Man, you really don't know how to comprehend do you? I like the album yes i do, I like all PJ music. But seeing as my family is not as of big fans as i am, i would be embarrassed to put this album on after vitalogy or no code, those albums have complexity and atmosphiere, this album is basic, mostly power cords with hardley any solos or small jams.
Listen, I have played guitar for 15 + years, I play because i love to play. Being in a band is no dream for me I have a family and my 2 children take up all my time, i had my children very early and to play music for a career was not an option, school was. And yes this album is basic, i am not say i am comparable musicians to any pearl jam members but these are basic songs and seemed rushed. If you want i can send you some of my work and you can judge for yourself if i enough talent to say these are basic songs. Its just an opinion people.
Dude all of their albums are basic. Any rookie can pick up a guitar and learn their songs pretty quickly. They aren't exactly Van Halen or Joe Satriani.
"Dude all of their albums are basic. Any rookie can pick up a guitar and learn their songs pretty quickly. They aren't exactly Van Halen or Joe Satriani."
Their albums are not basic at all, and who is talking about picking up a guitar and playing their songs?
to me, pearl jam isn't about studio albums anymore. it's about the live show.
i barely ever listen to the studio albums, almost all my listening is to boots. it will be interesting to hear some of these new songs on the upcoming tour
If I knew where it was, I would take you there....there's much more than this.
www.myspace.com/kryslowe
Man, you really don't know how to comprehend do you? I like the album yes i do, I like all PJ music. But seeing as my family is not as of big fans as i am, i would be embarrassed to put this album on after vitalogy or no code, those albums have complexity and atmosphiere, this album is basic, mostly power cords with hardley any solos or small jams.
I comprehend...i guess ill agree to disagree...also you said youre a musician...you must be extremely accomplished if this album is basic...i hope you have more success with your 9th album!!
Nice one
Sydney 3 1998; Brisbane 1 2003; Sydney 1/2/3 2003; Brisbane 1/2 2006; Sydney 1/2/3 2006; Melbourne 1/2 2006; Adelaide 2009; EV Solo Sydney 1 2011.
PJ's creativity is in Backspacer. the album is fucking brilliant.
totally agree, this album really is stunning
indeed. not everything needs to be as all over the place artsy as no code. Hell, i LOOOOVE no code. i think it's also brilliant. but take the music for what it is and how it makes you feel. not everything has to be a jog through a maze rather then a walk in the park. i think backspacer is up there with yield as pj's greatest album. yield does have a special place in my heart though. bottom line is that backspacer is fucking incredible!
2006: Hartford
2008: MSG 1, Hartford, Mansfield 2, Ed Solo NYC 1
2009: London (O2), Philly 1, 2, 3, & 4
2010: Hartford, Boston, MSG 1 & 2
2011: Ed Solo Hartford
2012: Philly (MIA Fest)
2013: Worcester 2, Brooklyn 1 & 2, Hartford
PJ's creativity is in Backspacer. the album is fucking brilliant.
totally agree, this album really is stunning
indeed. not everything needs to be as all over the place artsy as no code. Hell, i LOOOOVE no code. i think it's also brilliant. but take the music for what it is and how it makes you feel. not everything has to be a jog through a maze rather then a walk in the park. i think backspacer is up there with yield as pj's greatest album. yield does have a special place in my heart though. bottom line is that backspacer is fucking incredible!
exactly, and if the band made an album that sounded like Vs or No Code every time they wouldn't have lasted as long as they have. I think Ed summed it up best in a recent interview where he said this:
“There were a few years where I’d meet people and they’d say, ‘So what are you guys up to?’ And we had just done, like, Riot Act — we’d done a couple good records. It was like they thought we were some band that only existed for a few years.”
Like, “I remember you guys — 1992, right?”
“Exactly. And I feel like if we were a niche band, then we’d have our little thing now and that would be fine. But we’re bigger than that. I think these songs are worth hearing. And it’s not like the airwaves are cluttered with the greatest music. What — if we don’t do it, American Idol will? A lot of what we’re doing now is about getting new ranks of kids coming in, and not just playing for old people all the time.”
Because then you’re Foghat at the state fair.
