Or, some might say, using NAIS as the first single off Binaural. But you can't figure this band out, because in the middle of those two, they used GTF as the first single off YIELD, and it doesn't get much more accessible than that.
I think they knew that YIELD was going to be a much more accessible record than the previous offering (which is debatable), so they designated the most accessible song as the first single.
I still was floored when I heard NAIS for the first time. It was a great selection, IMO.
I think they knew that YIELD was going to be a much more accessible record than the previous offering (which is debatable), so they designated the most accessible song as the first single.
I still was floored when I heard NAIS for the first time. It was a great selection, IMO.
you think they purposely made yield a more accessible album after they unloaded no code on the mainstream? i don't know.
i think that the music that they collectively created lent itself toward a more straightforward sound.
you think they purposely made yield a more accessible album after they unloaded no code on the mainstream? i don't know.
i think that the music that they collectively created lent itself toward a more straightforward sound.
it's two different things, really.
I meant that they knew YIELD was more accessible when they were deciding what the first single would be. I've stated as have many others that YIELD was an accidental concept album. I don't think the guys ever go into the studio saying "Let's try to make this one more accessible."
I meant that they knew YIELD was more accessible when they were deciding what the first single would be. I've stated as have many others that YIELD was an accidental concept album. I don't think the guys ever go into the studio saying "Let's try to make this one more accessible."
Yeah, but I think it was subconscious in their efforts in writing the songs.
With all the aftermath from Who You Are...it had to be on their minds to make some sounds that were more open...I think the lyrics are a bit more cryptic, and that's great.
But I will argue there must have been some effort, conscious or not, to make YIELD a bit more friendly.
But I will argue there must have been some effort, conscious or not, to make YIELD a bit more friendly.
There probably was. It'd be interesting to know how they recorded YIELD. We know they already had MFC ready to go, so I wonder if they took that sound and built around that?
Rhino, this is great, thanks for adding to the discussion. I'll have to think about this, but that is a great observation.
Maybe there's some sort of similarity in the sounds of these songs as well...the car songs are about pushing it forward, about getting over something in a way. They're about the future.
The circle songs are cycling back, about the past. I'd include ATY here as well (paper plate is a circle)
The angel songs are about these mystical things that don't really have an explanation, they're about faith. I'd put Faithfull in this group as well.
Cool.
Thanks for expounding on my ideas. I realized after reading your post that my symbolism doesn't cover all the bases. Noticable gaps in the theory include spots that should tie Brain of J, Faithfull, and All Those Yesterdays into the narrative.
If pressed, I might be willing to toss Faithfull into the same arena as the songs containing the angel lyrics. They all seem to deal with questions of the spirit realm, love, and participation in something greater than one's self.
As I've thought about it a bit more, I think the Brain of J / All Those Yesterdays combination is a really important one in the context of the cycle/circle metaphor--but not explicitly, mind you. For a collection of songs to open with such a raw, emotive, and highly-volatile track as it does, the listener rightly expects that "the whole world will be different soon" and that s/he is about to begin a journey alongside the musicians/storytellers. And if the lyrics and music are correct, the difference may be powerful, swift, and pack a wallop. The cycle of life for humans is more about transformation and progression, not necessarily about arriving at the same place you started (like on a circle).
In sharp contrast, ATY reminds the listener that motion/progression/evolution takes a toll one's person. All the stretching and growth of the mind/soul to grapple with large questions will lead to a place where the self needs to "lay your head down" and rest. If successful on the journey, one should come to a point of harmony and peace with the chaos around him/her. From striving to make a difference to surviving a 'car crash', from wishing for hundreds of things in the world to going into hiding from the world, YIELD seems to produce a need for a well-deserved moment of pause and reflection. "Don't you think you've done enough? Don't you think you oughta rest?"
So, I say, treat BoJ/ATY as bookends to the story of progression and cast Faithfull's lot with the angel symbolism. I suppose that makes Hummus the coda or epilogue. As someone said earlier, perhaps this line of rationale has some legs after all.
