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Post subject: Re: MM 5-5: Lightning Bolt vs. Getaway
Posted: Sat March 23, 2024 12:08 am
The worst
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm Posts: 39942
First easy matchup. After another slightly sluggish beginning, Lighting Bolt is a perpetual build with a glorious payoff, ripping early mini solos, and a straight of REM's playbook second verse. I'm never not in the mood for it.
Getaway is the weakest song on Lightning Bolt, probably. THIS is maybe the one song I buy the 'too many lyrics' argument, but the big problem is that it's too samey. There's the moment where the guitars drop out of the second verse and the RVM sirens at the end, but other than that there is a pretty great bounce that doesn't bounce you anywhere.
Post subject: Re: MM 5-5: Lightning Bolt vs. Getaway
Posted: Sat March 23, 2024 1:42 am
Banned from the Pit
Joined: Fri February 05, 2016 10:37 pm Posts: 12
Lightning Bolt. I enjoyed this song when I heard it live but those were extenuating circumstances, due to some serious bit of business I was potentially not going to be able to go and see the show I had tickets for. But when I was able to I went with a no-expectations, purely grateful for the moment (perhaps the best way to go through life) and when this song began, not one of my favorites as you'll read below, I did enjoy it.
Album version.
The intro is promising, the guitar work, then the increased build-up.
But musically it just becomes flat, nothing engaging, no interesting riff, the first guitar lead as a near-middle-eastern flair before going into something more traditional but it's not enough.
The quiet part seems unearned so early in the song. At 1:40 begins a nice part, the lyrics remind me of Faithfull, the addition of the snare (?) drum is good but as this goes in goes sour again.
That part that repeats at 2:12 just feels generic, and Lightning Bolt sounds more jarring than the chorus to Evacuation.
At this point it just feels like Mr. Vedder is pushing in as many paragraphs as he can get in there, his voice straining to reach some transcendent moment but unlike other songs where this sort of thing felt natural, this feels like Frankenstein's Monster, parts stitched together that don't form anything interesting, in this case, less than Victor's creation.
Matt throwing some fills in during the outro can't save this.
Musically it is flat, dull and uninspiring.
What about the lyrics?
I don't know what he's getting at. Inspiration? Creativity? The Muse or Muses? There's some nice lines but the music and vocal performance don't give them the necessary juice to be interesting.
I get that it's mean to be powerful, but I don't feel it. In the best Pearl Jam songs, even when I don't understand what he's singing (without a lyric sheet) the evoke feelings within me and while that emotional high may wax and wane over time through repeated listening (sometimes too many) or changes in myself, I can still recognize the fundamental moments that not only had me tapping my foot to the beat, nor hearing the riff and chorus in my head still in the silence before the next track but had me immersed in a feeling both personal and universal. It's Mr. Vedder's great strength as a songwriter and with a voice that at its peak felt like the basso rumble of the deep earth itself.
But this song doesn't have it.
If perhaps its some long-distance call-back to Nothingman, though in this case the singer appreciates the bolt of the inspiration that struck, unfortunately lit lacks the ease and wistful moment of the song.
An anthem that wasn't and even now, nearly ten years from the album it hasn't grown more beloved with time, or I hear tings I never heard before in the song, it remains as flat and as plastic as it did on first listen.
Getaway. First listen I remember being blown away and anticipating an excellent album experience. Little did I know that shortly thereafter I'd be hoping the record would end, but to this song. While I never connected with the tune in the same way, I like the build-up intro. The others that come to mind with this sort of build are the classic Corduroy and the fun "U" and while this one ranks third of that trio, it's exciting, inviting.
I like Mr. Vedder's singsong approach. At 59 seconds he slides in a lotta lyrics and while I feel quite strongly that latter day songwriting have too many lyrics, a sense of he's gotta jam as much in as possible instead of letting the music breathe, here it works.