“Right. Which is great, too, ’cause it’s Foghat, and we’re at the state fair, and we’re waiting for ‘Slow Ride,’ and then it’s, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Slow Ride”!’ I just don’t ever want it to be, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Jeremy”.’”
and what he said is so true, if they had made a Vs style album every time they released one then what he described is what would and does happen to bands. Think about it...think about all the bands that got famous and then released the same album rehashed over and over...where are they now? It's evolution baby, go with it or find another band because they'll never release another Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, Binaural, Riot Act, Self Titled, Backspacer album again! It's what makes Pearl Jam...well Pearl Jam, if you haven't gotten that by now then I don't think you really like this band.
“May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” - Frank Sinatra
Well they just created 11 amazing new songs.. pick it up.. Its called Backspacer.
They've pushed the envolope enough in their career. I'm content with catchy and familiar stuff at this point. If it's all we really need to put a smile on our faces and get us through the day, then so be it.
If they aren't challenging you enough, listen to the other 11 billion songs out there. I'm sure you'll find something.
I said it before. The Pearl Jam elitist is going to have big problems with Backspacer.
it was the same thing on the last album too. I just don't get how after all these years and all these albums that people don't understand that Pearl Jam will never make another album that sounds like Ten or any other previous album. They're always different, and actually today I was thinking about how many times over the years I've played PJ tracks for people and they've said "this is Pearl Jam???" and it would be a song from like Vitalogy or Vs lol.
“May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” - Frank Sinatra
I miss Mike on this album, I wish there were more jams, and the album sounds more like an EV album than a PJ album. I'm not trying to put them down, but I don't hear the band's collaboration in it, I hear mostly Ed. That, in itself, disappoints me just a little. I'm sure I'll come around. But that's my first take on it. I want to hear more Stone. Jeff. Mike. & Matt's writing and creating.
Agreed. I felt exactly the same way upon first listening to the album.
you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane
It's the never-ending debate. Here is what I notice. People who love love love Riot Act, don't like Self Titled or Backspacer. And people who are luke-warm to Riot Act love love love Self Titled and Backspacer. There is no way to please everyone all the time. I think Self Titled and Backspacer are both brilliant and Riot Act would have been if Down, Undone, and Otherside would have been on the record.
"All I Ever Knew" available now in print and digital formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks.
I said it before. The Pearl Jam elitist is going to have big problems with Backspacer.
it was the same thing on the last album too. I just don't get how after all these years and all these albums that people don't understand that Pearl Jam will never make another album that sounds like Ten or any other previous album. They're always different, and actually today I was thinking about how many times over the years I've played PJ tracks for people and they've said "this is Pearl Jam???" and it would be a song from like Vitalogy or Vs lol.
dig. just because backspacer doesn't brood in the shadows with minor chord progressions or have infinite space for mike to explore doesn't constitute lack of creativity. these are very well-crafted songs, with moving lyrics, textures, and arrangements. i'm baffled how this would escape a so-called musician. i can see how someone would disagree with the success of their efforts, but to deny that there is no creativity is just ignorant. this is not the pearl jam you've heard over the past releases. they've moved to a different musical territory. is that not creative? i'm loving this new face/phase, but that's just me.
It's the never-ending debate. Here is what I notice. People who love love love Riot Act, don't like Self Titled or Backspacer. And people who are luke-warm to Riot Act love love love Self Titled and Backspacer. There is no way to please everyone all the time. I think Self Titled and Backspacer are both brilliant and Riot Act would have been if Down, Undone, and Otherside would have been on the record.
well put and I agree 100% with what you said about Riot Act
“May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” - Frank Sinatra
Man, you really don't know how to comprehend do you? I like the album yes i do, I like all PJ music. But seeing as my family is not as of big fans as i am, i would be embarrassed to put this album on after vitalogy or no code, those albums have complexity and atmosphiere, this album is basic, mostly power cords with hardley any solos or small jams.
I comprehend...i guess ill agree to disagree...also you said youre a musician...you must be extremely accomplished if this album is basic...i hope you have more success with your 9th album!!
