Backspacer realistic review
kataractkid
Posts: 57
Well. First of all I'd like to state that I'm a huge PJ fan and have been since 98'.
I am , however, a realistic fan and I am not going to say everything is great all the time
no matter what they produce.
I have to say I find nothing great about the new album, Backspacer.
Nothing sticks out as awesome and there are a few tracks that I find
really dissapointing and that I would never push on a "so-so" Pearl Jam fan.
It's too poppy, too short, and there are only a few good guitar riffs (being a guitar player).
Ed's melodies are the same in most of the songs. Overall , its a very soft LP and between
the over-marketing of the album and the cheezy artwork, I have to say I'm not impressed at
all. I also don't understand all the great reviews by the newspapers, music experts, etc.
Maybe they are getting paid off or something.
I have given the album many chances, listened in the car, while partying, while working out, etc.
The only songs that I am interested in even listening to again are the following:
Gonna see my friend (I actually like this song)
Amongst the Waves (really cool guitar riff in the middle, but way too short)
Just breathe
Unknown Thought
The Fixer is allright, but it's already overplayed and I'm sick of it.
Sorry if I have offended anyone but I've read too many overrated reviews
and i wanted to see if there were any other realistic reviews of this LP?
I'm assuming that the songs will be better live and I am holding out hope for this.
I am , however, a realistic fan and I am not going to say everything is great all the time
no matter what they produce.
I have to say I find nothing great about the new album, Backspacer.
Nothing sticks out as awesome and there are a few tracks that I find
really dissapointing and that I would never push on a "so-so" Pearl Jam fan.
It's too poppy, too short, and there are only a few good guitar riffs (being a guitar player).
Ed's melodies are the same in most of the songs. Overall , its a very soft LP and between
the over-marketing of the album and the cheezy artwork, I have to say I'm not impressed at
all. I also don't understand all the great reviews by the newspapers, music experts, etc.
Maybe they are getting paid off or something.
I have given the album many chances, listened in the car, while partying, while working out, etc.
The only songs that I am interested in even listening to again are the following:
Gonna see my friend (I actually like this song)
Amongst the Waves (really cool guitar riff in the middle, but way too short)
Just breathe
Unknown Thought
The Fixer is allright, but it's already overplayed and I'm sick of it.
Sorry if I have offended anyone but I've read too many overrated reviews
and i wanted to see if there were any other realistic reviews of this LP?
I'm assuming that the songs will be better live and I am holding out hope for this.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
That being said, I also find it interesting that you feel that people that liked it must have "been paid off" and you've read too many "overrated" reviews and now you offer a "realistic review"...please...
Just like you, others are entitled to their opinion. Music is subjective and there will be as many opinions of the album as there are listeners of the album. Your review is "realistic" to only you. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. I'm really digging a lot of this album (sans Speed of Sound). And that opinion is just a "realistic" as yours.
http://www.unfinisheddad.typepad.com/un ... pacer.html
Yeah there are plenty of realistic reviews of this LP around. You just happen to refer to them as "overrated".
Not a terribly written review. It is what it is for you.
Now with that said, You need to know that I can only give this album as honest a review as you did, and I think it is the best album they have put out since Yield. I absolutely love this album, and it has a couple songs that have risen quickly to become some of my favorites.
Force of Nature is so good (to me), I find myself playing this song over and over again, in the car, at home, at work, while reading the lyrics, while reading the lyrics off youtube, with my eyes closed, and with the volume turned way up.
It is magic for me.
I'm also loving Just Breathe, Unthought Known, Got Some, and The Fixer.
I'm not one to break down a song, for it's lyrical quality, specific guitar solos, riffs, or rhythm. For me it has always been about how the song makes me feel. How much fun I have singing along, and how much I enjoy tapping along/dancing along.
That's what makes us all different. How we appreciate music, how we enjoy it, what pushes our buttons.
For you to say that your review is 'realistic' while others are obviously disingenuous is ridiculous however. If we could all realize that everyone has their own personal reason why they like or dislike something, then there would be much less anger and hated on this board.
When people paint their opinion as the only correct one, they marginalize and discredit themeselves in my eyes.
