destined to be outdated lyrics, whether it be jazz or blues influenced or just straight rock, if a fan is into hearing instruments there's no reason the album should ever become dusty for that type of fan. That's why I continue to listen to all albums by a particular band.

after youve heard something 1000 times you may not need to hear it again for a while. doesnt make it any less compelling

Anders wrote:

Release_Me wrote:At least 7 great songs on Gigaton. That is how I feel.

I will never be able identify with anyone who says that there are 7 great songs on Gigaton or that the album is a top 4 PJ album. Yet, that is an opinion that some people have so I have learned to deal with it.

See, now you know exactly how I feel.

Anders wrote:No Code Sometimes, Hail, Hail, Who You Are, In My Tree, Smile, Off He Goes, Habit, Red Mosquito, Lukin, Present Tense, Mankind, I'm Open, Around the Bend

Now that is a list of great songs. Probably 8-9 top tier tracks.

I would only consider Hail, Hail, Off He Goes, In My Tree, Red Mosquito, Present Tense as great songs. The others range from poor to very good. No Code is an album I rarely ever revisit as a whole, it is mostly the aforementioned songs that I seek out and a few others like Smile, Sometimes, Who You Are, Around The Bend that may get the occasional listen.

No Code is their second best album

As much as I love Gigaton (quite a lot, far more than I ever expected), I can't see it being a top three for me. Right now that would be Binaural, Yield, and Vitalogy. Gigaton beats out the last three records pretty easily, and right now I'm more interested in hearing it than Ten or Riot Act, but of course it's still new.

As for overall feelings in regards to Vitalogy, without that album I probably wouldn't still be a Pearl Jam fan. Ten and Vs. were great when I was first getting into the band, but it was Vitalogy that I became obsessed with and showed the depth of their sound, and getting Binaural shortly thereafter solidified it. I put Vitalogy into my rotation for work lately and it's still such an amazing listen.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:No Code is their second best album

Another opinion I have learned to live with.

I'm pretty certain Release_Me and Tuolomne are just stips second and third accounts