Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:05 pm Posts: 8 Location: Under the Needler Gender: Male
Really? Yield is a nice album but I never thought the best... It's damn good though especially on vinyl. However I would give the edge to Versus if I had to before No Code. But Binaural, how could it "have been the best"?
Something bout Ed's voice on that album... creepily good
cutuphalfdead wrote:
No, Yield is. But Binaural is pretty awesome and could have been the best.
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 2:02 am Posts: 91597 Location: Sector 7-G
cardinalblue06 wrote:
Really? Yield is a nice album but I never thought the best... It's damn good though especially on vinyl. However I would give the edge to Versus if I had to before No Code. But Binaural, how could it "have been the best"?
Something bout Ed's voice on that album... creepily good
cutuphalfdead wrote:
No, Yield is. But Binaural is pretty awesome and could have been the best.
Binaural could have been the best if they trusted tchad blake to produce the whole thing and didn't pussy out at the last minute. Also the tracklisting could have been different and the songs they left off could have been given more consideration. From the songs recorded for Binaural, you can arrange a much better album than the Binaural we know and love.
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Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 11:00 pm Posts: 13226 Location: Adelaide, AUS
cutuphalfdead wrote:
From the songs recorded for Binaural, you can arrange a much better album than the Binaural we know and love.
It's a damn shame this album turned out the way it did. Talk about grasping defeat from the jaws of victory.
I know this will never happen, but I'd love if they made amends with the Binaural reissue by issuing the released disc we all know on one disc and then have the original tracklisting with the original mix on the second. Keeps everyone happy.
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:00 am Posts: 16093 Location: dublin Gender: Male
It's a flawed masterpiece, painful to listen to because you know how amazing it could've been, however some really brilliant songs on there, no matter what colour or stripe you like, Grievance, Sleight of Hand, Light years, Insignificance, Breakerfall and of course Evacuation (and the rest). The production is where it falls down for me, not the tracklisting really, but no doubt this will turn into a 25 page long debate about all aspects of it so you'll see everyone's side. Welcome to the board by the way
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Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 2:48 pm Posts: 3115 Location: Edinburgh/Lincoln, UK
Erase Hitchhiker and you'll see that Eddie hardly put a foot wrong in these sessions: Lyrically he's at a peak, his vocals are strong and consistent throughout (though maybe at times not left to shine through the production) and his individual songs are some of his best: Light Years, Grievance, Insignificance, Sad, Parting Ways, Soon Forget, maybe even Education too. Compare this to the previous 'Ed-heavy' albums like Vitalogy and No Code, and there's definitely a progression and maturity with his skills.
With the right execution it would be my favourite PJ album, it just ends up a little misguided and confused.
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 6:14 pm Posts: 3213 Location: chicken shaped country in europe Gender: Male
cutuphalfdead wrote:
From the songs recorded for Binaural, you can arrange a much better album than the Binaural we know and love.
I'm not sure about it. Think about it, what the best Binaural track list would be is not something most fans agree on so i guess no matter which songs would've been picked at the end i guess we'd still think they could have picked better songs for it.
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Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 2:02 am Posts: 91597 Location: Sector 7-G
Mine wrote:
cutuphalfdead wrote:
From the songs recorded for Binaural, you can arrange a much better album than the Binaural we know and love.
I'm not sure about it. Think about it, what the best Binaural track list would be is not something most fans agree on so i guess no matter which songs would've been picked at the end i guess we'd still think they could have picked better songs for it.
True, but even though in the "retracking binaural" thread everyone had a different idea of what the best would be, most of the lists I saw would have put Binaural as a masterpiece.
