My Pearl Jam album list
I'm kind of bored, so I figured I'd rank the band's albums. My opinion isn't worth more than anybody else's, I just thought it would be a good time waster for a little bit.
1. Ten - This is mostly driven by nostalgia. I basically grew up listening to this album, and it was one of the main factors that gave me a passion for music. I don't listen to it nearly as much anymore, mostly because I've worn it out, but for personal reasons this couldn't be anywhere but #1.
2. Vitalogy - This album contains the band's best five song start to an album. Parts of this are very weird, and while some of the songs aren't very enjoyable by themselves, in context they fit in perfectly. The album has a dark, haunting vibe, even on the more upbeat songs (the artwork helps give off that vibe). It also contains "Corduroy" and "Immortality," my two favorite songs of theirs.
3. No Code - I'm sure many were disappointed by the change of direction when this came out, but as I was six at the time, I didn't experience that reaction, so I was able to listen to this album relatively open-minded, and I'm glad I did. I love the experiments into world-beat on "Who You Are" (amazing song) and "In My Tree". "Off He Goes" is in my top five songs of theirs. While the album's second half isn't as consistent (save for the amazing "Present Tense"), the band's willingness to experiment makes me give them a large amount of respect.
4. Yield - It's more mainstream than No Code, but it also goes down new avenues the band had not done before. "Given to Fly" is one of the band's best songs, "Wishlist" is stunning in its simplicity, "Do the Evolution" is a blast, and "All Those Yesterdays" employs a Beatles-esque vibe. It's probably the band's most spiritual album, and even though they were waning in popularity they weren't waning in great songs.
5. Vs. - While I'm not a fan of songs like "Rats" and "W.M.A.", I love the rawness of the album, especially knowing the fact that it followed their most popular album. The unbridled anger of "Blood" never fails to get my blood flowing. "Daughter" and "Elderly Woman" are classics, and "Rearviewmirror" and "Indifference" are both in my top ten songs of theirs.
6. Binaural - I actually think the more standard rock songs on this album are its weakest, Pearl Jam are at their best on this record when they experiment. The dark "Nothing as It Seems" and "Insignificance", the seductive "Of the Girl", the mindblowing "Sleight of Hand" and the beautiful (but sad) "Parting Ways".
7. Pearl Jam - While this album is their most straightforward, it seems the band has found a new sense of purpose with it. Not everything works, but the hard rock songs actually benefit the most (kind of like an inverse of Binaural) - "Life Wasted," "World Wide Suicide," and "Severed Hand" never fail to get me playing air guitar.
8. Backspacer - This actually might be the band's most consistent album, but I don't think any songs really jump out at the listener and establish themselves. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as there's good things to be found throughout the album if one lets it sink in - the joy of "The Fixer", the humorous "Johnny Guitar", the beautiful "Just Breathe", and "Unthought Known", which is likely the best song on the album.
9. Riot Act - The highs on this album are great ("Can't Keep," "All or None") but the lows are embarrassingly low. I'm not a big fan of Bush either, but they could've dropped the political commentary on "Bu$hleaguer" and spent more time trying to write a good song. "Help Help" and "Get Right" are also weak, and the songwriting seems to have dropped a bit from their previous album.
1. Ten - This is mostly driven by nostalgia. I basically grew up listening to this album, and it was one of the main factors that gave me a passion for music. I don't listen to it nearly as much anymore, mostly because I've worn it out, but for personal reasons this couldn't be anywhere but #1.
2. Vitalogy - This album contains the band's best five song start to an album. Parts of this are very weird, and while some of the songs aren't very enjoyable by themselves, in context they fit in perfectly. The album has a dark, haunting vibe, even on the more upbeat songs (the artwork helps give off that vibe). It also contains "Corduroy" and "Immortality," my two favorite songs of theirs.
3. No Code - I'm sure many were disappointed by the change of direction when this came out, but as I was six at the time, I didn't experience that reaction, so I was able to listen to this album relatively open-minded, and I'm glad I did. I love the experiments into world-beat on "Who You Are" (amazing song) and "In My Tree". "Off He Goes" is in my top five songs of theirs. While the album's second half isn't as consistent (save for the amazing "Present Tense"), the band's willingness to experiment makes me give them a large amount of respect.
4. Yield - It's more mainstream than No Code, but it also goes down new avenues the band had not done before. "Given to Fly" is one of the band's best songs, "Wishlist" is stunning in its simplicity, "Do the Evolution" is a blast, and "All Those Yesterdays" employs a Beatles-esque vibe. It's probably the band's most spiritual album, and even though they were waning in popularity they weren't waning in great songs.
5. Vs. - While I'm not a fan of songs like "Rats" and "W.M.A.", I love the rawness of the album, especially knowing the fact that it followed their most popular album. The unbridled anger of "Blood" never fails to get my blood flowing. "Daughter" and "Elderly Woman" are classics, and "Rearviewmirror" and "Indifference" are both in my top ten songs of theirs.
6. Binaural - I actually think the more standard rock songs on this album are its weakest, Pearl Jam are at their best on this record when they experiment. The dark "Nothing as It Seems" and "Insignificance", the seductive "Of the Girl", the mindblowing "Sleight of Hand" and the beautiful (but sad) "Parting Ways".
7. Pearl Jam - While this album is their most straightforward, it seems the band has found a new sense of purpose with it. Not everything works, but the hard rock songs actually benefit the most (kind of like an inverse of Binaural) - "Life Wasted," "World Wide Suicide," and "Severed Hand" never fail to get me playing air guitar.
8. Backspacer - This actually might be the band's most consistent album, but I don't think any songs really jump out at the listener and establish themselves. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as there's good things to be found throughout the album if one lets it sink in - the joy of "The Fixer", the humorous "Johnny Guitar", the beautiful "Just Breathe", and "Unthought Known", which is likely the best song on the album.
9. Riot Act - The highs on this album are great ("Can't Keep," "All or None") but the lows are embarrassingly low. I'm not a big fan of Bush either, but they could've dropped the political commentary on "Bu$hleaguer" and spent more time trying to write a good song. "Help Help" and "Get Right" are also weak, and the songwriting seems to have dropped a bit from their previous album.
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