This is a multi-part series for each album. We'll move on to the next album when it seems like it's been discussed enough. I'd like to reiterate that the aim of these discussions is to hear opinions on what you think is the single most significant flaw for the album being discussed. We're not looking for general album bashing, but rather a critical look at the single biggest weakness for each record.

Example of a poor post:
There are so many things that suck on this album. Track 4, 8 and 9 are terrible and the lyrics for such and such a song a really bad. Not only that, but the cover is stupid.

Like I said, we're not looking for general album bashing. What I suggest is to go give a listen to the album being discussed. For some of us, it's been a while listening to these older albums all the way through, and it helps you think and take that critical view before you post. Try and be insightful and give good reasons why you believe the flaw you're pointing out is the biggest flaw of the album.

You can also still participate in the previous album discussions.

Previous album discussions:
Ten

VS is my second personal favorite Pearl Jam record. A major improvement in production quality, thanks largely to Brendan O'brian, resolves what I believe was the biggest flaw on the previous record. This is the first record where the bands raw, hard edged live feel comes out for the first time and really captures what would become almost a trademark (if not goal) in most of their future releases. Also a major improvement is the artwork and cover photography, which is leaps and bounds over Ten's "All for one" high five cover. The songs themselves include some of PJ's very best, even songs that were not released as singles seemed to get plenty of airplay, such as Elderly Woman, Glorified G, and Rearviewmirror.
As I first mentioned, VS is my second favorite PJ album. It is brilliant up and down the record and every song is solid, if not some of their best work ever....except for one very large stain.

Leash.

When I first bought the album back in 1993, I did so on cassette. I had yet to get into the whole "CD" thing. I listened over and over and over. I was in euphoria. But the more I listened, the more I started to dislike Leash, which would frustrate me to no end because I LOVED the last song on the album, Indifference. And since I only had the cassette, I had to eventually fast forward through Leash to get to Indifference, and then of course the album ends.
So what's my beef with Leash? In my view, the lyrics on VS are very strong and finds Ed writing some of the best stuff he's ever done (Rearviewmirror, Indifference). But where most of the album is very strong, Leash seems to be a lyrical weak point.
Here are the lyrics:



And that's it. The entire rest of the song is just a repeating chorus of "drop the leash" and "get outta' my fuckin' face" with the occasional "we are young" thrown in. It's not that there isnt enough there to make a song or a point, but this just happens to be a rather uninteresting and not-so-insightful way of going about it. The music itself is OK, still not close to the best work on the album, but it's certainly passable. But the lyrics, and even Ed's delivery of them, seems to fall a bit short when compared to the brilliance of the rest of the album.

If I had a say, I would have either left off Leash completely, making the album 11 tracks, or perhaps replaced it with Alone.

So, that's my take on the major flaw of VS. And just to add a little humor, here is my man Tommymctom echoing my sentiments.

I love vs. as well. The production is much better and it's the first pearl jam record that sounds like the rest of their catalogue.


I also like or love all of the individual songs with a few lines or moments here or there I don't care for.

I guess I have two complaints. the album doesn't cohere quite as well as the other ones do. There is a theme of social commentary running through the album but it isn't pulled together strong enoug. Vs. has been described here before as a mix tape and there is something to that (albiet a mix tape with some kick ass songs on it).

Lyrically this album as a whole is a step back from Ten. While its high spots (RVM, Small town, Indifference) are as good as anything they've ever done there are some weak moments here (animal/glorified G) and some other songs that I wish had more writing in them (daughter, blood).

But it's hard to find too much to complain about Vs. it's an amazing record, and rarely given its due on this board.

Well, Vs is certainly in my triumvirate of PJ albums. Track-wise, I love all of them. From the "warming up" feel of the intro to the subdued keyboards that close the album, I love every note and sound on the album. Ed's lyrics grow as does the band as a tight musical unit. Tracks are selected from, it seems, songs written right after Ten was released as Leash had long been a live staple before they recorded it for Vs. Daughter had been played a few times, as well.

There are lyrical themes that bind the album nicely. In Daughter, the shades go down, while in RVM the shades are finally raised.

This is the album that produced my favorite tour, Spring 94. I love how they played the songs from Vs, I love how they wore working on songs that would later comprise Vitalogy and would play a few of them on tour.

Production on the album was awesome. Just raw with very few effects. Love the drum sound on this album. This is how Ten should've sounded.

My flaw? I guess that they could have included more of their material to date on the album. Whipping, Alone, Hard to Imagine could easily have fit both lyrically and musically with the other songs on the album and they even got some space on set lists. So, it wasn't like these songs were alien to the songs on the album.

I have two fairly small beefs with Vs. A few of the songs never grew on me like other PJ tunes did but overall:

1) Blood: Mainly because I don't like songs where the singer screams like a mad man. The main riff is boring to me too.

2) WMA: This song is awesome. It needs to go somewhere though. It's a 5+ minute song and the excellent bass line and excellent drums never change....there isn't a whole lot of guitar in it, so what do you got? Not much...I just want a change or two.

