No Code was the album for me where Pearl Jam transitioned from the greatest rock band of all time who put out one near perfect album after another to a very good rock band who will remain my favorite band ever based on the strength of their live material and the first three albums. it is the record for me where Pearl Jam became human. Because of that No Code will always be associated with something negative in my mind.

I appreciate the searching nature of the material, although there are times that it gets a little too self indulgent for me. But I have two primary problems with the record

1-As Buggy said, No Code doesn't have an elite set of songs that I can point to and say that these are as good as anything they've ever done. Just about every other record has that for me (except for Binaural).

2-I think the flow on this album is terrible.

I'll go song by song for No code

I enjoy sometimes as an opener, but I can't help but feel that the song is something of a lightweight. Go and Last Exit, and even Once, all ripped their albums open and got your blood immediately pumping. Sometimes is too meditive to open the album, and the music is a little too plesant. It doesn't create enough atmosophere (a la can't keep) to really capture me.

Hail Hail has great lyrics but I've always thought the music was a little boring. Jack Irons was always a pretty bland drummer for me except for his showcase songs, and while i like the song a lot, it was not good enough to really draw me into the album

Who You Are--I've critiqued this one in the SOTM thread so I won't go into it again. An interesting musical experiment but i've always thought it had really sub par lyrics and this song is not as deep as it thinks it is. A terrible choice for a single--especially with habit as a b-side

In My Tree is a really excellent song, and with it the album starts to pick up momentum. Smile is a very solid follow up to. The lyrics are really simple, but the song is sweet enough that it works and then

WHAM!

no code runs into the Off He Goes wall. I think this song is self-indulgent as hell and just flat out BORING. Off He goes puts me to sleep and completley kills the flow of the album. If it were two minutes shorter maybe it would be better

I love the jam at the end of habit and the riff that propels the song along is pretty good, but the chorus is just abysmal and it's like 50% of the song. It also bothers me that I'm 7 songs into the record and there has not been a song that blows me away

I love Red Mosquito and have nothing bad to say about it, but it is not strong enough to carry an album. As good as it is, it is no Alive, RVM, or Corduroy. But Red Mosquito gets me excited for no code

Lukin is a joke--it's a great b-side but it's a one minute throw away

Present Tense--I've always waffled about whether or not I think these are brillaint lyrics or high school poetry but it is a nice affecting song. But if you compare it to an indifference, release, or immortality I feel that it again comes up short. Like Red Mosquito, it is a very solid second or third best song but not strong enough to be an album's centerpiece.

If they ended No Code there I'd be fine. Ultimatley a little disappointing but still with a number of good songs. But the end of no Code is just AWFUL.

When eddie vedder is your singer no one has any business providing lead vocals but him. And if they are going to put a stone song at least they could have put on don't gimmie no lip. This song also kills whatever mood present tense created.

I'm Open has two great verses but the I'm Open come on in chorus is just boring. This is another b-side that somehow made it onto the album

And around the bend is a sweet enough lullaby, but I've always found it kind of boring and next to the three titans that closed out the first three records (release, indifference, and immortality) this is all kinds of disappointing

So in the end No Code was a huge let down. None of the songs fall into the all time greats (present tense and red mosquito come close), and a few real clunkers (off he goes, i'm open, mankind, and around the bend) and near clunkers (lukin and habit) mean I'm only left with Sometimes, hail hail, who you are, in my tree, smile, red mosquito, and present tense. That's only 7 songs--and I like sometimes and who you are less than just about every song on their first three records. So there isn't much for me on No Code except shattered expectations.

I'm somewhat new to the board, so forgive me for asking what's probably an obvious question to most of you. But: why does Stip dislike No Code so much more than other albums?

I've seen him mention it in bits and pieces, for example not liking Off He Goes. I personally love that song but I can see how it'd be hit or miss. But how do you listen to a CD with songs like Present Tense, In My Tree, Hail Hail and Smile and not feel the love?

because the album is BORING in comparison to Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy.

because the album is BORING in comparison to Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy.

In all seriousness, I like the songs much better individually than when listening to them on the album. As an album, No Code is indeed BORING, but taken in individual tracks, there's some good stuff on there, with only a couple mediocre to bad things.

In all seriousness, I like the songs much better individually than when listening to them on the album. As an album, No Code is indeed boring, but taken in individual tracks, there's some good stuff on there, with only a couple mediocre to bad things.

"More boring than Ten?" Come on. I'd rather listen to Red Mosquito 12 times in a row than sit through Ten again.

Also, STIP doesnt like neil young, so who cares what he thinks?