I wanna talk about Avocado!!

cwar077

I wanna share my love for this record; a few observations, please feel free to add some of your own...

- I think this album flows the best from start to end out of all their albums. the track listing is perfectly placed. The first half hits hard and then the songs seamlessly become more open and spacey.

- this album reclaims the bands urgency, while I freakin love the weird tangents of RA and Binaural, Avocado hooks you in quickly. The band sounds the most energised and direct than anything since vs. I see this as the start of a new phase/progression in the band's evolution.

- I love the production on this album, there is a certain gloss that makes the guitars sound like a liquid blue. I also find that on the bootlegs from this tour the guitar tone retains this quality, check out breakerfall from Bern, Rearview mirror from Torino, or the many stellar versions of red mosquito.

- mike fucking tears it up at the end of life wasted and severed hand

- marker in the sand contains some of eddies most powerful lyrics and some of matts best drum fills. One of the few studio tracks where I can't find a live version that tops this studio cut.

- I was 20 when this album was released and the album accompanied some of my best and worst moments growing up and figuring out the world. I was in my first year of a sociology degree and I was forming the beginnings of a political consciousness and I related heavily to many of the themes in this record. Eddie's character and previous lyrics took on new understandings and I came to realise that pj had always represented my political leanings, however it was only at this point in time that I had the language to articulate and identify them. Also in this year at uni, avocado turned a bad acid trip into a very positive one!

Take a drive, turn avocado up. Share some love for this wonderful record

CharlieP

Great album for sure. My favourite songs from this one are rarely talked about here. Parachutes, Marker in the sand and Army reserve. Avo is actually one of my friends' favourite PJ record

jumbojet

cwar077 wrote:

I wanna share my love for this record; a few observations, please feel free to add some of your own...
- I love the production on this album, there is a certain gloss that makes the guitars sound like a liquid blue. I also find that on the bootlegs from this tour the guitar tone retains this quality, check out breakerfall from Bern, Rearview mirror from Torino, or the many stellar versions of red mosquito.

I was forming the beginnings of a political consciousness and I related heavily to many of the themes in this record. Eddie's character and previous lyrics took on new understandings and I came to realise that pj had always represented my political leanings, however it was only at this point in time that I had the language to articulate and identify them.

Take a drive, turn avocado up. Share some love for this wonderful record

I also always thought of the color blue for this album including its 2006 tour. Maybe it is because of the album cover.

YOu said it perfectly. Eddie also put into exact words about what I was feeling at that time. I am proud that my favorite band has a song like World-Wide-Suicide.

Just pay a particular attention to WWS and you'll see the minor details of how-well it is crafted. How Eddie's vocal line starts calmer, like he's explaining his case. And then his intensity increases at every line until and including the bridge part and the chorus part (The whole world.. World over..), his anger rises to top and gets crazy and the lyrics are not even detectable anymore.

Just a perfect match of vocals and lyrics. Brilliant.

foodboy

best work ever. best tour.

Indifference152

I agree with the best track listing of any album. Marker, severed hand, life wasted, comeback,inside job...brilliant. Not a bad song on the album. Soooo much better than backspacer. Lightning bold has potential to be up there with self titled. Gotta give it another 4 to 6 months.

Gern Blansten

Yeah this is a great one. I have 7 songs from this album that I consider favorites.

LB = 6
BS = 3

Indifference152

Gern Blansten wrote:

Yeah this is a great one. I have 7 songs from this album that I consider favorites.

LB = 6
BS = 3

Backspacer has...got some, unthought, and force of nature. Are those your 3?

DriftingByTheStorm

I thought Avocado was going to be "the crown jewel of the back half of the PJ catalog" when it came out. Backspacer reinforced that notion for me. Now that Lightning Bolt is out though, I'm not so sure.
:P

I actually think the flow on Avocado is a little weak. But it still holds up well.

Regarding the color scheme,
I really wish (and this is stupid to be nit picking color) that PJ would come BACK to color.
They have been stuck in blackity-black-black world since Binaural. Hell Yield, really.
Even when the albums have "color" (Backspacer, LB) it is still a seemingly limited color scheme over blackity-black-black.

Especially given the nature of the songs themselves on LB, i was really assuming we would get some more earthy \ "jammy" type artwork, like the 2006 tour art (bootlegs, etc).

BACK TO THE MUSIC.
I think that Avocado was the NEAR completion of "the complete evolution of the band" that started with the cocoon-declaration of No Code. But I think it is Lightning Bolt that TRULY finishes that evolution. 90's Pearl Jam is DEAD now. 100%. This is the NEW Pearl Jam. And I love it!

Mawky1103

I agree! The production is very well done. Also, Mike's solos are great and you pick up something new from them each time you listen. Great album.

Olivavu

It's the best of the new millennium PJ albums.

EvilTim102

Inside Job is one of my favorite songs ever. It's perfect.

curly

I all in with you on this one....
not to mention my older sis's fav pj song is Inside Job...

this cd start to finish is my fav for sure since Yield...
(shockingly, I don't hear that from many fellow pj friends/fans)...

And I always forget W W Suicide was on this one....this songs really kicks ass live also...

Gone and Comeback are prolly my favs off the cd...

with Marker in the sand, life wasted, severed hand right behind them....and I mean RIGHT behind them!!!

Also really like the ones I didn't mention.....and actually Parachutes was the only one I couldn't get into...

tried,...tried....tried....Parachutes....and it just didn't hit me......UNTIL...

Deluna Fest on the beach in Fall of 2012,...Ed came out with full 8 1/2 X 11 sheets of paper with the lyrics...

it was one of those amazing moments in time....Just the right amount of Alcohol (3 beers, 3 tequila shots roughly) , at the right time of night with the ocean at our side and the moon overhead....Ahhhh....

with the majority of the "FEST" crowd not knowing the song....We all were "IN" so to speak....handing on every word and every strum of the guitar...it was ,...well...ya know...

