My Backspacer review
No_ones_rival
Posts: 385
Three years since their self titled "avocado" album, the boys are back with Backspacer. At just over 36 minutes it is short, lean and mean. Worth the wait? Absolutely. On previous releases, they filled out albums with spoken word pieces and long expiramental tracks. It could have used one or two of these to add heft, but they wouldn't fit here. This is a bare bones rock n roll record. This record should please all factions of Pearl Jam fans from the lovers of radio friendly "Ten" to the lovers of the depths of "No Code" & "Yield". There is a little of everything here, which will hopefully only add to the shelf life of this album. "Riot Act" and "Avocado" have not fared as well. Personally I love all but two songs on this album after listening. Not that they are even "bad" songs, they just don't hold up to the lofty standards I hold my favorite band to. They are still better than almost anything you'd hear on your local radio stations. That is why I'm giving Backspacer a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Here is the song by song review:
Gonna See My Friend
Great opener. Punchy rock n roll song. The chorus is reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots' heavier work. The song seems to be about an addict needing to see his "friend" to make the desire for a fix go away. "I'm gonna shake this thing before I retire"
"Wanna feel withdrawl, want an overhaul, wanna be there, hard as a statue black as a tattoo, never to wash away!"
4.5/5
Got Some
A classic rock song about the authors' love of Rock n Roll "Every time you try but can't turn on your rock song... Got some if you need it" The song also features the only seemingly political lyrics. "are you getting out, are you dropping bombs... have you heard of diplomatic resolve?"
4/5
The Fixer
simple, fun, poppy rockin... very un Pearl Jam like, but it fits here perfectly. Stone has said he thinks it's about Eddie taking their song ideas and "fixing" them after the rest of the guys have left the studio. With it's debut on the MLB All Star game it's forever entrenched as a sports teams fight song. " When something's gone I wanna fight to get it back again..." I can hear crowds at shows already shouting the yeah, yeah, yeahs almost as loudly as the chorus to "Alive".
3.5/5
Johnny Guitar
My least favorite song on the album. Which is sad because it is the most interesting piece of music on it. The lyrics are just plain bad. It's a story about a kid seeing an album cover (by Johnny 'Guitar' Watson) and wondering what it would be like to be with the girl on the cover instead of her being with Johnny. "How could I hide my disappointment because all these year I had been hoping that when she'd be coming she'd be coming just for me"
2.5/5
Just Breathe
A simple love song with... gasp, strings! The music is taken from Eddies' Into The Wild soundtrack song "Tuolumne." It is truly a beautiful song with beautiful lyrics."Stay with me, let's just breathe" "I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love" The album's first 'wow' moment.
5/5
Amongst the Waves
This song would've fit perfectly on Yield, but it's not as good as most of those gems. The song tries to build like "Given To Fly" or "in Hiding" but doesn't come very close. A song about how love can save your soul. "If not for love I would be drowning" Also how important it is to let those you love know how much you love them "I gotta say it now, better loud than too late"
3.5/5
Unthought Known
My favorite song on Backspacer upon first listen. I't's like the title says, about all those things we know but don't know how we know them. It starts slow w/ just Eddie & guitar and builds like a wave before crashing down. This song is an affirmation of life. "look for love and evidence that you're worth keeping" "see the path cut by the moon for you to walk on". It also calls upon the listener to become a greater being. "Dream the dreams of other men & you will be no one's rival" The song ends with a worthy question to ponder "So what ya giving?" Piano is PERFECT in this song!
5/5
Supersonic
This is Pearl Jam channeling the Ramones. very fun, simple with a killer breakdown & solo in the middle. Another love song for the almighty rock n roll! "gonna live my life with the volume full"
4/5
Speed Of Sound
There is too much going on here. I love the acoustic demo they floated around (and you can still get @ gremmie.net) Great lyrics, but it's too fragile of a song to have the full band (plus piano) treatment. It almost sounds countryish in places, poppy in others, and like a slow "Pet Sounds" era Beach Boys song in others. Seriously, this song has A.D.D.
3/5
Force Of Nature
Another Yield like gem, this song has a great bass & drum groove that I haven't heard from PJ in a LONG time. The chorus is almost old school U2 like. Probably the song that will age the best after most of the rest of the albums' newness has worn off. It seems to be about someone staying strong in a relationship when the other is weak "is it so wrong to think that love will keep us safe" , or someone waiting for a lost loved one to come to their senses and come home "there he stands along the shore, forevermore"
5/5
The End
Another Ed acoustic song with more strings. Very haunting. about a man with "a sickness in my bones" contemplating mortality & leaving his wife with "the kids on your own". He just wants to hold on and stay with the ones he loves, "just don't let me go". The climax of the song is when Ed sings with full orchestraton "my dear, the end is near, I'm here, but not much longer" The following silence hits like a punch to the gut.
