Re-discovering Binaural

thispureamericanriot

Recently got Binaural on vinyl and in hindsight, it shocks me how GREAT this album really is. In some ways could be "the best" album Pearl Jam has recorded. Now, I love those first five 90's albums (Ten-Yield). They are kinda like the "holy grail" of 90's rock for me. I was lukewarm to Binaural when I first got it in 2000. Riot Act was the "difficult" album for me, Avocado was the "stripped down" record, Backspacer had that "new wave" vibe and Lightning Bolt showed the "softer side". All ten PJ albums are great in their own way, but I want to make the case that Binaural could be the band's best. Let's look at all the tracks:

Breakerfall
God's Dice
Evacuation
Light Years
Nothing As It Seems
Thin Air
Insignificance
Of The Girl 
Greviance
Rival
Sleight Of Hand
(Soon Forget)
Parting Ways/(Writer's Block)

The ( ) are what I personally would call the "non-songs" - no offense intended. But let's look at what else was recorded during the Binaural sessions with Tchad Blake. 

Sad
Hitchhiker
In The Moonlight
Education
Fatal
(Sweet Lew)

Can you imagine if all 19 of those songs were released as one album? If PJ had put all those tracks out as an Exile On Main St. type double album, I would argue it might have been their greatest record. Ten era also produced a lot of top-notch songs if you include all the B-sides and the stuff from 1992. But Binaural - just wow!

EDIT - here's my actual copy! (replaces Google stock photo)

PJNB

Just put in Fatal and Sad and take out Evacuation and Soon Forget and now we are talking.

pashapasaman

if you are a true PJ fan you would really love this album and riot act
but hipsters from rolling stone and pitchfork will say that Binaural is the downfall of PJ

TJ25487

Now we have a real discussion! Love it. 

rummy

For me it's not quite at the same level as the "first five" but a wonderful album, nonetheless - definitely their most underrated.

I'm usually not a fan of the double album but PJ merited one and adding Sad, Fatal, In the Moonlight, Education, and even Hitchhiker would have made this one even better than it is already.

Dr. Delight

My man, you bought a bootleg album.

tbergs

thispureamericanriot said:

Recently got Binaural on vinyl and in hindsight, it shocks me how GREAT this album really is. In some ways could be "the best" album Pearl Jam record. Now, I love those first five 90's albums (Ten-Yield). They are kinda like the "holy grail" of 90's rock for me. I was lukewarm to Binaural when I first got it in 2000. Riot Act was the "difficult" album for me, Avocado was the "stripped down" record, Backspacer had that "new wave" vibe and Lightning Bolt showed the "softer side". All ten PJ albums are great in their own way, but I want to make the case that Binaural could be the band's best. Let's look at all the tracks:

Breakerfall
God's Dice
Evacuation
Light Years
Nothing As It Seems
This Air
Insignificance
Of The Girl 
Greviance
Rival
Sleight Of Hand
(Soon Forget)
Parting Ways/(Writer's Block)

The ( ) are what I personally would call the "non-songs" - no offense intended. But let's look at what else was recorded during the Binaural sessions with Tchad Blake. 

Sad
Hitchhiker
In The Moonlight
Education
Fatal
(Sweet Lew)

Can you imagine if all 19 of those songs were released as one album? If PJ had put all those tracks out as a Exile On Main St. type double album, I would argue it might have been their greatest record. Ten era also produced a lot of top-notch songs if you include all the B-sides and the stuff from 1992. But Binaural - just wow!

Yes! Binaural became my favorite PJ album because of its vast styles of music. It took a few years, but right around Backspacer it reached #1 for me especially when you listen to the live performances of it from the '00 tour. Amazing. Glad you have re-discovered the gem that it is.

Now, if you only had the official pressing....

PJNB

I think that is just a stock image from google and not theres. 

I would like to talk about the greatness of Parting Ways some more. It is easily my white whale for songs I have yet to hear. It is a song that just builds and builds and the payoff at the end is amazing. What a perfect song to end an album on. It is not the best of the closers that they have to offer due to the stiff competition there but I would argue that it is the best as a closer. Also I lost count how many times that damn typewriter came on and scared the shit out of me after I fell asleep listening to this album. Thanks for that I guess lol. 

mcgruff10

PJNB said:

I think that is just a stock image from google and not theres. 

