I really enjoyed this album when it first came out and I definitely think it holds up to this day. Unemployable has been one of my favorite PJ songs since they released it on iTunes with WWS before the full album was released. Big Wave is probably my least favorite song of the bunch. Truthfully I don't think there is a real large margin between the best and worst PJ albums but most of the time my opinion on that matter changes. Recently Riot Act has been my favorite because unfortunately I didn't give it the attention it deserved when it was first released.
5/2/16 - New York, NY || 5/1/16 - New York, NY || 10/18/13 - Brooklyn, NY || 10/12/13 - Buffalo, NY || 5/21/10 - New York, NY || 5/20/10 - New York, NY || 5/10/10 - Buffalo, NY || 10/31/09 - Philadelphia, PA || 10/30/09 - Philadelphia, PA || 8/21/09 - Toronto, Canada || 6/28/08 - Mansfield, MA || 6/3/06 - East Rutherford, NJ
I always reach for it... it's one of my 'happy' albums
Been to this many PJ shows: Reading 2006 London 2007 Manchester & London 2009 Dublin, Belfast, London, Nijmegen & Berlin 2010 Manchester 1 & Manchester 2 2012...
... and I still think Drive-By Truckers are better.
and as much as i really, really wanted to love it, i just don't.
something seems to be missing.
i never listen to the avocado....ever.
i agree. sadly i hardly even consider it a pearl jam album kind of. it's like, you got ten, vs, vitalogy, no code, yield, binaural, riot act which are part of pearl jam's repertoire, then avocado is just... there. it just doesnt... fit for me i guess.. and it's sad because i love army reserve and inside job and other songs, but i kind of hate WWS, severed hand, and life wasted a little... i dunno why but it just doesnt do it for me. i want them to, but they just dont... i mean live theyre wicked, but on the studio album it's just.. blah...
in fact... if i want avo songs i'm more likely to reach for studio more so than with any other studio... except maybe No Code
mostly i listen to boots...or avo or no code.
That's weird because I agree with you 100 percent. I listen to mostly boots but sometimes I'll spin avo or no code. They are really the only ones...
I'm really surprised people don't like avo that much. I mean, I'm a fan of all their stuff. But avo is one of the better ones in my opinion. Mostly because, I love every song on it. I don't think any song is weak at all.
If I had to rank, it would go something like this:
No Code
Vs
Avo
Ten (Would have been first a long time ago, but I'm so sick of it)
Vitalogy
Binaural
Yield
Riot Act
Its a decent album, but I'm not as high on it as I was when it came out. I haven't listened to it in many months actually.
I think what bothers me about it is the lack of depth to many of the songs - lacking some of the subtleties that reward with repeat listens. I think the ones that have held up for me after a couple of years are: MITS, Parachutes, and Army Reserve. Inside Job is nice to hear live.
Sorry, but Big Wave is awful. Don't know how that one made it on the album.
I can't believe people are putting 'Pearl Jam' below 'Riot Act'. 'Riot Act' is clearly the worst PJ album, uninspired, rushed, Ed mumbling his way through it.
Saying that though, 'Pearl Jam' is only slightly better. I agree with previous posts that it has no atmosphere, and the production is too lively. Thank god they are going back with Brendon O'Brien for the next one.
Army Reserve & Inside Job at least see them experimenting abit..WWS & Severed Hand are good rockers, & Unemployable is nice & tuneful. The rest is generic Pearl Jam. We've heard better before....Comatose is horribly forced. Marker In The Sand feels like 2 songs stuck awkwardly together...
We may of seen the best of Pearl Jam in terms of new albums..I think the next one will be key. They need a big, decent studio album that can match the aggression of the first 3 albums, and the wonderful sonic experiments of the next 3.
With every other album i get a real visual of where the band was when they recorded it. I guess maybe a view into their state of mind at the time they made the album. You can feel through the album what inspired them to write. With all the other albums there is, at least at some point in the record, a sense of either exploration, deep sadness, anger, protest or triumph. I think in Ed's lyrical writing when his tone is motivated by either sadness, loss, curiosity, or anger we get the best pj songs. I think that tone echoes through the band and even impacts the music too. Avocado has some obviously sad songs, (Comeback) but I think in general Ed and the rest of the band were a bunch of happy, comfortable, successful, carefree guys who made an album for the sake of making an album. If you think about it, this is the first time we've had them in this state of mind...
not that the subject matter is carefree, but the band members personally were at the time they recorded the album. It's why the album and that song specifically didn't connect like past songs... just a thought
Further back and forth a wave will break on me, today...
