Backspacer most complete??

joewalshdc

I've listened to Backspacer now maybe 20 times...I've listened to it from start to finish as well as on random...Im not going to review it here, however, i must say i think it is a stunning album...absolutely stunning...musically, production, lyrics, packaging...I absolutely love all of it...Im wondering as I listen to it, could this be PJ's most complete "album"...what I mean by that is, as a package of 11 songs, i think every bit just sits perfectly, so could this be the best "album"...not taking the songs individually, but rather taking Backspacer as an 11 song package, I just think it stands alone...It certainly feels like they really thought about the sum of the parts here...stunning.

drsluggo

While its a great album, I could never call it the most complete because its just too much shorter than any other one. The fact that you can listen to it 20 times in 12 hours speaks for itself, even if its an amazing album.

Kind of reminds me of how much I love the merkinball EP - two of my favorite songs, but its just a single.

joewalshdc

drsluggo wrote:

While its a great album, I could never call it the most complete because its just too much shorter than any other one. The fact that you can listen to it 20 times in 12 hours speaks for itself, even if its an amazing album.

Kind of reminds me of how much I love the merkinball EP - two of my favorite songs, but its just a single.

I dont actually think the length of the album matters at all...it doesnt feel short...it feels like a journey from start to finish and not once did i think "wow this is short"...

Gmoney

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

joewalshdc

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

Yeah i cant get enough of it...its funny because just when i think one song from it is my favourite, i get smacked with another...i guess thats really what i was trying to say...it just feels like a perfect "collection" of songs...

yield2me

When I think about the albums that PJ has made over the years I always think of them in a kind of linear spectrum with Ten being at the beginning and now Backspacer at the far end. For me the most complete album of theirs is Yield that sits in the middle of that. Yield has the perfect mix of that dark, angry, early days mood from Ten and Vs but also incorporates the new sound or new direction that the band was going to be headed in. That new sound is more of an expansive, matured and almost "spacey" musical experience. These things are subjective of course, but for me every note on Yield is just ear candy.

joewalshdc

yield2me wrote:

When I think about the albums that PJ has made over the years I always think of them in a kind of linear spectrum with Ten being at the beginning and now Backspacer at the far end. For me the most complete album of theirs is Yield that sits in the middle of that. Yield has the perfect mix of that dark, angry, early days mood from Ten and Vs but also incorporates the new sound or new direction that the band was going to be headed in. That new sound is more of an expansive, matured and almost "spacey" musical experience. These things are subjective of course, but for me every note on Yield is just ear candy.

I cant argue with that at all!!!

Flagg

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

joewalshdc

Flagg wrote:

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

You hit the nail on the head with "consistant"...thats the word I should have used...!

marcos

I've always said less is more, mainly because I'm lazy though. But in this case it's awesome, very tight and to the point.

yield2me

Flagg wrote:

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

The only song off Backspacer that doesn't do it for me is Speed of Sound. There is a part towards the end of Speed of Sound where there is this synthesized, almost "laser" sound that comes in. It reminds me of something off of Sonic the Hedghog games lol and pretty much ruins the song for me.

cannotstaylong

Flagg wrote:

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

I especially like/agree with what you said about not having to talk yourself into liking certain songs. On other albums I have felt I've had to do this on my first few listens, although I usually do end up legitimately liking the songs at a later point.

This album is also one of the first ones where I don't feel like I have to do that. Other than Johnny Guitar maybe, although that's a bit different. I'm not really talking myself into liking it, I already do. I guess I just need a few more listens to figure the song out.

cannotstaylong

yield2me wrote:

Flagg wrote:

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

The only song off Backspacer that doesn't do it for me is Speed of Sound. There is a part towards the end of Speed of Sound where there is this synthesized, almost "laser" sound that comes in. It reminds me of something off of Sonic the Hedghog games lol and pretty much ruins the song for me.