I would like to talk about the greatness of Parting Ways some more. It is easily my white whale for songs I have yet to hear. It is a song that just builds and builds and the payoff at the end is amazing. What a perfect song to end an album on. It is not the best of the closers that they have to offer due to the stiff competition there but I would argue that it is the best as a closer. Also I lost count how many times that damn typewriter came on and scared the shit out of me after I fell asleep listening to this album. Thanks for that I guess lol. 

Start a thread to play parting ways at Wrigley 2!

PJNB

mcgruff10 said:

PJNB said:

I think that is just a stock image from google and not theres. 

I would like to talk about the greatness of Parting Ways some more. It is easily my white whale for songs I have yet to hear. It is a song that just builds and builds and the payoff at the end is amazing. What a perfect song to end an album on. It is not the best of the closers that they have to offer due to the stiff competition there but I would argue that it is the best as a closer. Also I lost count how many times that damn typewriter came on and scared the shit out of me after I fell asleep listening to this album. Thanks for that I guess lol. 

Start a thread to play parting ways at Wrigley 2!

Haha one request is enough for this guy. Trying to put my wife's needs ahead of mine for once with Hard to Imagine! You start one and I will bump the shit out of it lol. Parting Ways --> Long Road ---> Hard to Imagine --> Against the 70's to start the first encore would be sick. 

mcgruff10

PJNB said:

mcgruff10 said:

PJNB said:

I think that is just a stock image from google and not theres. 

I would like to talk about the greatness of Parting Ways some more. It is easily my white whale for songs I have yet to hear. It is a song that just builds and builds and the payoff at the end is amazing. What a perfect song to end an album on. It is not the best of the closers that they have to offer due to the stiff competition there but I would argue that it is the best as a closer. Also I lost count how many times that damn typewriter came on and scared the shit out of me after I fell asleep listening to this album. Thanks for that I guess lol. 

Start a thread to play parting ways at Wrigley 2!

Haha one request is enough for this guy. Trying to put my wife's needs ahead of mine for once with Hard to Imagine! You start one and I will bump the shit out of it lol. Parting Ways --> Long Road ---> Hard to Imagine --> Against the 70's to start the first encore would be sick. 

That would be sickest four songs in a row in the history of the band.
Pearl Jam if you are reading this, please rock our worlds with the following four songs in a row:

parting ways
long road
hard to imagine 
against the 70's

Zod

I love Soon Forget, surprised there's not a lot of love for it.  Reminds me of the Binaural tour.  Loved it when they busted it out at Vancouver '13. 

thispureamericanriot

Dr. Delight said:

My man, you bought a bootleg album.

Haha...no, I was just too lazy to get out my LP and unbox it. It's just a stock image from Google!

ledvedderman

I will go to my grave saying that the Binaural album had the overall best sessions of any album in the band’s history. 

thispureamericanriot

ledvedderman said:

I will go to my grave saying that the Binaural album had the overall best sessions of any album in the band’s history. 

+1

hrd2imgn

I know they had reasons,  but omitting sad is their biggest error on album choices.  

thispureamericanriot

hrd2imgn said:

I know they had reasons,  but omitting sad is their biggest error on album choices.  

Probably could say the same with Down not being on Riot Act. However, Down would've sounded very out-of-place on Riot Act, whereas Sad would've fit right in on Binaural. :(

PeArLgOoNeR

It's a fantastic album! One that I never get tired of.
Wish the band liked it more

deftones

Binaural is my number 1 along with Ten. I wish they were playing it more live. 

eboweddie

The binaural tour was amazing.  They were so tight.  I must have 50 of them bootlegs.  I love the production of this lp.zero polish like the last 2
 Very underrated lp. Didnt Eddie say he had to prune the other tracks from the finished version.  As it sounded top poppy!! You have to respect that.  And yes parting ways is the best song on the lp

eboweddie

Several songs were rejected from the album that eventually found their way on to the 2003 Lost Dogs collection of rarities. These include "Sad", "Hitchhiker", "In the Moonlight", "Education", "Fatal", and "Sweet Lew".[14] "Sad", originally called "Letter to the Dead", was called "a great pop song" by Ament, but he said the song did not fit the album because the band does not "really [write] very many pop records."[15] "Sweet Lew", about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,[14] was cut from Binaural because it did not fit the album according to Ament.[15] "Fatal" was producer Tchad Blake's favorite song to come out of the recording sessions.[14] "Strangest Tribe" and "Drifting" were also recorded around the time of the album's recording sessions, and both songs were released on the band's 1999 fan club Christmas single as well as Lost Dogs.[14][16]

Olivavu

Still not sure how Fatal didn’t make it on to this album 

eboweddie

It's such a binaural song. Very lucky to hear it in London last week. 

