Gigaton revisited

124

Comments

  • BF25394
    BF25394 Posts: 4,940
    I liked the more oblique reference in "Seven O'Clock" to "Sitting Bullshit as our sitting president," although it's a bit of a tongue-twister and easy to end up singing "our shitting president."
    I gather speed from you fucking with me.
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,125
    I still think this is their strongest work since yield.   
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • tbergs
    tbergs Posts: 10,410
    mcgruff10 said:
    I still think this is their strongest work since yield.   
    For sure. Best overall album they've put out front to back in a while. 
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • Foriginal Sin
    Foriginal Sin Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 1,876
    edited March 2024
    DotC was the pandemic. That song was a mindfuck. Listen to the words and remember what you were doing in late March 2020. Great album, great lyrics and music 

    Expecting perfection
    Leaves a lot to endure
    When the past is the present
    And the future's no more
    When every tomorrow
    Is the same as before
    Numbers keep falling off the calendar's floor
    We're stuck in our boxes
    Windows open no more
    Collecting up the forget-me-nots
    Not recalling what they're for

    Those 10 lines were Covid. I went through all my old shit in the garage, throwing shit out I had keep for year. Days just fading away, barely leaving the house. That song was creepy af 

    I feel like Retrograde was my big win for the album, that’s the one I go back too constantly. Love the build 
    Post edited by Foriginal Sin on
    Chicago 6/29/98, Alpine Valley(EV) 6/13/99, Alpine Valley 10/08/00, Chicago 10/09/00, Phoenix 10/20/00, Orlando 4/12/03, Tampa 4/13/03, San Diego 6/05/03, Vegas 6/06/03, Phoenix 6/07/03, Chicago 6/18/03, Alpine Valley 6/21/03, Orlando 10/08/04, D.C. 10/11/04, Chicago 5/16/06, Chicago 5/17/06, LA 7/12/08, Chicago 8/23/09, Chicago 8/24/09, LA 10/07/09, San Diego 10/09/09 (Front Row Center, Finally), Phoenix(EV) 11/4/11, Wrigley 7/19/13, Phoenix 11/19/13, Denver 10/22/14, Wrigley 8/20/16, Wrigley 8/22/16
  • Abe Froman
    Abe Froman Posts: 5,379
    The climax of Retrograde is fucking phenomenal. Especially live. 
  • BrainofBGA
    BrainofBGA Australia Posts: 4,558
    It will always be the Pandemic album for me, but in a good way. It was my pandemic soundtrack. I was listening to this album again this past week, the first time in a while, and I still think it’s one of PJs better albums since Yield. 
    There’s only one or two misfires and even then, there’s not a song I don’t like. Buckle Up is at the bottom of my rankings but it’s not because I don’t like it, It’s just the rest are better. 
    In my opinion WES, DotC, Quick Escape, Alright, 7, Take the Long Way and Retrograde are all really good songs. I’m going to both Melbourne shows later in the year and I’m really hoping to hear a couple of Gigaton songs per show as they haven’t toured here since 2014. Mainly hoping to hear QE, Retrograde, Dance and WES. 
    Melbourne #1 '98
    Melbourne #2 '03
    Melbourne #3 '03
    Melbourne #1 '06
    Melbourne #3 '06
    Melbourne '09
    Melbourne '14
  • VINNY GOOMBA
    VINNY GOOMBA Posts: 1,825
    BrainofBGA said:

    In my opinion WES, DotC, Quick Escape, Alright, 7, Take the Long Way and Retrograde are all really good songs. I’m going to both Melbourne shows later in the year and I’m really hoping to hear a couple of Gigaton songs per show as they haven’t toured here since 2014. Mainly hoping to hear QE, Retrograde, Dance and WES. 
    The ones you name here are all of my favorites from that album too.  Quick Escape is their best song since Riot Act, maybe even Binaural. 
  • bobasfeet
    bobasfeet Posts: 1,195
    edited March 2024
    Foriginal Sin said:
    DotC was the pandemic. That song was a mindfuck. Listen to the words and remember what you were doing in late March 2020. Great album, great lyrics and music 

    Expecting perfection
    Leaves a lot to endure
    When the past is the present
    And the future's no more
    When every tomorrow
    Is the same as before
    Numbers keep falling off the calendar's floor
    We're stuck in our boxes
    Windows open no more
    Collecting up the forget-me-nots
    Not recalling what they're for

    Those 10 lines were Covid. I went through all my old shit in the garage, throwing shit out I had keep for year. Days just fading away, barely leaving the house. That song was creepy af 

    I feel like Retrograde was my big win for the album, that’s the one I go back too constantly. Love the build 
    Yep. These lyrics from different tracks are out of context obviously but when I would hear them, it was so eerie.


    Don't allow for hopelessness, focus on your focusness
    I've been hoping that our hope does last

    And we think about the old days
    Of green grass, sky and red wine
    Should've known, so fragile

    It's alright, to shut it down
    Disappear in thin air, it's your home
    It's alright, to be alone
    To listen for a heartbeat, it's your own

    For this is no time for depression or self-indulgent hesitance
    This fucked-up situation calls for all hands on deck

    Feels like illusion... This taking place?
    Disease of confusion... Stripped of our grace

    Don't wanna believe it... These endless miles

    Never destination, just more denial

    Forever futures fading out
    Feel the retrograde all around

    It's gonna take much more time than ordinary love
    To lift this up

    Can't spot a figure on dry land
    And afterthoughts of safety
    When in truth, none to be had...
    None to be had
    Post edited by bobasfeet on
  • beano.79
    beano.79 Posts: 785
    Retrograde is one of my favourite pearl jam songs ever.

