Seems as though unless you are stip, these two are the bottom of the barrel. So which do you prefer?

I rated them per song with a +1 to a song I like, 0 to a neutral song, and -1 to a song I dislike.

Backspacer:
GSMF +1
Got Some 0
The Fixer -1
Johnny Guitar 0
Just Breathe 0
Amongst The Waves -1
Unthought Known 0
Supersonic 0
Speed Of Sound -1
Force Of Nature -1
The End 0
TOTAL: -3

Lightning Bolt:

Getaway 0
Mind Your Manners -1
My Father's Son -1
Sirens 0
Lightning Bolt 0
Infallible +1
Pendulum +1
Swallowed Whole 0
Let The Records Play -1
Sleeping By Myself -1
Yellow Moon +1
Future Days 0
TOTAL -1

I guess I like LB better.

Backspacer, easily.

I like both of these albums

Backspacer:
GSMF 0
Got Some 1
The Fixer -1
Johnny Guitar 0
Just Breathe 0
Amongst The Waves 1
Unthought Known 1
Supersonic 0
Speed Of Sound -1
Force Of Nature 1
The End 0
TOTAL: 2

Lightning Bolt:

Getaway 1
Mind Your Manners 1
My Father's Son 0
Sirens 1
Lightning Bolt 0
Infallible 0
Pendulum +1
Swallowed Whole 0
Let The Records Play -1
Sleeping By Myself -1
Yellow Moon +1
Future Days 0
TOTAL 3

....Huh - I would have thought Backspacer would have been the higher rank

no to all of this

We are in dark times, burt

I'll support ruddo's ranking thread

Even the zeros I like. Just less than the ones

Backspacer:
GSMF +1
Got Some +1
The Fixer +1
Johnny Guitar +1
Just Breathe +1
Amongst The Waves +1
Unthought Known 0
Supersonic -1
Speed Of Sound 0
Force Of Nature +1
The End 0
TOTAL: +6

Lightning Bolt:

Getaway 0
Mind Your Manners +1
My Father's Son 0
Sirens +1
Lightning Bolt +1
Infallible +1
Pendulum +1
Swallowed Whole 0
Let The Records Play 0
Sleeping By Myself +1
Yellow Moon +1
Future Days 0
TOTAL 7

with this system I guess I'm in the l-bolt camp

I would have said LB but then Kevin Davis said Backspacer and now my whole world has flipped upside down

Kevin is usually right about things

looking at this again, yet another year removed from the legendary BOB lightning bolt listening party, backspacer does feel like more of an album. LB seems unfinished. 1/2 the tracks on LB feel half-conceived and should be B-sides on a better album.

backspacer sucks, but it feels like they tried, even though their version of trying at that particular time consisted of sucking

the more time passes, it seems like they didn't "try" on LB ... it contains some of the worst PJ songs ever written ... the flow and feel of the album is so erratic. and although they also consistently suck on LB, the severity of their sucking is far greater.

i hate them both.

slight edge to backspacer.

LB had an extra track guys.

Backspacer

Lightning Bolt, I think. At least it has "Swallowed Whole", "My Father's Son" and "Sleeping By Myself".

LB has songs that I like more, but I guess Backspacer is a better album as a whole.

Can we get a poll ?

Spacer was an attempt to tackle their music from a different angle, and to make something that was (within their catalog) unique. In that way, it had at least a modicum of ambition and heart.

Bolt is as much a mimic as any mid 90s faux-PJ effort.

Also, Ed's voice is worse in the latter, "yeah yeah" screeches be damned.

Backspacer is my least favorite PJ album, by far

LB is about on the same level as Avocado, which is to say mediocre but I still enjoy the once-a-year spin

Backspacer:
GSMF 0
Got Some 1
The Fixer 0
Johnny Guitar 1
Just Breathe 0
Amongst The Waves 0
Unthought Known 0
Supersonic 0
Speed Of Sound 1
Force Of Nature 0
The End 0
TOTAL: 3

Lightning Bolt:

Getaway 1
Mind Your Manners 0
My Father's Son 1
Sirens 0
Lightning Bolt 1
Infallible 0
Pendulum 0
Swallowed Whole 0
Let The Records Play 0
Sleeping By Myself 0
Yellow Moon 1
Future Days -1
TOTAL 3

A tie, but I think I like Lightning Bolt better. Some songs from backspacer were close to get a -1, but I don't really mind them.

I guess I enjoy most of the songs in both albums, I just don't care that much about them.

Oh, I like Sleeping By Myself, Lightning Bolt it is.

Backspacer:
GSMF +1
Got Some 0
The Fixer +1
Johnny Guitar +1
Just Breathe -1
Amongst The Waves 0
Unthought Known 0
Supersonic -1
Speed Of Sound 0
Force Of Nature 0
The End 0
TOTAL: 1

Lightning Bolt:

Getaway 0
Mind Your Manners -1
My Father's Son +1
Sirens 0
Lightning Bolt -1
Infallible +1
Pendulum +1
Swallowed Whole +1
Let The Records Play -1
Sleeping By Myself -1
Yellow Moon +1
Future Days -1
TOTAL 0

Avocado scores a five.

Backspacer:
GSMF +1
Got Some +1
The Fixer +1
Johnny Guitar 0
Just Breathe 0
Amongst The Waves 0
Unthought Known +1
Supersonic -1
Speed Of Sound +1
Force Of Nature 0
The End 0
TOTAL: 5

Lightning Bolt:

Getaway +1
Mind Your Manners 0
My Father's Son +1
Sirens 0
Lightning Bolt 0
Infallible +1
Pendulum +1
Swallowed Whole 0
Let The Records Play -1
Sleeping By Myself -1
Yellow Moon +1
Future Days 0
TOTAL 3

Team BS for me. Allthough LB has four great songs (MFS, Infa, Pend, YM) and BS almost none. Is still think BS is the better record. But still: Ten-S/T >>> Bs/LB

Backspacer:

GSMF +1
Got Some 0
The Fixer 0
Johnny Guitar +1
Just Breathe 0
Amongst The Waves 0
Unthought Known -1
Supersonic 0
Speed of Sound +1
Force of Nature 0
The End 0
TOTAL: 2

Lightning Bolt:

Getaway 0
Mind Your Manners 0
My Father's Son +1
Sirens 0
Lightning Bolt 0
Infallible 0
Pendulum -1
Swallowed Whole +1
Let The Records Play +1
Sleeping By Myself -1
Yellow Moon -1
Future Days 0
TOTAL: 0

Mostly indifferent but a slight (grudging) preference for Backspacer, sounds about right.

@ everyone