Lightning Bolt

Firstly, I will state. There are only two bands currently I will pre-order albums from, knowing that neither has ever disappointed. The Black Crowes (or Chris Robinson Solo) and Pearl Jam. Both have been going for over 20 years and started around the same time and both continue to get better with age and give incredible live performances. The first few times I listened to this album, I just wasn't feeling it. I was thinking, finally- maybe Pearl Jam will put out a bad album. After some more listens and especially after seeing them live again, I have changed my tune on this one and definitely like it. I felt the same way when Binaural, Riot Act and other PJ albums were first released. There aren't many immediately catchy tunes (like Worldwide suicide, Life wasted, Just Breathe), but they do grow on you after awhile. Chalk some of that up to Eddies unorthodox lyrical writing. His Lyrics have never been standard. Getaway might be the first tune that I got into...and slowly I started liking the rest. It took some listing as background music while driving for the short time I've had it. Now having seen them live last night (34 song set!), I've really become fond of Yellow Moon, Pendulum, Sirens, Infallible, Lightning bolt, Mind your manners, my Fathers son. The raw emotion, tension and tempo changes are there that I've come to love...even in the slow songs you can feel every ounce of emotion Eddie gives in his singing and echoed by the guitars. The rest of the songs I'm starting to enjoy too, but haven't had enough time to just sit and listen/read the lyrics as every Pearl Jam song deserves. I already know there is definitely enough here to love though and am already plotting to see them live again. Every concert I've seen has been a highly memorable and special experience. They play every show like it's their last. I've always been a Pearl Jam fan. Many "fans" ditched the band after Vitalogy as "grunge" faded. I never bought into the grunge thing so much as a category. It was always rock n roll to me. Grunge was more of a marketing term and Pearl Jam is more than a grunge band, just as Led Zeppelin is more than a "heavy metal" band. I remember after Binaural, people were saying "Pearl Jam is still around?" when I brought them up. Yeah, and they still are going strong today. As a band I don't think they ever take their lives or success for granted. I'm not sure where I'd rank this in the PJ catalog. Every album is so different (and that's a good thing). I'm surprised at some of the reviews on here that disliked Backspacer, Avocado and Riot Act. I like all of them. As an entire album goes, it's hard for me to rank...but Yield, No Code, Ten, Vitalogy and Avocado rank higher than this one probably. I'd have a hard time ranking any as a least favorite. Every album has something to remember. It's not something I ever felt compelled to do. If you are a real Pearl Jam fan, what are you waiting for? Just get it. If you think Ten is their only good album, well I feel sorry for you. It has to be mentioned that PJ always gives you a quality CD package with lyrics, images and artwork. Not just some cheapass jewel case. That never goes unappreciated.

Great shipping, item etc. Still have this today in original wrapping (given as a gift).

Pearl Jam is an essential band if you enjoy Rock Music

Pearl Jam is an interesting band as they have managed to continually have top 10 albums for 22 years, yet only have 4 top 40 singles to their name. They continue to sell albums, too. However, a quick look at Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Nirvana shows that their contemporaries are still equally just as popular (even Foo Fighters). But, Pearl Jam, it could be argued, has 'outwit, outplayed and outlasted' everyone else. Along the way, you could argue that they have never 'sold out'. They are like Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd or The Grateful Dead--all bands with few hits and monster followings and respectable places in rock and roll history. My opinion about their albums is that they started off strong with "Ten", "Vs" and "Vitalogy" and then dipped somewhat with "No Code", "Yield", "Binaural" and "Riot Act" and then came roaring back with "Pearl Jam", "Backspacer" and now "Lightning Bolt". Yes, "Lightning Bolt" is pretty solid from beginning to end with a few exceptions like "Swallowed Whole", "Let The Records Play" and "Yellow Moon", but these are small quibbles. You get a trio of rockers to open the album with "Getaway", "Mind Your Manners" and "My Father's Son" punctuated by the balled "Sirens" which is excellent. Things get rocking again with "Lightning Bolt" and "Infallible" and then turn pensive with "Pendulum" which is excellent. Skip to "Sleeping By Myself" which is nice and then, in my not so humble opinion, the best song on the album, the closing track, "Future Days". Eddie Vedder and company have a hidden strength with spare songs like "Sirens", "Pendulum", "Sleeping By Myself" and especially "Future Days". It's these moments that I find the band has grown up, has set aside it's youthful angst, and has come up with songs that are timeless and full of depth, not just hard chargers that bowl you over and trample you down. So, the bottom line is "Lightning Bolt" is four stars. Not quite as good as "Backspacer" or "Pearl Jam", but not by much. Keep up the great work guys. I'm not a tremendous Pearl Jam fan. In fact, I hated 'grunge' at the time it was popular, but it was Pearl Jam that first drew my attention to the movement with "Vitalogy" and I've bought all of their albums since that time including their first two. My relationship with the band's music has been a very slow growing, evolving appreciation for their music over the past 22 years. Now I can't imagine my musical world without them, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana and to a much lesser extent, Soundgarden. Here's how "Lightning Bolt" compares with Pearl Jam's previous works: 1991 Ten: Four Stars 1993 Vs.: Three and a Half Stars 1994 Vitalogy: Four Stars 1996 No Code: Three and a Half Stars 1998 Yield: Three and a Half Stars 2000 Binaural: Three and a Half Stars 2002 Riot Act: Three and a Half Stars 2006 Pearl Jam: Four Stars 2009 Backspacer: Five Stars 2013 Lightning Bolt: Four Stars