Would distantsun care to offer the first tackling of ATY as a single track, instead of within the unit of The Album? I'd be fascinated to read it.
.
Memphis 1994 New Orleans 1995 Fort Lauderdale 1996 Atlanta & Birmingham 1998 New Orleans 2000 Tampa 2003 Kissimmee 2004 New York City (x 2) 2008 East Troy (x 2) 2011 Chicago & New Orleans 2013 Hampton, Raleigh, Boston 2016 Baltimore2020 Louisville 2022 Philadelphia & Baltimore 2024
There probably was. It'd be interesting to know how they recorded YIELD. We know they already had MFC ready to go, so I wonder if they took that sound and built around that?
YIH, you're right...Mike only wrote the music.
Ed filled in the words later...so maybe on a lyrical basis this makes sense, and you know they teak the sounds recording as a band and in editing, so maybe this does make some sense.
When you sit back and look over the whole catalogue that Pearl Jam has to offer, it is the one piece of work that encompasses everything:
Lyrically, musically and conceptually.
It examines (if I may borrow from DBT) the duality in life...both the optimist and pessimist.
"There's a warning sign on the road ahead...". You're God-Damn right...it's a YIELD-sign. Slow-down and take stock in what the hell is going on in the world.
YIELD is not just a collection of songs...it's a piece of art...of what is appealing, disturbing, beautiful, distressing and captivating in this world.
YIELD challenges me constantly...it forces me to consider different points of views.
Of course, Pearl Jam can't take all the credit for this...the many authors that inspired the album contributed as well.
This is why many of us devote our time and lengthly conversations to this wonderful work of art.
PBM
"We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record"
When you sit back and look over the whole catalogue that Pearl Jam has to offer, it is the one piece of work that encompasses everything:
Lyrically, musically and conceptually.
It examines (if I may borrow from DBT) the duality in life...both the optimist and pessimist.
"There's a warning sign on the road ahead...". You're God-Damn right...it's a YIELD-sign. Slow-down and take stock in what the hell is going on in the world.
YIELD is not just a collection of songs...it's a piece of art...of what is appealing, disturbing, beautiful, distressing and captivating in this world.
YIELD challenges me constantly...it forces me to consider different points of views.
Of course, Pearl Jam can't take all the credit for this...the many authors that inspired the album contributed as well.
This is why many of us devote our time and lengthly conversations to this wonderful work of art.
when i said that "i don't know if i agree with this at all", it was not about the general premise. it was something specific and i don't even remember what it was about anymore. friday was a long time ago.
when i said that "i don't know if i agree with this at all", it was not about the general premise. it was something specific and i don't even remember what it was about anymore. friday was a long time ago.
sorry for the confusion.
Hmmm...well, at least I got to take the discussion to a meaningful place...I just wish I could have worked in a Ted Nugent reference somewhere.
PBM
"We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record"
Comments
I think they knew that YIELD was going to be a much more accessible record than the previous offering (which is debatable), so they designated the most accessible song as the first single.
I still was floored when I heard NAIS for the first time. It was a great selection, IMO.
you think they purposely made yield a more accessible album after they unloaded no code on the mainstream? i don't know.
i think that the music that they collectively created lent itself toward a more straightforward sound.
it's two different things, really.
So, maybe that's hindsight, but they serve as good introductions to the masses.
I meant that they knew YIELD was more accessible when they were deciding what the first single would be. I've stated as have many others that YIELD was an accidental concept album. I don't think the guys ever go into the studio saying "Let's try to make this one more accessible."
With all the aftermath from Who You Are...it had to be on their minds to make some sounds that were more open...I think the lyrics are a bit more cryptic, and that's great.
But I will argue there must have been some effort, conscious or not, to make YIELD a bit more friendly.
There probably was. It'd be interesting to know how they recorded YIELD. We know they already had MFC ready to go, so I wonder if they took that sound and built around that?
Thanks for expounding on my ideas. I realized after reading your post that my symbolism doesn't cover all the bases. Noticable gaps in the theory include spots that should tie Brain of J, Faithfull, and All Those Yesterdays into the narrative.