Just so you know, this is not a good or valid argument. Its basically just an appeal to authority, and basically boils down to this: "Pearl Jam are talented as a band, therefore anything they put out must be good, and can't be judged negatively by people outside the music industry". Not exactly a strong argument.
you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane
I miss Mike on this album, I wish there were more jams, and the album sounds more like an EV album than a PJ album. I'm not trying to put them down, but I don't hear the band's collaboration in it, I hear mostly Ed. That, in itself, disappoints me just a little. I'm sure I'll come around. But that's my first take on it. I want to hear more Stone. Jeff. Mike. & Matt's writing and creating.
Agreed. I felt exactly the same way upon first listening to the album.
i hear a lot of everyone except Mike. I'm not big on solos, but i do miss the extended jams. hope they make a comeback one day, but they probably just save it for live shows now.
I can't belive a band that has made Vitalogy, no code, yeild, riot act has put out these last two albums. I like the new album but its so average compared to what they used to do and are clearly capible of. I know they are maturing but these new songs are so basic and un-original. They have no jams, no guitar solo's (5 seconds does not count) and 3 of these songs were clearly written when eddie was writing into the wild. I like the album as i do self titled but i can't belive it took 3 years to make this. Hopefully they get their creativity back. They seem to be digressing with these last two.
Wow. I respectfully but strongly disagree. But, everyone has an opinion and to each their own.
I would like to say this though...is there some unwritten law that says every Pearl Jam album has to have a bunch of guitar solos? I mean think about what you're saying...it doesn't NEED to have a bunch of solos or jams to be a great record. Pearl Jam can do whatever the hell they want, and personally, I'm thrilled they've not chosen to make the same album over and over but instead 9 completely different albums.
It's the never-ending debate. Here is what I notice. People who love love love Riot Act, don't like Self Titled or Backspacer. And people who are luke-warm to Riot Act love love love Self Titled and Backspacer. There is no way to please everyone all the time. I think Self Titled and Backspacer are both brilliant and Riot Act would have been if Down, Undone, and Otherside would have been on the record.
Hmm. You may be mostly right about this, but I love both Riot Act and Backspacer so there are exceptions to this observation of yours.
i just feel that this album could have been the 2nd disc to the self titled. its cool that they try new things, new directions, and are "maturing"... hey, it worked for zeppelin. i just think this album was a let down cause it sounded too much like self titled, and i was hoping they'd sound different than that. i really wasnt too into it. though i think this album is much more well written, and i like the songs a lot more (except for come back.. donno, cant explain that one) and i, as a guitar solo lover, really feel the absence of mike presence in this album. and not to mention the fact that their stage presence is nothing like it used to be. old age, that goes without saying, obviously. my only point is that i miss it more and its just a let down. even though i know what to excpect, i still cant help but feel the difference. its hard to see your favorite bands get old. im pretty sure once the hype dies down this cd will just lie on top of self titled and only come out once in a while.
i guess it just comes down to one thing, you either like new pearl jam or old pearl jam. sure we all love both either way, but i cant help that my musical tastes dont favor anything post 95ish, and thats for any band, period. i absolutely loved the grunge era, cant say the same for todays music. to each their own, as they say
but one thing is for sure, PJ is still getting that fracion of kids to enter a different world of music and keeping what little sliver they can away from those shit bands like good charlotte and the rest of the whiney makup wearing cry babie pussies that dominate the music industry today. them and douchye west.
at the same time, at least they didnt release a Chinese Democracy type sack of shit
In July 2007 Densmore said that he would not rejoin The Doors unless it was fronted by Eddie Vedder. Densmore says, "I play with Jim. If there's someone of that level, OK. I'm not gonna join them with Ian. That's not to diss Ian, he's a good singer - but he's no Jim Morrison. Eddie Vedder? My God, there's a singer."
I can agree that pj has been alot more creative than here on backspacer. The songs are stripped down to the bare bone with little room for exploration. This restricts Mike a fair bit which is a bit unfortunate IMO.
I think this album has some good songwriting, and it benefits ALOT from brendan o'briens input, both production & his contributions in the music.
All in all, I will be listening to backspacer ALOT in the next weeks, but at the same time I will not keep their back catalogue far away.
Listen, I have played guitar for 15 + years, I play because i love to play. Being in a band is no dream for me I have a family and my 2 children take up all my time, i had my children very early and to play music for a career was not an option, school was. And yes this album is basic, i am not say i am comparable musicians to any pearl jam members but these are basic songs and seemed rushed. If you want i can send you some of my work and you can judge for yourself if i enough talent to say these are basic songs. Its just an opinion people.
