Rediscovering Binaural!

2

Comments

  • harmless_little_f***
    harmless_little_f*** Posts: 8,005
    Dirty Hank wrote:
    Isn't it funny how you can hate one album at one point and then love it later?! I used to not really care for Binaural and now I feel that's it's one of their greater works. The creativity, darker sound, and cool recording method really makes this a great listen lately. Anyone out there feel me? :)

    This happened for me shortly after Reading Festival last year. When I first bought Binaural, I was horrified that it was by my favourite band.... but now it's a favourite.... as is Riot Act.
    'We're learning songs for baby Jesus' birthday. His mum and dad were Merry and Joseph. He had a bed made of clay and the three kings bought him Gold, Frankenstein and Merv as presents.'

    - the great Sir Leo Harrison
  • fanch75
    fanch75 Posts: 3,734
    Binaural is great!
    Do you remember Rock & Roll Radio?
  • LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun
    LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun Posts: 6,097
    good songs on here, but nothing as it seems just sucks monkey balls. It was my first taste of Binaural and its always tainted my view of the album.


    Parting Ways is superfantastic though.
  • fanch75
    fanch75 Posts: 3,734
    MrSmith wrote:
    good songs on here, but nothing as it seems just sucks monkey balls. It was my first taste of Binaural and its always tainted my view of the album.


    Parting Ways is superfantastic though.

    I agree with this. NAIS was so boring and such a turnoff that I didn't buy Binaural until probably two years after it came out.
    Do you remember Rock & Roll Radio?
  • Hatfield
    Hatfield Posts: 122
    I've gone through times where I really enjoyed Binaural. God's Dice is one of my favorite up tempo rockers and we got it at the Gorge last year!


    I hate how the production, not the Binaural effect, just the choice of sound takes the punch out of some of these songs. You record Greivance the way they recorded Vs. then you have a great representation of that song. The drums sound a little flat throughout the album and Mike is off in the distance (even through headphones) on a blistering solo during Breakerfall. I do like the collection of songs and some of the sound choices really work, like on Rival or Of the Girl but Breakerfall and Greivance could have killed.
    '96 - 10/5
    '98 - 9/1 9/4 9/18
    '00 - 8/6 8/7 8/15 8/17 9/5
    '03 - 4/9 4/15 4/19 7/11 7/12
    '04 - 10/6 10/8
    '05 - 9/11 9/12 9/13 9/15
    '06 - 5/27 5/28 7/7 7/13 7/18 7/22 7/23
  • harmless_little_f***
    harmless_little_f*** Posts: 8,005
    Hatfield wrote:
    I've gone through times where I really enjoyed Binaural. God's Dice is one of my favorite up tempo rockers and we got it at the Gorge last year!


    I hate how the production, not the Binaural effect, just the choice of sound takes the punch out of some of these songs. You record Greivance the way they recorded Vs. then you have a great representation of that song. The drums sound a little flat throughout the album and Mike is off in the distance (even through headphones) on a blistering solo during Breakerfall. I do like the collection of songs and some of the sound choices really work, like on Rival or Of the Girl but Breakerfall and Greivance could have killed.

    Funny, I'd say exactly the same thing about Avocado.... Weak production.
    'We're learning songs for baby Jesus' birthday. His mum and dad were Merry and Joseph. He had a bed made of clay and the three kings bought him Gold, Frankenstein and Merv as presents.'

    - the great Sir Leo Harrison
  • Cropduster84
    Cropduster84 Posts: 1,283
    harmless_little_f*** wrote:
    Funny, I'd say exactly the same thing about Avocado.... Weak production.


    Once again, spot on.
    'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton
  • Hatfield
    Hatfield Posts: 122
    harmless_little_f*** wrote:
    Funny, I'd say exactly the same thing about Avocado.... Weak production.

    Would you say the guitars and specifically Mike sound better on Binaural than Avocoado? Mike is clean and cold on the former and ferociously beefed up on say, Life Wasted. I understand that appreciating music is subjective. Do you really think Grievance sounds the way it should?
    '96 - 10/5
    '98 - 9/1 9/4 9/18
    '00 - 8/6 8/7 8/15 8/17 9/5
    '03 - 4/9 4/15 4/19 7/11 7/12
    '04 - 10/6 10/8
    '05 - 9/11 9/12 9/13 9/15
    '06 - 5/27 5/28 7/7 7/13 7/18 7/22 7/23
  • LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun
    LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun Posts: 6,097
    wasn't this the last album Brendan O'brien produced? They seemed to have changed their philosophy on production values over the last three albums, which i think sucks. Binaural still has a little rawness to it, at least compared to RA and Avacado, but its pretty subdued. Grievance deserves better.

    A lot of their new songs are great, but you wouldn't know it from listening to the album cuts.
  • Hatfield
    Hatfield Posts: 122
    MrSmith wrote:
    wasn't this the last album Brendan O'brien produced? They seemed to have changed their philosophy on production values over the last three albums, which i think sucks. Binaural still has a little rawness to it, at least compared to RA and Avacado, but its pretty subdued. Grievance deserves better.

    A lot of their new songs are great, but you wouldn't know it from listening to the album cuts.

