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Originally Posted by Z-Man  I've actually been listening to Van Halen quite a bit over the last couple years, starting with picking up a copy of VH2 from a dollar bin. I still don't think the other albums are as good as the first one and Women and Children First, but VH2 is MUCH better than I remembered it being. 1984 is also considerably better than I remember. Fair Warning is about the same as I remember--some good stuff, some stuff that doesn't do much for me. Diver Down is still pretty lousy.
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I know
Fair Warning is largely considered their best effort by hardcore VH fans. With a few exceptions ('Mean Street', 'Sinner's Swing!', and, of course, 'Unchained'), the tunes don't scream out at you. But there's a fascinating subtext to the tunes that becomes evident with further listens (especially when you realize that the band was on the verge of imploding during this period). Diamond Dave does what could be his best singing. Eddie's playing isn't as bombastic, but the way he ignites his solos and riffs hints at someone who just witnessed emotional turmoil. The band's never been this subtle and down, and it makes for a rich listening experience.
Also, when's the last time you listened to
Diver Down? I think that album's abundance of covers and instrumentals automatically gives it a disservice when judging its quality that it doesn't deserve (I believe the band was forced into the studio to deliver an album after '(Oh) Pretty Woman' became an unexpected hit). The music may not have been a grand statement or anything, but the fire and energy is still plenty there, and the disc is one of their loosest and care-free. If this is a "weak" album, it can certainly hold its own ground with just about any other hard rock band's best material. 'Little Guitars' alone is worth the purchase.
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Originally Posted by DaveB That's the tricky thing about Pearl Jam. People who like them at all tend to like them for slightly different reasons, and each album emphasizes certain aspects of their sound over others. They're all executed very well, so it has more to do with whether you like them highlighting the folky, rocky Neil Young stuff and pseudo-world music highlighted on No Code (which may actually be their most diverse - I just don't like this version of them as much); the punky, experimental stuff like on Vitalogy; the idealistic anthemic stuff on Ten; or the twisty and tightly constructed rockers on Binaural (which also has some excellent balladry).
The latest one is probably the closest they've come to hitting all of these strengths in one place.
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Well said, my friend. Well said. As much as
Yield and
Binaural don't personally do it for me as
albums (both certainly have their highlights), I'd never concede that they're bad albums by any means. I've brought this up in past discussions, but Pearl Jam are one of the very, very few active rock bands with such an impressive catalogue. They more than live up to their classicist influences.
Ok, in terms of runs, Liz Phair's first four albums is one for the ages:
Exile in Guyville --->
Whip-Smart --->
whitechocolatespaceegg --->
Liz Phair
Yeah, I'm including her self-titled (and that's not me being an apologist--I haven't been able to back away from the album's quality since it was released, which to me says a lot more than all the adjectives in the world could). It's a damn solid album, no matter how calculated and radio-ready it ultimately is. Great songwriting is still great songwriting, even underneath layers of polish.
She'll never back away from the long shadow that is
Exile in Guyville as much as she wants to or tries (and I'm sure she realizes this by now), as that album will undoubtedly define her legacy forever, but as any true Phair fan knows, she never stopped delivering the goods after
Exile in Guyville. Sometimes I listen to
whitechocolatespaceegg and think that's her best album. The music's different but just as life-changing as the tunes on
Guyville. Then I get in my lo-fi, kick-ass, rock-out mood, and
Whip-Smart hits the spot like few albums I own do.