Unlike Lightning Bolt, what Matt does on the drums, that beat at 1:59, reminiscent to me of MFC raises the song to another level, so when ti drops down to the bridge/solo and rises up again it's even more powerful and yet wistful as too.
The shaker (?) on the outro is a nice touch and him throwing in "for God's sake" just makes this powerful. I've never realized this before but Getaway and Lightning Bolt are quite similar songs but while the former flails about, failing to reach any exciting destination, this song accomplishes everything I think the former tried achieving and in less time..!
Lyrically I dislike the line "We could all use a sedative right now" but other than that and perhaps, just too many lyrics, I think these are better than the song it's competing against. Silence says we're not allowed to consider is a striking and powerful line. Makes me think of Galileo and the Catholic Church but I think one can use that line from any perspective of someone unable or afraid to voice their truth due to an oppressive force or institution.
I like this imagery:
Holy rollers sitting with their backs to the middle All alone and sinking the bow
And what it says about society and the idea of us all barely floating above
Clunky line: Sometimes you find yourself having to put all your faith in no faith
I think I get what he's going for but it just sounds facile. Is it clever? Faith in no faith? Or just
At this point after too many bootlegs and interviews I don't know if Mr. Vedder is an atheist or agnostic but the lines that seem to form the heart of this song, to me, are:
Try and say that fossils ain't profound/ And if you want to have to pray, it's all right We all be thinking with our different brain
Which seems like an interestingly worded olive branch to those who are religious or believe in something more than the material world.
Typically the first track of a PJ album is played a lot in concert, even if only on the tour it originated from (Can't Keep from Riot Act) but this one was absent for a long time during that 2013 tour and never seemed to gel live, which is strange as there's nothing challenging for a group of professional musicians to play.
Perhaps the very "sing-song" back and forth music and singing style was the challenge, that it never quite came together on stage and in comparison to so many other potent rock songs fell to the side.
Right there is an interview question that to my knowledge has never been asked and maybe there wouldn't be a satisfying answer but I'd be curious why some songs that aren't hits became set list regulars while others disappear. Sure an obvious answer may be "Fun to play or Easy to sing or gets a big reaction from the crowed" but in the obsessive way of the hardcore Pearl Jam fan I'd like it if an interviewer dug deeper and actually went through a list of songs to see if perhaps there were additional reasons why some just never reappeared or not after a ten year absence. I wouldn't be surprised if they just forgot about them.
Between these two, Getaway is the more itneresting and exciting song and while it never quite reached the level of that first listen, it still remains a solid middle of the road good Pearl Jam track, while Lightning Bolt, aside from special and personal live circumstances is a track I can skip if I even notice it's playing in the background.
Post subject: Re: MM 5-5: Lightning Bolt vs. Getaway
Posted: Sat March 23, 2024 3:07 am
The worst
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm Posts: 39942
Knabetnuom wrote:
Lightning Bolt. I enjoyed this song when I heard it live but those were extenuating circumstances, due to some serious bit of business I was potentially not going to be able to go and see the show I had tickets for. But when I was able to I went with a no-expectations, purely grateful for the moment (perhaps the best way to go through life) and when this song began, not one of my favorites as you'll read below, I did enjoy it.
Album version.
The intro is promising, the guitar work, then the increased build-up.
But musically it just becomes flat, nothing engaging, no interesting riff, the first guitar lead as a near-middle-eastern flair before going into something more traditional but it's not enough.
The quiet part seems unearned so early in the song. At 1:40 begins a nice part, the lyrics remind me of Faithfull, the addition of the snare (?) drum is good but as this goes in goes sour again.
That part that repeats at 2:12 just feels generic, and Lightning Bolt sounds more jarring than the chorus to Evacuation.
At this point it just feels like Mr. Vedder is pushing in as many paragraphs as he can get in there, his voice straining to reach some transcendent moment but unlike other songs where this sort of thing felt natural, this feels like Frankenstein's Monster, parts stitched together that don't form anything interesting, in this case, less than Victor's creation.
Matt throwing some fills in during the outro can't save this.
