Stereogum ranks PJ albums...DISCUSS

moses-i · July 2012

http://stereogum.com/1092912/pearl-jam- ... /#comments

Didn't see this posted on here yet. As always there will be a huge divide I'd imagine, as evidenced by some comments already appearing in the article. I always find the No Code/Yield divide interesting-I for one love No Code yet am not overly fond of Yield (although I loved it when it first came out) whereas I have noticed Yield fans aren't too keen on No Code.

Anyway-discuss.

moses562 · July 2012

The person who wrote the snippet about the band does not seem like a fan. With that how can he/she rate the albums. Also, there will never be a list that everyone agrees on...which is just fine.

I got into the band during yield...and I love No Code...more than Yield but the albums are right next to eaxh other. Thanks for posting. Still fun to look at and see pople's opinions.

kjw818 · July 2012

moses562 wrote:

The person who wrote the snippet about the band does not seem like a fan. With that how can he/she rate the albums. Also, there will never be a list that everyone agrees on...which is just fine.

I got into the band during yield...and I love No Code...more than Yield but the albums are right next to eaxh other. Thanks for posting. Still fun to look at and see pople's opinions.

I thought that about the author too. IMO all PJ albums are equally amazing except Backspacer.

klusterfuk · July 2012

Backspacer kicks ass. It's just a different ass.

High Fidelity 2000 · July 2012

I kind of liked this... I don't agree with the writer of course, but to me he does sound like he is a fan. Maybe not a hardcore Ten Club fan, but he knows a bit about each of the albums and calls some of it exactly like it is (Corduroy: Best Pearl Jam Song), and references some of the lesser known tunes too. Personally I'd put Backspacer dead last and put Riot Act in at least #6... maybe 5. Avocado would definitely be in the top half.

You know what reading this a couple hours ago did? Made me go listen to Riot Act. And I think it sounds awesome... put in the earbuds on the ipod, not even vinyl on headphones, and it sounds amazing. I think it's a pretty kick ass album almost a decade later!!!

thefixer9 · July 2012

I also thought the author wasn't really a fan....Here is my listing because now I feel I have to do too...

1.Yield
2.Avocado
3.Backspacer
4.No Code
5.Riot Act
6.VS
7.Ten
8.Vitalogy
9.Binaural

your move now · July 2012

There's no way the author is a fan - can you imagine that blurb being written on here?

Trying to come up with my own order:

No Code
Binaural
Ten
Yield
Vs
Riot Act
Avocado
Vitalogy
Backspacer

Hard to do though (from 4-8 anyway)

Karley · July 2012

Hahaha he wrote Unemployable was one of their best songs....omg :shock:

Well..you know these lists,..they don't seem to make much sense most of the time...wouldn't have expected Vitalogy on #1 though!

PJ_Soul · July 2012

I love every album.

igotid88 · July 2012

http://bit.ly/AbePrLJm

pdalowsky · July 2012

Love no code and yield

joewalshdc · July 2012

I gotta say....as a collection of songs to listen to in the order that the band put out....backspacer is probably my favourite 'full album'.

smithnic · July 2012

Objectively speaking I think the opening snippet is pretty accurate. I consider myself (obviously as I post on here) a die hard and consider everything they do to be the best ever (except Army Reserve and Speed of Sound). I think he explains the reasoning for the disconnect between those of us who adore them ridiculously and those who forgot they existed. I think that this is by design of those in the band. They are allowed to do what they want and don't have to do anything they don't.

I will say that his use of the term "black period" is interesting if you take a look at the covers of Yield, Binaural and Riot Act.

DewieCox · July 2012

I'd rather this sorta thing come from a somebody that's not a big fan. The writer at least seemed familiar with their work, so that alone makes it better than most of these articles. Don't really agree with his rankings at all, though. If he's still looking for someone that claims Binaural as their best, I'm waiting on a phone call or letter about 1 outta 3 days.

I've always thought Yield, No Code, and Binaural are all like sibling albums.

PJStatTracker · July 2012

I didn't mind the author's thoughts. Seemed like there was a lot of effort and consideration put into it - not a hate article at all. That said, I have completely different tastes in PJ. Gods' Dice, for example, is one of my least favorite Pearl jam songs, not anywhere near the highlight of Binaural.

Here's my order today, from Best to "worst":

No Code
Yield
Ten
Vitalogy
Vs
Backspacer
Binaural
Avocado
Riot Act

Pearl Jam Jay · July 2012

One thing I hate about articles like this is the fact that they dissect everything down and shed this bummer of a light on some of the history and social retort of the band but at the same time offer their opinions along the way to almost seem as general accepted fact.
Everyone listens differently and opinions are what make these discussions fun and intriguing but If you polled 100 average rock music fans to ask what their favorite PJ song is, I don't think Corduroy would come up as often as you think...and Unemployable as best on Pearl Jam Album??? Fans on here are always going to go WAY off the beaten path on their favorites (If they even dare pick one), but to make it sound like Pearl Jam is just thumping their way along putting out unnoticed albums because YOU weren't paying attention...BS. So many articles have come to focus on how big PJ is as a cultural standout over 20 years with a strong driving force to go another 20+. So albums 5-8 were barely tolerable?? That sounds about right...because their following has just weakened SO MUCH over the last 10 years (Sarcasm).
Oh well, this board is obviously built for the main fan base so we all have our bias to PJ, but I just didn't enjoy the mediocre "quit while you're ahead" tone of the article to the point of almost saying "Yeah, Pearl Jam has been around for 20 years...but why?"

