Lightning Bolt- Most Well Organized Album?

pleatherman

I've read some criticisms about LB sounding schizophrenic or not cohesive enough. As far as tempo is concerned, pretty much every album has run the gamut. Pearl Jam's strength certainly lies in continuing to push the music in a multitude of directions.

Sequencing on the new album is probably the most obvious example of that. Lightning Bolt is bookended by a trio of songs on either side. The first three are fast, brooding, enveloped in a spitfire guitar attack that provides a direct line to the adrenal gland. The final three are formed by acoustic rumination, coupled with campfire takeaway. In between, three focused back-to-back sets emerge. 'Sirens' and 'Lightning Bolt' (the song) represent PJ at perhaps their most natural, anthemic state. The next two, 'Infallible' and 'Pendulum', are experimental, in the sense of exploring territory with no reference point in their back catalog. And 'Swallowed Whole' and 'Let the Records Play' aim for an upbeat pronouncement, bordering on levity.

Lightning Bolt's track listing contains five sections of music placed side by side. I don't think a librarian could have filed it better. Agree/Disagree?

pjhawks

just my opinion but I think the sequencing of this album is terrible

buck502000

pjhawks wrote:

just my opinion but I think the sequencing of this album is terrible

Any suggestions on what it should be?

DeLukin

My only complaint would've been the transition between Father's Son and Sirens. It just tastes like drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth. Maybe putting LB or Infallible between the two would've helped. It's not a very serious complaint because I love the album, but those first 3 songs are killer and then Sirens just kind of comes out of nowhere and douses the fire a little too abruptly for me.

Indifference152

This is how my lightning bolt would be

1. Getaway
2. Mind your manners
3. Lightning bolt
4. Infallible
5. Sirens
6. My fathers s son
7. Swallowed whole
8. Let the records play
9. Sleeping by myself
10. Yellow moon
11. Future days
12. Pendulum

DewieCox

Completely disagree...The worst sequencing of any PJ album.

I think about everything on the album is at least solid, except for Future Days, but it's a little frontloaded.

Yellow Moon is cool and screams closer, but they put Future Days after it and despite diggin YM and SBM...those 3 songs to close is awful.

Missed chances to slow down and build back up, with some real clashes, MFS>Sirens and LTRP>SBM come to mind. I think Pendulum into Infallible would've been epic. Pendulum starting side 2 of the vinyl is great, but after that it goes steadily downhill with a slight uptick on Yellow Moon, but then a cliff into FD.


I was having a discussion with another vinyl loving friend and we agreed that one of the great things about vinyl is that there are certain songs that you're "forced" into listening. That really works when an album is well sequenced, but if it's not, it can turn into a crappy run of tunes.

pleatherman

DeLukin wrote:

My only complaint would've been the transition between Father's Son and Sirens. It just tastes like drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth. Maybe putting LB or Infallible between the two would've helped. It's not a very serious complaint because I love the album, but those first 3 songs are killer and then Sirens just kind of comes out of nowhere and douses the fire a little too abruptly for me.

I know where you're coming from and I can't disagree with that.

pjhawks

buck502000 wrote:

pjhawks wrote:

just my opinion but I think the sequencing of this album is terrible

Any suggestions on what it should be?

a quick rough of it off the top of my head but this is how i'd go with it. I still think of albums as side 1 and side 2 so I would sequence in 2 six song sequences.

1 - Pendulum (opening each show with it just shows how great of an opener it is)
2 - Sirens (put these 2 1st building up to the harder edge songs)
3 - Mind Your Manners
4 - My Father's Son
5 - Swallowed Whole
6 - Yellow Moon (end side 1 by coming down abit but not fully down to something like future days)

7 - Lightning Bolt (hit side 2 with a jolt again and take it back down until you get to future days)
8 - Infallible (think the segue on this works well together so leave back to back)
9 - Getaway
10 - Let the Records Play
11 - Sleeping By Myself
12 - Future Days

I think this sequence gives you much more balance. I don't really like the end of the current album. I think from Swallowed Whole thru Future Days just doesn't flow correctly. it's like it's kind of thrown together to me.

SVRDhand13

I like the way it is but also think this would work:

Side A
Getaway
Mind Your Manners
Lightning Bolt
Let The Records Play
Sirens
Future Days

Side B
Pendulum
Infallible
Swallowed Whole
My Father's Son
Sleeping By Myself
Yellow Moon

Btw I think the harsh transition from MFS into Sirens was intentional to show the difference between the love EV has for his wife compared to the despair he feels for his father.

pleatherman

DewieCox wrote:

Completely disagree...The worst sequencing of any PJ album.

I think about everything on the album is at least solid, except for Future Days, but it's a little frontloaded.

Yellow Moon is cool and screams closer, but they put Future Days after it and despite diggin YM and SBM...those 3 songs to close is awful.