I was disappointed with Backspacer, PJ's last record. I felt like there were good songs on the record but it was incredibly uneven. Also sounded like Eddie basically took over the song writing and was punk rock song, punk rock song, acoustic ballad. The great multi layered PJ songs from No Code, Yield, Riot Act, and even Avocado were missing. So I had tempered expectations when I first listened to Lightning Bolt and I must say, my hesitation was unwarranted. This is a great Pearl Jam record for Pearl Jam fans. If you are expecting Ten 2.0 look elsewhere but if you were a fan of Pearl Jam in the No Code, Yield, Binaural, Riot Act era, you are going to love it. Sirens is an absolute classic rock song. Mike McCready wrote the music and it is multilayered with plenty of guitars. Great lyrics and vocals from Eddie as well. Yellow Moon, which is a Jeff Ament song is another highlight of the record, just classic PJ. Overall the only song that hasn't really grabbed me yet, is Future Days, which is the last song on the album. I'm just really happy that Pearl Jam has put out another classic because I was starting to wonder if they had this record in them after the disappointment of Backspacer. One note, as a hardcore PJ fan I was upset that Of the Earth, which has been played live a few times, wasn't included on this record. Hopefully we will get a Lost Dogs part 2 album one of these days. But man, does it feel good to have another classic Pearl Jam record out again.

to entertain with music

I am a first generation Pearl Jam fan. I was sixteen years old when "Ten" was released and they, together with Nirvana, Metallica, Guns 'n' Roses and Extreme, provided the soundtrack to my 1991, probably the first year in my life I actually started to pay attention to new music. Although I loved "Vs." almost as much as their first album, other albums after that didn't quite all hit the spot for me and Pearl Jam albums, over the years, have been hit and miss, although they nearly always have at least one or two worthy songs on each release. Still, I think it is fair to say that my love for Pearl Jam had seriously faded over the years, although a new album by the band is always of interest. I had already started to hear some positive noises about their tenth album, "Lightning Bolt" before its release, so I was expecting quite a good album when I first played it. On first listen, I was slightly nonplussed; it sounded fairly decent, but nothing special. On the second and third plays, some songs started to stand out and the album, as a whole, began to have a quality feel about it. After that, each time I have played "Lightning Bolt", I have pretty much loved the vast majority of it and it's now, to me, the best thing they have released since "Vs.", back in 1993. Yes, it takes a bit of time to get to know, but when you do, what a brilliant piece of work it really is. Although not every single track is musical gold, the vast majority of the songs on this album are superb. The punky "Mind Your Manners", although slightly similar to "Spin The Black Circle" from 1994's "Vitalogy", provides an early highlight and the angry, throbbing rock of "My Father's Son" keeps the impetus going. "Sirens" is the first softer, melodic piece on the album, but definitely doesn't lack power, featuring an emotive guitar solo and wonderful vocal from Vedder; it's really beautiful music. "Infallible" is one of my personal favourites from the album (even if the chorus reminds me a little of Crowded House's "Pour Le Monde"), utilising the trick of having a minor key, bluesy verse and then a deeply melodic major key chorus perfectly. With its acoustic guitar riff, the utterly magnificent "Swallowed Whole" almost has an R.E.M. vibe to it and is a very strong challenger for best song on the whole album, as is the dark grooves and catchy chorus of "Let The Records Play". The charming, likeable "Sleeping With Myself" is my last pick from the record, with its ukulele and near-folky, bouncy feel, it's only the chiming, shimmering guitars that remind you that it's a Pearl Jam track. The album finishes with a couple of perfectly lovely songs, "Yellow Moon", which sounds like a number of other Pearl Jam songs, and the gentle, almost hymnal "Future Days"; not quite my favourite tracks from this release, but they're more than listenable and the latter, especially, has really grown on me. Quite honestly, I love this album and "Lightning Bolt" has definitely rekindled my love of Pearl Jam. I saw them at the Isle Of Wight festival in 2012, before abandoning their set not even halfway through in favour of The Charlatans. If they were there next year and were playing the majority of this album, I really couldn't see myself doing that now. They've always been a very good band, but I've been waiting a long time for an album from them to rival their first two releases, in terms of enjoyment and quality; with "Lightning Bolt", it has finally happened. In fact, enjoyment is the key word here - I can't remember a Pearl Jam album that I've actually truly enjoyed this much for such a long time. These songs make me grin, they make me want to punch the air in time with them... hell, they even make me want to dance and I just don't do dancing (not when anybody is watching, anyway). Big fans of Pearl Jam will already have this album but I'd urge those who have fallen by the wayside over the years and have almost given up on hearing something truly special ever again from Eddie, Mike, Stone, Matt and Jeff to give this one a go, because it really is one of the best pieces of work they've ever put their name to.