I can't believe people are putting 'Pearl Jam' below 'Riot Act'. 'Riot Act' is clearly the worst PJ album, uninspired, rushed, Ed mumbling his way through it.
Saying that though, 'Pearl Jam' is only slightly better. I agree with previous posts that it has no atmosphere, and the production is too lively. Thank god they are going back with Brendon O'Brien for the next one.
Army Reserve & Inside Job at least see them experimenting abit..WWS & Severed Hand are good rockers, & Unemployable is nice & tuneful. The rest is generic Pearl Jam. We've heard better before....Comatose is horribly forced. Marker In The Sand feels like 2 songs stuck awkwardly together...
We may of seen the best of Pearl Jam in terms of new albums..I think the next one will be key. They need a big, decent studio album that can match the aggression of the first 3 albums, and the wonderful sonic experiments of the next 3.
Exactly right. Ed sounds awful on Riot Act like he doesn't even want to be there.
The whole band sounded invigorated with Avo. While it still wasn't the perfect album I wanted from them it does give me a lot of hope for the next one.
10/31/2000 (****)
6/7/2003 (***1/2)
7/9/2006 (****1/2)
7/13/2006 (**** )
4/10/2008 EV Solo (****1/2)
6/25/2008 MSG II (*****)
10/1/2009 LA II (****)
10/6/2009 LA III (***** Cornell!!!)
I actually haven't taken it out of my changer in my truck in about 3months.. I hear it all the time, I do still get into it while I go to and from work.
I can't believe people are putting 'Pearl Jam' below 'Riot Act'. 'Riot Act' is clearly the worst PJ album, uninspired, rushed, Ed mumbling his way through it.
Saying that though, 'Pearl Jam' is only slightly better. I agree with previous posts that it has no atmosphere, and the production is too lively. Thank god they are going back with Brendon O'Brien for the next one.
Army Reserve & Inside Job at least see them experimenting abit..WWS & Severed Hand are good rockers, & Unemployable is nice & tuneful. The rest is generic Pearl Jam. We've heard better before....Comatose is horribly forced. Marker In The Sand feels like 2 songs stuck awkwardly together...
We may of seen the best of Pearl Jam in terms of new albums..I think the next one will be key. They need a big, decent studio album that can match the aggression of the first 3 albums, and the wonderful sonic experiments of the next 3.
For me Avocado is much better than Binaural. It's really good album for me
Not 10c member? Have sth to say? write to me - I'll put it on the forum
halszka123@op.pl
Montreal/98, Toronto/00'03'05'06x2, Brad Toronto/02, Buffalo/03, Kitchener/05, London/05, Hamilton/05, Late Show Taping/06, Cleveland/06, Pittsburgh/06, Bridge School Benefit Concert/06, Hartford/08, Mansfield 1/08, EV Montreal/08x2, EV Toronto/08x2...
you are all the collective equivalent of a dip-shit stuck in the 90's yelling "play Jeremy" at a concert.
yeah that's right..i said it...it's a thinker so it will go over a lot of your heads
(if need be i will explain it to you)
:D:D
Don't stereotype friend... No Code brought me to this band in '97 and its been uphill ever since...with the exception of the last two CDs....some good tracks...others too predictable and OLD... I really have questioned whether PJ has really pushed into new territory over the last decade...only sparingly so for me. That may be adequate for you.....
The live shows are great, but the last few CDS have been too predictable...for me anyway I guess
i used to put it above riot act, but ive come to appreciate riot act more and think it may have some more depth than avocado. maybe one day itll switch again.
"The world is dangerous, feel safe here tonight..." EV 9/17/06
38+6 shows at the age of 27 and counting...but still no Undone
Don't stereotype friend... No Code brought me to this band in '97 and its been uphill ever since...with the exception of the last two CDs....some good tracks...others too predictable and OLD... I really have questioned whether PJ has really pushed into new territory over the last decade...only sparingly so for me. That may be adequate for you.....
