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Originally Posted by E. Noisefield
It's funny that EJS was supposed to be a kind of mainstream rock record- or at least that's what I get from G20C... that they actually just wanted to rock out a bit, but what came out was weirder by far than anything before it.
I will always love EJS. Like most of you, I was a 90's kid (read: I'm an old fart) and I remember when it came out, even though I wasn't quite into SY yet. It was my first SY album, and listening to it brings back memories of junior high and high school.
Yeah, it's weird as hell... but it's not a non-album. Some people seem to treat it that way, but it's an important part of SY's history. The transition from Dirty to Washing Machine.... it's all exposed in EJS. Everything's just laid out in the open, and the album feels so free and spirited.
Look at modern rock now- it seems impossible that DGC would ever release an album like EJS, especially when they were expecting SY to be some breakout pop sensation. All the sparsity and spaciousness of EJS is utilized in Washing Machine, which is the band's defining 90's album (though not their best).
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As a whole, I always thought EJS was far better than Washing Machine (even if nothing on EJS can really compare to the utter beauty of Diamond Sea). Washing Machine definitely marked the beginning of a new chapter for the band, even if most of what followed ended up being better.