A Guided Tour of Backspacer

12346»

Comments

  • TJ25487
    TJ25487 Posts: 1,501
    This is the end, my sweetest friend, the end. Bravo! Stipster. Thanks for enlightening us about an outstanding Pearl Jam recording. We know a lot of people around here knock Backspacer but it is one of the bands most critically aclaimed pieces of work and after a year of listening to it, shelving it and listening to it some more I appreciate it as much if not more than ever. Your reviews have helped as well. Peace.
  • violetpsyche
    violetpsyche Posts: 122
    I have enjoyed reading this immensely. Thank you for encouraging me to reconsider an album that I was struggling to fall in love with ( I even lost it for about eight months or so and didn't miss it much). Your insightful interpretation has given me an entirely new perspective and I'm finally appreciating it. I was desperately trying not to have any preconceived notions before it came out and thought I was listening to it with an open mind, so I was shocked to find what I felt was an emotional superficiality or even emptiness. I was wrong; my reception of it was coloured, tainted even, by my expectations. I won't say I'm in total agreement with your interpretation of every song but I feel you are right about the overall concept of the album and this is crucial to my reappraisal of it. I so desperately wanted to fall in love with Backspacer as I have done with all the albums (some took longer than others) and I'm grateful to you for reopening that possibility to me - I may not be there yet but I'm glad to give it another go!
  • Dr. Stip Zoidberg
    Dr. Stip Zoidberg Posts: 256
    thank you :) I write this kind of stuff to share so it's always nice to know that it's causing someone to give a record a second look. I learn a lot myself in the process since I try to understand each record on its own terms, rather than what I want it to be. I have a new appreciation for Binaural after doing that review. It's far from my favorite record, but the songs I don't really care for still seem more important and appropriate than they did just as stand alone songs.

    Out now!
  • tremors
    tremors Posts: 8,051
    Hey Stip!

    We have a little present for you. Thanks for all your hard work.

    'Mixed Metaphor - Backspacer Live'

    http://rearviewmirrorbootlegs.blogspot. ... pacer.html

    Might be of interest to people in this thread - and Pearl Jam fans across the known universe ;)


    You can read the discussion leading up to this here

    viewtopic.php?f=4&t=142297

    Screw democracy - I think we've managed to come up with a pretty damned good live album, in a rapid space of time. Enjoy. Look forward to hearing what you think of this. (Go easy on us though Stip - there are no doubt lots of better live versions, but we have tried to put together a live backspacer which still works as a 'piece' - a few bonus trax too!!)
    Cancel my subscription to the Ressurection
    Send my credentials to the house of detention

    lettherecordsplay1x.gif?t=1377796878
  • Sambo Baggins
    Sambo Baggins Posts: 203
    after listening to backspacer for the past 15 months, the lyrics are really coming out. i.e Force of Nature & Amonst the Waves. I think the lyrics are the strong part of this album. The music to some of the songs is a little weak. i.e. the speed of sound, johnny guitar, got some

    all in all backspacer has grown on me
    "Can't fuckin' Twitter, hate that shit" - EV
  • TJ25487
    TJ25487 Posts: 1,501
    Sambo Baggins wrote:
    after listening to backspacer for the past 15 months, the lyrics are really coming out. i.e Force of Nature & Amonst the Waves. I think the lyrics are the strong part of this album. The music to some of the songs is a little weak. i.e. the speed of sound, johnny guitar, got some

    all in all backspacer has grown on me

    I think AOL Sessions did a "Making of Backspacer" 15 minute video interview with the band where Jeff says that he thinks Backspacer has some of the best lyrics and that he would put those lyrics up against anybody elses current lyrics. If Jeff Ament thinks likes the lyrics well then, I like the lyrics.
  • Sambo Baggins
    Sambo Baggins Posts: 203
    TJ25487 wrote:
    Sambo Baggins wrote:
    after listening to backspacer for the past 15 months, the lyrics are really coming out. i.e Force of Nature & Amonst the Waves. I think the lyrics are the strong part of this album. The music to some of the songs is a little weak. i.e. the speed of sound, johnny guitar, got some

    all in all backspacer has grown on me

    I think AOL Sessions did a "Making of Backspacer" 15 minute video interview with the band where Jeff says that he thinks Backspacer has some of the best lyrics and that he would put those lyrics up against anybody elses current lyrics. If Jeff Ament thinks likes the lyrics well then, I like the lyrics.

