I agree that lost dogs shouldn’t be included in the ranking.
1. dark matter 2. yield 3. no code 4. vs 5. vitalogy 6. ten 7. binaural 8. riot act 9. pearl jam 10. gigaton 11. backspacer 12. lightning bolt
DM as the winner! I love it
I never thought they’d put another album out that would crack my top 8, let alone being #1, but I really think dark matter is that good. Furthermore, outside of the bottom 2, it’s my most confident placement on the list. The 5 albums I have ranked after could be interchangeable.
1 - Vs 2 - Ten 3 - Vitalogy 4 - Dark Matter 5 - Yield 6 - Avocado 7 - Backspacer 8 - No Code 9 - Binaural 10 - Lightning Bolt 11 - Riot Act 12 - Gigaton
2010: Cleveland 2012: Atlanta 2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II 2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver 2015: New York City 2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco 2017: Ohana Fest (EV) 2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II 2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2 2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver 2023: St. Paul II 2024: Las Vegas I / Las Vegas II / New York City I / New York City II / Philly I / Philly II / Baltimore
Wow…13 albums. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how long we’ve all been around. I love Lost Dogs but I can’t really rank it amongst the rest. I’ll throw in favorite song too for the hell of it.
1. Vitalogy (Tremor Christ) 2. Ten (Even Flow) 3. Yield (Do The Evolution) 4. Vs. (Go) 5. No Code (Red Mosquito) 6. Binaural (Grievance) 7. Riot Act (You Are) 8. Avocado (World Wide Suicide) 9. Dark Matter (Dark Matter) 10. Gigaton (Quick Escape) 11. Lightning Bolt (Mind Your Manners) 12. Backspacer (Got Some)
These album ranking threads always interest me. I think it depends a lot on what criteria you’re using. I tend to use a lot of factors…
1. How does the album feel start to finish 2. Sound/production, feel and concept 3. Obviously the songs 4. Artwork and overall feel of the entire thing
I guess what I’m saying is the rankings change if you’re just judging how many songs you love or the influence of the album. For example, if I just go by influence of the album and time period no doubt Ten would be #1 for me. It changed my life. BUT…it’s not my favorite PJ record at all. Overall I love No Code, Yield, Vitalogy and Vs more.
Another example is if I just go by a collection of songs that I want to hear (my favorite PJ tracks) Vitalogy would be a lot lower do to Pry To, Bugs etc. but as an entire record, those songs within the flow of the record, the packaging/artwork and listening from start to finish I fucking love that record! It ranks 3rd. I don’t even like Betterman as a song and never play it on its own but it’s perfect within the context of the album (it’s literally the only time I ever listen to the song is if I put on the record). Even No Code (possibly my favorite record of any band ever) doesn’t have all that many songs I play individually over and over. But as a whole it’s easily my favorite. If I just went by how many songs I love individually I’d probably have Vs at the top as a lot of my favorite songs ever appeared on this record.
Hopefully I articulated this clearly as I’m kinda all over the place after three bourbons.
These album ranking threads always interest me. I think it depends a lot on what criteria you’re using. I tend to use a lot of factors…
1. How does the album feel start to finish 2. Sound/production, feel and concept 3. Obviously the songs 4. Artwork and overall feel of the entire thing
I guess what I’m saying is the rankings change if you’re just judging how many songs you love or the influence of the album. For example, if I just go by influence of the album and time period no doubt Ten would be #1 for me. It changed my life. BUT…it’s not my favorite PJ record at all. Overall I love No Code, Yield, Vitalogy and Vs more.
Another example is if I just go by a collection of songs that I want to hear (my favorite PJ tracks) Vitalogy would be a lot lower do to Pry To, Bugs etc. but as an entire record, those songs within the flow of the record, the packaging/artwork and listening from start to finish I fucking love that record! It ranks 3rd. I don’t even like Betterman as a song and never play it on its own but it’s perfect within the context of the album (it’s literally the only time I ever listen to the song is if I put on the record). Even No Code (possibly my favorite record of any band ever) doesn’t have all that many songs I play individually over and over. But as a whole it’s easily my favorite. If I just went by how many songs I love individually I’d probably have Vs at the top as a lot of my favorite songs ever appeared on this record.
Hopefully I articulated this clearly as I’m kinda all over the place after three bourbons.
What’s your criteria???
All great scientific quantifying factors- I shot straight from the hip with visceral connection in the now through the frame of memory- just pure emotional personal connection. However, if you stack things up from other criteria, this could easily shuffle.