Yeah Speed of Sound is the one song I'm not ecstatic about. I really like the demo version, and I think they over-complicated it on the album. Though Brendan was great for this album, there are a couple questionable calls on some of these sound effects.

Flagg

yield2me wrote:

Flagg wrote:

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

The only song off Backspacer that doesn't do it for me is Speed of Sound. There is a part towards the end of Speed of Sound where there is this synthesized, almost "laser" sound that comes in. It reminds me of something off of Sonic the Hedghog games lol and pretty much ruins the song for me.

Lasers rule!

Actually, the more I hear the studio version, the more I like it.

Gmoney

Flagg wrote:

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

Exactly.
Do you guys think we'll get tired of this album quicker than we did the rest? Maybe tired is the wrong word since I still listen to all the other albums, but maybe to the point where we don't listen to it everyday? It took me months to figure out Yield and Binaural. It was a process. I remember traveling the summer after Binaural came out and listening to it several times a day for at least 2 months, and that was still a few months after it came out. It took me a while to appreciate a lot of the songs and that was sorta like rediscovering a new part of the album. With this album its like bam, I love it. First day I got every song. First listen I liked every song. Im just worried that in a week or so I'm going to be longing...

jck33

I just listened on the band's myspace page. Usually it takes me a while and a few listens to fully appreciate a new PJ album. Not this one. Goosebumps throughout, and I fell in love with the whole damn thing. This band fucking rocks. Eddie's voice is great. The band sounds happy. This is a stellar album.

joewalshdc

Exactly.
Do you guys think we'll get tired of this album quicker than we did the rest? Maybe tired is the wrong word since I still listen to all the other albums, but maybe to the point where we don't listen to it everyday? It took me months to figure out Yield and Binaural. It was a process. I remember traveling the summer after Binaural came out and listening to it several times a day for at least 2 months, and that was still a few months after it came out. It took me a while to appreciate a lot of the songs and that was sorta like rediscovering a new part of the album. With this album its like bam, I love it. First day I got every song. First listen I liked every song. Im just worried that in a week or so I'm going to be longing...

[/quote]

I dont think this will happen for me because theres such diversity on this album, different moods...johnny guitar-the end-supersonic-unthought known....it changes slightly with every listen...

yield2me

Gmoney wrote:

Flagg wrote:

Gmoney wrote:

ill tell you what, im very conflicted as to where this album will fit in with the others. I have to say, it's the only album that I truly love EVERY song. Yield and Binaural are my two favs, but I don't love Push me Pull me and I don't love Rival or Breakerfall. Backspacer, every song is perfect to me. So it just might be their most complete album. My concern is that because it is so short, in a few weeks I'm going to sick of it and Yield and Binaural will once again surpass it because they have more staying power... We shall see. In the mean time, I am enjoying the hell out of backspacer!!

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

Exactly.
Do you guys think we'll get tired of this album quicker than we did the rest? Maybe tired is the wrong word since I still listen to all the other albums, but maybe to the point where we don't listen to it everyday? It took me months to figure out Yield and Binaural. It was a process. I remember traveling the summer after Binaural came out and listening to it several times a day for at least 2 months, and that was still a few months after it came out. It took me a while to appreciate a lot of the songs and that was sorta like rediscovering a new part of the album. With this album its like bam, I love it. First day I got every song. First listen I liked every song. Im just worried that in a week or so I'm going to be longing...

Well I was totally in love with Yield on it's first spin so I'd have to say no, I don't think I'll tire of it quickly

Gardenparty

Speed of Sound is the grower on the record. I believe all will come around to it at some point. Too good of a song to not like once you get past the new arrangement

I have no idea where this album will stand amongst the past ones as it is still very new to me. I can say that this is the first one since Yield that I am excited to hear every song live.

Flagg

I don't think it will tire quickly. At least it won't be dated. That's Avocado's biggest problem to me - it is dated to a particular time. I know that was the point of that album, but still.

