Riot Act-What are the positives?

Bird889

UpSideDown wrote:

All or none........

Agree. Never gave that song enough props until they opened the Vic show with it. Its been one of my all time favorites ever since.

I think RA is more easily appreciated by the die hard fan base than the casual fan. I don't think it got much airplay and would no tbe "that album" to convert a casual fan.

As a side note, Get Right is the only remaining studio song I have not seen the band perform live (exlude LD). Not holding my breath for this one, but would like to hear it live in person some day.

Thanks to the OP for reminding me how much I love RA. Its in my car stereo right now.

Pry To

I love RA. "I Am Mine" is in my top five PJ songs of all time. Can't believe how little love this amazing song gets! "Save You" is 100% classic -- never get tired of hearing it live. "You Are" and "Thumbing My Way" are both amazing songs that I adore.

And let's not forget "Down," one of the all time best B-sides.

That lineup of songs is enough for me to call this one of my favorite PJ albums. Love love love it! Wish the band loved it as much as I do!

Plankton

I love the way Eddie sings on this album. Has a real moody feel to it. LBC .

GS163319

Erlewine's AMG review sums this album up very well:

In some ways, Riot Act is the album that Pearl Jam has been wanting to make since Vitalogy — a muscular art rock record, one that still hits hard but that is filled with ragged edges and odd detours. Vitalogy found the band sketching out their ideas for their brand of artsy rock, separating bracing hard rock and experimentalism throughout that fascinating album, and since then they bounced between those two extremes: indulging themselves on No Code, over-compensating with the streamlined Yield. Here, they manage to seamlessly blend the two impulses together in a restless, passionate record that delivers musically and emotionally. If it doesn't announce itself as a comeback or a great step forward, it's because the changes are subtle — it's a process of their post-Vitalogy sound finally gelling, not making an artistic breakthrough. Given the appealing but haphazard nature of their late-'90s work, it's quite satisfying to have a Pearl Jam album play as strongly as Riot Act, and again some credit must be given to drummer Matt Cameron. He enlivened 2000's Binaural, but his forceful drumming gives the weirder songs and ambitions support and urgency. Also, the production is the best in nearly a decade — a warm, burnished sound filled with details that enhance the basic song instead of overwhelming them (in other words, it's not No Code, nor is it the Spartan Yield). Again, these are subtle shifts in sound, but they are notable and, given several plays, this does indeed seem like the richest record Pearl Jam has made in a long time.

Pry To

That's a great review. That said, I think every album that came before it was essentially perfect, so RA might seem like a step down to some people. It's the first PJ album that didn't have back-to-back-to-back classic songs, IMO.

i_lov_it

Definately my ***FAVOURITE*** out of the Last 3...:)

CrookedTom

I don’t think this was a particularly good period for Pearl Jam, coming after Roskilde and 9/11, the band seemed somber and Riot Act has a feel of them just bashing out a few mid tempo songs.
I remember the press for the launch of the album, when they all said the album was recorded quickly, in a few takes etc. It sounds like it. Most of the songs feel half baked, and pretty unmemorable. You just have to look at any setlist since 2006 to see that Riot Act gets very little love, with perhaps the exception of Save You, Half Full and You Are.

It’s not a bad album though, just disappointing, coming off the back of a virtually perfect back catalogue up to that point.

Unlike many, I don’t like Save You at all, and have never understood the love for Can’t Keep either. Love Boat Captain is horribly cheesy and Half Full is a poorer version of Red Mosquito
The highlights: well I Am Mine is a fine song, I love the riff and atmosphere on You Are. All Or None is a lovely ballad, and Green Disease is good fun

I do believe it’s their worst album though, and I think you’d find most of the band agree

TB Rival

Eddie's vocals were lazy on most of Riot Act and Binaural. That said they are still both great PJ albums and essential pieces to the catalog.

To me, the most underrated song on Riot Act is Help, Help. I think it is a brilliant song.

Dark Star

Back_Pedal wrote:

I dislike it because it sounds so phoned in. Eddie doesn't sound somber, he just sounds like he doesn't even want to be in the studio because he has something better to do. There's a few decent songs, like Save You, You Are, etc but it's PJ's most uninspired sounding album, in my opinion.

