old thread archived here

listen to the album and share your thoughts

I'd like to discuss the solos, it seems Stone is dominate here (over the Mike solos)

1) Brain - Stone
2) Faithful - Stone
3) No Way - Mike
4) Given to Fly - (there's no solo actually) but i would consider that end lick as a solo - Stone
5) Wishlist - Stone/Mike/Ed
6) Pilate
7) Do the Evilution - Stone
8) Red dot song
9) MFC - Stone
10) Low Light - Mike
11) In Hiding - Mike?
12) Push me/pull me
13) All those yesterdays - Stone

I remember my first listening to this album, it was just a wow, but now its near to middle/bottom of pj catalog

There's not much to discuss, actually. Best album ever, by anyone.

this has been increasingly gaining ground on no code as my favorite pj albums. i might even rank them even at this point.

brain of j-badass rocker. maybe one of the last kinda songs pj songs of its time.
faithful-top 10 pj song for me. its almost perfect.
no way-another badass song, but w/ a more confident slow approach. i think the studio version differs big time from the live version, but both are awesome.
given to fly-top 5 pj song for me. maybe their best live song.
wishlist-kinda over it at this point, but its a nice little song that everyone else likes
pilate-weird in a real cool way. the chorus and the verse sound like they were written separately, but jamming them together works.
do the evolution-another top 5 or 10 song, this may be my favorite live song they play. its fun as fuck to dance to.
red dot-jack irons being bored and getting it on the album. he's awesome.
mfc-another rocker, not as intense as brain of j, but some pretty cool guitar parts
low light-beautiful. the solo is perfect, and ed sounds incredible. they really nailed it here.
in hiding-when the album first came out this was my favorite. more cool guitar and ed sounds awesome.
push me pull me-i remember eddie vedder saying this was his favorite song when the album came out...weirdo lol. cool tune, love it live.
all those yesterdays-this might be pearl jams most underrated song. maybe top 10 pj song for me.

Exactly my thoughts.
Brain Of J: Great rocker, love the chorus. A perfect way to start the album
Faithfull: This one might be my favorite from the album, it starts very calmly, with very good Ed vocals, and I love how it becomes a really good rocker with some great riffs in the middle.
No Way: Love how this one evolves, another favorite of mine.
Given To Fly: Amazing riff, amazing melody, amazing song live. Anthemic one
Wishlist: This one is very quiet, and simple. Very pretty song, I love the solo in this one.
Pilate: I know many dislike this one because of its chorus, but Its one of my favorites, the verses are great, and I love the guitars in the chorus, but what makes me love this one is the bridge, Its one of my favorite moments in the whole catalog.
Do The Evolution: The climax, love this song, that riff in the middle is awesome.
Red Dot: Fun transition into the second side, love Jack Irons. This is one of my fave short songs actually.
MFC: The fact that this is after red dot makes the initial riff sound even better, its simple, but it might actually be my favorite riff from Pearl Jam, and I love the guitar tone, the whole song has great guitar parts. Love it.
Low Light: This one is gorgeous, its different from the rest. Its a calm song, with interesting tempo in some parts and a lovely melody, It became one of my favorites from the album
In Hiding: This might also be my favorite one (cant pick between faithfull or this, and maybe some others). It has everything, guitars sounds great, eddie sounds great, it has a greaqt structure and a great evolution. The melody is aazing. And the chorus is actually one of my favorites. Its the climax of the second side.
Push Me Pull Me: Interesting song with spoken lyrics. I really like the chorus.
All Those Yesterdays: Really lovely song. Love the end and the solo of this one and it fits perfectly in the end of the album.
Hummus is a fun hidden track as well.

Yield is my favorite album because it contains material that can easily occupy any spot in the Top 10 PJ of all time.
When I want to showcase Pearl Jam to my friends, I need look no further than No Way, Faithful, Brain of J, GTF, DTE, MFC, In Hiding, ATY... I can literally make no mistake and chose whichever one of these to make my point.

i hope you people are lets actually listening to the album before you post!

