I overdosed on the avocado album - it was the only cd in my car the summer of 2006. Since I wasn't a huge fan of Binaural and Riot Act, this album just struck the right chord.
Over a year later, though, I've been hooked on the bootlegs, especially the Vic show and the Gorge box set - the studio album doesn't sound as strong.
I contend that this is there most relevent album since the VS-Vitalogy days.
I equate relevance in albums to it's influence on other musicians and it's continued popularity long after release. This album doesn't come close to Vs. and Vitalogy in either area. I enjoy the album but it doesn't stick out amongst other good albums from other artists the past 2 years. Maybe we have different views on what relevance means.
I think that Avocado is good, but definitely not their best. My 3 favorite PJ albums are RA, Binaural and Yield. They really kept evolving in a good direction but missed something with Avocado.
I agree 100% with this.....
Nice one Yosi.....
If anything, on Avocado I prefer the second half of the album, i LOVE Big Wave, Army Reserve and Unemployable.....
'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton
I equate relevance in albums to it's influence on other musicians and it's continued popularity long after release. This album doesn't come close to Vs. and Vitalogy in either area. I enjoy the album but it doesn't stick out amongst other good albums from other artists the past 2 years. Maybe we have different views on what relevance means.
I wouldn't say "as" relevent, but the most relevent "since". The Relevence ratio to me is Content x Buzz. Why do you have buzz, in this case, because it was politically relevent and had the best reviews in a decade. Also, since it's release it is "OK" to like PJ again amongst the indie folk. The Strokes, Interpol, the Killers and many other newer bands have gotten people past the Creed sounds like PJ backlash the band had to endure in the early 2000's. The killed at Lollapalooza and will kill at Bonnaroo watch.
I am also aware that what I said above makes little sense. Who farted?
To me, all the songs are good, but I think they don't work as a studio album. The songs really capture a live feeling, but not this feeling of cohesion that everyone keeps mentioning.
you make an excellent point.They are much better live.more so than their other albums. (as far as the difference between the two is concerned.)
sorry to say, but the avocado disappoints me as much today
as it did 2 years ago. it's just lacking a certain....something.
as much as i want to love it, i just don't.
Finally, someone I can agree with. Many past albums grew on me as I listened to them but Avocado has not. I gave it so many trys forcing myself to listen to it but I can't get into. I've been craving a new album since Riot Act bc I can't listen to this one. I can't even get into one song. Sorry PJ fans!
Big Wave is awesome! Haven't listened in a while. Tomorrow I'll pop on Avocado and (given it's the time of year again) get back into that groove I remember so well from almost two years ago...
First of all: I think PJ IS 'the new Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin wasn't really hard. They put out very diverse records.
Second: I like Pearl Jam. The only song I have ever thought about skipping was Parachutes but it grew on me. The reoccuring "theme", as with all the other records, is "we're Pearl Jam and we make the music that we want to make."
Third: Ed should NOT write all the songs. Songs written by the other guys probably help to alleviate the stress of being the majority songwriter. I have
heard that Ed has a lot of say-so in the writing process of the band. I dont know if it is true or not, but he seems to like it when other members contribute.
No Code's theme was that the album was an experiment. It's the kind of music they wanted to make themselves, regardless of what fans, or the media, or the industry wanted from them. It was them stepping out on a limb and taking the biggest risk of their musical lives. And I think the songs and the album reflect that...
if you listen to the lyrics of No Code, its totally different to Avocado & Ten/VS/Vit because it doesnt deal with social / political issues nearly as much....lots of songs about interpersonal stuff on it instead.
Religion...Sometimes
How people in a relationship treat each other...Hail Hail
Reclusion...In My Tree
Being a shit friend ...Off He Goes
Addiction...Habit
Having a mate's place to feel safe in...Lukin
Having a Fever....Red Mosquito
compare the personal element put into No Code and Avocado and you've got polar opposites imo (i realise the thread is about Avocado - i like it more now than 22 months ago)
holy shit,that's exactly the same scenario for me!! It's now my favorite PJ album now.
that's what happened to me too...it's not my favorite, but i neglected it's greatness.
and pearl jam is good, but it's my least favorite as well as others have said.
7/2/06 - Denver, CO
6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
7/2/06 - Denver, CO
6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
I agree that Army Reserve is somewhat weird. Could it be that it sounds Soundgarden-ish? That's what irks me about it.
