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
Vitalogy
No Code
Yield
Binaural

It was a dark and stormy night...

...I just dont know where to begin with Riot Act. It's hard to pinpoint the single biggest flaw on this album. Not because it good (it's not), but because there are so many. Riot Act is at the very bottom of my Pearl Jam totem pole. Again we have an album where some good tunes were left off (Down, Undone...amazing that an album with 15 songs has good songs left off). And for an album with such an invigorating title as "Riot Act", it's a rather lackluster offering of songs, without much punch. The overall songwriting on this album doesnt impress much. So what's the big problem here? It's hard to put a finger on, but I think the biggest flaw for this album is Ed.
First, he takes a rather large backseat in the songwriting department.
He writes only 4 songs that make the album, out of 15 total tracks:
Can't Keep
I Am Mine
Thumbing My Way
Green Disease

He does collaborate on some other songs, but those are the only 4 he is solely credited for. Now those 4 songs, to me, are pretty much the best tracks/meat and bones on the album. I might throw in (the band written) Save You as well, but the point being that Ed is the cornerstone of Pearl Jam, and if he is not the cornerstone of the songs, or at least a big part of it, they tend to be inferior. There are always exceptions, of course, but in a general sense, I believe this is true.
But even beyond the lack of songwriting from Ed, is his general lack of energy and enthusiasm for these songs. It feels like he is just going through the motions, and not really all that into it. I remember in some interview a band member saying "this has been out biggest collaborative effort yet". It's that kind of talk that makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong, Stone is great at writing catchy riffs, and jeff is a super bass player...mike can tear it up better than almost anyone and matt is of course probably the best rock drummer in the biz. But none of them are the directional beacon of PJ. Ed is pushed a bit into the background and we have several Matt tunes and Jeff tunes coming into the forefront of the album. Now, I'm happy that the band wants to be collaborative, but I think the change in dynamic from Ed being the cornerstone, into everyone in the band getting a piece of the action, makes this record fall on it's face. It comes out as inconsistent, wandering, without direction and hard to connect with. And it almost seems like Ed knows it when he sings these songs.

Major Flaw: Ed (and/or lack thereof)

I was about to do some housekeeping but this is worth taking some time


Riot Act, like all the post Vitalogy albums, is the tale of a potentially great album that for a number of reasons didn't make it as far as it could have


The two standard problems are here.

1: the tracklisting. How an album with such a political title and artwork could have left two of its most political songs off boggles the mind--especially when a song like get right, the most apolitical song on the album, is included. At 15 songs it's a bit too lengthy, especially given the slow pace of the album (more on that in a moment). A riot act that looked like this would have been much stronger

1-Can't Keep
2-Save You
3-LBC
4-Undone
5-Ghost
6-I Am Mine
7-Thumbing My Way
8-You Are
9-Down
10-Green Disease
11-1/2 Full
12-Arc
13-All or none

is just a much tighter listen.

2-Not enough cowriting. Pearl Jam is much stronger as a band than as an individual collection of songwriters, and Riot Act bears this out. There must be collaberation and there just was not enough of it. At the very least Eddie must be allowed to write the lyrics to other people's songs. I love the music to get right but the lyrics are just so atrocious it kills the song

But Riot act has a flaw the other records never had. For the first time in PJ's history Eddie let me down. He just sounds like he's phoning in the album. Some of that may have been an artistic choice. Despite the combative title Riot Act is a record of resignation. 2002 was not a good year for someone with the band's politics and there is frustration, hesitation, and defeat in the lyrics. That's disappointing in and of itself since they've always been a band of hope. But if you're going to make resignation an artistic choice you need to be very careful that the tone doesn't drag the songs down. And here it did. Plus on the cathartic songs (1/2 Full, LBC, save you, I am mine) Eddie would really need to let himself go--to make up for the lack of energy elsewhere, and he just didn't.

Fortunatley the last three tours and what we've heard from the new record seem to show that he's realized that mistake.


There is a lot to love on Riot Act. Save you and I am mine are both amazing songs, and adding down and undone shows that it could have been a much stronger record than it was--but in the end the album is a disappointment. Pearl Jam can do better

I always thought that Undone would have made a good album opener. And Down is one of my all time fav PJ tunes. One of the few uplifting songs they have.

I think all their songs are uplifiting in a way--or at last cathartic. That's one of the things that makes riot act such a joyless listen at times

Like Binaural I'm going to say song selection. Never really got into Love Boat Captain, Thumbing My Way, Bushleager, or Cropduster. Now if we added in Undone, Down, and Otherside in place of those and took the other one off I think it would be a better album. Also it wouldn't have hurt if Ed was a little more enthusiastic on the album. Here's my tracklist:
01. Can't Keep
02. Save You
03. Undone
04. Ghost
05. I Am Mine
06. Other Side
07. You Are
08. Get Right
09. Green Disease
10. Help Help
11. Down
12. Half Full
13. Arc
14. All Or None

When I say uplifting, I mean upbeat and positive. I cant think of one song on their first 3 albums that I would put in that catagory. It's not until No Code's "Who You Are" that I think they get their first truely upbeat tune.