1. Vitalogy (Immortality, Last Exit, Nothingman, Whipping, Satan's Bed...) 2. Vs. 3. No Code 4. Ten 5. Avocado 6. Binaural 7. Yield 8. Dark Matter (give it time and it will go higher) 9. Lost Dogs 10. Gigaton 11. Backspacer (although it has significantly grown on me) 12. Riot Act 13. Lightning Bolt (but shout out to Yellow Moon)
1-4 can switch at any point, depending on mood. 5-7 and 8-10 follow the same pattern
1998: Barrie 2000: Toronto 2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Toronto 2006: Toronto 1&2, Paris, Milan, Torino, Pistoia 2009: Calgary, Vancouver 2011: Canada 2013: London, Wrigley, Philly 1&2 2014: St. Louis, ACL 1, Detroit 2016: Lexington, Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto 1&2, Fenway 1&2, Wrigley 1&2 2017: EV - Louisville 2018: London1&2, Milan, Padova, Rome, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 1&2, Fenway 1&2 2020: Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton2021: London 1&22022: Hamilton, Toronto 2023: Chicago 1&2, Noblesville2024: Seattle 1&2, Noblesville, Wrigley 1&2
This is interesting. I didn't realize I was in the minority with my love for Backspacer. I think Dark Matter is great, Gigaton was ok. I can't really rank the albums because there'ssomething special about them all. I will say that I rarely listen to Avocado anymore.
This is interesting. I didn't realize I was in the minority with my love for Backspacer. I think Dark Matter is great, Gigaton was ok. I can't really rank the albums because there'ssomething special about them all. I will say that I rarely listen to Avocado anymore.
my 23 year old daughter LOVES Backspacer.
I like it more now than a few years ago. PJ albums tend to age nicely...but something has to be last in a ranking
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Objectively speaking Vs. or Ten would have to be in the top spot right? I get music tastes are different, but objectively there is no way that other albums are better than VS or Ten.
Ten Vs Yield Vitalogy No Code Dark Matter Avocado Riot Act Backspacer Binaural Gigaton Lightning Bolt
The non-conanical rankings: Benaroya Lost Dogs Live on Two Legs Unplugged Live at The Gorge Live on Ten Legs Pearl Jam Twenty Let's Play Two Live at Easy Street
My Pearl Jam Road: 10/22/90 Seattle | 12/22/90 Seattle, Moore Theater | 9/29/92 Seattle, Magnusson Park, Drop in the Park | 9/5/93 The Gorge, with Neil Young and Blind Melon | 7/20/06 Portland, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall with Sleater-Kinney | 7/22/06 The Gorge, 10/21/06 Mountain View, Shoreline Ampitheatre, Bridge School Benefit | 9/21/09 Seattle | 9/22/09 Seattle | 9/26/09 Portland, OR | 7/14/2011 Eddie Vedder, Portland, OR | 11/29/13 Portland, OR
Objectively speaking Vs. or Ten would have to be in the top spot right? I get music tastes are different, but objectively there is no way that other albums are better than VS or Ten.
not necessarily....I was a casual fan until Yield. Mainly because I was into the heavier Soundgarden and slightly heavier STP.
I think Yield/Binaural/Riot Act are their absolute best as artists. They were more mature songwriters, etc.
Not to say that Vs and Ten aren't great albums though.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
This is interesting. I didn't realize I was in the minority with my love for Backspacer. I think Dark Matter is great, Gigaton was ok. I can't really rank the albums because there'ssomething special about them all. I will say that I rarely listen to Avocado anymore.
I find that my rankings are heavily weighted with album expectations vs delivery. I don't think Backspacer is bad by any means, but for whatever reason I was so hyped for a new release that no matter what came out would not have lived up to my own hype.
Avocado, Binaural, Yield however... 0 expectations going in, and instant love for all 3.
Post edited by Gibson on
1998: Barrie 2000: Toronto 2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Toronto 2006: Toronto 1&2, Paris, Milan, Torino, Pistoia 2009: Calgary, Vancouver 2011: Canada 2013: London, Wrigley, Philly 1&2 2014: St. Louis, ACL 1, Detroit 2016: Lexington, Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto 1&2, Fenway 1&2, Wrigley 1&2 2017: EV - Louisville 2018: London1&2, Milan, Padova, Rome, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 1&2, Fenway 1&2 2020: Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton2021: London 1&22022: Hamilton, Toronto 2023: Chicago 1&2, Noblesville2024: Seattle 1&2, Noblesville, Wrigley 1&2
I find that the enjoyment of an album (at least initially) has a lot to do with your place in life at the time, your mindset, and your experiences with that album in that context.
I think when we all (and most people) first discovered their albums, we had relationships with other people that also enjoyed the albums and the phenomenon of PJ and early 90s rock contributed to a lot of that. So it will always be hard for the later albums to catch up to their earlier stuff. So its really hard to try and judge these albums without all that context. (My kids, for example, got to experience Lightning Bolt, Cant Deny Me, Gigaton and Dark Matter first hand, so they rank those higher than their earlier stuff, since their context is very very different from mine.)