You know, I am not sure if it is that or the fact that it just sounds soooooo forced when ed sings it and it just sounds like a mess to me. The arrangement, the music, everything. Studio or live. I know everyone says that the songs arent cohesive and the record lacks a certain FLOW (for SENROCK). I actually like the way that it flows EXCEPT for AR. For me, it starts off with a BAM of Life Wasted. Like you are at the top of the roller coaster and going down that first big drop....Rocks a little bit, kicks your ass with Severed Hand and then just kind of mellows out. Pulls me back in a bit with BIg Wave and I LOVE the last two songs. AR just blows it all for me though. I know what the song is for, why it was written and all that, but for me, it deserved a spot on the Body of War sound track before this record.
My friend was going to see Eddie last night. Since he was in Vegas, I gave him 5 Grand to gamble with. I told him I wanted it all to go on Black. Bastard! PhillyCrownOfThorns-11-2-12
Loved loved loved it when it came out...but it certainly hasn't appreciated for me over the last two years...Gone and Unemployable are constant skips for me for sure. Still think Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Comatose and WWS are pretty killer.
ive been thinking about out conversations about this album from yesterday and i think using the word "theme" was wrong. i think yield and maybe vitalogy are the only albums with distinguishable themes. Yet, there is something missing from this album and I can't put my finger on it. I was thinking maybe it's creativity?????? IMO, parachutes and marker are the only songs that are original to me. That doesn't mean i dont love some of the other ones, but they're not much different than songs in past. I need another no code or yield on this next one...
Further back and forth a wave will break on me, today...
I was thinking maybe it's creativity?????? IMO, parachutes and marker are the only songs that are original to me. That doesn't mean i dont love some of the other ones, but they're not much different than songs in past. I need another no code or yield on this next one...
I agree with you, theres a lot on avocado thats been done before.....
the few tracks which sound fresh to me (Unemployable, Army Reserve, Big Wave and Inside Job) people have a problem with.....
'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton
Loved loved loved it when it came out...but it certainly hasn't appreciated for me over the last two years...Gone and Unemployable are constant skips for me for sure. Still think Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Comatose and WWS are pretty killer.
got me a BIG WAVE ride me a big wave got me a big WAAAAAAAVE!!!!
I was reading all these posts and began to realize again how much i loved this album...until i read this one. This song is an assault on the ears. Jeff, we love you, and you have written some of the most beautiful songs in Pearl Jam's catalog (Low Light is one of my favorites.) But songs like this and Sweet Lew make me think you need to stay away from writing and stick to slappin' the fat strings.
I was reading all these posts and began to realize again how much i loved this album...until i read this one. This song is an assault on the ears. Jeff, we love you, and you have written some of the most beautiful songs in Pearl Jam's catalog (Low Light is one of my favorites.) But songs like this and Sweet Lew make me think you need to stay away from writing and stick to slappin' the fat strings.
You had better DUCK bro...SEN is coming and she is gonna be swinging!!!
My friend was going to see Eddie last night. Since he was in Vegas, I gave him 5 Grand to gamble with. I told him I wanted it all to go on Black. Bastard! PhillyCrownOfThorns-11-2-12
ive been thinking about out conversations about this album from yesterday and i think using the word "theme" was wrong. i think yield and maybe vitalogy are the only albums with distinguishable themes. Yet, there is something missing from this album and I can't put my finger on it. I was thinking maybe it's creativity?????? IMO, parachutes and marker are the only songs that are original to me. That doesn't mean i dont love some of the other ones, but they're not much different than songs in past. I need another no code or yield on this next one...
x2 for me here. I just have not been able to connect with the album. And I don't know why. Life Wasted really gets me going, but then Severed Hand and Gone come along and really wreck it for me. There are only a few songs where I thought they really extended themselves.
I haven't listened to Pearl Jam in quite awhile now, and I think it's because I was so underwhelmed by #8 and the US tour that followed. I really hope they rearrange some of the songs, get rid of the jams on Even Flow and a few others, and try and explore some of the newer songs more.
You know, I am not sure if it is that or the fact that it just sounds soooooo forced when ed sings it and it just sounds like a mess to me. The arrangement, the music, everything. Studio or live. I know everyone says that the songs arent cohesive and the record lacks a certain FLOW (for SENROCK). I actually like the way that it flows EXCEPT for AR. For me, it starts off with a BAM of Life Wasted. Like you are at the top of the roller coaster and going down that first big drop....Rocks a little bit, kicks your ass with Severed Hand and then just kind of mellows out. Pulls me back in a bit with BIg Wave and I LOVE the last two songs. AR just blows it all for me though. I know what the song is for, why it was written and all that, but for me, it deserved a spot on the Body of War sound track before this record.
hahahahahaha i LOVE that!!! thanks!
~~~~~~ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME~~~~~~
Sir Mike McCready is....THE MASTER!!! WAHHH!!!