Musically it is flat, dull and uninspiring.
What about the lyrics?
I don't know what he's getting at. Inspiration? Creativity? The Muse or Muses? There's some nice lines but the music and vocal performance don't give them the necessary juice to be interesting.
I get that it's mean to be powerful, but I don't feel it. In the best Pearl Jam songs, even when I don't understand what he's singing (without a lyric sheet) the evoke feelings within me and while that emotional high may wax and wane over time through repeated listening (sometimes too many) or changes in myself, I can still recognize the fundamental moments that not only had me tapping my foot to the beat, nor hearing the riff and chorus in my head still in the silence before the next track but had me immersed in a feeling both personal and universal. It's Mr. Vedder's great strength as a songwriter and with a voice that at its peak felt like the basso rumble of the deep earth itself.
But this song doesn't have it.
If perhaps its some long-distance call-back to Nothingman, though in this case the singer appreciates the bolt of the inspiration that struck, unfortunately lit lacks the ease and wistful moment of the song.
An anthem that wasn't and even now, nearly ten years from the album it hasn't grown more beloved with time, or I hear tings I never heard before in the song, it remains as flat and as plastic as it did on first listen.
Getaway. First listen I remember being blown away and anticipating an excellent album experience. Little did I know that shortly thereafter I'd be hoping the record would end, but to this song. While I never connected with the tune in the same way, I like the build-up intro. The others that come to mind with this sort of build are the classic Corduroy and the fun "U" and while this one ranks third of that trio, it's exciting, inviting.
I like Mr. Vedder's singsong approach. At 59 seconds he slides in a lotta lyrics and while I feel quite strongly that latter day songwriting have too many lyrics, a sense of he's gotta jam as much in as possible instead of letting the music breathe, here it works.
Unlike Lightning Bolt, what Matt does on the drums, that beat at 1:59, reminiscent to me of MFC raises the song to another level, so when ti drops down to the bridge/solo and rises up again it's even more powerful and yet wistful as too.
The shaker (?) on the outro is a nice touch and him throwing in "for God's sake" just makes this powerful. I've never realized this before but Getaway and Lightning Bolt are quite similar songs but while the former flails about, failing to reach any exciting destination, this song accomplishes everything I think the former tried achieving and in less time..!
Lyrically I dislike the line "We could all use a sedative right now" but other than that and perhaps, just too many lyrics, I think these are better than the song it's competing against. Silence says we're not allowed to consider is a striking and powerful line. Makes me think of Galileo and the Catholic Church but I think one can use that line from any perspective of someone unable or afraid to voice their truth due to an oppressive force or institution.
I like this imagery:
Holy rollers sitting with their backs to the middle All alone and sinking the bow
And what it says about society and the idea of us all barely floating above
Clunky line: Sometimes you find yourself having to put all your faith in no faith
I think I get what he's going for but it just sounds facile. Is it clever? Faith in no faith? Or just
At this point after too many bootlegs and interviews I don't know if Mr. Vedder is an atheist or agnostic but the lines that seem to form the heart of this song, to me, are:
Try and say that fossils ain't profound/ And if you want to have to pray, it's all right We all be thinking with our different brain
Which seems like an interestingly worded olive branch to those who are religious or believe in something more than the material world.
Typically the first track of a PJ album is played a lot in concert, even if only on the tour it originated from (Can't Keep from Riot Act) but this one was absent for a long time during that 2013 tour and never seemed to gel live, which is strange as there's nothing challenging for a group of professional musicians to play.
Perhaps the very "sing-song" back and forth music and singing style was the challenge, that it never quite came together on stage and in comparison to so many other potent rock songs fell to the side.
Right there is an interview question that to my knowledge has never been asked and maybe there wouldn't be a satisfying answer but I'd be curious why some songs that aren't hits became set list regulars while others disappear. Sure an obvious answer may be "Fun to play or Easy to sing or gets a big reaction from the crowed" but in the obsessive way of the hardcore Pearl Jam fan I'd like it if an interviewer dug deeper and actually went through a list of songs to see if perhaps there were additional reasons why some just never reappeared or not after a ten year absence. I wouldn't be surprised if they just forgot about them.