Exactly how I feel...
b. you have every right not to like the album, it's your opinion. don't apologize for it.
c. i like the "cheesy" artwork. not sure why it's "cheesy", but i'd rather have that than the staged photos most bands use.
d. this album is fun - if you're looking for Ed's past anger-driven lyrics, you probably are disappointed with this album. doesn't mean it's low quality.
yeah, kind of hard to take this as a "realistic review" when he is not sure about the name of one of his favorite tracks from the record.
hmmm. :?
"To question your government is not unpatriotic --
to not question your government is unpatriotic."
-- Sen. Chuck Hagel
I kinda like fixer... if I try.
Maybe because they have posted something that could be seen as a negative opinion about Pearl Jam on this forum. People usually get torn to shreds and insulted for daring to do that. Sadly, lots of people can't stand to have their opinions challenged.
kataractkid - you also need to remember that this is also just your opinion and therefore not necessarily any more correct, or 'realistsic', than anyone else's.
yeah, and "sing songy"? you mean like Elderly Woman, Betterman, and many of their songs from the hayday?
the lyrics on Backspacer, at times, are pretty simple. that doesn't mean they are low quality. some of the best art is the simplest.
LMAO
* I happen to be very fond of pigs
that is all
Amen to that... I've read a lot of pro- and anti-Backspacer threads on this board in the last week, and the common message seems to be "anyone who disagrees with me is a fucking idiot." At least this thread is civil, which makes it a refreshing change.
Personally, I lean towards agreeing with the OP - I'm not in love with this album, like I haven't really loved any of their albums in years. I like them all, and I have my moments when I get a certain craving for one from time to time, but for me, personally, they haven't put out one that blows me away since Vitalogy. I can tell you exactly where I was when I first heard Ten/Vs/Vitalogy - the rest? Beats me. However, plenty of people around here prefer their newer stuff, and I'm cool with that - something for everyone, right? If Pearl Jam was writing albums solely based on my musical tastes, they would've gone out of business long ago
That being said, each album from No Code through Backspacer has certain songs on it that I like a lot - and I may be in the minority among even Backspacer lovers here, but I really like Force of Nature (among a few others). I can live without Johnny Guitar and the Into The Wild leftovers though... though, there again, plenty of people like those ones too and I'm cool with that.
The only thing I really don't like on this album, and the thing that makes the hairs on my neck stand up, are the lyrics. EV used to tell stories with his lyrics, and they were put together brilliantly. On Backspacer, some of the lyrics are great, and some are "Now Johnny he be havin' lots of women, the reason he be smilin' known to him." Ouch.
Pretty realistic.
Like the Empress of Blandings.
is that exactly what I thought I read."
As I've told others, that's a shame. I wish this album could make everyone feel like it makes me feel. The goosebumps don't lie. I feel sorry for the people who don't get them. It's kind of like a man who can't get an erection. Not his fault, but you just feel sorry he can't feel what you feel.
Maybe somebody there will be a little blue pill that allows you to "get" Backspacer. Until that day, my condolences.
for the least they could possibly do
So you pick one line from one song with lyrics that are almost intentionally bad, and that means the album doesn't have great lyrics? :roll:
The lyrics fucking MAKE this album. Look around this forum, there are great discussions and dissections going on on various lines, and words, and phrases that are just spectacular.
For your one "Johnny he be having lots of women" -- in a song about a fucking pimp -- I can name half a dozen lines that rank among the best shit Ed's ever thought of. Hell, I can pick some out of Johnny fucking Guitar.
for the least they could possibly do
Man, slight of jeff, are you getting paid by the band or something? Your responses are so intense to anyone who criticizes this album, WTF? Is PJ the only band you listen on a regular basis? I mean this would make sense seeing your vigilance in defending YOUR OPINION of the album.....
Absolutely spot on.
Eh, you're probably right. I should probably just let you guys have this thread to yourself. Enjoy!
for the least they could possibly do
I'll second that. Great fucking point slightofjeff.
I don't see his responses as all that intense... Obviously the album moves him, as it does many of us. I happen to agree with his view that some folks miss the point of Ed's lyrical approach on tunes like Johnny Guitar. He's not trying to have impeccable grammar on some of these tunes ... In a song with pimp motifs, he's using some (pretty mild) ghetto speak. The whole point is to create an emotional portrait that is situated right within the song, or put another way, he is using language to tell a story in a way that is high context or "culture-bound", rather than something that is low context (i.e., sterile and grammatically perfect).
I'll third that.Excellent fucking point slightofjeff
is that exactly what I thought I read."
3 Decibels Doubles the Volume
2006