EVENFLOW PSYCHOS H.N.I.C~FEEL THE FLOW!!!
"Pearl Jam fans are obsessed, they'd see the boys in HELL if tickets were sold."-CROJAM95
I am amazed by all the negative reaction I've read here to this album.
I loved this album when it first came out and I love it now--and this is from someone who is a diehard Pearl Jam fan, but probably doesn't live and die with the band on a daily basis as heavily as some of you here. If I truly thought this album was a stinker, I think I'd be one of the first to say so.
I can't imagine a band with Pearl Jam's history and catalogue making an album any more perfect for the age we live in! And for those who feel the album lacks a theme, I couldn't disagree more--it's a call to arms for our entire society! Yes, it's got its anti-war parts, but to me, it's much more than that. It's a reflection on all the problems going on in the world today and a celebration that open-mindedness, nature (a recurring PJ theme anyway) and love are the only way to go...
I find it funny how a lot of the so-called "Yield fans" and "No Code fans" (by the way, those are two of my personal favourite albums) look down on all the fairweather fans from 1991 who stopped caring about PJ's albums when they refused to keep pumping out albums like Ten and Vs. All the so-called die-hards are now shitting on Pearl Jam because they won't make another album like Yield or No Code. What a bunch of hypocrites!
Poor fuckers--it seems they can't do anything to please their fanbase! I realize the criticism is not of the band or the people, but I'm not sure what it is that people expect from them?! That last album, to me, sounds like a Pearl Jam album--no two PJ albums sound the same, but they always have great melodies, great lyrics, raw sound and no frilly bullshit. I don't feel the same way when I listen to the Avocado that I did when I first heard Vs. or Vitalogy or Yield, but those were all at very different times in my life personally and different times in our world, to say nothing of the fact the guys in the band are older!
I'm just thankful they're still making honest, heartfelt, topical music...I expect nothing else from them because they've already given more than any other band I listen to...
Comments
Over a year later, though, I've been hooked on the bootlegs, especially the Vic show and the Gorge box set - the studio album doesn't sound as strong.
I equate relevance in albums to it's influence on other musicians and it's continued popularity long after release. This album doesn't come close to Vs. and Vitalogy in either area. I enjoy the album but it doesn't stick out amongst other good albums from other artists the past 2 years. Maybe we have different views on what relevance means.
I agree 100% with this.....
Nice one Yosi.....
If anything, on Avocado I prefer the second half of the album, i LOVE Big Wave, Army Reserve and Unemployable.....
I love it. Better than Binaural too. Its hard to believe its been 2 years already. We need a new album!
Reckon it'll be another year at least..... :(
I wouldn't say "as" relevent, but the most relevent "since". The Relevence ratio to me is Content x Buzz. Why do you have buzz, in this case, because it was politically relevent and had the best reviews in a decade. Also, since it's release it is "OK" to like PJ again amongst the indie folk. The Strokes, Interpol, the Killers and many other newer bands have gotten people past the Creed sounds like PJ backlash the band had to endure in the early 2000's. The killed at Lollapalooza and will kill at Bonnaroo watch.
I am also aware that what I said above makes little sense. Who farted?
you make an excellent point.They are much better live.more so than their other albums. (as far as the difference between the two is concerned.)
Finally, someone I can agree with. Many past albums grew on me as I listened to them but Avocado has not. I gave it so many trys forcing myself to listen to it but I can't get into. I've been craving a new album since Riot Act bc I can't listen to this one. I can't even get into one song. Sorry PJ fans!
my thoughts exactly.
Don't it make you smile?
Second: I like Pearl Jam. The only song I have ever thought about skipping was Parachutes but it grew on me. The reoccuring "theme", as with all the other records, is "we're Pearl Jam and we make the music that we want to make."
Third: Ed should NOT write all the songs. Songs written by the other guys probably help to alleviate the stress of being the majority songwriter. I have
heard that Ed has a lot of say-so in the writing process of the band. I dont know if it is true or not, but he seems to like it when other members contribute.
if you listen to the lyrics of No Code, its totally different to Avocado & Ten/VS/Vit because it doesnt deal with social / political issues nearly as much....lots of songs about interpersonal stuff on it instead.
Religion...Sometimes
How people in a relationship treat each other...Hail Hail
Reclusion...In My Tree
Being a shit friend ...Off He Goes
Addiction...Habit
Having a mate's place to feel safe in...Lukin
Having a Fever....Red Mosquito
compare the personal element put into No Code and Avocado and you've got polar opposites imo (i realise the thread is about Avocado - i like it more now than 22 months ago)
other than that i only like the first minute of Inside Job.
the first half of the album is awesome live though.
still hate the second half.
that's what happened to me too...it's not my favorite, but i neglected it's greatness.
and pearl jam is good, but it's my least favorite as well as others have said.