Between these two, Getaway is the more itneresting and exciting song and while it never quite reached the level of that first listen, it still remains a solid middle of the road good Pearl Jam track, while Lightning Bolt, aside from special and personal live circumstances is a track I can skip if I even notice it's playing in the background.
"Batman smells, Robin laid an egg." Hee hee hee.
I disagree but appreciate the extended effort. Stick around
Post subject: Re: MM 5-5: Lightning Bolt vs. Getaway
Posted: Sat March 23, 2024 12:31 pm
likes rhythmic things that butt up against each other
Joined: Wed February 26, 2020 8:43 am Posts: 740
I don’t particularly like either. Lightning bolt is probably better, but some poor choices and shitty production killed its potential to be a really good, maybe even great song, which pisses me off so much. Such wasted potential. Since it has one vote more than getaway, I figure I’ll fuck shit up a bit and even out the voting.
Post subject: Re: MM 5-5: Lightning Bolt vs. Getaway
Posted: Sat March 23, 2024 1:29 pm
Fake NYC Setlist Relayer
Joined: Thu January 03, 2013 7:55 pm Posts: 7652
Lightning Bolt. Would have been Lightning Bolt by a much greater margin had they not faded out and allowed the outro solo to materialize, as they had masterfully accomplished in Life Wasted and Severed Hand a few years earlier. The fade out makes me actually angry when I hear it (the live versions of this song are excellent).
Getaway is an exact example of how Lightning Bolt the album is just kinda there. It doesn’t suck, but there’s nothing to truly bring you in either.
Post subject: Re: MM 5-5: Lightning Bolt vs. Getaway
Posted: Sat March 23, 2024 3:52 pm
Major Dude
Joined: Sat January 05, 2013 1:57 pm Posts: 32522 Location: Where everybody knows your name
stip wrote:
Knabetnuom wrote:
Lightning Bolt. I enjoyed this song when I heard it live but those were extenuating circumstances, due to some serious bit of business I was potentially not going to be able to go and see the show I had tickets for. But when I was able to I went with a no-expectations, purely grateful for the moment (perhaps the best way to go through life) and when this song began, not one of my favorites as you'll read below, I did enjoy it.
Album version.
The intro is promising, the guitar work, then the increased build-up.
But musically it just becomes flat, nothing engaging, no interesting riff, the first guitar lead as a near-middle-eastern flair before going into something more traditional but it's not enough.
The quiet part seems unearned so early in the song. At 1:40 begins a nice part, the lyrics remind me of Faithfull, the addition of the snare (?) drum is good but as this goes in goes sour again.
That part that repeats at 2:12 just feels generic, and Lightning Bolt sounds more jarring than the chorus to Evacuation.
At this point it just feels like Mr. Vedder is pushing in as many paragraphs as he can get in there, his voice straining to reach some transcendent moment but unlike other songs where this sort of thing felt natural, this feels like Frankenstein's Monster, parts stitched together that don't form anything interesting, in this case, less than Victor's creation.
Matt throwing some fills in during the outro can't save this.
Musically it is flat, dull and uninspiring.
What about the lyrics?
I don't know what he's getting at. Inspiration? Creativity? The Muse or Muses? There's some nice lines but the music and vocal performance don't give them the necessary juice to be interesting.
I get that it's mean to be powerful, but I don't feel it. In the best Pearl Jam songs, even when I don't understand what he's singing (without a lyric sheet) the evoke feelings within me and while that emotional high may wax and wane over time through repeated listening (sometimes too many) or changes in myself, I can still recognize the fundamental moments that not only had me tapping my foot to the beat, nor hearing the riff and chorus in my head still in the silence before the next track but had me immersed in a feeling both personal and universal. It's Mr. Vedder's great strength as a songwriter and with a voice that at its peak felt like the basso rumble of the deep earth itself.
