If I were to rank the albums right now I'm not sure No Code is even in my PJ Top 5. That's not a shot at No Code. Rather it's a compliment to how good the catalog is overall. Ten on the other hand is an all-time classic.
No Code is their Magnum Opus in my opinion. This is where a lot of people got off the bus and the faithful powered forward. Key moment in the band's history and most diverse album they put out.
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No Code is their Magnum Opus in my opinion. This is where a lot of people got off the bus and the faithful powered forward. Key moment in the band's history and most diverse album they put out.
Never really understood why this is seen as a positive.
Pearl Jam wouldn't be on the map if it weren't for Ten.
looking at pearl jam's catalogue, without a doubt, ten has aged the worst out of all the albums released. ten put them on the map, sure... but VS to me was the first PEARL JAM album and proved they were the real deal. VS followed by vitalogy propelled them out of that mother love bone sound and turned them into the biggest band in the world.
The reason for choosing No Code was the build up and anticipation of its release. I'd heard Lukin debuted on monkey wrench radio so I couldn't wait to get this album.
I was doing the fisherman thing in Alaska so my brother and sister mailed this out to Dutch Harbor for me. I listened to this album everyday out there.
I think my unbiased answer is Ten, but my biased answer is No Code. I generally lean away from listening to Ten because I've heard many of the songs too many times. If a radio station plays PJ it's usually Even Flow, Black, Alive or Jeremy. I think I've listening to some of the songs off Ten to much to truly enjoy the album front to back. I don't have that issue with No Code
No Code... but how can you pick. It changes all the time. Vitalogy/No Code/ Yield are constantly rotating. This weekend i listened to the entire discography chronologically from Ten to Lightning Bolt (including Lost Dogs) on vinyl through my Grado Headphones (minus Binaural and Riot Act)... it was fucking awesome. No Code REALLY stuck out for me. Love the lyrics and the feeling this album creates. Such a good ebb and flow. All time classic, no doubt.
No Code is their Magnum Opus in my opinion. This is where a lot of people got off the bus and the faithful powered forward. Key moment in the band's history and most diverse album they put out.
Never really understood why this is seen as a positive.
Because the band probably couldn't handle being in the mainstream much longer, they probably would have broke up or took a long break. If No Code was another Vs. or Vitology in terms of popularity, I really don't think we would be seeing all these amazing shows. We'd probably be lucky to get greatest hits reunion tours.
Ten Vs Yield Vitalogy Pearl Jam No Code Lightning Bolt Binaural Riot Act Backspacer
For me the top 3 and the bottom 3 never change. The middle 4 on the other hand are constantly changing. No Code could be as high as 4th or as low as 7th depending on the day.
No Code is their Magnum Opus in my opinion. This is where a lot of people got off the bus and the faithful powered forward. Key moment in the band's history and most diverse album they put out.
Never really understood why this is seen as a positive.
Because they pushed themselves musically and a lot of the flavor of the moment "fans" got the fuck out. Which made a lot of us very happy. I grew to hate Jeremy because of amount of airplay it was getting.
No Code is their Magnum Opus in my opinion. This is where a lot of people got off the bus and the faithful powered forward. Key moment in the band's history and most diverse album they put out.
Never really understood why this is seen as a positive.
Because they pushed themselves musically and a lot of the flavor of the moment "fans" got the fuck out. Which made a lot of us very happy. I grew to hate Jeremy because of amount of airplay it was getting.
I understand that is the narrative but I've never really bought into it. It's always felt a little like revisionist history designed to explain away a drop in the band's popularity. Fans are fans. I've never been happy because there are less people who like something that I like. Pearl Jam being played less on the radio only meant that Creed and Nickelback were being played more. None of this is a positive to me.
It's interesting when people say Facelift, Ten, Nevermind, Badmotorfinger, etc. are too commercial. Albums like those kind of redefined what was commercially viable. (slight pause to reminisce is what a great time that really was for album releases) They definitely set the tone for about a decade. Radio / Video air time drove these things mainstream and certain tracks did get abused. (thanks MTV & Clear Channel) But these albums were far from commercial formulas when they were developed.
Between Code and Ten, it's Ten all day every day for me. Original or remix. But that's not saying Code is a POS. It's certainly in my top 4 PJ albums, but slots 2-4 are a bit fluid based on my mood. I have also started just putting the entire band on random play lately because it's kind of interesting to hear the differences between each album right next to one another. That has had the affect of making me listen to each song much differently because of the lack of expectation/anticipation for the known next track.
That guy who bought 10 on cassette when it released but took over 20 years to get his ass to a show... 2014 Cincinnati, 2016 Wrigley1
It's interesting when people say Facelift, Ten, Nevermind, Badmotorfinger, etc. are too commercial. Albums like those kind of redefined what was commercially viable. (slight pause to reminisce is what a great time that really was for album releases) They definitely set the tone for about a decade. Radio / Video air time drove these things mainstream and certain tracks did get abused. (thanks MTV & Clear Channel) But these albums were far from commercial formulas when they were developed.