PJ_Soul · July 2012

Pearl Jam Jay wrote:

One thing I hate about articles like this is the fact that they dissect everything down and shed this bummer of a light on some of the history and social retort of the band but at the same time offer their opinions along the way to almost seem as general accepted fact.
Everyone listens differently and opinions are what make these discussions fun and intriguing but If you polled 100 average rock music fans to ask what their favorite PJ song is, I don't think Corduroy would come up as often as you think...and Unemployable as best on Pearl Jam Album??? Fans on here are always going to go WAY off the beaten path on their favorites (If they even dare pick one), but to make it sound like Pearl Jam is just thumping their way along putting out unnoticed albums because YOU weren't paying attention...BS. So many articles have come to focus on how big PJ is as a cultural standout over 20 years with a strong driving force to go another 20+. So albums 5-8 were barely tolerable?? That sounds about right...because their following has just weakened SO MUCH over the last 10 years (Sarcasm).
Oh well, this board is obviously built for the main fan base so we all have our bias to PJ, but I just didn't enjoy the mediocre "quit while you're ahead" tone of the article to the point of almost saying "Yeah, Pearl Jam has been around for 20 years...but why?"

I totally agree.
I also don't understand this apparently insatiable desire people.have to rank things that are ranked solely on the basis of subjective personal tastes and individual emotional reactions, as though their ranking is based in some kind of fact. It seems like an exercise in futility, yet people seem to he bananas for them.

smithnic · July 2012

PJ_Soul wrote:

Pearl Jam Jay wrote:

One thing I hate about articles like this is the fact that they dissect everything down and shed this bummer of a light on some of the history and social retort of the band but at the same time offer their opinions along the way to almost seem as general accepted fact.
Everyone listens differently and opinions are what make these discussions fun and intriguing but If you polled 100 average rock music fans to ask what their favorite PJ song is, I don't think Corduroy would come up as often as you think...and Unemployable as best on Pearl Jam Album??? Fans on here are always going to go WAY off the beaten path on their favorites (If they even dare pick one), but to make it sound like Pearl Jam is just thumping their way along putting out unnoticed albums because YOU weren't paying attention...BS. So many articles have come to focus on how big PJ is as a cultural standout over 20 years with a strong driving force to go another 20+. So albums 5-8 were barely tolerable?? That sounds about right...because their following has just weakened SO MUCH over the last 10 years (Sarcasm).
Oh well, this board is obviously built for the main fan base so we all have our bias to PJ, but I just didn't enjoy the mediocre "quit while you're ahead" tone of the article to the point of almost saying "Yeah, Pearl Jam has been around for 20 years...but why?"

I totally agree.
I also don't understand this apparently insatiable desire people.have to rank things that are ranked solely on the basis of subjective personal tastes and individual emotional reactions, as though their ranking is based in some kind of fact. It seems like an exercise in futility, yet people seem to he bananas for them.

He's a music critic, it's sort of in the job description.

PJ_Soul · July 2012

smithnic wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

Pearl Jam Jay wrote:

One thing I hate about articles like this is the fact that they dissect everything down and shed this bummer of a light on some of the history and social retort of the band but at the same time offer their opinions along the way to almost seem as general accepted fact.
Everyone listens differently and opinions are what make these discussions fun and intriguing but If you polled 100 average rock music fans to ask what their favorite PJ song is, I don't think Corduroy would come up as often as you think...and Unemployable as best on Pearl Jam Album??? Fans on here are always going to go WAY off the beaten path on their favorites (If they even dare pick one), but to make it sound like Pearl Jam is just thumping their way along putting out unnoticed albums because YOU weren't paying attention...BS. So many articles have come to focus on how big PJ is as a cultural standout over 20 years with a strong driving force to go another 20+. So albums 5-8 were barely tolerable?? That sounds about right...because their following has just weakened SO MUCH over the last 10 years (Sarcasm).
Oh well, this board is obviously built for the main fan base so we all have our bias to PJ, but I just didn't enjoy the mediocre "quit while you're ahead" tone of the article to the point of almost saying "Yeah, Pearl Jam has been around for 20 years...but why?"

I totally agree.
I also don't understand this apparently insatiable desire people.have to rank things that are ranked solely on the basis of subjective personal tastes and individual emotional reactions, as though their ranking is based in some kind of fact. It seems like an exercise in futility, yet people seem to he bananas for them.

He's a music critic, it's sort of in the job description.

I know he is, but that doesn't make ranking shit like this any more useful or meaningful. It's totally meaningless.... suddenly, being ausic critic doesn't sound so hot to me!

javis el errante · July 2012

My favourite albums has always been Vitalogy, and it still is, I never thought it was a transition album as he says, No code is a transition album to me, my least fav album along with Ten. Binaural is my third favourite, though at the time it was released it was my fav one, even after riot act came out. That was until Avocado was released, that is my second fav album now, being Binaural third, and Riot act the fourth, Backspacer and Yield are kick ass rocking albums, but music is borader than hard rocking songs.

All in all, we can gather hundreds of people all over the world, discuss this issue, and create a consensus on which PJ album is the worst, and that album will be way much better than any other album ever released by any other band, and I guess any musician would love to have released any PJ album on his or hers resume.

Edit: on an unrelated note, there is an Argentine band which has a song which goes something like this: "I feel the preasure of the pen caused by a music critic who is dying to play in a rock band"... those who can't play music, write about it... anyone else thinks that music critics are frustrated musicians?

smithnic · July 2012

I think PJ20 the movie shows how close the band was to breaking up around Vitalogy. That's the part where Mike is essentially asking if Ed even likes being in with the band anymore. It's also the time that Neil Young essentially saves the band (it sounds like) by taking them on his tour. No Code is the result of all the stuff that went on during that recording.

I will always feel their albums like people talk about children. Cannot possibly pick my favorite. Except No Code.

Stereogum ranks PJ albums...DISCUSS

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