    Tchad Blake produced it. Brendan mixed some songs at the last minute becasue they were unhappy with it. Stone has spoken about his disapointment with the sound and it is known that Mike was very upset with the recording process.
    '96 - 10/5
    '98 - 9/1 9/4 9/18
    '00 - 8/6 8/7 8/15 8/17 9/5
    '03 - 4/9 4/15 4/19 7/11 7/12
    '04 - 10/6 10/8
    '05 - 9/11 9/12 9/13 9/15
    '06 - 5/27 5/28 7/7 7/13 7/18 7/22 7/23
  • hiding103006
    hiding103006 Posts: 452
    i like binaural. i like all their albums to be honest. i think the band would really have to try to make a record that i DIDN'T like.

    but the year binaural came out would be my favorite time frame in terms of the life of the band. the 2000 tour was my favorite. everything was great.

    my favorite still has to be yield though. :)
    Camden 7-5-2003, Camden 7-6-2003, Hershey 7-12-2003, Camden 5-27-2006, Camden 5-28-2006, Lollapalooza 8-5-2007, Camden 6-19-2008, Camden 6-20-2008, New York 6-24-2008, New York 6-25-2008, Mansfield 6-28-2008, Mansfield 6-30-2008
  • ||Release_Me||
    ||Release_Me|| Posts: 1,871
    Binaural is easily my favourite album. Most of the songs are PJ masterpieces. Light Years, Insignificance, Of The Girl, Grievance, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways are some of the best songs the band has ever produced, imo.

    I've never heard the alternate Insignificance that was a b-side to a single. Does anyone have the mp3??
    "This town deserves a better class of criminal... and I'm gonna give it to them."

  • lance_gray
    lance_gray Posts: 166
    I've loved this album since it came out. It's definitely one of those albums were every track is a gem.
    Dallas '98 - Dallas '00 - OKC '03 - Dallas '03

    www.myspace.com/lance_gray

    www.bonafidedarling.com
  • LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun
    LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun Posts: 6,097
    Hatfield wrote:
    Tchad Blake produced it. Brendan mixed some songs at the last minute becasue they were unhappy with it. Stone has spoken about his disapointment with the sound and it is known that Mike was very upset with the recording process.

    that makes perfect sense. you can tell the difference.
  • danny
    danny Posts: 2,283
    Dirty Hank wrote:
    Isn't it funny how you can hate one album at one point and then love it later?! I used to not really care for Binaural and now I feel that's it's one of their greater works. The creativity, darker sound, and cool recording method really makes this a great listen lately. Anyone out there feel me? :)


    love it love it!
    danny d
  • Dirty Hank
    Dirty Hank Posts: 15
    ||Release_Me|| wrote:
    Binaural is easily my favourite album. Most of the songs are PJ masterpieces. Light Years, Insignificance, Of The Girl, Grievance, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways are some of the best songs the band has ever produced, imo.

    I've never heard the alternate Insignificance that was a b-side to a single. Does anyone have the mp3??

    just pm'd you
    "A compiment for US...is a compliment for YOU." - Eddie Vedder of Citizen Dick
  • eddieved24
    eddieved24 Posts: 107
    Jesus, I can't even remember the last time I posted!! This post just always sucks me in. I must say that bineural has now even surpassed my love of Yield and is now officially my fav pj album. I just don't know what it is about it. I think it is the songwritting. Now these songs don't just hand it to ya. I'm not saying that there isn't mystery and intrigue in other Pearl Jam albums, but I just think Bineural is something special. with a song like Of the girl, or Rival or nothing as it seems, you, or at least I, get these great pictures in my head while listening. I think some of Eddie's best songwritting is on this album, Grievence, Parting ways, and also Stone with thin air and Jeff with nothing as it seems. They lyrics are more giving you a feeling and a point of view as apposed to telling you a story. I think if they made any mistake, it was not chosing something like Breakerfall as the first single. Personally I think the band made a specific decision, almost like a test, lets put MAIS out there and see if the fans are with us. I mean " theres a girl on the ledge that's go no where to turn, cuz all the love that she had was just wood that she burned" such a great first line!!! I think that the Bineural issue, is one of the only things that really devide Pearl Jam fans, kind of a love or hate thing. I mean you just don't hear these discussions about Yield or Vs. I think that after no code everything changed. and if you took Yield and Riot act and mashed them together, you would infact get Bineural! So it does deserve its place in Pearl Jam history. Listening to Pearl Jam truly is my greatest joy, and I love all there albums, but I am surprised that bineural is the album that gets picked on the most and not Riot act, which is currently sitting at the bottom of my list.
    all those paper plates......
  • brainofPJ
    brainofPJ Posts: 2,361
    chikevin wrote:
    don't believe me? how often after the binaural tour have they actually played something off the album. even the band accepts it's not their best work.


    blah blah blah is right.

    there has been plenty of Binaural material played after that specific tour...

    using your reasoning the band obviously hates No Code.


    Esther's here and she's sick?

    hi Esther, now we are all going to be sick, thanks
  • restlesssoul
    restlesssoul Posts: 6,952
    been my fav album for about 8 years now!
    Van '98, Sea I+II '00, Sea '01, Sea II '02, Van '03, Gorge, Van, Cal, Edm '05, Bos I+II, Phi I+II, DC, SF II+III, Port, Gorge I+II '06, DC, NY I+II '08, Sea I+II, Van, Ridge , LA III+IV' 09, Indy '10, Cal, Van '11, Lond, Van, Sea '13, Memphis '14, RRHOF '17, Sea I+II '18, Van I+II, Vegas I+II, Sea I+II '24
  • mca47
    mca47 Posts: 13,337
    My fav. album! So dark, so light, so unique, so original, so beautiful, nothing compares!

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