That's precisely what I like about it. It doesn't follow any "formula" and is completely different in that it's basically a long drum/ bass loop. A great groove. I include it on all compilations I make.

I agree with Wease on WMA. I actually like that song because of what it is. It has a nice ebb and flow to it from the verse to to the louder/stronger chorus.

To me the two faults found in Vs. is W.M.A. and Rats. Both of them don't seem to fit the album, in my opinion.

i think vs has no flaws....its a perfect album....its really intense and all the songs are very good...the begining is perfect...go, animal and daughter they are instant classics...the middle part is good...glorified g and dissident are cool songs and wma is so different than the rest and that made it good.
blood, rvm and rats are probably the best of all musically speaking, and the lyrics of rvm are very very good.
the end is just perfect, even tough i never really cared about indifference...
the only complaint i have with this record is some ego you could see in some lyrics like blood or indiference...there are some things there that talks about what happened in earlys 90 and now it seems a little out of date.
but vs is probably the perfect pearl jam record.

Blood I can see. But Indifference?

Vs is the album that lured me away from my Michael Jackson cds back in '93. Despite what others have said, I think it holds up reasonably well as a cohesive album. I suppose it's not quite as much of a unified work as later albums. In terms of the lyrics and songwriting, it's still an enormous step up from Ten.

i wish i could make this all long and interesting but i cant,,,,,,,.......the only flaw i have is leash too,,,,,,would have replaced it with alone, ,,,leash is still very good in my book...........other than that ((MASTERPIECE))!!!!!!!!!

Maybe for its finest moments--but for every indifference there is a glorified G. I've never understood the problems people have with the lyrics on ten. But that's not really relevant to this thread.

I will agree, Glorified G was a little immature sounding, but despite that, I like it more than DTE....

If you ask me, the main problem with VS was Rats,... now I know your thinking "ohh you suck because your hating on their experiment!"

And I'll say yes I do, to a point, I think VS was a very good album, it had exceptional flow until it got to rats, and rats was like WTF?! MATE!

I mean I like it, but... IDK...

It seems out of place,... not like Vitalogy where the whole album was arranged to clash with itself, to fight itself, VS was less an experiment and more of a Regular Album...

That's not saying it's bad... Because it's friggin amazing! It's just there's nothing Going against the flow here... except Rats... Even Indifference at the end,... it adds a beautiful twist to the album, it's one of my favorite songs of all time... but Rats just Kind of Disrupts the flow of the album with it's awkward style...

Did I just say the same thing 3 times?
well thats just my 2 cents..

Glorified G and Dissident are the two songs I could without on this album. Otherwise, it's a pretty good album - minus the lyrical immaturity of Leash, of course. My other points have already been made by others, so that's my lot.

Ah, I forgot about Dissedent. What a boring song.

Ed's vocals. They are just horrible. Whiney and nasaley. Ugh...

Also, Dissident, Glorified G, and Leash are all weak tracks.

That's about it really. Dull and boring

Vs is my second favourite album. i think its majour flaw is dissident.

this album is tied with no code as my favorite. it single handedly brought me and my brother closer together and for that it can do no wrong. i'll spare everybody the story, but having listened to it more than any other album, including no code (since i had vs. first ) i can't say that it is flawless. i might contradict myself from what i said of 10, but i think the album feels "rushed." i think it could use a little more producing to make it just a little better. i know the raw/live feel is what most like about it, but i just wonder what a little more time working on this album would have done to the songs (writing of lyrics and music). Don't get me wrong, i think what they did is incredible, to top 10, they had to deliver big time, and i think the pressure strained on them to get another album out. i'm pretty sure i read that this album was the hardest to make for them, a lot of fighting (i think) and i think the anger is clearly evident throughout, but i think a little more time spent on it could have delivered something even more incredible. now, i for one like the track order.....go is a great openner. animal (somehow) tops go's energy. daughter takes it down a notch but finds a way to keep you amped up. glorified G has the same effect (yur thinking "what is this," but yur still jumping around). dissident is mike as he should be (i can't listen to 1/2 full without thinking of this song) just amazing. WMA carries energy like boiling water, its this steady, building rumble and yur just waiting for it to explode, like there is something underneath these lyrics that's gonna jump out at you. blood works more like a roller coaster for me in that its actually whipping you around. rearviewmirror just keeps running when blood stops. rats its very straight forward, which is a strength of the whole album i think. ewbtciast is when i'd take a breath, which you'll need for leash, which i think is second on the album only to indifference. This song ending the album will never be dated, this song is an incredible protest song, its lyrically so empowering that it didn't need anything else but the words (and the slight accompaniment).... i know i got off track from naming flaws, but i just think the order of the songs is great and leaving any of these songs out would ruin that. Like i said earlier, just a little tweak to clean everything up just a little, not weigh it down like on 10, but to make everything crisp (like on indifference, you can hear everything perfect).

No complaints with the liner notes, the photos are great and the lyrics with the drawings are fun.....a huge impovement after 10. <<<<sorry for going so long>>>