If pressed, I might be willing to toss Faithfull into the same arena as the songs containing the angel lyrics. They all seem to deal with questions of the spirit realm, love, and participation in something greater than one's self.
As I've thought about it a bit more, I think the Brain of J / All Those Yesterdays combination is a really important one in the context of the cycle/circle metaphor--but not explicitly, mind you. For a collection of songs to open with such a raw, emotive, and highly-volatile track as it does, the listener rightly expects that "the whole world will be different soon" and that s/he is about to begin a journey alongside the musicians/storytellers. And if the lyrics and music are correct, the difference may be powerful, swift, and pack a wallop. The cycle of life for humans is more about transformation and progression, not necessarily about arriving at the same place you started (like on a circle).
In sharp contrast, ATY reminds the listener that motion/progression/evolution takes a toll one's person. All the stretching and growth of the mind/soul to grapple with large questions will lead to a place where the self needs to "lay your head down" and rest. If successful on the journey, one should come to a point of harmony and peace with the chaos around him/her. From striving to make a difference to surviving a 'car crash', from wishing for hundreds of things in the world to going into hiding from the world, YIELD seems to produce a need for a well-deserved moment of pause and reflection. "Don't you think you've done enough? Don't you think you oughta rest?"
So, I say, treat BoJ/ATY as bookends to the story of progression and cast Faithfull's lot with the angel symbolism. I suppose that makes Hummus the coda or epilogue. As someone said earlier, perhaps this line of rationale has some legs after all.
Would distantsun care to offer the first tackling of ATY as a single track, instead of within the unit of The Album? I'd be fascinated to read it.
.
New Orleans 1995
Fort Lauderdale 1996
Atlanta & Birmingham 1998
New Orleans 2000
Tampa 2003
Kissimmee 2004
New York City (x 2) 2008
East Troy (x 2) 2011
Chicago & New Orleans 2013
Hampton, Raleigh, Boston 2016
Baltimore 2020
Louisville 2022
Philadelphia & Baltimore 2024
also BoJ, no?
Correct. So MFC and BoJ were given. So maybe they agreed they'd focus the sound around those two songs...?
yes! i can't believe i hadn't taken this into consideration before.
hmmm.
Same here...hmmm....
have you come up with anything?
I was hoping someone would take my theory and run with it while I went back to work. Guess that didn't happen.
Hey, I'm just the glue...
Brain of J debuted opening for the Stones, right? When was that '97?
Anything else we can add to the YIELD timeline?
Brain of J was Salt Lake City 95.
So...do we think songs were developed lyrically around these two? And if so, which ones in particular.
With the great balance in songwriting, and we know Mike wrote those three at home in the blizzard, right, I find this theory a bit of a stretch.
He still had the other songs to base the sound off of since he just wrote the music for those songs.
Ed filled in the words later...so maybe on a lyrical basis this makes sense, and you know they teak the sounds recording as a band and in editing, so maybe this does make some sense.
Yeah that's like saying YIELD is NOT a masterpiece and just leaving.
We don't mess around here. We may be vague at times, but when we say something, we back it up.
I think.
When you sit back and look over the whole catalogue that Pearl Jam has to offer, it is the one piece of work that encompasses everything:
Lyrically, musically and conceptually.
It examines (if I may borrow from DBT) the duality in life...both the optimist and pessimist.
"There's a warning sign on the road ahead...". You're God-Damn right...it's a YIELD-sign. Slow-down and take stock in what the hell is going on in the world.
YIELD is not just a collection of songs...it's a piece of art...of what is appealing, disturbing, beautiful, distressing and captivating in this world.
YIELD challenges me constantly...it forces me to consider different points of views.
Of course, Pearl Jam can't take all the credit for this...the many authors that inspired the album contributed as well.
This is why many of us devote our time and lengthly conversations to this wonderful work of art.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
I concur.
sorry for the confusion.
Hmmm...well, at least I got to take the discussion to a meaningful place...I just wish I could have worked in a Ted Nugent reference somewhere.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org