Here is the song by song review:
Gonna See My Friend
Great opener. Punchy rock n roll song. The chorus is reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots' heavier work. The song seems to be about an addict needing to see his "friend" to make the desire for a fix go away. "I'm gonna shake this thing before I retire"
"Wanna feel withdrawl, want an overhaul, wanna be there, hard as a statue black as a tattoo, never to wash away!"
4.5/5
Got Some
A classic rock song about the authors' love of Rock n Roll "Every time you try but can't turn on your rock song... Got some if you need it" The song also features the only seemingly political lyrics. "are you getting out, are you dropping bombs... have you heard of diplomatic resolve?"
4/5
The Fixer
simple, fun, poppy rockin... very un Pearl Jam like, but it fits here perfectly. Stone has said he thinks it's about Eddie taking their song ideas and "fixing" them after the rest of the guys have left the studio. With it's debut on the MLB All Star game it's forever entrenched as a sports teams fight song. " When something's gone I wanna fight to get it back again..." I can hear crowds at shows already shouting the yeah, yeah, yeahs almost as loudly as the chorus to "Alive".
3.5/5
Johnny Guitar
My least favorite song on the album. Which is sad because it is the most interesting piece of music on it. The lyrics are just plain bad. It's a story about a kid seeing an album cover (by Johnny 'Guitar' Watson) and wondering what it would be like to be with the girl on the cover instead of her being with Johnny. "How could I hide my disappointment because all these year I had been hoping that when she'd be coming she'd be coming just for me"
2.5/5
Just Breathe
A simple love song with... gasp, strings! The music is taken from Eddies' Into The Wild soundtrack song "Tuolumne." It is truly a beautiful song with beautiful lyrics."Stay with me, let's just breathe" "I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love" The album's first 'wow' moment.
5/5
Amongst the Waves
This song would've fit perfectly on Yield, but it's not as good as most of those gems. The song tries to build like "Given To Fly" or "in Hiding" but doesn't come very close. A song about how love can save your soul. "If not for love I would be drowning" Also how important it is to let those you love know how much you love them "I gotta say it now, better loud than too late"
3.5/5
Unthought Known
My favorite song on Backspacer upon first listen. I't's like the title says, about all those things we know but don't know how we know them. It starts slow w/ just Eddie & guitar and builds like a wave before crashing down. This song is an affirmation of life. "look for love and evidence that you're worth keeping" "see the path cut by the moon for you to walk on". It also calls upon the listener to become a greater being. "Dream the dreams of other men & you will be no one's rival" The song ends with a worthy question to ponder "So what ya giving?" Piano is PERFECT in this song!
5/5
Supersonic
This is Pearl Jam channeling the Ramones. very fun, simple with a killer breakdown & solo in the middle. Another love song for the almighty rock n roll! "gonna live my life with the volume full"
4/5
Speed Of Sound
There is too much going on here. I love the acoustic demo they floated around (and you can still get @ gremmie.net) Great lyrics, but it's too fragile of a song to have the full band (plus piano) treatment. It almost sounds countryish in places, poppy in others, and like a slow "Pet Sounds" era Beach Boys song in others. Seriously, this song has A.D.D.
3/5
Force Of Nature
Another Yield like gem, this song has a great bass & drum groove that I haven't heard from PJ in a LONG time. The chorus is almost old school U2 like. Probably the song that will age the best after most of the rest of the albums' newness has worn off. It seems to be about someone staying strong in a relationship when the other is weak "is it so wrong to think that love will keep us safe" , or someone waiting for a lost loved one to come to their senses and come home "there he stands along the shore, forevermore"
5/5
The End
Another Ed acoustic song with more strings. Very haunting. about a man with "a sickness in my bones" contemplating mortality & leaving his wife with "the kids on your own". He just wants to hold on and stay with the ones he loves, "just don't let me go". The climax of the song is when Ed sings with full orchestraton "my dear, the end is near, I'm here, but not much longer" The following silence hits like a punch to the gut.
Minneapolis 98, Chicago 00, San Fransisco 00, Fargo 03, Thunder Bay 05, St Paul 06 (night 2), Chicago 08 (EV) both nights
Don't it make you smile?
Don't it make you smile?
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
I also happen to really like Johnny Guitar...
Pretty much agree w/ everything else though... The 3 songs you gave 5/5 to (Unthought Known, Just Breathe and Force of Nature) are my 3 favorite tracks.
Don't it make you smile?
Don't it make you smile?
No flames
for her to come home
eyes upon the horizon
in the dark before the
darkness leaves the dawn
Don't it make you smile?
The lyrics on JG don't bother me at all. Just a kick ass song all around. I can't wait to see this one live.
for her to come home
eyes upon the horizon
in the dark before the
darkness leaves the dawn
Also, the lowest score I'd give is actually a 4.5 out of five. I love, love, love this record
Hearing this one live might ruin the night. It's bad.
