I'm just happy that they got 4/5 which is about the best you can do these days unless you're Bob Dylan or a classic re-release. Like them or not I think Rolling Stone is still the standard for reviews so this is the icing on the cake as far I'm concerned, I was bothered by the substandard reviews Binaural and especially Riot Act received because I analyzed them so much to try and figure out why I thought they were good and RS wasn't too crazy about them. I hope they make the cover, haven't seen or heard anything yet. As far as the STBC comment, I used to think that song was filler back in the day but I wised up awhile back and its now one of my favorites.
I'm just happy that they got 4/5 which is about the best you can do these days unless you're Bob Dylan or a classic re-release.
Don't forget Springsteen and U2. If they (or Dylan, as you've noted) put out total crap, it still gets either 4 and 1/2 or 5 stars from RS, every time.
You shouldn't be allowed to write for a rock magazine if you think Spin The Black Circle is "filler".
If anything, the rest of the PJ catalog should be considered as the B Side to the STBC single.
Spin Spin
Cahoots
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City 2018 Missoula
Excellent review. My interpretation was that he was being tongue in cheek and somewhat sarcastic :? :ugeek:
Unlike your average long-running rock band, Pearl Jam started off specializing in slow, ruminative, rope-a-dope ballads and didn't have any instinctive knack for playing it fast or loud. On their early records, punk nuggets like "Spin the Black Circle" were just filler, and you sat through them because you were waiting for the next awesomely slack-jawed torch song á la "Black" or "Daughter."
"What the CANUCK happened?!? - Esquimalt Barber Shop
Unlike your average long-running rock band, Pearl Jam started off specializing in slow, ruminative, rope-a-dope ballads and didn't have any instinctive knack for playing it fast or loud. On their early records, punk nuggets like "Spin the Black Circle" were just filler, and you sat through them because you were waiting for the next awesomely slack-jawed torch song á la "Black" or "Daughter."
[/color][/quote]
i believe rolling stone here is suggesting that Pearl Jam's biggest early hits were a style contrary to that of Spin the Black Circle. Songs like Jeremy, Black, Daughter, Betterman, etc. were big hits and at the time, spin the black circle was totally different from this and could be viewed as filler from certain fans because it is such a contrast to their big early hits i.e. Black.
However, this is based on Rolling Stones opinion that early on in their career they didnt have the "knack for playing it fast or loud." According to Rolling Stone, Pearl Jam succeeded early with their slower hits like black and daughter, and considered these types of songs to be Pearl Jam's forte. This is just the way Rolling Stone analyzed Pearl Jam's early career, not that it is right or wrong. This is my take on the comment anyway.
Unlike your average long-running rock band, Pearl Jam started off specializing in slow, ruminative, rope-a-dope ballads and didn't have any instinctive knack for playing it fast or loud. On their early records, punk nuggets like "Spin the Black Circle" were just filler, and you sat through them because you were waiting for the next awesomely slack-jawed torch song á la "Black" or "Daughter."
[/color][/quote]
I think Rolling Stone is just implying that "Black" and "Daughter" are so awesome that the fan back then was waiting for another song similiar to black and daugther - and that STBC went against the grain at the time. Until it won a grammy.
Sorry if this has already been posted, but I just noticed that Rolling Stone has its review up online. I'm not sure how serious I can take a review from someone who calls "Spin the Black Circle," "filler," but he seems to like the new one, giving it 4 stars.
stopped reading the review the moment it referred to Spin the Black Circle as filler. Why do I need to read a review anyway? I know what I think of Backspacer and that's all that matters.
Aside from the comment about STBC, this line stuck out to me: "Pearl Jam started off specializing in slow, ruminative, rope-a-dope ballads and didn't have any instinctive knack for playing it fast or loud."
I seriously disagree with this statement. other than Black and Betterman, the early albums were full of hard (sometimes fast ) rockers. Weird review.
I can't ever remember seeing a Grammy winning song called filler before.
Honestly.
That was so glaring, I can't remember what else he said.
4 stars is nice though.
he's not calling the song filler. he's saying that for fans who were interested in slower easier poppy songs like black, daughter, betterman, elderly woman, that they passed it off like filler. i'm sure you've met cas fans like that. I used my analysis skills from being an english major to figure that out.
he refers to stbc as a punk nugget. i'm assuming gold nugget.