I heard this before, I don't know, I don't think he phoned it in or wasn't into it, I just think that was the style he was going for... that smooth delivery w/ hardly any screaming. Kinda like a more somber Yield-era Eddie. (2002 wasn't the happiest of times, especially if you just went through a divorce a year or two earlier.)

I just don't think this album was ready to be put to wax yet, they needed to write a few more good songs. But Sony was probably pressuring them to meet deadlines and I'm sure PJ was excited to get their last album of the contract done and get the fuck out. (But then to have a four year album break after their weakest effort, ughh, not a wise career move, but I digress. )

But back to the thread, many fans think Riot Act has the best production of any PJ record, meaning the sound quality and mix is top notch. It was also referred to by Matt as their 'anti pro-tools' record.

StoneAment

No love for Ghost?

Other positives Save You, Thumbing My Way, Get Right, All or None, You Are.

Actually I do like most of this album, the songs mentioned are just particular highlights.

electronblue

DangDang wrote:

Riot Act is definitely an acquired taste.

Definitely, it is NOT a likeable album the first five listens or so, but then it starts growing on you, and growing on you.

Then it jumps up and starts beating you up and then it turns into one of those giant snakes that wraps around you and squeezes you--what's it called? Yeah, that one. Then it grows vines all around you. And then it takes you on a boat to where the Wild Things are. And then the Wild Things say that you are the Love Boat Captain. And all cheese melts away and floats off to sea. Then its just you and music.

The only way tha you could dance proper to 1/2 full is to stop drop and roll. And then flail. And then cover as wide an area as possible where you are just above laying down but just below levitating. Take some legs out.


When you hear Cropduster you remember man, in 6/4, 9/8, and 7/4 and 4/4 time, that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

The best thing about RIot Act is that Boom creates a giant halo of sound arond the songs. You don't hear him playing. He just makes an all-hallowed sound of reverbitating depth, height, width, and glow.

This album is just crazy. No, you're not supposed to like it the first five or seven times you hear it. You can ONLY like it after much repetition. Just keep playing it. There are so many grooves in each song, you HAVE to repetitively play it so that your brain can pick up on all the intricacies. I say give your neurotransmitters and neuroconnectors and myelin protein sheath a chance, man!

Keep playing it. The rewards are great.

Bushleaguer to me was extremely boring the first 10 times then it started growing, now its reached awesomeness.

There is one song that is still a seedling. All or none. I'm not giving up on it, but meanwhile, I'm certainly not going to put it down.

C'mon. Pearl Jam does not let down.

:shock: where are the hypnotic jungle book snake eyes? ~

DangDang

electron blue wrote:

:shock: where are the hypnotic jungle book snake eyes? ~

At the beginning of your frickin question.

curmudgeoness

StoneAment wrote:

No love for Ghost?

Other positives Save You, Thumbing My Way, Get Right, All or None, You Are.

I have lots of love for Ghost. I like the lyrics and the sound, was very happy to hear it at Philly 1.

No0nesRival

This album was a hard one to get into right off...
after all these years listening though...mostly live versions
I LOVE IT!

however...
yield, vitalogy, binaural, avacado album and backspacer are my favs.

Julien

riot act has always been one of my favorite albums. After vitalogy and no code but those 3 albums are so different that it's difficult to rank them.
I love the vibe of riot act. its production.

electronblue

DangDang wrote:

electron blue wrote:

:shock: where are the hypnotic jungle book snake eyes? ~

At the beginning of your frickin question.

sorry..
i meant the actual little moving swirly things ~

BALLBOY

It is a Pearl Jam record so it must be a positive!

veddertown

I really love the bit between the start of Can't Keep and the end of All Or None...

2-feign-reluctance

Not really. Nothing on there reminds me if Soundgarden. Maybe have to be in a jazz drumming state of mind.

uote="GS163319"]You need to be in a Soundgarden state of mind to get Riot Act...

It's brilliant - but not always something to listen to. Following Uncle Neil's discography, not everything has to be the most listenable or accessible. Some works hit at very specific psychological times. Riot Act is like this. It's music for a very distinct mood.[/quote]

Evolution6579

I probably listen to Riot Act and Yield the most in the car. I think Yield is the yin to Riot Act's yang. To me, Yield is polished, light and breezy whereas Riot Act is jagged and dirty. Riot Act is definitely my favorite of the two.

When I listen to Riot Act, I feel as if I'm intruding on something private. Yield is more of an open invite.