So, most people who have been fans of the band for a long time will rank the 90s and maybe the early 00's greater. That said, I think Dark Matter is their best overall album...since....maybe ever? I dont know if its my favorite album...it is for the moment...but the work on this album is so solid. Gigaton for me....has awesome songs, and some really great melodies and lyrics, but it came at at time during the pandemic...I really needed that album at that time, and at the same time...its sort of hard to listen to, due to the context of what was happening in the world not just with the pandemic, but with politics, etc. Its sort of depressing for me. I was listening to 7 O'Clock last night and my god, it just put me in a depressed state. It was one of my go-to songs from 2020-2023.
Anyway, I cant really rank these based on "What is best" only "I have so much emotional connections with these albums"....That's probably why Vitalogy-NoCode-Yield will never be topped for me.
Lost Dogs is a B-sides albums and not a proper studio album. Love it, hoping for a Lost Dogs 2 at some point. But most of those songs I had already heard in some form or another, so it didnt quite hit me like any of the studio albums.
Also, the only reason that Vitalogy-No Code-Yield are above Ten-Vs, is because when I heard Ten and VS, I was enjoying those, but I didnt really "discover" them for myself. I was just hearing those cause literally everyone was playing them. When Vitalogy came out, I finally "got" pearl jam, and then some people bailed when No Code came out, which I really enjoyed cause it was so different from the others, and Yield might be perfect.
But Yield was mine. A lot of my PJ friends sort of bailed by then. And that Yield tour was so fun.
1. Vs 2.Ten 3. Vitalogy 4. Yield 5. Dark Matter (could possibly move higher) 6. Avocado 7. No Code 8. Riot Act 9. Binaural 10. Backspacer 11. Lightning Bolt
12. Gigaton
"And the young, they can lose hope 'Cause they can't see beyond today The wisdom that the old can't give away, hey Constant recoil Sometimes life don't leave you alone."
Objectively speaking Vs. or Ten would have to be in the top spot right? I get music tastes are different, but objectively there is no way that other albums are better than VS or Ten.
not necessarily....I was a casual fan until Yield. Mainly because I was into the heavier Soundgarden and slightly heavier STP.
I think Yield/Binaural/Riot Act are their absolute best as artists. They were more mature songwriters, etc.
Not to say that Vs and Ten aren't great albums though.
This right here.
Funnily enough, I was also more into STP. That was until I saw PJ live and then everything changed.
you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane
Comments
Vs.
Yield
Ten
Vitalogy
Riot Act
Binaural
Dark Matter
Gigaton
Pearl Jam
Lightning Bolt
Backspacer
16 Raleigh16 Wrigley1 16 Wrigley2 18 Missoula 18 Wrigley1Vs
No code
Vitalogy (tied with no code)
Yield
Dark Matter (moving up the list)
Binaural
Avocado
Riot Act
Backspacer
lightning bolt
Gigaton
2 - Ten
3 - Vitalogy
4 - Dark Matter
5 - Yield
6 - Avocado
7 - Backspacer
8 - No Code
9 - Binaural
10 - Lightning Bolt
11 - Riot Act
12 - Gigaton
2012: Atlanta
2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II
2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver
2015: New York City
2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco
2017: Ohana Fest (EV)
2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II
2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2
2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver
2023: St. Paul II
2024: Las Vegas I / Las Vegas II / New York City I / New York City II / Philly I / Philly II / Baltimore
Riot Act
Avocado
Dark Matter
Vitalogy
No Code
Gigaton
Lightning Bolt
Binaural
Backspacer
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
2. Vs
3. Dark Matter
4. Yield
5. Ten
6. Gigaton
7. Backspacer
8. Pearl Jam
9. Riot Act
10. No Code
11. Binaural
12. Lightning Bolt
1. Vitalogy (Tremor Christ)
2. Ten (Even Flow)
3. Yield (Do The Evolution)
4. Vs. (Go)
5. No Code (Red Mosquito)
6. Binaural (Grievance)
7. Riot Act (You Are)
8. Avocado (World Wide Suicide)
9. Dark Matter (Dark Matter)
10. Gigaton (Quick Escape)
11. Lightning Bolt (Mind Your Manners)
12. Backspacer (Got Some)
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
1. How does the album feel start to finish
2. Sound/production, feel and concept
3. Obviously the songs
4. Artwork and overall feel of the entire thing
I guess what I’m saying is the rankings change if you’re just judging how many songs you love or the influence of the album. For example, if I just go by influence of the album and time period no doubt Ten would be #1 for me. It changed my life. BUT…it’s not my favorite PJ record at all. Overall I love No Code, Yield, Vitalogy and Vs more.
All great scientific quantifying factors- I shot straight from the hip with visceral connection in the now through the frame of memory- just pure emotional personal connection. However, if you stack things up from other criteria, this could easily shuffle.