Album is strong, but this one should have been left off.
It's a great song and is going to be great live. Thank you.
for her to come home
eyes upon the horizon
in the dark before the
darkness leaves the dawn
Don't it make you smile?
The digital booklet and Backspacer web site that has the concert downloads and other links is nice icing on the cake. Got NY and San Fran as my freebies.
I am glad you like it but I find Bugs more pleasurable and would love to hear that live.
after all the excitement and the waiting and the build up... in one word... underwhelming (wait wait... ill try to explain)
i apologize in advance if i focus on the negatives... but those are what stand out at the moment... im sure positive things will eventually shine through as i listen more
gonna see my friend - pretty average... strong bridge... might be good live... but not what ive come to expect from PJ openers... just starts a bit abruptly and awkwardly... kindof sounds like PJ covering some lesser known 80's punk band... doesnt really have that PJ vibe to it
got some - still like it... maybe just cause it got more time to sink in... infectious melody... heard it live too and it stood up pretty well there amongst everything else
the fixer - same as above... as good or better than anything on avacado... lyrics still very "meh"... but its FUN
johnny guitar - on an album where ed seems to play it extremely safe with vocal arrangements this song stands out... kindof choppy... different than anything else... nice wah on the bridge... this song will be GREAT live... probably my second favorite song on the album
just breathe - FAVORITE song on the album... maybe just cause its SO ITW... they didnt overdo it like they did with the final version of speed of sound... gorgeous lyrics... this will make a great solo song for ed live going into the first encore... cant complain about anything... kindof the safe route for them but its classic PJ and thats all i really ask
amongst the waves - this song starts off HORRIBLY... like audioslaves "dandelion" cheesy... that first chorus had me cringing and ready to give up on this song... musically its definitely my least favorite... the organ does nothing for it... nice solo... actually a very solid outro... eds voice sounds strong
unthought known - immediately has that muted LBC chord thing going on so thats alright IMO... builds nicely vocally... again, the piano is a bit distracting... just someone pounding on the same chord... would prefer if the guitars were stronger... cause its a nice song when they are... seems like the songs missing something overall... cant put my finger on it... it builds without ever really going somewhere
supersonic - solid rocker... this albums "comatose"... not an instant classic by any means but always a welcome addition to any setlist just to add something heavier... again, a nice bridge... seems thats where all the effort was on this album
speed of sound - swap this out with the demo version from before and this album instantly gets much better... that drum fill at the beginning is some 50's cheese... the drums in general have a "last kiss" sound that bugs me... and again with the piano... AWESOME song underneath all of that somewhere though
force of nature - bad lyrics, awkward tempo and poppy chord progression... very average... ill be hard pressed to find a redeeming quality here... sorry guys... oh thats right... the guitar work at the end is nice... there
the end - i think this fits nicely with other PJ last song ballads/mellow song... alot of emotions in the vocals... great lyrics... unlike most the other frills of this album, the horns and strings actually work nicely... probably one of the strongest musically
SO... ill probably end up listening to like 6/11 pretty regularly after i get over the newness of the album... not bad... but was hoping for a solid album from beginning to end... oh well... id say its as good as avacado but nowhere close to riot act
http://seanbriceart.com/
Your opinions are biased
i was pumped to have brendan turn them up in the mix and they didnt show up like i wanted
http://seanbriceart.com/
once I have I chance to play if for a couple of my "non fan" friends, I'll get their reviews for ya!
Don't it make you smile?
Not really feeling the "Johnny be Good" sound of "Gonna see my friend"
Love Got Some and Fixer...They are just catchy as hell.
This album will surely take a few listens to get me totally into it. I have yet to listen to it without headphones. It usually makes a big difference.
Eddie: Dublin & London
if they didn't have much time for making it better, They shouldn't release it this way at all.
I feel badly destroyed listening this one.
I HAVE TO USE CAPS LOCK, THOUGH I DO IT RARELY.
WHERE, THE HELL, WAS MIKE WHEN BACKSPACER WAS RECORDED?
halszka123@op.pl
And Amongst the Waves is an incredible song. Not sure why some are downplaying it so much:(
I think for me the problem with Amongst The Waves isn't as much the song itself as the fact that in a lot of the early reviews they made it sound like it was an epic like Given To Fly and one I remember comparing it favorably to Alive. I guess it just didn't live up to expectations.
Don't it make you smile?
I agree completely. These are prob my favorite 2 on the album and definitely kick major ass. I could easily see "Amongst the Waves" on Yield, also.
Good review tho!
http://seanbriceart.com/
You hate the songs that I like the most on the album hehehe hey don't you think the beginning of Johnny Guitar sounds a lot like the song Strutter of Kiss?
Don't it make you smile?