Certainly many of their songs are emotionally clensing. But that's not what I mean by uplifting.

My biggest problem with Riot Act is Eddie's voice. He sounds like he's trying to sing with power but trying not to wake up the baby sleeping in the next room while doing it. Don't care for his voice on this one at all.

Songs are all kinda below par as to what I expected from a PJ album. Sure, there are some tracks on there I like ( Cropduster, 1/2 Full, All or None) but no real standout tracks that need immediate inclusion if the PJ Song Hall of Fame.

Down and Undone should have been included.

But, Ed's voice is still the worst part of this album.

dammit Buggy, you're always saying what I want to say first. So, yeah, I'll agree, I think Ed is the problem here. But my biggest problem is not necessarily his lack of enthusiasm, but his poor vocal performance. So many of the songs lack a good vocal melody, especially Ghost and Cropduster. And I remember hearing LBC for the first time, and couldn't believe how terrible Ed sounded during the verses (although he does pick it up during the rest of the song). Save You is a reall good song, but it's missing something that could take it to the next level, and I think it's a good vocal melody. And what the hell is up with his "surrender" note in All or None? Seriously, Ed, I know you guys were going for a "live" feel on the album, but it's ok to do another take.

Maybe that's the problem with this album. It only took them about a month to make, and the album suffers for it. From the lack of vocal melodies, weak production, to, as Buggy said, a lack of collaboration, the album was rushed and the resulting effort was weak. Worst PJ album, IMO.

The biggest flaw I can think of is:

Matt Cameron & Jeff Ament.
And the collaboration issue.

Ghost, Cropduster, Get Right and Help Help are super sleeper songs. They aren't very good at all. Help Help's lyrics are the only thing saving it but overall these songs are very subpar.

A lot of people like You Are and it's fun song to dance to, but it's not a good Pearl Jam song. Ed's vocals make me cringe at times, they are so drab.

I know that Ed chimed in on Ghost and Cropduster but the I think 1/2 Full is a great example of good RA song because Jeff and Ed collaborated. The music isn't very PJ but Ed brings it back...as does Mike with the solos.. I really like this song.

I think they need more of that one guy on music/Ed on lyrics team.

Riot Act is a good album but it could have been huge. The problem is that has too many songs.

1.Can't Keep
2.Save You
3.Love Boat Captain
4.Cropduster
5.Ghost
6.I Am Mine
7.Thumbing My Way
8.You Are
9.Green Disease
10.Bushleaguer
11.Arc
12.All or None

(Out: Help, help...Get Right...1/2 Full)

I think this 12 song version would sound better

I don't dislike this album, but it's not their strongest effort. It's full of mediocrity. Cropduster, Ghost, Get Right, Green Disease, and Help Help are all decent but lackluster songs. None of them really stand out, like Can't Keep and You Are, two unique songs to the PJ catalog.
I'm not a big fan of Bu$hleaguer either. The second verse is too obtuse for a song that blunt. And I like their spoken word effort with Push Me, Pull Me, but not in this case.

My tracking would be...
01 Can't Keep
02 Save You
03 Love Boat Captain
04 Cropduster
05 Other Side
06 I Am Mine
07 Thumbing My Way
08 You Are
09 Down
10 Green Disease
11 Help Help
12 1/2 Full
13 All Or None/Arc

LYRICS - eddie we liked it when you made us think, not when you tell us what to think

RA is probably my least favorite album/tied with No Code, because both albums could be so much better in places (with that said I still love both albums to death, they just didn't give me the same feelings that the others did.) Some songs could be interesting, energetic rockers, but are played and sung too weak (especially bushleaguer.)

All in all its still alright, but when I listen to it I realize that it had so much potential...

Thumbing My Way.

You like it? You hate it? What's the message, here? I, apparantly, missed something.

It's a tough listen for me, but only because the vocals and the lyrics feel so defeated. In terms of its songcraft I think it is quite excellent--the problem is who wants to feel that way.

i think he's saying its the biggest flaw. i kinda agree

i will chime in to say, i think the lyrics is the biggest flaw on the album. and leaves responsbility with Ed. I think the problem is that the band tried to be spontaneous and while it made the songs kinda raw... they need SOME refining. The songs are kinda like, we got this cool riff which we'll ride and then do a catchy refrain and that'll be it. Bang out a song a day. And then Ed came up with lyrics on the spot that SOUNDED like they could be cool. I would have taken the band back into the studio and say... edit, tighten, refine. THEN, it would have been great. It's certainly a step up from most bands, but in the end, i think it's an uninspired effort or at least, a lackluster or distracted effort.

the soap made you taller lyric and second verse of bushleaguer deserve highlighting as real failures on Eddie's part