Tudo certo, álbum esperado para minha coleção, estou muito feliz pela qualidade das audições, é como o Eddie Vedder estivesse tocando boas audições em meu Ap 🎵🎶🎶🎵 Gratidão 🙏🏽

Es el penultimo disco editado de la carrera musical de Pearl Jam un Dizcazo buenisimo lo recomiendo.Con un sonido muy contundente pero a la vez mucha melodia.Lo recomiendo.🙂🤘

Endlich ist sie nun da. Lightning Bolt. Letzten Wochen vor dem Erscheinungstermin wieder mal alle Alben von Pearl Jam durchgehört. Dabei sehr oft die Binaural wiederholt, was zurzeit sehr oft rauf und runter bei mir läuft. Nun wurde in meinem Autoradio dieses vom Neuling abgelöst. Überraschend viele schöne Balladen befinden sich darauf, die zum Dahinträumeln einladen. Das Album deckt viele verschiedene Gefühle in mir ab, vor allem gute Laune. Ein Ten Album würde gut Nostalgiefeeling abdecken, ein Riot Act eher Rückzug, ein Binaural aufbrausendes in mir, vitalogy träumerisches. Deswegen würde ich Lighning Bolt eher mit anderen Alben vergleichen wie das selbstbetitelte, Yield, VS und Backspacer, ein wenig auch Eddies Solowerk Into The Wild. Wer Pearl Jam mag wird auch von diesem Album begeistert sein. Dazu muss man dem Album jedoch auch eine Chance geben. Die Kritiker mit nur 1,2 oder 3 Sternen auf Amazon kann ich in keinster Weise nachvollziehen. Vielleicht noch jene mit 4 Sternen, weil die ersten 3 Songs "nur" so halbwegs gut sind. Ab Sirens muss man doch die Musik lieben, wenn man Pearl Jam gern hört. Bewertung der einzelnen Songs: 1. Getaway - 6/10: schwächste Song des Albums für mich. Old School Einschlag, rockt ganz gut und geht gut ab, aber für mich kein Ohrwurm. 2. Mind Your Matters - 7/10: erinnert mich ein wenig an Do The Evolution, ganz nett so, aber dessen Genialität wird hier überhaupt nicht erreicht. Wundert mich dass der Song die erste Singleauskopplung wurde. Für mich nach Getaway der 2 schwächste Song. 3. My Fathers Son: 8/10: besser als die ersten 2. 4. Sirens: 100/10: ich liebe diesen Song, schöne Ballade, kommt gut an nach I am Mine vom Riot Act Album. Als zweite Singleauskopplung eine hervorragende Wahl. 5. Lightning Bolt: 10/10: Toller Song, kann mich daran einfach nicht satt hören. 6. Infallible: 10/10: gut vergleichbar mit evacuation, wobei mich der Song anfangs doch etwas nachdenklich stimmt. Mir gefällt das Lied sehr gut. 7. Pendulum: 10/10: Nach Sirens wieder so eine schöne Ballade, die jedoch eher etwas melanchonisch klingt. Es wäre mein absolutes Lieblingslied, wenn man beim Gesang diese AH, AH, AH, AH rausgenommen hätte. Vor allem gesanglich traumhaft als er singt: Easy left me a long time ago. 8. Swallowed Whole: 10/10: nach Pendulum dann ein Song der gute Laune versprüht. Passt richtig gut rein auch in die Reihenfolge. Der hebt gut an. 9. Lets The Record Play: 1000/10: mein Favorit - ich liebe dieses Lied. Old School Einschlag meets Amongst The Waves (Highlight auf dem Backspacer Album für mich) 10. Sleeping By Myself: 10/10: Der Song versetzt einen gedanklich auf eine Insel. Richtig gut zum abschalten. 11. Yellow Moon: 100/10: nächste Ballade die zum Dahinträumeln einlädt. Kombiniert für mich den Song Black mit Yellow Ledbetter mit nem großen Hauch Into The Wild Einschlag. 12. Future Days: 9,5/10: leider der letzte Song, den halben Stern Punktabzug gibt es nur weil das Album sich mit dem Song zum Ende neigt. Was für eine traumhaft schöne Ballade die hier zum Abschluss gespielt wird. Anspieltipps also: alles ab Sirens, wobei jedoch auch die ersten 3 Songs eigentlich ganz gut geworden sind. Abschließend hoffe ich dass Pearl Jam 2014 dann endlich wieder nach Österreich kommt. Ich würd so gern die Band wieder live sehen.