But this song doesn't have it.
If perhaps its some long-distance call-back to Nothingman, though in this case the singer appreciates the bolt of the inspiration that struck, unfortunately lit lacks the ease and wistful moment of the song.
An anthem that wasn't and even now, nearly ten years from the album it hasn't grown more beloved with time, or I hear tings I never heard before in the song, it remains as flat and as plastic as it did on first listen.
Getaway. First listen I remember being blown away and anticipating an excellent album experience. Little did I know that shortly thereafter I'd be hoping the record would end, but to this song. While I never connected with the tune in the same way, I like the build-up intro. The others that come to mind with this sort of build are the classic Corduroy and the fun "U" and while this one ranks third of that trio, it's exciting, inviting.
I like Mr. Vedder's singsong approach. At 59 seconds he slides in a lotta lyrics and while I feel quite strongly that latter day songwriting have too many lyrics, a sense of he's gotta jam as much in as possible instead of letting the music breathe, here it works.
Unlike Lightning Bolt, what Matt does on the drums, that beat at 1:59, reminiscent to me of MFC raises the song to another level, so when ti drops down to the bridge/solo and rises up again it's even more powerful and yet wistful as too.
The shaker (?) on the outro is a nice touch and him throwing in "for God's sake" just makes this powerful. I've never realized this before but Getaway and Lightning Bolt are quite similar songs but while the former flails about, failing to reach any exciting destination, this song accomplishes everything I think the former tried achieving and in less time..!
Lyrically I dislike the line "We could all use a sedative right now" but other than that and perhaps, just too many lyrics, I think these are better than the song it's competing against. Silence says we're not allowed to consider is a striking and powerful line. Makes me think of Galileo and the Catholic Church but I think one can use that line from any perspective of someone unable or afraid to voice their truth due to an oppressive force or institution.
I like this imagery:
Holy rollers sitting with their backs to the middle All alone and sinking the bow
And what it says about society and the idea of us all barely floating above
Clunky line: Sometimes you find yourself having to put all your faith in no faith
I think I get what he's going for but it just sounds facile. Is it clever? Faith in no faith? Or just
At this point after too many bootlegs and interviews I don't know if Mr. Vedder is an atheist or agnostic but the lines that seem to form the heart of this song, to me, are:
Try and say that fossils ain't profound/ And if you want to have to pray, it's all right We all be thinking with our different brain
Which seems like an interestingly worded olive branch to those who are religious or believe in something more than the material world.
Typically the first track of a PJ album is played a lot in concert, even if only on the tour it originated from (Can't Keep from Riot Act) but this one was absent for a long time during that 2013 tour and never seemed to gel live, which is strange as there's nothing challenging for a group of professional musicians to play.
Perhaps the very "sing-song" back and forth music and singing style was the challenge, that it never quite came together on stage and in comparison to so many other potent rock songs fell to the side.
Right there is an interview question that to my knowledge has never been asked and maybe there wouldn't be a satisfying answer but I'd be curious why some songs that aren't hits became set list regulars while others disappear. Sure an obvious answer may be "Fun to play or Easy to sing or gets a big reaction from the crowed" but in the obsessive way of the hardcore Pearl Jam fan I'd like it if an interviewer dug deeper and actually went through a list of songs to see if perhaps there were additional reasons why some just never reappeared or not after a ten year absence. I wouldn't be surprised if they just forgot about them.
Between these two, Getaway is the more itneresting and exciting song and while it never quite reached the level of that first listen, it still remains a solid middle of the road good Pearl Jam track, while Lightning Bolt, aside from special and personal live circumstances is a track I can skip if I even notice it's playing in the background.
"Batman smells, Robin laid an egg." Hee hee hee.
I disagree but appreciate the extended effort. Stick around
You mean to say that’s not a stip second account. Oh no….
_________________ Let me tell you, Homer Simpson is cock of nothing! - C. Montgomery Burns
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