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
welcome to the board
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
And no--Binaural has some great songs but it's also chock full of duds--and these aren't artistic experiments that have either misfired or are just difficult to listen to (see vitalogy). these are just sub par songs (gods dice, evacuation, thin air). the sessions are not the same thing as the record, and while the stuff that came out of the binaural sessions and didn't make the record is strong, look at what didn't make a record like ten (SOLAT, Breath, Yellow Ledbetter, Foosteps, Wash, Alone--with all due respect to sad, education, and fatal they can't compete)
I wonder if some of the other sessions were as prolific and we just don't know what was produced
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Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 5:55 pm Posts: 11320 Location: Brooklyn Gender: Male
I am one of those Pearl Jam fans that finds the best in everything the band does. I'm one of those that thinks they pretty much can do no wrong (musically speaking). I love Binaural because I love Pearl Jam. But I do not think Binaural is their best album. Far from it, in fact. I've tried rearranging tracks. I've tried getting swept up in the hype of this board (which is pretty easy to do really). I've listened over and over again. It's still my least favorie Pearl Jam album. It's great. But there's nothing that could make it Pearl Jam's best album, IMHO.
There are too many uneven tracks for me. Even some of the best tracks are a little wonky for me (Of The Girl, Nothing As It Seems, Breakerfall, Rival). Light Years, Thin Air, Sleight Of Hand and Insignificance are the only really "flawless" songs on the album for me. Get rid of Gods' Dice, Evacuation, Parting Ways (and, sorry to say, maybe even Grievance) and you're on your way to a stand-out album. Add Sad, Education, Fatal and In The Moonlight and maybe you could argue top four. But for my money Ten, Vitalogy and Vs are Pearl Jam's strongest albums. Now with the remix of Ten - everything else is a distant second.
Welcome to the board. No matter what your taste. No matter which record you prefer to spin, they are an amazing band. I know I'm better for their presence.
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:00 am Posts: 16093 Location: dublin Gender: Male
Fail You cannot have Binaural without Grievance. Album falls on it's arse without it. I'm with you on some of the other tracks though.
What a wonderful band and album..i reckon Binaural gets more debate time than any other Pj record and it's people defending all sides, so in truth it MUST be a great record. There's something for everyone.
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Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 5:55 pm Posts: 11320 Location: Brooklyn Gender: Male
dimejinky99 wrote:
Fail You cannot have Binaural without Grievance. Album falls on it's arse without it. I'm with you on some of the other tracks though.
What a wonderful band and album..i reckon Binaural gets more debate time than any other Pj record and it's people defending all sides, so in truth it MUST be a great record. There's something for everyone.
I see what you mean. Obviously something is happening here because it causes such discussion. Absolutely.
And I like the album because there is a little something for everyone. But, for me, it's very little and barely enough. There's no focus. It's all over the place with no real anchor. Just drifting. Being manipulated by the weather.
I know my discomfort with Grievance and love of Thin Air is high treason in some, most circles. But I've never fully understood the appeal of Grievance. It's a solid rocker, sure. But it feels like we've been here before. And the lyrics are a little trite (I'm gonna get banned for this aren't I? ) ... Insignificance is a far superior song, I think. By the time Grievance rolls around it sort feels like, didn't we just do this? And do it better? It feels like a retread to me. At least on Binaural. Maybe it would have succeed better in the context of Riot Act? I don't know. Maybe that's...
Anyway, I judge most music on an emotional level. For whatever reason, I have a very limited emotional reaction to Grievance. And since the lyrics don't inspire me intellectually (which normally saves songs that do little for me emotionally) I just can't get behind it the way others can. It rocks. And I rock out to it. It's much better than Parting Ways, Gods' Dice, Evacuation, Soon Forget, Hitchhiker. I love it live. It's great in the flow of a setlist. But I think Grievance would have been better served as a stand-out, blow your mind, "what were they thinking leaving this off an album", B-side. I don't know. Clearly, I'm in a a very small minority... But there you go...
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:00 am Posts: 16093 Location: dublin Gender: Male
Well thought out, well written and well put...but wrong!! I'm kidding..each to his own I spose..think Grievance is so fondly thought of partly owing to the fact that it was the first track we saw from the album live, on Letterman. I love it 'cos it makes more of a point than most the other songs on there, but they're all good for different reasons and different people. I reckon Gods Dice is the biggest retread they've ever done..it's hail hail's poor inept cousin, but other people love it. Takes all kinds I guess and Pj are good at filling that need for us all in different ways. Clever band. It kind of is a ropey album as it stands but it could've been huge.
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