    i will check out the interview if i can find on youtube. thanks for info
    "Can't fuckin' Twitter, hate that shit" - EV
  • tremors
    tremors Posts: 8,051
    TJ25487 wrote:
    Sambo Baggins wrote:
    after listening to backspacer for the past 15 months, the lyrics are really coming out. i.e Force of Nature & Amonst the Waves. I think the lyrics are the strong part of this album. The music to some of the songs is a little weak. i.e. the speed of sound, johnny guitar, got some

    all in all backspacer has grown on me

    I think AOL Sessions did a "Making of Backspacer" 15 minute video interview with the band where Jeff says that he thinks Backspacer has some of the best lyrics and that he would put those lyrics up against anybody elses current lyrics. If Jeff Ament thinks likes the lyrics well then, I like the lyrics.


    I think backspacer has some very very strong lyrics - but deceptively simple. Simple, but distilling a hell of a lot of wisdom, which is one of the reasons I think Backspacer is proving such an accessible album to non pearl jam fans as well.

    I also think on this album there are sooooo many references to and echoes of previous songs, previous lyrics, going right back to Ten. Force of Nature on its own could be analysed for the sheer number of echoes of lyrics and themes of other songs. It's full of em!!

    For this reason I have come to think of backspacer as a 'Watershed' record, that reflects back on the past and wraps things up, closes things off, and finds resolution to a lot of the music of the past, ready for the 'unknown future'. I also think that whilst backspacer is very accessible to 'outsiders', to get the full impact you have to have lived with the band's music for a long time. I expect that new material will prove quite a departure from this, and what has gone before. Because to me, backspacer kind of says 'end of part one'
    Cancel my subscription to the Ressurection
    Send my credentials to the house of detention

    lettherecordsplay1x.gif?t=1377796878
  • TJ25487
    TJ25487 Posts: 1,501
    TJ25487 wrote:
    Sambo Baggins wrote:
    after listening to backspacer for the past 15 months, the lyrics are really coming out. i.e Force of Nature & Amonst the Waves. I think the lyrics are the strong part of this album. The music to some of the songs is a little weak. i.e. the speed of sound, johnny guitar, got some

    all in all backspacer has grown on me

    I think AOL Sessions did a "Making of Backspacer" 15 minute video interview with the band where Jeff says that he thinks Backspacer has some of the best lyrics and that he would put those lyrics up against anybody elses current lyrics. If Jeff Ament thinks likes the lyrics well then, I like the lyrics.

    http://vodpod.com/watch/2074109-pearl-j ... backspacer

    Go to 3:40 and you will hear Jeff say that he doesn't think there is a better record lyrically out there.
  • TJ25487
    TJ25487 Posts: 1,501
    tremors wrote:
    TJ25487 wrote:
    Sambo Baggins wrote:
    after listening to backspacer for the past 15 months, the lyrics are really coming out. i.e Force of Nature & Amonst the Waves. I think the lyrics are the strong part of this album. The music to some of the songs is a little weak. i.e. the speed of sound, johnny guitar, got some

    all in all backspacer has grown on me

    I think AOL Sessions did a "Making of Backspacer" 15 minute video interview with the band where Jeff says that he thinks Backspacer has some of the best lyrics and that he would put those lyrics up against anybody elses current lyrics. If Jeff Ament thinks likes the lyrics well then, I like the lyrics.


    I think backspacer has some very very strong lyrics - but deceptively simple. Simple, but distilling a hell of a lot of wisdom, which is one of the reasons I think Backspacer is proving such an accessible album to non pearl jam fans as well.

    I also think on this album there are sooooo many references to and echoes of previous songs, previous lyrics, going right back to Ten. Force of Nature on its own could be analysed for the sheer number of echoes of lyrics and themes of other songs. It's full of em!!

    For this reason I have come to think of backspacer as a 'Watershed' record, that reflects back on the past and wraps things up, closes things off, and finds resolution to a lot of the music of the past, ready for the 'unknown future'. I also think that whilst backspacer is very accessible to 'outsiders', to get the full impact you have to have lived with the band's music for a long time. I expect that new material will prove quite a departure from this, and what has gone before. Because to me, backspacer kind of says 'end of part one'


    Yes, a water shed moment but it does not feel forced. I t feels natural and very exhileraing. Let part two begin.

Categories