And this was all way after the avocado was my fav.... :fp:

Peace, love, family and PJ.....Curly

SVRDhand13

cwar077 wrote:

- I was 20 when this album was released and the album accompanied some of my best and worst moments growing up and figuring out the world. I was in my first year of a sociology degree and I was forming the beginnings of a political consciousness and I related heavily to many of the themes in this record.

I was a 20 year old too and I was pissed with the Bush administration so this album had some intense moments for me

Gern Blansten

Indifference152 wrote:

Gern Blansten wrote:

Yeah this is a great one. I have 7 songs from this album that I consider favorites.

LB = 6
BS = 3

Backspacer has...got some, unthought, and force of nature. Are those your 3?

Actually I have Unthought/Amongst the Waves/Got Some

I just threw Got Some in to be nice....I can't stand the beginning. I've also never really got in to Force of Nature. It just doesn't do anything for me. Maybe in time....

Indifference152

Gern Blansten wrote:

Indifference152 wrote:

Gern Blansten wrote:

Yeah this is a great one. I have 7 songs from this album that I consider favorites.

LB = 6
BS = 3

Backspacer has...got some, unthought, and force of nature. Are those your 3?

Actually I have Unthought/Amongst the Waves/Got Some

I just threw Got Some in to be nice....I can't stand the beginning. I've also never really got in to Force of Nature. It just doesn't do anything for me. Maybe in time....

I guessed 2 of 3 haha. Force of nature is my fav on the album. I think Eddie sounds amazing on that track.

brianlux

Avocado is one of my favorite PJ LPs but because I only have it on CD, I've never really heard it (same with Riot Act and No Code). If I ever come across a vinyl copy within my budget or if it's re-released on vinyl, then I'll really have something to celebrate.

samjam

Always loved it, but takes a bottom-middle spot on my favorite PJ albums list just because of its stiff competition. But so many songs that I absolutely love on that album...Severed Hand, Marker in the Sand, Inside Job, Come Back, Unemployable are favorites. And over the years, Come Back and Life Wasted have grown to mean a shit ton to me. I remember Gone also hitting me hard when I first heard that song. Gotta agree on the flow thing you mentioned too. Very easy to put a song on, then find yourself at the end of the album because you just keep it on! I personally love this record. Wish I got to see them on the '06 tour, too, seemed fantastic and I think Eddie sounded great.

DewieCox

It does have great sequencing. Outside of Binaural I'd say it's the best. Ten and Vs are great too, but you could put those songs in about any order and they'd be great. Despite not being the greatest group of songs, the album unfolds nicely.

The production is an absolute abomination.

It ranks below Riot Act and just above Lightning Bolt right now, but LB could pass it up. It lacks a certain artistic stamp that the previous albums had, but it doesn't lack for strong musical ideas.

Alot of good to very good songs, with a few weaker ones, but nothing mindblowingly great. Marker comes closest, but I think there was a missed chance or 2, like Inside Job.

EvilTim102

I was lucky enough to score a sealed copy of it for 220 on ebay yesterday. Can't wait to listen to it =D

aurynsdad

I agree with most of the points the original poster makes, and I love this album. I dig the sparseness of the production (no overly glossy pop B.O.B. stuff) but think that the actual sound quality SUCKS HARD compared to an album like LB. With LB, I have to find the absolute best stereo to listen to it with because there's so much sonic clarity and density, all at once. With Avocado, it's almost like it helps to have a crappy set of speakers.

nickburrows14

It has Inside Job on it

Indifference152

DewieCox wrote:

It does have great sequencing. Outside of Binaural I'd say it's the best. Ten and Vs are great too, but you could put those songs in about any order and they'd be great. Despite not being the greatest group of songs, the album unfolds nicely.

The production is an absolute abomination.

It ranks below Riot Act and just above Lightning Bolt right now, but LB could pass it up. It lacks a certain artistic stamp that the previous albums had, but it doesn't lack for strong musical ideas.

Alot of good to very good songs, with a few weaker ones, but nothing mindblowingly great. Marker comes closest, but I think there was a missed chance or 2, like Inside Job.

Vs order isent that great other than the opening 2..

Olivavu

BenBracey wrote:

Inside Job is one of my favorite songs ever. It's perfect.

It's a brilliant song. Epic.

cwar077

The breakdown in big wave too, very cool. There are some live versions I have heard where they jam the outro,
does anyone know which shows where they do this?

morgie2

This album brought me back to the Pearl Jam family. I find it to be their most under rated effort.

Gern Blansten

Olivavu wrote:

BenBracey wrote:

Inside Job is one of my favorite songs ever. It's perfect.

It's a brilliant song. Epic.

Agreed....I would put Army Reserve right up there with it as well

RiotZact

It was my number 1 for quite some time but it's been fading on my slightly, probably around top 5 or so for me now. Awesome album.

Last-12-Exit

avacado may be my least favorite CD. I love life wasted. But that's it. Some good songs, mostly average. Marker in the sand and inside job hasn't clicked wth me. I've tried, I just can't bring myself to like them.

CopTheRiotAct

The production is muddy and sounds flimsy, and also none of the songs finish properly, they all just fizzle out.. The album does have some good moments though.

REST > LB >Avocado > Backspacer

K_jam

I was 17 years old and this was the first pj album I bought. I remember when I heard Wws on the radio and I was like, holy shit this is awesome. And that's when the pj love affair began.

ckravitz

CopTheRiotAct wrote:

none of the songs finish properly, they all just fizzle out...

Honestly, I feel that Marker has the best outro in their catalog. From the last chorus through the end of the song really rocks. But different strokes for different folks.