Stephen Flow

Flagg wrote:

yield2me wrote:

Flagg wrote:

This is where I sit right now. This is the only album so far where I loved every song on first listen. The first one that literally gave me goosebumps and smiles all over on the first several listens. And the first one where I don't feel like I have to talk myself into liking any of the songs.

So, yeah, I definitly think it is their most consistent album. There are at least a couple of songs on each prior album that either don't do it for me, or I really don't like.

The only song off Backspacer that doesn't do it for me is Speed of Sound. There is a part towards the end of Speed of Sound where there is this synthesized, almost "laser" sound that comes in. It reminds me of something off of Sonic the Hedghog games lol and pretty much ruins the song for me.

Lasers rule!

Actually, the more I hear the studio version, the more I like it.

Same here... it's the only song that had to grow on me a bit.

joewalshdc

Gardenparty wrote:

Speed of Sound is the grower on the record. I believe all will come around to it at some point. Too good of a song to not like once you get past the new arrangement

I have no idea where this album will stand amongst the past ones as it is still very new to me. I can say that this is the first one since Yield that I am excited to hear every song live.

I was so taken by the rest of the album that speed of sound kinda past me by...but now i absolutely love it...this album has it all...IMHO...!!

oona left

Now that I am finally out of Pit Quarantine (self-imposed limit on "Backspacer" threads until the first listen).

First of all, I'm floored.

On first listen, it is accessible (and by no means do I consider that a bad thing) so far as a lot of the rhythms. There's depth there, too, and I'll find more and more to the tracks over time. That's one of the things I most look forward to on their albums - the secrets revealed as a result of prolonged intimacy.

I hear things (and I know you guys do too) that casual listeners do not pick up on. I feel them there on this record, and am looking forward to getting to know them better

Its kind of like that really smart kid in class, who throws a 1000 word essay together in an hour and a half the night before its due, and it turns out to be far superior to everything the other kids poured over for three weeks. Only in this case, I'm delightfully awestruck.

joewalshdc

oona left wrote:

Now that I am finally out of Pit Quarantine (self-imposed limit on "Backspacer" threads until the first listen).

First of all, I'm floored.

On first listen, it is accessible (and by no means do I consider that a bad thing) so far as a lot of the rhythms. There's depth there, too, and I'll find more and more to the tracks over time. That's one of the things I most look forward to on their albums - the secrets revealed as a result of prolonged intimacy.

I hear things (and I know you guys do too) that casual listeners do not pick up on. I feel them there on this record, and am looking forward to getting to know them better

Its kind of like that really smart kid in class, who throws a 1000 word essay together in an hour and a half the night before its due, and it turns out to be far superior to everything the other kids poured over for three weeks. Only in this case, I'm delightfully awestruck.

I love this!! Totally awestruck too...cant believe some of the threads questioning ed's voice on it...i think his voice is soaring, honest and real on this record...its almost a live vocal, warts and all...absolutely spectacular...

Adm. Glen Scotia

drsluggo wrote:

While its a great album, I could never call it the most complete because its just too much shorter than any other one. The fact that you can listen to it 20 times in 12 hours speaks for itself, even if its an amazing album.

Kind of reminds me of how much I love the merkinball EP - two of my favorite songs, but its just a single.

I'll just pop my head up here and point out that up until a about 25 years ago, 37 minutes was a totally respectable length for an LP. No one sits around and calls something like, say, Rubber Soul "incomplete" because it's 35 minutes.

Frankly, I think that maybe with the exception of one track (The very divisive Johnny Guitar) every song on Backspacer is about as long as it seems it ought to be; none feel cut short. There's no filler here, no weird experimentation or hidden tracks. Just good music beginning to end.

Now, we can argue the finer points of the nuances of a work like "complete," but I think what the OP was trying to point out is more than any other album of theirs (except Ten) this is wall-to-wall music with no dicking around whatsoever, and all the peices seem to fit and work well together.

joewalshdc

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

drsluggo wrote:

While its a great album, I could never call it the most complete because its just too much shorter than any other one. The fact that you can listen to it 20 times in 12 hours speaks for itself, even if its an amazing album.