I think Rolling Stone is just implying that "Black" and "Daughter" are so awesome that the fan back then was waiting for another song similiar to black and daugther - and that STBC went against the grain at the time. Until it won a grammy.
"Unlike your average long-running rock band, Pearl Jam started off specializing in slow, ruminative, rope-a-dope ballads and didn't have any instinctive knack for playing it fast or loud."
WTF is he talking about? No instinctive knack for fast and loud?
These so called "punk nuggets" have always been there and I argue that this is the band at their instinctual best. Porch, Blood, STBC, Lukin, DTE, Insignificance, Save You and Comatose to name a few... or how about...
Even Flow, RVM, Not For You, MFC, Breakherfall, Green Disease and WWS...
If his article is supposed to be sarcastic, I missed it.
Cahoots
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City 2018 Missoula
I can't ever remember seeing a Grammy winning song called filler before.
Honestly.
That was so glaring, I can't remember what else he said.
4 stars is nice though.
he's not calling the song filler. he's saying that for fans who were interested in slower easier poppy songs like black, daughter, betterman, elderly woman, that they passed it off like filler. i'm sure you've met cas fans like that. I used my analysis skills from being an english major to figure that out.
he refers to stbc as a punk nugget. i'm assuming gold nugget.
Any CD review I read, regardless of where I read it, I take with a grain of salt. I don't know who the guy is that did the review, but he could be a Jewel fan for all I know. How long has he been listening to PJ? Is he older than 18? All these variables are what lead me to make my own judgements.
That being said, 4 out of 5 stars is pretty good and I'd buy most albums that garner such respect.
The first three tracks are a promising start: "Last Exit," "Not for You" and especially "Spin the Black Circle," a revvedup thrash tribute to vinyl, rock harder than anything Pearl Jam have ever done.
Backspacer 2009
On their early records, punk nuggets like "Spin the Black Circle" were just filler, and you sat through them because you were waiting for the next awesomely slack-jawed torch song á la "Black" or "Daughter." But Backspacer comes out swinging with "Gonna See My Friend," "Got Some" and "The Fixer" — a nine-minute trio of gut-punchers that get the momentum rushing like no other Pearl Jam album openers ever.
Cahoots
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City 2018 Missoula
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City 2018 Missoula
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City 2018 Missoula
i'm glad it's positive but i always think it's lazy to just compare new songs to old ones.
I totally agree. I am biased, but I always skip Rob Sheffield's reviews. He's all pop culture filler stuff. I can't take his reviews seriously ever. Great guest for the various VH1 pop review shows, but he has no depth to his reviews other than a Dennis Miller-esque tendency to compare new to old and brag about it.
I also am glad it's a positive review and actually kinda applaud Rolling Stone for printing a review of a new cd from an unbiased/unrelated source. I just wish it was Will Hermes instead.
Rochester NY '94, E Rutherford NJ '98, MSG '98
Jones Beach 2000, Mansfield 03, Camden 03, Hershey 03
Boston VFC 04, Halifax 05
Hartford 06, Boston 06, E Rutherford 06
Mansfield I & II 08, Philly Spectrum -Halloween 09! Hartford '10
Eddie -Boston 6/16/11, Worcester 2013, Amsterdam 6/16/14,
Quebec City '16, Ottowa '16, Fenway Nights 1 & 2 2016 London 1 2018, Fenway Nights 1 & 2 2018 Got Id?
anyone ever notice how every band that has had a respectable career gets 4 stars on every album from rolling stone. it's ridiculous. i can't even take their reviews seriously anymore. backspacer would've gotten four stars if it was the greatest album ever, or if it was one of the worst.
pearl jam - 4 stars
radiohead - 4 stars
wilco - 4 stars
sonic youth - 4 stars
rem - 4 stars
kings of leon - 4 stars
u2 - 4 stars
my morning jacket - 4 stars
see the trend?
...give me a break. their reviews should just say. yeah this is a great band so hey, 4 stars. nothings perfect though, we reserve 4+ star reviews for kanye west and m.i.a.
Rolling Stone also slammed the first two Zeppelin albums and put Kurt Cobain ahead of David Gilmour on the greatest guitarist list. They don't know what they're doing.
Rolling Stone also slammed the first two Zeppelin albums and put Kurt Cobain ahead of David Gilmour on the greatest guitarist list. They don't know what they're doing.
