Red Mosquito • View topic - Let's actually listen to the albums: Backspacer edition

Harmless · **Joined:** Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:53 pm **Posts:** 11395

VinylGuy wrote:

Harmless wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:

Harmless wrote:

Even Ten goes a bit floppy on the second half. So regardless of which second halves you prefer, it seems to be the case that all of their albums suffer from that problem.

I'm gonna try something... forgive me and/or indulge me:

TEN
A: 4.20
B: 4.12
.08 difference in favor of Side One

VS
A: 4.00
B: 4.33
.33 difference in favor of Side Two

Vitalogy
A: 4.29
B: 4.14
.15 difference in favor of Side One

No Code
A: 4.34
B: 3.29
1.05 difference in favor of Side One

Yield
A: 4.00
B: 3.86
.14 difference in favor of Side One

Binaural
A: 3.71
B: 4.34
.63 difference in favor of Side Two

Riot Act
A: 3.86
B: 3.38
.48 difference in favor of Side One

S/T
A: 4.00
B: 3.75
.25 difference in favor of Side One

Backspacer
A: 4.00
B: 3.83
.17 difference in favor of Side One

2 of 9 w/ a stronger Side Two (VS and Binaural).
7 of 9 w/ a stronger Side One.

Ten has the lowest difference between sides, making it, numerically, the most consistent.
No Code has the biggest difference, making it, numerically, the least consistent.
Binaural has the biggest difference in favor of Side Two
No Code has the biggest difference in favor of Side One

Of course, this is all based on a scale of 0-5, and this is just my humble opinion.

If I were to rank these according to my own numerical consistency it would go:
1. Ten (most consistent from beginning to end)
2. Yield
3. Vitalogy
4. Backspacer
5. S/T
6. VS
7. Riot Act
8. Binaural
9. No Code (least consistent)

Obviously, none of this factors in the intangibles, the pieces as a whole, the album experience, as it were.

In order of preference:
1. Vitalogy
2. Ten
3. Riot Act
4. Yield
5. Backspacer
6. VS
7. No Code
8. S/T
9. Binaural

I'm really not a numbers guy, so don't understand half of what you did there. But for the results, kudos, even if I wouldn't agree with your rankings.

Are you the guy from that video in the pj20 dvd??

I still haven't seen all of pj20. But, I don't think so. Do you wish I was?

durdencommatyler · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:46 pm

I was curious how much I really agreed with the notion that PJ always have inferior second halves of albums. A mostly meaningless exercise to kill some down time at work.

I appreciate that anyone really took the time to read any of it, frankly.

Harmless · **Joined:** Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:53 pm **Posts:** 11395

Well, I'm a giving kind of guy. Time is free.

stip · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:53 pm

I immediately wanted to go do what you just did, DcT, but I won't have the block of time today

durdencommatyler · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 6:09 pm

I look forward to your analysis, stip.

Looking back at my post, it's interesting to me that Riot Act is my 3rd favorite album, but it's also the only one that didn't get at least a 4.00 on either side. Just goes to show how little these numbers games can tell you about what you like and why.

cutuphalfdead · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:03 pm

Harmless wrote:

The car on the left looks like a mobile phone.

It's a DeLorean you uncultured bastard.

cutuphalfdead · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:04 pm

durdencommatyler wrote:

I don't know. I think S/T is pretty consistent. Some songs up front that I'd cut and some songs down the stretch that I'd cut.

Exactly. I mean, it starts with Life Wasted!

Harmless · **Joined:** Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:53 pm **Posts:** 11395

cutuphalfdead wrote:

Harmless wrote:

The car on the left looks like a mobile phone.

It's a DeLorean you uncultured bastard.

OH YEAH. It's a pretty sexy car, albeit in a 'I'd like to slip it in my pocket' way.

Harmless · **Joined:** Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:53 pm **Posts:** 11395

cutuphalfdead wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:

I don't know. I think S/T is pretty consistent. Some songs up front that I'd cut and some songs down the stretch that I'd cut.

Exactly. I mean, it starts with Life Wasted!

It's just occured to me that username: "durdencommatyler" seems to be saying the following: he doesn't agree with me that this a pretty bad album. It's got some pretty great songs, but also some songs which are awful and shouldn't be there.

durdencommatyler · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:18 pm

Harmless wrote:

cutuphalfdead wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:

I don't know. I think S/T is pretty consistent. Some songs up front that I'd cut and some songs down the stretch that I'd cut.

Exactly. I mean, it starts with Life Wasted!

It's just occured to me that username: "durdencommatyler" seems to be saying the following: he doesn't agree with me that this a pretty bad album. It's got some pretty great songs, but also some songs which are awful and shouldn't be there.

I do disagree that S/T is a "pretty bad album". While there are some songs I'd gladly remove (and tend to skip) there are some outstanding tracks as well. There are a handful of 4 and 5 star songs throughout the album. The only real issue I have with the album is the production.

durdencommatyler · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:20 pm

cutuphalfdead wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:

I don't know. I think S/T is pretty consistent. Some songs up front that I'd cut and some songs down the stretch that I'd cut.

Exactly. I mean, it starts with Life Wasted!

Life Wasted has grown on me. But I'd still call it a pretty mediocre track.

I think the two really big differences between my take on S/T and pretty much everyone else's is that I really dislike Comatose and I really love Gone.

stip · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:00 pm

life wasted is even more awesome than the fixer

Cameronia · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:18 pm

Life Wasted sucks ass.

VinylGuy · **Joined:** Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:23 am **Posts:** 4187

Life Wasted is awesome.

cutuphalfdead · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:38 pm

No, it sucks ass.

spenno · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:42 pm

I'd wager the truth lies between the two extremes.

got some · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:44 am **Posts:** 129

stip wrote:

come back and the reprise are really the only songs after parachutes that I like (but I like come back a lot and it was fun to see pearl jam write that kind of song, even though the production on S/T was not necessarily the best place for it). But that first block of songs is so strong that the album still ends up ranking in the top half of their catalog (or maybe at the top of the second half)

I hate to say it but I love gone. Aol version is amazing.

stip · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:49 pm

i really liked gone when it first appeared (I think I gush about it in the S/T review I wrote for RM), but it hasn't aged well for me

bmacsmith · **Joined:** Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:52 pm **Posts:** 8288

stip wrote:

life wasted is even more awesome than the fixer

Cameronia wrote:

Life Wasted sucks ass.

VinylGuy wrote:

Life Wasted is awesome.

cutuphalfdead wrote:

No, it sucks ass.

spenno wrote:

I'd wager the truth lies between the two extremes.

RM is the new Pitchfork.

Tig · **Joined:** Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:47 pm **Posts:** 863

got some wrote:

stip wrote:

come back and the reprise are really the only songs after parachutes that I like (but I like come back a lot and it was fun to see pearl jam write that kind of song, even though the production on S/T was not necessarily the best place for it). But that first block of songs is so strong that the album still ends up ranking in the top half of their catalog (or maybe at the top of the second half)

I hate to say it but I love gone. Aol version is amazing.

For this, I forgive you for liking Got Some. :haha:

for me, Gone is a 4-or-5 star song.

Let's actually listen to the albums: Backspacer edition

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