Kind of reminds me of how much I love the merkinball EP - two of my favorite songs, but its just a single.

I'll just pop my head up here and point out that up until a about 25 years ago, 37 minutes was a totally respectable length for an LP. No one sits around and calls something like, say, Rubber Soul "incomplete" because it's 35 minutes.

Frankly, I think that maybe with the exception of one track (The very divisive Johnny Guitar) every song on Backspacer is about as long as it seems it ought to be; none feel cut short. There's no filler here, no weird experimentation or hidden tracks. Just good music beginning to end.

Now, we can argue the finer points of the nuances of a work like "complete," but I think what the OP was trying to point out is more than any other album of theirs (except Ten) this is wall-to-wall music with no dicking around whatsoever, and all the peices seem to fit and work well together.

Youre right, thats exactly what i meant...im not going down the road of whats the "best" as such...rather Backspacer as a package...superb...

portlandjosh

I'd rather have a 30 minute record of nonstop gold, than a 70 minute record with filler. Not that longer PJ records have filler... I love records that get in, get out and don't pull punches. Look at any of Willie Nelson's records from the mid to late 70s. All around 30-something minutes (because of the LP restrictions) and they're brilliant start to finish.

drsluggo wrote:

While its a great album, I could never call it the most complete because its just too much shorter than any other one. The fact that you can listen to it 20 times in 12 hours speaks for itself, even if its an amazing album.

Kind of reminds me of how much I love the merkinball EP - two of my favorite songs, but its just a single.

ItsOK921

joewalshdc wrote:

yield2me wrote:

When I think about the albums that PJ has made over the years I always think of them in a kind of linear spectrum with Ten being at the beginning and now Backspacer at the far end. For me the most complete album of theirs is Yield that sits in the middle of that. Yield has the perfect mix of that dark, angry, early days mood from Ten and Vs but also incorporates the new sound or new direction that the band was going to be headed in. That new sound is more of an expansive, matured and almost "spacey" musical experience. These things are subjective of course, but for me every note on Yield is just ear candy.

I cant argue with that at all!!!

agreed

ChampagneBreakfast4Everyone

I was just saying today that this album gives me that Ten feel, they're both 11 tracks of straight through gold. This album blew me away with the first listen, and now on my fourth, I feel myself putting it in my top 3 albums already. Gets better with every listen. And for some reason I hear people dogging Johnny Guitar, thats one of my favorites on the album, Ed's voice is great in it.

analogueaddict72

I think it's short length plays to it's strength, yes it is brief but when it ended the last thing I felt was short changed, I just wanted to listen to it again, Vs did the same thing for me and I remember going into work the next day and arguing with my work colleague that I thought that Vs blew Ten away, he wasn't having it and although the O'Brien redux has improved Ten no end I still think Vs is in another league.

it does sound complete and I rate it easily over S/T, Riot Act & Binaural but up against the previous 5 albums is a tough one, I feel No Code and Ten have some competition but compared to the holy trinity Vs, Vitalogy & Yield, that would be a tough task and I'm not sure Backspacer is quite up there.

That said I absolutely love it to bits, it might not be the best album of the year but it's sure my favourite. Every track is great, the 37 minutes is used to it's maximum potential. Amongst The waves & Thought Unknown are my favourites but Just Breathe is snapping at their feet, great rockers as well, 3 great openers and yes I love The Fixer it seems to grow on you the more you hear it.

The End is just a delicate beautiful tune to close the record on like say Indifference or Around The Bend did their respective albums. Should have the vinyl to spin tomorrow and can't wait to hear it on the black circle.

37 minutes of sheer bliss

GTHobbes

To the original poster....easily. This album absoultely encapuslates everything about Pearl Jam that Iove, and makes me proud to be a HUGE fan.

To the band, if you ever read this, thank you.