Its really odd to realize that this was their 5th album. They were on a tear that first decade of their existence.

I LAL'd in the old thread, buddy.

This is their best constructed album in their catalog. Faithfull may be my favorite PJ song.

No Way kicks ass

Had to state this as it pounds through my headphones

very loud and/or through headphones is the way to go

i think this track is a somewhat rare example of a PJ song that (excluding artsy/concept songs ) sounds better on the album than any of the live versions.

the finer details in this studio recording don't seem to have made their way out live, and in their place, there don't seem to have been introduced any compelling new aspects to the live version... the tempo and ambiance of the studio version are just kind of left out and the bare/simple chord changes are all that's left. i think coupled with ed's loss of conviction in the meaning of the lyrics since it was written translated in to some underwhelming live performances.

but i would very much love to be proven wrong though, if someone can direct to a live version that sounds better than the studio version, it would be well-received.

i hadn't heard the studio version in a while and it came through on the sirius xm the other day and i cranked it and was like, wow, this really sounds good

Sometimes I think that stylistically, the second half of this album becomes a mess and sounds more like a collection of songs, the same problem I have with Avocado. But other days, that's exactly what this album's strength is. It really takes you on a journey of stops and starts, expected anthems and unexpected idiosyncrasies. It's the perfect marriage between a popular / anthemic and searching / experimental Pearl Jam.

At some level, it is completely out of place on the album, which means it has a hard time finding an identity. It ended up in the third slot, which means somebody liked it quite a bit, and with the layered production that went into it, it almost was just destined to not be a live tune. I think that it is one of the first songs that hinted at the type of song that they would end up writing over the binaural /riot act years. It bridges that gap like no other song on Yield.

Much of yield is not the best headphone material, for the most part, it sounds better driving down the road. Lowlight is sub-par in that way, for example. So is In Hiding.

Pilate, however, also excels through headphones and is an underrated studio cut and underperforming live song, just like No Way

You have summed up why it is a constant in my top two PJ albums, sometimes favorite. Vitalogy is the other, but for a few more reasons dealing with my life at that time than with the just music

No need, this one is permanently burned into my brain.

My favorite moments:

brain of j - the chorus coming out of the solo feels supercharged.
faithfull - the jam in the middle
no way - the bridge "lets call in an angel"... love that you can hear stone on backup vocals throughout the song too.
given to fly - pretty perfect overall... everyone's talent is on full display in this one.
wishlist - solo is beautiful and fits the song perfectly. Provides some necessary quiet time after given to fly.
pilate - I love the bridge.
do the evolution - the ending is great. Eddie singing quietly eventually building to screaming is awesome.
mfc - love the way stone and mike take turns with the chords, love the lyrics, love the solo at the end. should have been the opening track.
low light - again the solo fits like a glove.... when jack comes back in after the post solo singing is awesome too.
in hiding - eddie's best vocal performance? well... top 5 for me at least. Powerful stuff.
push me pull me - the "like a cloud dropping rain" part
all those yesterdays - the end riff just before the solo. bass on this one really shines too.

The most enjoyable Pearl Jam album. Vitalogy is still my favourite but I've probably listened to this more (if that makes any sense).

Took me ages to like this album, still my least favourite of the first 6 albums.

I've always wondered, that bit in Brain of J 'and by name, the name they gave me...' Is that about ed changing his name? Always thought the bridge was a bit random.

could be. I never thought of it in that context.

Yield is a tale of two albums for me--a few songs that are among the high spots in their catalog and a lot of okay songs that remind me of high spots in their catalog.

But that's really a discussion for the YIELD THREAD, and not this one, since I haven't actually lets actually listened to this record recently.

Or not letting his name define him. Your thought makes more sense, though... "the name I'm letting go".

Best album ever Thanks for bumping this!

I always thought that song was a weird inclusion, having been written in his phase

But the sloppy sarcasm they gave it helped it fit the record I guess