The live shows are great, but the last few CDS have been too predictable...for me anyway I guess
Hammer me worshipers!!!
granted it was more of a reactionary album than a ground breaking one..but that isn't a bad thing.some of the best music to come out of the 70s was in reaction to Vietnam(another illegal "war").self titled was an album that dealt with a lot of bad shit resulting from Bush & co.,it was a way for the band to relay & vent their feelings and it showed who they are as MEN,hasn't changed(WE already knew that)!!
i thought it was such a relevant release and i was proud of them saying the things that most musicians (outside of underground rap) are afraid to say(or just don't give a fuck enough about)
few bands have gone in so many "new directions" as PJ has over the years, so releasing an album that said let's just stay right here and talk about all this bullshit going on in the world/country,was just fine with me and i applaud them for doing so.
..with the exception of the last two CDs....some good tracks...others too predictable and OLD... I really have questioned whether PJ has really pushed into new territory over the last decade...only sparingly so for me. That may be adequate for you.....
I can understand where you are coming from with Avocado, whilst I think it is a good album, it wasn't a great departure and was more straight ahead rock.
But, I really disagree with regard to Riot Act. This record pushed a lot of boundaries. I mean the album sounds nothing like any of the other records. Songs like Can't Keep, LBC, Cropduster, You Are, Get Right, Green Disease, Bushleaguer and Half Full are not conventional Pearl Jam songs...in other words they are not really predictable...
Songs like I am Mine, Save You, All or None, Thumbing My Way may have been done before or resemble their style, but all in all I think Riot Act was a departure from stereotypical pearl jam than most records they have realeased. Personally, I can't ask for mush more than that!
I can understand where you are coming from with Avocado, whilst I think it is a good album, it wasn't a great departure and was more straight ahead rock.
But, I really disagree with regard to Riot Act. This record pushed a lot of boundaries. I mean the album sounds nothing like any of the other records. Songs like Can't Keep, LBC, Cropduster, You Are, Get Right, Green Disease, Bushleaguer and Half Full are not conventional Pearl Jam songs...in other words they are not really predictable...
Songs like I am Mine, Save You, All or None, Thumbing My Way may have been done before or resemble their style, but all in all I think Riot Act was a departure from stereotypical pearl jam than most records they have realeased. Personally, I can't ask for mush more than that!
I'll have to reconsider and pull RA off the rack....
Comments
That said, I really don't listen to any of the studio albums very much. Just boots mostly.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
vs, ra, yield are great too,
hard to imagine pj fans down on avocado, even if you take the approach that is the twilight of any almost any bands career that far in. take it easy
alot of people did, but once the honeymoon was over, i think alot of people just realized how mediocre sounding the album is.
on the bottom of my PJ CD stack.
... and I still think Drive-By Truckers are better.
eV: 8/4/08, 8/5/08, 6/21/11
SG: 10/4/08<-- MET STONE!!!
One of my favorites.
Much better than Riot Act.
That's weird because I agree with you 100 percent. I listen to mostly boots but sometimes I'll spin avo or no code. They are really the only ones...
I'm really surprised people don't like avo that much. I mean, I'm a fan of all their stuff. But avo is one of the better ones in my opinion. Mostly because, I love every song on it. I don't think any song is weak at all.
If I had to rank, it would go something like this:
No Code
Vs
Avo
Ten (Would have been first a long time ago, but I'm so sick of it)
Vitalogy
Binaural
Yield
Riot Act
They can buy but cant put on my clothes
Throw down my ace in the hole~~~~~~
Let's go for three in a row, no sorry i can't think of anything thats not funny. - Paul Merton
London96,Manchester00,Berlin06,London07
I think what bothers me about it is the lack of depth to many of the songs - lacking some of the subtleties that reward with repeat listens. I think the ones that have held up for me after a couple of years are: MITS, Parachutes, and Army Reserve. Inside Job is nice to hear live.
Sorry, but Big Wave is awful. Don't know how that one made it on the album.