Between Code and Ten, it's Ten all day every day for me. Original or remix. But that's not saying Code is a POS. It's certainly in my top 4 PJ albums, but slots 2-4 are a bit fluid based on my mood. I have also started just putting the entire band on random play lately because it's kind of interesting to hear the differences between each album right next to one another. That has had the affect of making me listen to each song much differently because of the lack of expectation/anticipation for the known next track.
Those albums help shut the door on Hair Bands and I will be forever grateful for this new genre of music that came out especially Pearl Jam and AIC
As far as my love for No Code it was a simple ride or get off the bus album and a lot of people got off the bus because they wanted the same sounding albums as TEN and VS...just like humans we need to evolve and so do bands when it comes to music and No Code is the one album that I have never put on retirement when it came to rotation because it has a song for every mood
Impossible for me to pick. Ten is where it started, No Code is along with Yield in my opinion are the... for want of a better phrase 'best flowing' albums they have done. But without Ten there would be no No Code, so................?
True. But without No Code, there would probably be no PJ after 1997 or so.
Tough Call. I picked Ten but it's close.
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This is a really difficult choice. However, I'm going to have to go with Ten. I remember hearing this back in '91 and, well, you know the rest of the story.
No Code is their Magnum Opus in my opinion. This is where a lot of people got off the bus and the faithful powered forward. Key moment in the band's history and most diverse album they put out.
Never really understood why this is seen as a positive.
Because they pushed themselves musically and a lot of the flavor of the moment "fans" got the fuck out. Which made a lot of us very happy. I grew to hate Jeremy because of amount of airplay it was getting.
I understand that is the narrative but I've never really bought into it. It's always felt a little like revisionist history designed to explain away a drop in the band's popularity. Fans are fans. I've never been happy because there are less people who like something that I like. Pearl Jam being played less on the radio only meant that Creed and Nickelback were being played more. None of this is a positive to me.
I completely understand that point of view. Im always a little torn about the "commercialized" debate but I did tend to get sick of the meatheads that liked PJ back then. No Code was just so "fresh" for me. The music, packaging, artwork...everything about it I loved. It made me love a band that I already thought was amazing even more.
True. But without No Code, there would probably be no PJ after 1997 or so.
You can say the same thing for Mirror Ball. Maybe even more so than No Code.
FWIW I like Young's writing, but never have been a fan of his singing. There are many tracks on that disc that I always say, usually aloud, that I wish Vedder did the vocals on this. But it has it's place/purpose and I keep it in my rotation.
That guy who bought 10 on cassette when it released but took over 20 years to get his ass to a show... 2014 Cincinnati, 2016 Wrigley1
No Code is their Magnum Opus in my opinion. This is where a lot of people got off the bus and the faithful powered forward. Key moment in the band's history and most diverse album they put out.
Never really understood why this is seen as a positive.
We don't want those people that were on the bus before here. That was genius.
Comments
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"...I changed by not changing at all..."
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
I was doing the fisherman thing in Alaska so my brother and sister mailed this out to Dutch Harbor for me. I listened to this album everyday out there.
Great album.
but how can you pick. It changes all the time.
Vitalogy/No Code/ Yield are constantly rotating. This weekend i listened to the entire discography chronologically from Ten to Lightning Bolt (including Lost Dogs) on vinyl through my Grado Headphones (minus Binaural and Riot Act)... it was fucking awesome. No Code REALLY stuck out for me. Love the lyrics and the feeling this album creates. Such a good ebb and flow. All time classic, no doubt.
Vs
Yield
Vitalogy
Pearl Jam
No Code
Lightning Bolt
Binaural
Riot Act
Backspacer
For me the top 3 and the bottom 3 never change. The middle 4 on the other hand are constantly changing. No Code could be as high as 4th or as low as 7th depending on the day.
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
Between Code and Ten, it's Ten all day every day for me. Original or remix. But that's not saying Code is a POS. It's certainly in my top 4 PJ albums, but slots 2-4 are a bit fluid based on my mood. I have also started just putting the entire band on random play lately because it's kind of interesting to hear the differences between each album right next to one another. That has had the affect of making me listen to each song much differently because of the lack of expectation/anticipation for the known next track.
2014 Cincinnati, 2016 Wrigley1
As far as my love for No Code it was a simple ride or get off the bus album and a lot of people got off the bus because they wanted the same sounding albums as TEN and VS...just like humans we need to evolve and so do bands when it comes to music and No Code is the one album that I have never put on retirement when it came to rotation because it has a song for every mood
Tough Call. I picked Ten but it's close.
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FWIW I like Young's writing, but never have been a fan of his singing. There are many tracks on that disc that I always say, usually aloud, that I wish Vedder did the vocals on this. But it has it's place/purpose and I keep it in my rotation.
2014 Cincinnati, 2016 Wrigley1