Re-discovering Binaural

jdizzle8291

Binaural grows on me more and more every day. I was at the Toronto show in which they played it in full. I was kind of blah at first, at the time had hoped for one of the earlier records. But looking back, I couldn't be more stoked that this was the album played at my show. Each song is so unique (not to say all of their songs aren't) but it just has a certain flavor about it. In my opinion, the way I've heard them over the years, PJ has evolved through each generation of sound. In terms of sound, I group together Ten/Vs/Vitalogy, No Code/Yield, Binaural/Riot Act, and then I feel like the 3 most recent albums are to each their own. Not to ramble here, but I think you're 100% right, Binaural really is a kickass album. I hope they crank some of its tracks at the upcoming shows.

release00

PeArLgOoNeR said:

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

Really is a bummer they seem to distance themselves a little from these songs. 

release00

nicknyr15 said:

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 

Everything I’ve read from interviews and stuff going on in their personal lives, I got the vibe they weren’t having the greatest time during recording. They also had to sub out Tchad Blake and bring in Brendan during it, i believe

tbergs

I feel like the Binaural songs overall have always sounded the best live. Besides Ed's struggle with Evacuation's vocals, the songs are all great live and really come to life.

tbergs

release00 said:

nicknyr15 said:

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 

Everything I’ve read from interviews and stuff going on in their personal lives, I got the vibe they weren’t having the greatest time during recording. They also had to sub out Tchad Blake and bring in Brendan during it, i believe

That's the same vibe I got to. The emotion the songs carry, was really indicative of how they were all doing at that time, which is why I think they don't play some of those songs live very often. Maybe I'm way off base, but I believe that's why Parting Ways has rarely been played - too personal to Ed.

Gern Blansten

great album....followed up with another great album in Riot Act

smithnic

I'm by no means an expert but I'm thinking that the majority of the songs on Binaural are difficult to play live.  They brought in Tchad Blake for production and even the title suggests a sound they were looking for which is difficult to produce live.  In the interviews for Lightning Bolt they talked about wanting to play all of the songs live which was a challenge for Brendan O'Brien.

Also putting ( ) around Soon Forget is a travesty.  Soon Forget is Ed's beginning to find the uke and directly influenced by Blue Red & Grey by the Who.   In addition the Uke playing influences future songs as there is a different way to write when you're using a uke rather than a guitar.   I also think they were still pulling back which left off the more catchy songs of Lost Dogs.  I remember U2 talking to them and wanting PJ to join in taking back rock music and PJ saying thanks, but no thanks.  

thispureamericanriot

tbergs said:

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.

That's a great track listing! You even maybe Soon Forget fit in nicely. I wasn't aware that Strangest Tribe and Drifting came from Binaural sessions. Makes perfect sense now. That's 21 songs! PJ's most fruitful recording sessions I'd have to say. 

mschostok

tbergs said:

release00 said:

nicknyr15 said:

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 

Everything I’ve read from interviews and stuff going on in their personal lives, I got the vibe they weren’t having the greatest time during recording. They also had to sub out Tchad Blake and bring in Brendan during it, i believe

That's the same vibe I got to. The emotion the songs carry, was really indicative of how they were all doing at that time, which is why I think they don't play some of those songs live very often. Maybe I'm way off base, but I believe that's why Parting Ways has rarely been played - too personal to Ed.

I think you're spot on. I was at the first London show and before they played it, Ed something like it doesn't hurt as bad anymore, implying that it hurt him when he wrote it and still hurts a little today. Definitely very personal for him and probably hard to play for that reason. 

tbergs

thispureamericanriot said:

tbergs said:

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.

That's a great track listing! You even maybe Soon Forget fit in nicely. I wasn't aware that Strangest Tribe and Drifting came from Binaural sessions. Makes perfect sense now. That's 21 songs! PJ's most fruitful recording sessions I'd have to say. 

Thanks! Technically those 2 songs weren't an out take from the Binaural session, but were written during that same timeframe in 1999 so that's why I included them. 

lolobugg

tbergs said:

thispureamericanriot said:

tbergs said:

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.