    Love this album, reminds me of home schooling my daughter while I was furloughed from work, taking long walks around the lakes with her, while my wife was working extra hours we made sure we took good care her while she was home.

    My daughter who is now 8 still calls this the lockdown record.


  • Kwieneke
    Kwieneke Indiana Posts: 2,109
    Foriginal Sin said:
    DotC was the pandemic. That song was a mindfuck. Listen to the words and remember what you were doing in late March 2020. Great album, great lyrics and music 

    Expecting perfection
    Leaves a lot to endure
    When the past is the present
    And the future's no more
    Numbers keep falling off the calendar's floor
    We're stuck in our boxes
    Windows open no more
    Collecting up the forget-me-nots
    Not recalling what they're for

    Those 10 lines were Covid. I went through all my old shit in the garage, throwing shit out I had keep for year. Days just fading away, barely leaving the house. That song was creepy af 

    I feel like Retrograde was my big win for the album, that’s the one I go back too constantly. Love the build 
    The lyrics are so eerie without even knowing it at the time.

    When every tomorrow
    Is the same as before
    Noblesville 5.7.2010. Lexington 4.26.2016. Nashville 9.16.2022. St Louis 9.18.2022.
    Chicago 1 9.5.2023. Chicago 2 9.7.2023. 
    *Noblesville 9.10.2023* (Gutted) 
    Seattle 5.30.2024  Noblesville 8.26.2024  Chicago 8.29.2024  Chicago 8.31.2024 
    Pittsburgh 5.16.2025 Pittsburgh 5.18.2025
  • THEBIBLEISTEN
    THEBIBLEISTEN Posts: 2,002
    Great album. WES, DOC, Quick escape, Alright, retrograde, River cross are my favs. River Cross in Denver was incredible. Gigaton was and is a solid album. Excited for DM
  • bobasfeet
    bobasfeet Posts: 1,195
    Still feel the same as original post, maybe more so.
    Would love to be able to disassociate it from that era’s trauma. Our unfortunate current “pandemic throwback administration” and political climate isn’t helping. 
  • demetrios
    demetrios Posts: 97,406
    Happy Gigaton Day!
  • deb1211
    deb1211 Posts: 2,049

  • marumaruko
    marumaruko Posts: 410
    edited March 28
    Listening to the commentary about each song I wonder if these will be equally interesting and insightful for Dark Matter songs. Perhaps for Upper Hand, Got to give, the title track and Setting Sun. Not so much interesting stuff going on in the others from a conceptual point of view, I feel. 
    That said, I'm always interested in more background information about their music. 

    Retrograde and River Cross win a lot by these. So much going on in these songs. 
    Post edited by marumaruko on
    ------------------------------

    2005 - Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Kitchener, Hamilton, Montréal, Ottawa
    2006 - Verona, Torino, Pistoia
    2007 - Munich
    2013 - Calgary
    2014 - Vienna
    2016 - Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto N1, Toronto N2, Pemberton
    2018 - Padova
    2022 - Frankfurt, Krakow, Quebec, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto  

  • tylerj
    tylerj Indiana Posts: 368
    Gave this album a literal spin today to celebrate the 5th anniversary. First thing I noticed, especially coming off listening to so much Dark Matter over the year, was how better engineered, mixed and mastered this album is. Not a surprise since Josh Evans mixed it, the great Chris Bellman cut the lacquers and it's pressed at QRP. 

    Quick Escape is on the shortlist of best studio song they've ever done. Full band is on fire, especially Jeff. 

    I know they're divisive, but I love DOTC and Buckle Up. Alright is a poor man's PIlate and Low Light, but it's not terrible. I can live with 7 o'Clock. 

    The rest of the songs are imo mostly forgettable and really makes Gigaton suffer like many of the other late PJ albums in that the back side is very noticeably worse than the first 5-6 songs. 

    Dark Matter is better in that regard. Just wish it wasn't such a poorly engineered album. 
    Chicago, Aug 24, 2009 
    Noblesville, May 7, 2010
    PJ20 Night 1, 2011
    Cincinnati, Oct. 1, 2014
    Milwaukee, Oct. 20, 2014
    Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2016
    Wrigley Field, Aug 22, 2016
    Wrigley Field, Aug 18, 2018
    Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2018
    St. Louis, Sept. 18, 2022
    Chicago, Sept. 5, 2023
    Chicago, Sept. 7, 2023
    Noblesville, Aug. 26, 2024
    Wrigley Field, Aug 29, 2024
    Wrigley Field, Aug 31, 2024
  • BloodMeridian80
    BloodMeridian80 Seattle Posts: 715
    Love Gigaton. I really hope songs like Retrograde and Alright don’t totally disappear from setlists, I’m glad I saw them. Definitely the most atmospheric, best sounding album of their later work. 
  • rw160510
    rw160510 Posts: 1,072
    rw160510 
    I like that it’s wordy in places even if couple of the lyrics come off a bit clumsy on occasion. “Trump hadn’t…” would have worked better as “That wasn’t..,” for me. It would be more universal but I understand and agree with the sentiment of the lyric.

    Still holds up and is still in rotation more than any other album they have released for me. Maybe this comment last year about a lyric not being universal was misguided though. It actually hits way harder this year.
  • tschav
    tschav Posts: 2,900
    BloodMeridian80 said:
    Love Gigaton. I really hope songs like Retrograde and Alright don’t totally disappear from setlists, I’m glad I saw them. Definitely the most atmospheric, best sounding album of their later work. 
    Agree 1000x and definitely need to put Gigaton on repeat again despite the PTSD of flashing back to pandemic times.
  • demetrios
    demetrios Posts: 97,406
    https://www.instagram.com/stories/pearljam/3603604426444029842/

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