Wait, WHAT? Cobain ahead of Gilmour?! Kurt was a great guitarist in my opinion, I really like(d) his style (not sure if thats the proper term to you, but I think you understand) but to say he's better than GILMOUR?!
Rolling Stone also slammed the first two Zeppelin albums and put Kurt Cobain ahead of David Gilmour on the greatest guitarist list. They don't know what they're doing.
Wait, WHAT? Cobain ahead of Gilmour?! Kurt was a great guitarist in my opinion, I really like(d) his style (not sure if thats the proper term to you, but I think you understand) but to say he's better than GILMOUR?!
This is so out of whack, I had to look up the bio of the author of the review. I love them both (Cobain and Gilmour), but which was a better guitarist is not even close!! Difference in styles aside.
Is the review even worth reading? What I've heard secondhand so far doesn't exactly tantalize, if you know what I mean.
Rolling Stone also slammed the first two Zeppelin albums and put Kurt Cobain ahead of David Gilmour on the greatest guitarist list. They don't know what they're doing.
Don't forget they also left Ed off the greatest singers list from earlier this year...(I think) wtf :roll: I liked Fricke's take on Avocado much better than this one. Also saw that Billboard gave it an 81/100, seeing some of the reviews that were rated higher by people I've never heard of makes me wonder why Backspacer isn't rated higher. Utimately who cares, at least they're saying it's 'Excellent' which as we all know is what RS says for 4 stars. God I can't wait even though I've heard it several times, it's never the same as the physical copy.
How soon the punch of Avocado's openers LW, WWS, Comatose, SH and MITS are forgotten. I can only hope Backspacer begins that solid but I'm not holding my breath.
And I'm not living this life without you, I'm selfish and clear
And you're not leaving here without me, I don't wanna be without
My best... friend. Wake up, to see you could have it all
How soon the punch of Avocado's openers LW, WWS, Comatose, SH and MITS are forgotten. I can only hope Backspacer begins that solid but I'm not holding my breath.
Something I've always thought was wrong with Avocado was that opening punch was too long, as great as it is. I think it would have served the album well to put Marker in the Sand in the middle 'lull' of the album.
Rob Sheffield is great though. Everyone should read his book "Love is a Mix Tape".
I think he did a great job at the review since we are all obviously biased
I agree about the reviewer, I realized Rob Sheffield was not your average snob reviewer when he said Radiohead's Amnesiac was chock full of "wussy ballads". I am not surprised he likes Backspacer.
Comments
Don't forget Springsteen and U2. If they (or Dylan, as you've noted) put out total crap, it still gets either 4 and 1/2 or 5 stars from RS, every time.
You shouldn't be allowed to write for a rock magazine if you think Spin The Black Circle is "filler".
If anything, the rest of the PJ catalog should be considered as the B Side to the STBC single.
Spin Spin
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City
2018 Missoula
i believe rolling stone here is suggesting that Pearl Jam's biggest early hits were a style contrary to that of Spin the Black Circle. Songs like Jeremy, Black, Daughter, Betterman, etc. were big hits and at the time, spin the black circle was totally different from this and could be viewed as filler from certain fans because it is such a contrast to their big early hits i.e. Black.
However, this is based on Rolling Stones opinion that early on in their career they didnt have the "knack for playing it fast or loud." According to Rolling Stone, Pearl Jam succeeded early with their slower hits like black and daughter, and considered these types of songs to be Pearl Jam's forte. This is just the way Rolling Stone analyzed Pearl Jam's early career, not that it is right or wrong. This is my take on the comment anyway.
The guy has listened to STBC so we know he has heard the punch of Last Exit, into STBC, into Not for you...
Brain of J?
How about the biggest punch of all... Once, into evenflow, into Alive?
Paging Dr. Sheffield.....Hello, McFly...Anybody home?
I think Rolling Stone is just implying that "Black" and "Daughter" are so awesome that the fan back then was waiting for another song similiar to black and daugther - and that STBC went against the grain at the time. Until it won a grammy.
stopped reading the review the moment it referred to Spin the Black Circle as filler. Why do I need to read a review anyway? I know what I think of Backspacer and that's all that matters.
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
he refers to stbc as a punk nugget. i'm assuming gold nugget.