Olivavu

eboweddie said:

It's such a binaural song. Very lucky to hear it in London last week. 

Was the second time for me. They played it in Leeds in 2014. Great song.

KICK7071

Gained a much greater appreciation after hearing it live in Toronto 16,  Nothing As It Seems takes you to another solar system...and Of The Girl.... that low rumbling bass line just takes hold of you.

TJ25487

eboweddie said:

Several songs were rejected from the album that eventually found their way on to the 2003 Lost Dogs collection of rarities. These include "Sad", "Hitchhiker", "In the Moonlight", "Education", "Fatal", and "Sweet Lew".[14] "Sad", originally called "Letter to the Dead", was called "a great pop song" by Ament, but he said the song did not fit the album because the band does not "really [write] very many pop records."[15] "Sweet Lew", about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,[14] was cut from Binaural because it did not fit the album according to Ament.[15] "Fatal" was producer Tchad Blake's favorite song to come out of the recording sessions.[14] "Strangest Tribe" and "Drifting" were also recorded around the time of the album's recording sessions, and both songs were released on the band's 1999 fan club Christmas single as well as Lost Dogs.[14][16]

I agree that Sad didn't quite fit the narrative of the album similar to Down not fitting on Riot Act. Fatal is a no brainer as it should have made the album in place of Soon Forget. I would also like to have seen Strangest Tribe on there as well but not sure where it would fit? Binaural feels very much like No Code as it is a musical masterpiece rather than a commercial hit. Just like No Code it took me years to appreciate Binaural. 

tbergs

This thread finally inspired me to throw together a deluxe edition of Binaural on my Google Playlist. I am trying out this re-tracking order first to see how I like it. My thought with Sweet Lew is that it becomes the new hidden track, but I don't know. It's such a goofy song that I'd prefer to just cut it and leave writer's block on there.

tbergs

TJ25487 said:

eboweddie said:

Several songs were rejected from the album that eventually found their way on to the 2003 Lost Dogs collection of rarities. These include "Sad", "Hitchhiker", "In the Moonlight", "Education", "Fatal", and "Sweet Lew".[14] "Sad", originally called "Letter to the Dead", was called "a great pop song" by Ament, but he said the song did not fit the album because the band does not "really [write] very many pop records."[15] "Sweet Lew", about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,[14] was cut from Binaural because it did not fit the album according to Ament.[15] "Fatal" was producer Tchad Blake's favorite song to come out of the recording sessions.[14] "Strangest Tribe" and "Drifting" were also recorded around the time of the album's recording sessions, and both songs were released on the band's 1999 fan club Christmas single as well as Lost Dogs.[14][16]

I agree that Sad didn't quite fit the narrative of the album similar to Down not fitting on Riot Act. Fatal is a no brainer as it should have made the album in place of Soon Forget. I would also like to have seen Strangest Tribe on there as well but not sure where it would fit? Binaural feels very much like No Code as it is a musical masterpiece rather than a commercial hit. Just like No Code it took me years to appreciate Binaural. 

I 100% agree with this. No Code and Binaural are art. Never meant to appeal to the masses, but creative and musical masterpieces. For me, Binaural, along with the outtakes, is Pearl Jam at their peak. 

bobby dazzlers

https://youtu.be/ajLV-fZzo_w

nicknyr15

PeArLgOoNeR said:

It's a fantastic album! One that I never get tired of.
Wish the band liked it more

Really? I think they like it a lot actually. It did get the live in full treatment also which says a lot 

jdizzle8291

hrd2imgn said:

I know they had reasons,  but omitting sad is their biggest error on album choices.  

I totally agree. I think about that every time I hear it.