Missed chances to slow down and build back up, with some real clashes, MFS>Sirens and LTRP>SBM come to mind. I think Pendulum into Infallible would've been epic. Pendulum starting side 2 of the vinyl is great, but after that it goes steadily downhill with a slight uptick on Yellow Moon, but then a cliff into FD.


I was having a discussion with another vinyl loving friend and we agreed that one of the great things about vinyl is that there are certain songs that you're "forced" into listening. That really works when an album is well sequenced, but if it's not, it can turn into a crappy run of tunes.

For better or worse, the sequencing is distinctly categorized. That tends to mean it can lose the ebb and flow from their other releases. It's different, for sure. Personally, I enjoy Future Days and get a lot out of it. I'm glad it exists, however, I agree Yellow Moon would have made a great finale.

colors blend

My preferred order right now:

1. Pendulum
2. My Fathers Son
3. Mind Your Manners
4. Let the Records Play
5. Sirens
6. Lightning Bolt
7. Infallible
8. Getaway
9. Swallowed Whole
10. Sleeping by Myself
11. Yellow Moon
12. Future Days

Indifference152

colors blend wrote:

My preferred order right now:

1. Pendulum
2. My Fathers Son
3. Mind Your Manners
4. Let the Records Play
5. Sirens
6. Lightning Bolt
7. Infallible
8. Getaway
9. Swallowed Whole
10. Sleeping by Myself
11. Yellow Moon
12. Future Days

Getaway 8th spot?

shadowcast

Drop Future days and Sleeping with myself. Add Of the Earth and Ole. I just don't find this album on repeat like every other PJ album that came out. I don't find myself playing songs on this record to my friends saying "You have to hear this song". I mean it's good but maybe I had huge expectations. I really loved the last three records that came out but this one just falls short for me.

Manitou95

let's get this out of the way...Brendan O'brien is a force in the studio. with that said everyone's listening ears
are different.

If I was in the studio this is what the album would have looked like for the track sequence

1. Getaway
2. Mind Your Manners
3. My Father's Son
4. Sirens
5. Lightning Bolt
6. Infallible
7. Pendulum
8. Of The Earth (Studio version. I used from the 2010 Ireland bootleg show for my playlist)
9. Swallowed Whole
10.Yellow Moon
11. Let the Records Play
12. Future Days (edited..cut piano off front and back to make it less pretty...)

tracks 8,9, 10 have the word "Earth" in the lyrics so I called it the "Of the Earth" trilogy part of the album

This is the tracklist I created in Itunes and burned and play loud on all my devices. I cut "Sleeping by Myself" from the list and replaced it with "of the earth". SBM is good but it just seems like a misfit on the ablum. if they were going to pick an EV uke songs track to put on LB my choice would have been "You're True" (more like "Can't keep" and a fast moving tempo) but again we all have our opinions and listening ears.

Don't get me wrong I think LB is a masterpiece and probably will go down in history as one of the best
albums they've made and maybe in the top 100 of albums of all time!!

But for me I was so looking forward to hearing an "Of the Earth" studio version so I just made my own release and I
really love the flow of the tracks listed above. try it from beginning to end on your own playlist and you'll hear
what I mean.

Maybe they wanted to save "Of the Earth" for a seed song on the next album and use that song to build around. Or
maybe a Lost Dogs 2 is right around the corner after the excitement dies down from the new album.

no matter what...it's all PJ and all good. It's sure fun to be a fan of a band with so much character, depth, moral
code, and bottomline they know how to rock and roll

Cheers PJ amigos

thoughts on this?

RatherBe

I'm okay with the sequence.

shadowcast

SVRDhand13 wrote:

I like the way it is but also think this would work:

Side A
Getaway
Mind Your Manners
Lightning Bolt
Let The Records Play
Sirens
Future Days

Side B
Pendulum
Infallible
Swallowed Whole
My Father's Son
Sleeping By Myself
Yellow Moon

Btw I think the harsh transition from MFS into Sirens was intentional to show the difference between the love EV has for his wife compared to the despair he feels for his father.

I don't think Ed is singing about his real dad in MFS. I think of that of a more of character Ed created by reading something or seeing something.

RatherBe

Yeah, it's his stepfather Ed has a beef with.

DeLukin

shadowcast wrote:

I don't think Ed is singing about his real dad in MFS. I think of that of a more of character Ed created by reading something or seeing something.

I agree and feel the same thing about Sirens. I think Future Days is autobiographical.

Gmoney

I like everyones suggestions for track lists, they all make sense. I also think the actual track list works too although sirens and yellow moon feel out of place to me... For me, vitalogy-riot act are perfectly sequenced. Yield is hands down the best.

JonnyPistachio

I was listening in the car today and felt that the transition between Lightning Bolt and Infallible was weird. Then I realized it was the annoying fade out.

Gmoney wrote:

Yield is hands down the best.

Yup!

aurynsdad

I actually like the sequencing on this album more than any PJ album since Ten. For me, it's almost always a complete listen-through, because the songs lead into each other so perfectly.