What do people think of "Avocado"

Ledbetterdays

If for nothing else than the fact that we got Marker in the Sand from this album then it is worth it. Best album since Yield by far. It plays like two sides of an LP though with the second side sucking.

Good
Marker in the Sand
Severed Hand
WWS
Life Wasted
Inside Job
Comatose

Not So Good
Gone
Parachutes
Big Wave
Come Back
Wasted Reprise
Unemployable
Army Reserve

SOLAT319

Lucifer wrote:

knowing that i frequent this place

My friend asked me last night what PJ fans thought of "Avocado" almost 3 years later

and I really couldn't answer him...

so

What is your opinion of Pearl Jam/Avocado?

Thanks!!

It has some solid songs: Life Wasted, Wasted Reprise, Gone, WWS, Severed Hand, Big Wave...Overall, not as good as say...VITALOGY. Then again, nothing is as good as VITALOGY....You know why? Because VITALOGY IS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE! It's amazing how I made it all about Vitalogy all of a sudden

Avocado's album concept is cool though. I like the whole avocado/advocate word play.

not for me

SOLAT319 wrote:

Lucifer wrote:

knowing that i frequent this place

My friend asked me last night what PJ fans thought of "Avocado" almost 3 years later

and I really couldn't answer him...

so

What is your opinion of Pearl Jam/Avocado?

Thanks!!

It has some solid songs: Life Wasted, Wasted Reprise, Gone, WWS, Severed Hand, Big Wave...Overall, not as good as say...VITALOGY. Then again, nothing is as good as VITALOGY....You know why? Because VITALOGY IS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE! It's amazing how I made it all about Vitalogy all of a sudden

Avocado's album concept is cool though. I like the whole avocado/advocate word play.

Vitalogy sucks

But really Avocado is better than Riot Act and that's about all.

lorilei

since reading this thread i listened to avocado and i really think it's great. there are a few exceptions, songs that i'm not in love with but still...it's pearl jam. even if it doesn't exactly tick my clock, it still rocks on some level. i truly love marker in the sand, parachutes (i don't know what you guys are talking about with this one), comatose, come back, life wasted, wws, and inside job.

soulsinging

BeerBaron wrote:

At first I was very impressed with Avocado.

Now, almost 3 years later, it has grown a little tired in my opinion. There are 2 songs that I loved from day 1 that I still love and don't think I will ever get sick of: Life Wasted and Parachutes. I also think that Come Back and Marker are Very good songs that I will always like hearing. One song that I didn't like at first but is now one of my favs is Army Reserve. And Inside Job is AWESOME live but I find it very bland on the album.

Most of the others, I have grown almost completely sick of in 3 years: Severed Hand, Comatose, WWS, Gone, and Unemoployable all fit in to this category, although I would be happy to hear any of them live (well, maybe not Gone) as long as it wasn't at every show. Big Wave never really turned me on, but hearing it live in Harford brought it to life, which was really cool.

All in all, I'd say that this is a good album, but not a great album. Certainly not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Yield, No Code, vs, Vitalogy and Ten. But it is still a solid album with some very good songs on it that I am happy is part of the Pearl Jam catalogue.

If you switch WWS and Life Wasted, I basically agree with everything you say here, song by song. I love Parachutes and WWS, Inside Job and Army Reserve grew on me and I love them, and Come Back and Marker are solid songs. But Gone, Comatose, and Severed Hand sound incredibly lame to me, even though I liked them ok at first. Unemployable is an ok song, no more or less. Life Wasted is a pretty good song live, but it sounds bad on the album I think.

fotd

i personally like the album. It does sound better live. I've listened to this "Italian Job" bootleg more according to itunes than the actual studio album. that might be why i have positive feelings about the album.

soulsinging

Flagg wrote:

Agree on the soldier concept actually for the most part and I think the theme is more about the difficulties of living in 2006 with two wars going on, etc. This is the closest to a theme album as they have ever gotten. It is not overly political as captainwisejam mentioned. And Ed really went back to telling people's stories this time instead of just ranting and letting other people write nonsense lyrics like the last record.

Ed is on record as saying Life Wasted was direcly influenced by Johnny Ramone's funeral. On VH1 he said the got the idea on the way home.

But Come Back fits with the soldier's story and is a perfect complement to Army Reserve. Yes, I know Ed has said Johnny inspired Come Back, but unless they were a whole lot closer than we all think, the lyrics feel more like the Army wife from Army Reserve wife wishing her husband would come back. There was intention in putting those two tracks back to back. Army Reserve is about not wanting the unthinkable to happen to your spouse while you are at home with the kids. Come Back is after the unthinkable happened. So maybe it was originally inspired by him but he decided to change it up to fit with AR better.

I agree that the lyrical change back to telling stories instead of ham-handed philosophical crap (LBC) was a definite improvement.

Ed and Johnny Ramone were VERY close. They hung out a lot. Haven't you heard of the stories of Johnny's disciples? Ed and Rob Zombie and a bunch of other guys all used to hang out and talk music and politics. Ed's spoken openly about it.

Bulldog88

I love Avocado. Especially Inside Job, Come Back, and Marker in the Sand.

dhpjammer

I just think the new album should be called "Guacamole"

LONGRD

CHANGEinWAVES wrote:

LongRd. wrote:

I hope I can tolerate with it because I haven't listen to it completely in well over 4 years. :oops:

tisk tisk!