Saying that though, 'Pearl Jam' is only slightly better. I agree with previous posts that it has no atmosphere, and the production is too lively. Thank god they are going back with Brendon O'Brien for the next one.
Army Reserve & Inside Job at least see them experimenting abit..WWS & Severed Hand are good rockers, & Unemployable is nice & tuneful. The rest is generic Pearl Jam. We've heard better before....Comatose is horribly forced. Marker In The Sand feels like 2 songs stuck awkwardly together...
We may of seen the best of Pearl Jam in terms of new albums..I think the next one will be key. They need a big, decent studio album that can match the aggression of the first 3 albums, and the wonderful sonic experiments of the next 3.
Ya, World Wide Suicide is so "carefree"
Exactly right. Ed sounds awful on Riot Act like he doesn't even want to be there.
The whole band sounded invigorated with Avo. While it still wasn't the perfect album I wanted from them it does give me a lot of hope for the next one.
6/7/2003 (***1/2)
7/9/2006 (****1/2)
7/13/2006 (**** )
4/10/2008 EV Solo (****1/2)
6/25/2008 MSG II (*****)
10/1/2009 LA II (****)
10/6/2009 LA III (***** Cornell!!!)
www.seanbrady.net
halszka123@op.pl
agreed !
7/2 & 7/11 2003-Mansfield
9/28 & 9/29 2004-Boston
5/24 & 5/25 2006-Boston-11th & 10th row
6/27 2008-Hartford -Front Row Center!
6/28 & 6/30 2008-Mansfield
08/01 (2nd row) & 08/02/2008 (Eddie Vedder) Boston
skinny little bitch
Asbury Park '21; MSG '22; Camden '22
Montreal/98, Toronto/00'03'05'06x2, Brad Toronto/02, Buffalo/03, Kitchener/05, London/05, Hamilton/05, Late Show Taping/06, Cleveland/06, Pittsburgh/06, Bridge School Benefit Concert/06, Hartford/08, Mansfield 1/08, EV Montreal/08x2, EV Toronto/08x2...
Don't stereotype friend... No Code brought me to this band in '97 and its been uphill ever since...with the exception of the last two CDs....some good tracks...others too predictable and OLD... I really have questioned whether PJ has really pushed into new territory over the last decade...only sparingly so for me. That may be adequate for you.....
The live shows are great, but the last few CDS have been too predictable...for me anyway I guess
Hammer me worshipers!!!
38+6 shows at the age of 27 and counting...but still no Undone
My podcast: Hotel Manager Talk- Dedicated to Hotel Employees, tell your friends. http://www.HotelManagerTalk.com
Not PJ's best, but still one of the best albums I've heard in the past couple of years.
granted it was more of a reactionary album than a ground breaking one..but that isn't a bad thing.some of the best music to come out of the 70s was in reaction to Vietnam(another illegal "war").self titled was an album that dealt with a lot of bad shit resulting from Bush & co.,it was a way for the band to relay & vent their feelings and it showed who they are as MEN,hasn't changed(WE already knew that)!!
i thought it was such a relevant release and i was proud of them saying the things that most musicians (outside of underground rap) are afraid to say(or just don't give a fuck enough about)
few bands have gone in so many "new directions" as PJ has over the years, so releasing an album that said let's just stay right here and talk about all this bullshit going on in the world/country,was just fine with me and i applaud them for doing so.
great fucking album!!!(except parachutes
Just like All or None, Half Full, green Disease and Save You are all as good as most stuff of the other albums.
I can understand where you are coming from with Avocado, whilst I think it is a good album, it wasn't a great departure and was more straight ahead rock.
But, I really disagree with regard to Riot Act. This record pushed a lot of boundaries. I mean the album sounds nothing like any of the other records. Songs like Can't Keep, LBC, Cropduster, You Are, Get Right, Green Disease, Bushleaguer and Half Full are not conventional Pearl Jam songs...in other words they are not really predictable...
Songs like I am Mine, Save You, All or None, Thumbing My Way may have been done before or resemble their style, but all in all I think Riot Act was a departure from stereotypical pearl jam than most records they have realeased. Personally, I can't ask for mush more than that!
I'll have to reconsider and pull RA off the rack....