6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
Gone fucking sucks.
6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
You know, I am not sure if it is that or the fact that it just sounds soooooo forced when ed sings it and it just sounds like a mess to me. The arrangement, the music, everything. Studio or live. I know everyone says that the songs arent cohesive and the record lacks a certain FLOW (for SENROCK). I actually like the way that it flows EXCEPT for AR. For me, it starts off with a BAM of Life Wasted. Like you are at the top of the roller coaster and going down that first big drop....Rocks a little bit, kicks your ass with Severed Hand and then just kind of mellows out. Pulls me back in a bit with BIg Wave and I LOVE the last two songs. AR just blows it all for me though. I know what the song is for, why it was written and all that, but for me, it deserved a spot on the Body of War sound track before this record.
"Free Shipping" SPEEDY MCCREADY
My friend was going to see Eddie last night. Since he was in Vegas, I gave him 5 Grand to gamble with. I told him I wanted it all to go on Black. Bastard! PhillyCrownOfThorns-11-2-12
I agree with you, theres a lot on avocado thats been done before.....
the few tracks which sound fresh to me (Unemployable, Army Reserve, Big Wave and Inside Job) people have a problem with.....
I agree, and I also skip Army Reserve...
I was reading all these posts and began to realize again how much i loved this album...until i read this one. This song is an assault on the ears. Jeff, we love you, and you have written some of the most beautiful songs in Pearl Jam's catalog (Low Light is one of my favorites.) But songs like this and Sweet Lew make me think you need to stay away from writing and stick to slappin' the fat strings.
You had better DUCK bro...SEN is coming and she is gonna be swinging!!!
"Free Shipping" SPEEDY MCCREADY
My friend was going to see Eddie last night. Since he was in Vegas, I gave him 5 Grand to gamble with. I told him I wanted it all to go on Black. Bastard! PhillyCrownOfThorns-11-2-12
Big Wave is a billion times better than Sweet Lew and is completely rocking....the solo is awesome and the lyrics are great, spiritual yet fun.....
I'll never understand the hate for Big Wave....or the love for Life Wasted......
x2 for me here. I just have not been able to connect with the album. And I don't know why. Life Wasted really gets me going, but then Severed Hand and Gone come along and really wreck it for me. There are only a few songs where I thought they really extended themselves.
I haven't listened to Pearl Jam in quite awhile now, and I think it's because I was so underwhelmed by #8 and the US tour that followed. I really hope they rearrange some of the songs, get rid of the jams on Even Flow and a few others, and try and explore some of the newer songs more.
Sir Mike McCready is....THE MASTER!!! WAHHH!!!
EVENFLOW PSYCHOS H.N.I.C~FEEL THE FLOW!!!
"Pearl Jam fans are obsessed, they'd see the boys in HELL if tickets were sold."-CROJAM95
It takes balls to put out a UKE album!
I loved this album when it first came out and I love it now--and this is from someone who is a diehard Pearl Jam fan, but probably doesn't live and die with the band on a daily basis as heavily as some of you here. If I truly thought this album was a stinker, I think I'd be one of the first to say so.
I can't imagine a band with Pearl Jam's history and catalogue making an album any more perfect for the age we live in! And for those who feel the album lacks a theme, I couldn't disagree more--it's a call to arms for our entire society! Yes, it's got its anti-war parts, but to me, it's much more than that. It's a reflection on all the problems going on in the world today and a celebration that open-mindedness, nature (a recurring PJ theme anyway) and love are the only way to go...
I find it funny how a lot of the so-called "Yield fans" and "No Code fans" (by the way, those are two of my personal favourite albums) look down on all the fairweather fans from 1991 who stopped caring about PJ's albums when they refused to keep pumping out albums like Ten and Vs. All the so-called die-hards are now shitting on Pearl Jam because they won't make another album like Yield or No Code. What a bunch of hypocrites!
Poor fuckers--it seems they can't do anything to please their fanbase! I realize the criticism is not of the band or the people, but I'm not sure what it is that people expect from them?! That last album, to me, sounds like a Pearl Jam album--no two PJ albums sound the same, but they always have great melodies, great lyrics, raw sound and no frilly bullshit. I don't feel the same way when I listen to the Avocado that I did when I first heard Vs. or Vitalogy or Yield, but those were all at very different times in my life personally and different times in our world, to say nothing of the fact the guys in the band are older!
I'm just thankful they're still making honest, heartfelt, topical music...I expect nothing else from them because they've already given more than any other band I listen to...
My two cents on "Pearl Jam"
DP