That's a great track listing! You even maybe Soon Forget fit in nicely. I wasn't aware that Strangest Tribe and Drifting came from Binaural sessions. Makes perfect sense now. That's 21 songs! PJ's most fruitful recording sessions I'd have to say. 

Thanks! Technically those 2 songs weren't an out take from the Binaural session, but were written during that same timeframe in 1999 so that's why I included them. 

back when they put a little more thought in the Fan Club singles.

Great Thread BTW!!!   Binaural tour was a special time!!!

eboweddie

The breakerfall grievance 1/2 on the tour was class. 

tbergs

Anybody know what Eddie says during writers block? I just finished listening to the whole album and this is the first time I had ever noticed it so I cranked the volume, but wasn't sure what he said. It sounded like, "I'm out" or "middle"? It was at the 6:59 point in Parting Ways.

Get_Right

Most underrated PJ record by far. So good. Play rival, insignificance and grievance more please!

thispureamericanriot

Quoted from Wikipedia:

When the track listing for Binaural was first released in late March 2000, it was quite different from the final version.[52] Some tracks that were originally on the album were dropped and not released until the 2003 rarities compilation, Lost Dogs,[44] and "Gods' Dice" was added to the final version. The original version is as follows:

1. "Breakerfall"
2. "Insignificance"
3. "Evacuation"
4. "Letter to the Dead"
   • Later renamed to "Sad"
5. "Rival"
6. "Grievance"
7. "Light Years"
8. "Of the Girl"
9. "Thin Air"
10. "Nothing as It Seems"
11. "Fatal"
12. "Sleight of Hand"
13. "Soon Forget"
14. "In the Moonlight"
15. "Parting Ways"
16. "Education"

eboweddie

Imagine that being played from start to finish!!

PJ_Soul

Binaural is my favorite PJ album (well, some days it's Riot Act). Why both of those are not more beloved than they are I will never know.

PS - Jeff says Binaural is his favorite PJ album. The band definitely likes it. The reason they don't play too much from it is because most of the songs from it are just really fucking hard to play. And NAIS is specifically super tricky - they'd play it more if it weren't, apparently. I gleaned this from interviews.

TH113769

My favorite lp by far.  Listen to the OG on vinyl - amazing!

pashapasaman

Get_Right said:

Most underrated PJ record by far. So good. Play rival, insignificance and grievance more please!

rival on repeat for the last couple of days

tbergs

Binaural ruuuuuuuuuules!

Massara133

Binaural was an album that didn’t blow me away at first, but has grown on me so much it competes as possibly my favourite album. Benaroya Hall opened my eyes to how amazing Binaural is.

Jvollman

pashapasaman said:

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

Binaural is fantastic. Hell, avocado is fantastic and it’s my least fav album. 

But take your fav 10 songs off lost dogs...  where would it rank??  For me it’s be really high 

thispureamericanriot

Also discovered the three Touring Band 2000 instrumentals: Thunderclap, Foldback, and Harmony were also recorded during the early Binaural sessions. WOW!

Very prolific output for an album that Ed had writer's block on, Mike was in recovery and the "new guy" Matt Cameron's first appearance as official member of the band. Just - Wow!

JimNastics

Nice seeing so much BInaural love... as I grow older, it has become my favourite PJ album.

Pap

Standout moment on Binaural for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv_mzVXoCSo

CP218430

Those few shows from this tour where they closed out the main set with Parting Ways is amazing. I would love love love to see that. 

And Education is so underrated once I heard it live I can’t not love it. It would’ve been a great inclusion. 

Like No Code, I needed to get older to love this record. The songs I liked 18 years ago is till like and the songs I didn’t have grown on me so much.

thispureamericanriot

Every time I hear Parting Ways, it becomes one of my favorite PJ songs:

ledvedderman

thispureamericanriot said:

Every time I hear Parting Ways, it becomes one of my favorite PJ songs:

It’s only been played 22 times in 18 years?!? Really?? I know it’s not played a ton, but that seems insanely low. 

100 Pacer

Got to experience the album live in Toronto but I have to say I always enjoyed putting the album on in the car during those 8 hour drives to a PJ show somewhere. Just perfection on a multitude of levels. 

danny

its a masterpiece