1. Vitalogy (Immortality, Last Exit, Nothingman, Whipping, Satan's Bed...)
2. Vs.
3. No Code
4. Ten
5. Avocado
6. Binaural
7. Yield
8. Dark Matter (give it time and it will go higher)
9. Lost Dogs
10. Gigaton
11. Backspacer (although it has significantly grown on me)
12. Riot Act
13. Lightning Bolt (but shout out to Yellow Moon)
1-4 can switch at any point, depending on mood.
5-7 and 8-10 follow the same pattern
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
I like it more now than a few years ago. PJ albums tend to age nicely...but something has to be last in a ranking
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Vs
Ten
No Code
Yield
Avocado
Binaural
Riot Act
Backspacer
Dark Matter
Gigaton
Lightning Bolt
Ten
Vitalogy
Yield
No Code
Dark Matter
Riot Act
Binaural
Self-Titled
Lightning Bolt
Backspacer
Gigaton
Vs
Yield
Vitalogy
No Code
Dark Matter
Avocado
Riot Act
Backspacer
Binaural
Gigaton
Lightning Bolt
The non-conanical rankings:
Benaroya
Lost Dogs
Live on Two Legs
Unplugged
Live at The Gorge
Live on Ten Legs
Pearl Jam Twenty
Let's Play Two
Live at Easy Street
I think Yield/Binaural/Riot Act are their absolute best as artists. They were more mature songwriters, etc.
Not to say that Vs and Ten aren't great albums though.
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Vs
Vitalogy
Yield
No Code
Dark Matter
Avocado
Riot Act
Binaural
Backspacer
Gigaton
Lightning Bolt
3 through 5 are interchangeable.
Avocado, Binaural, Yield however... 0 expectations going in, and instant love for all 3.
I think when we all (and most people) first discovered their albums, we had relationships with other people that also enjoyed the albums and the phenomenon of PJ and early 90s rock contributed to a lot of that. So it will always be hard for the later albums to catch up to their earlier stuff. So its really hard to try and judge these albums without all that context. (My kids, for example, got to experience Lightning Bolt, Cant Deny Me, Gigaton and Dark Matter first hand, so they rank those higher than their earlier stuff, since their context is very very different from mine.)
So, most people who have been fans of the band for a long time will rank the 90s and maybe the early 00's greater. That said, I think Dark Matter is their best overall album...since....maybe ever? I dont know if its my favorite album...it is for the moment...but the work on this album is so solid.
Gigaton for me....has awesome songs, and some really great melodies and lyrics, but it came at at time during the pandemic...I really needed that album at that time, and at the same time...its sort of hard to listen to, due to the context of what was happening in the world not just with the pandemic, but with politics, etc. Its sort of depressing for me. I was listening to 7 O'Clock last night and my god, it just put me in a depressed state. It was one of my go-to songs from 2020-2023.
Anyway, I cant really rank these based on "What is best" only "I have so much emotional connections with these albums"....That's probably why Vitalogy-NoCode-Yield will never be topped for me.
1. Vitalogy-No Code- Yield
2. Ten-Vs
3. Dark Matter
4. Binaural
5. Avocado
6. Riot Act
7. Lightning Bolt
8. Backspacer
9. Gigaton
Lost Dogs is a B-sides albums and not a proper studio album. Love it, hoping for a Lost Dogs 2 at some point. But most of those songs I had already heard in some form or another, so it didnt quite hit me like any of the studio albums.
Also, the only reason that Vitalogy-No Code-Yield are above Ten-Vs, is because when I heard Ten and VS, I was enjoying those, but I didnt really "discover" them for myself. I was just hearing those cause literally everyone was playing them. When Vitalogy came out, I finally "got" pearl jam, and then some people bailed when No Code came out, which I really enjoyed cause it was so different from the others, and Yield might be perfect.
But Yield was mine. A lot of my PJ friends sort of bailed by then. And that Yield tour was so fun.
Nuclear fission
Vitalogy
Ten
Vs.
Avocado
Yield
Dark Matter
Binaural
Gigaton
Backspacer
Pablo Honey
________
Yield
Vs.
Avocado
Binaural
Ten
Dark Metter
Vitalogy
Lightning Bolt
Gigaton
Backspacer
No Code is always #1 for me. I love all of them, but if I had to rank them now, that would be my list.
www.cluthelee.com
www.cluthe.com
2.Ten
3. Vitalogy
4. Yield
5. Dark Matter (could possibly move higher)
6. Avocado
7. No Code
8. Riot Act
9. Binaural
10. Backspacer
11. Lightning Bolt
'Cause they can't see beyond today
The wisdom that the old can't give away, hey
Constant recoil
Sometimes life don't leave you alone."