OK, re-listened to Riot Act from start to finish for the first time in years and I have to admit it’s not as bad as I said it was but still the bottom two along with Avocado. They're both C+ average records in my opinion.

+ Can’t Keep - On point with another good opener.
I Am Mine - Second best track on the album
You Are - I love this song. Good job Matt! Top 5 from this decade.
Half Full - Mike has an awesome solo on this song.
All Or None - Another great closer.

=(average) Save You - Don’t know why but I find this track cheesy.
Cropduster - It’s a decent track.
Thumbing My Way - Too damn depressing and kinda boring.
Help Help - It’s actually not as bad as I thought it was but still not impressed by it.
Bushleaguer - Sometimes I like this song but sometimes I don’t.
Arc

- Love Boat Captain - The reason why Boom should not be in the band.
Ghost - Awful lyrics! But I like the riff though.
Get Right - Just fucking awful.
Green Disease - same as above.

CE202890

Avocado is my least favorite PJ album. It is still good, but it just too straightforward for my tastes.

There are songs on there I really dig.........Life wasted, comatose, severed hand, parachutes,come back, inside job.

Its still a good rock album, but needed more depth and different angles. Production was not the best either.
I am glad to have it as part of the PJ catalogue though, although it ranks low compared to the other albums.

CE202890

LongRd. wrote:

- Love Boat Captain - The reason why Boom should not be in the band.

Probably in my top ten favorite PJ tracks.......

primussucks

Take Big Wave, Army Reserve & Come Back off this record and you've got a great one! I would definately love to hear some of the songs left off this record that would have likely made it a great record. (Of The Earth, Cold Confession, 2x4) I really believe that Ed sometimes sabatoges albums. He is the one that decides the final tracklisting. Xzibit A. Binaural-Seriously how can you leave Sad & Fatal off this record and put Evacuation on it????????????????? Xzibit B. Riot Act-Help,Help & Get Right and he shelves Down & Otherside?????? Don't tell me these songs don't fit with the others Ed!

patrickredeyes

primussucks wrote:

Take Big Wave, Army Reserve & Come Back off this record and you've got a great one! I would definately love to hear some of the songs left off this record that would have likely made it a great record. (Of The Earth, Cold Confession, 2x4) I really believe that Ed sometimes sabatoges albums. He is the one that decides the final tracklisting. Xzibit A. Binaural-Seriously how can you leave Sad & Fatal off this record and put Evacuation on it????????????????? Xzibit B. Riot Act-Help,Help & Get Right and he shelves Down & Otherside?????? Don't tell me these songs don't fit with the others Ed!

Glad too see you posting over here.

soulsinging

primussucks wrote:

Take Big Wave, Army Reserve & Come Back off this record and you've got a great one! I would definately love to hear some of the songs left off this record that would have likely made it a great record. (Of The Earth, Cold Confession, 2x4) I really believe that Ed sometimes sabatoges albums. He is the one that decides the final tracklisting. Xzibit A. Binaural-Seriously how can you leave Sad & Fatal off this record and put Evacuation on it????????????????? Xzibit B. Riot Act-Help,Help & Get Right and he shelves Down & Otherside?????? Don't tell me these songs don't fit with the others Ed!

I definitely agree. I think people that defend those decisions and try to "kiss ass" by saying those songs wouldn't fit are full of shit. First of all, Riot Act has no flow whatsoever. Second of all, you only think it should play that way because that's how they released it. If Down and Other Side were on it and Get Right was left off, the same people would be saying the same thing... "oh, Get Right didn't fit and Down does!" It's a bullshit cop out. Their song choices over the last few years have been questionable at best.

That said, what the heck are the songs you're talking about... I never heard of any of the 3 you listed.

But I think we all can agree that hopefully O'Brien know the band well enough to keep them in line and keep them from sabotaging their greatness.

SOLAT319

not for me wrote:

Vitalogy sucks

But really Avocado is better than Riot Act and that's about all.

You're joking right? You MUST BE joking. Because, really...you got to be joking!

wnh1977

I like it. I really liked "gone" on the Christmas vinyl... maybe a little disappointed with the album version. But overall, it's a pretty straight-forward, good rock record.

The album feels a lot more clean and rockin'... compared to Binaural and Riot Act that felt muddied and bogged down at times. I think it compares to Yied as far as sound and feeling goes.

mfc2006

i still really like S/T. there are a couple of songs that i tend to skip over....but for the most part, i think it's a solid record. i absolutely love "Marker In The Sand". it's in my top 10 of PJ songs easily. the drumming is insane & i love the back and forth riffs of Stone & Mike. and that chorus is just beautiful.

BeerBaron

LongRd. wrote:

- Love Boat Captain - The reason why Boom should not be in the band.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

megatron

CE202890 wrote:

LongRd. wrote:

- Love Boat Captain - The reason why Boom should not be in the band.

Probably in my top ten favorite PJ tracks.......

yep..
i love how just talking about self titled gets people upset about riot act and boom bein in the band..i love me some boom and every record.
although i am completely biased and refuse to look at pearl jam through a critics eye.
these guys can sing about a good deuce and id buy it