WTF is he talking about? No instinctive knack for fast and loud?
These so called "punk nuggets" have always been there and I argue that this is the band at their instinctual best. Porch, Blood, STBC, Lukin, DTE, Insignificance, Save You and Comatose to name a few... or how about...
Even Flow, RVM, Not For You, MFC, Breakherfall, Green Disease and WWS...
If his article is supposed to be sarcastic, I missed it.
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City
2018 Missoula
That being said, 4 out of 5 stars is pretty good and I'd buy most albums that garner such respect.
Has Pitchfork reviewed it yet?
Vitalogy 1994
The first three tracks are a promising start: "Last Exit," "Not for You" and especially "Spin the Black Circle," a revvedup thrash tribute to vinyl, rock harder than anything Pearl Jam have ever done.
Backspacer 2009
On their early records, punk nuggets like "Spin the Black Circle" were just filler, and you sat through them because you were waiting for the next awesomely slack-jawed torch song á la "Black" or "Daughter." But Backspacer comes out swinging with "Gonna See My Friend," "Got Some" and "The Fixer" — a nine-minute trio of gut-punchers that get the momentum rushing like no other Pearl Jam album openers ever.
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City
2018 Missoula
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City
2018 Missoula
1992 VAN
1993 VAN
1998 Missoula
2000 Barcelona & Boise
2002 SEA 2x
2003 VAN
2005 VAN, Calgary, Edmonton & Saskatoon
2006 The Gorge
2009 SEA & VAN
2011 VAN
2013 Portland & VAN
2015 Mexico City
2018 Missoula
I totally agree. I am biased, but I always skip Rob Sheffield's reviews. He's all pop culture filler stuff. I can't take his reviews seriously ever. Great guest for the various VH1 pop review shows, but he has no depth to his reviews other than a Dennis Miller-esque tendency to compare new to old and brag about it.
I also am glad it's a positive review and actually kinda applaud Rolling Stone for printing a review of a new cd from an unbiased/unrelated source. I just wish it was Will Hermes instead.
Jones Beach 2000, Mansfield 03, Camden 03, Hershey 03
Boston VFC 04, Halifax 05
Hartford 06, Boston 06, E Rutherford 06
Mansfield I & II 08, Philly Spectrum -Halloween 09! Hartford '10
Eddie -Boston 6/16/11, Worcester 2013, Amsterdam 6/16/14,
Quebec City '16, Ottowa '16, Fenway Nights 1 & 2 2016
London 1 2018, Fenway Nights 1 & 2 2018
Got Id?
pearl jam - 4 stars
radiohead - 4 stars
wilco - 4 stars
sonic youth - 4 stars
rem - 4 stars
kings of leon - 4 stars
u2 - 4 stars
my morning jacket - 4 stars
see the trend?
...give me a break. their reviews should just say. yeah this is a great band so hey, 4 stars. nothings perfect though, we reserve 4+ star reviews for kanye west and m.i.a.
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
Wait, WHAT? Cobain ahead of Gilmour?! Kurt was a great guitarist in my opinion, I really like(d) his style (not sure if thats the proper term to you, but I think you understand) but to say he's better than GILMOUR?!
This is so out of whack, I had to look up the bio of the author of the review. I love them both (Cobain and Gilmour), but which was a better guitarist is not even close!! Difference in styles aside.
Is the review even worth reading? What I've heard secondhand so far doesn't exactly tantalize, if you know what I mean.
Don't forget they also left Ed off the greatest singers list from earlier this year...(I think) wtf :roll: I liked Fricke's take on Avocado much better than this one. Also saw that Billboard gave it an 81/100, seeing some of the reviews that were rated higher by people I've never heard of makes me wonder why Backspacer isn't rated higher. Utimately who cares, at least they're saying it's 'Excellent' which as we all know is what RS says for 4 stars.
And you're not leaving here without me, I don't wanna be without
My best... friend. Wake up, to see you could have it all
Something I've always thought was wrong with Avocado was that opening punch was too long, as great as it is. I think it would have served the album well to put Marker in the Sand in the middle 'lull' of the album.
( I guess people can make up anything they want when they write reviews!)
I agree about the reviewer, I realized Rob Sheffield was not your average snob reviewer when he said Radiohead's Amnesiac was chock full of "wussy ballads". I am not surprised he likes Backspacer.