I totally understand what you are saying. To me PJ has not been the same since Riot Act. Riot Act was the last of them making an artistic statement as opposed to a collection of decent rock songs. There is nothing "challenging" about S/T or Backspacer.
Ed is clearly at his best right now doing acoustic ITW type stuff and I loved that album.
To me Backspacer is an album like any other rock band would make. 2 or 3 really good tracks some other intersting things and some filler.
The Fixer is a good single. Unthought Known, Got Some, and to a lesser extent Just Breathe and Force of Nature are very good PJ tracks. Amongst the Waves works for what it is, a light breezy track that would have been better released in May and played on the way to the beach.
The End would have benefitted from a traditional vocal delivery and Speed of Sound was destroyed by BOB trying to make it sound like something it isnt so there wasnt too much ITW.
Johnny Guitar is interesting but not something I'd hang my hat on , Supersonic is functional but not notable, and GSMF is basically an X song with an annoying vocal.
“There were a few years where I’d meet people and they’d say, ‘So what are you guys up to?’ And we had just done, like, Riot Act — we’d done a couple good records. It was like they thought we were some band that only existed for a few years.”
Like, “I remember you guys — 1992, right?”
“Exactly. And I feel like if we were a niche band, then we’d have our little thing now and that would be fine. But we’re bigger than that. I think these songs are worth hearing. And it’s not like the airwaves are cluttered with the greatest music. What — if we don’t do it, American Idol will? A lot of what we’re doing now is about getting new ranks of kids coming in, and not just playing for old people all the time.”
Because then you’re Foghat at the state fair.
“Right. Which is great, too, ’cause it’s Foghat, and we’re at the state fair, and we’re waiting for ‘Slow Ride,’ and then it’s, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Slow Ride”!’ I just don’t ever want it to be, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Jeremy”.’”
and what he said is so true, if they had made a Vs style album every time they released one then what he described is what would and does happen to bands. Think about it...think about all the bands that got famous and then released the same album rehashed over and over...where are they now? It's evolution baby, go with it or find another band because they'll never release another Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, Binaural, Riot Act, Self Titled, Backspacer album again! It's what makes Pearl Jam...well Pearl Jam, if you haven't gotten that by now then I don't think you really like this band.[/quote][/quote]
Like it or not though what inevitably happens is if they have a big hit like Last Kiss again it brings two types young kids into the fold. People like me who then discover the band or people who will buy the new album, hear some weird ed vocals and never return to PJ.
For those who already know of PJ this becomes like what happens with any established band. "Thats that band that does evenflow's new single" - "not bad" but they still ultimately will be tied to their back catalog for 95% of their audience. They are not going to be the Gaslight Anthem, KOL, or the National and have college buzz just because they are trying to sound different from old PJ on backspacer. It just doesn't work that way...
Maybe if they want to hit that age group they should tour some college campuses and charge reasonable ticket prices.
“There were a few years where I’d meet people and they’d say, ‘So what are you guys up to?’ And we had just done, like, Riot Act — we’d done a couple good records. It was like they thought we were some band that only existed for a few years.”
Like, “I remember you guys — 1992, right?”
“Exactly. And I feel like if we were a niche band, then we’d have our little thing now and that would be fine. But we’re bigger than that. I think these songs are worth hearing. And it’s not like the airwaves are cluttered with the greatest music. What — if we don’t do it, American Idol will? A lot of what we’re doing now is about getting new ranks of kids coming in, and not just playing for old people all the time.”
Because then you’re Foghat at the state fair.
“Right. Which is great, too, ’cause it’s Foghat, and we’re at the state fair, and we’re waiting for ‘Slow Ride,’ and then it’s, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Slow Ride”!’ I just don’t ever want it to be, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Jeremy”.’”
and what he said is so true, if they had made a Vs style album every time they released one then what he described is what would and does happen to bands. Think about it...think about all the bands that got famous and then released the same album rehashed over and over...where are they now? It's evolution baby, go with it or find another band because they'll never release another Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, Binaural, Riot Act, Self Titled, Backspacer album again! It's what makes Pearl Jam...well Pearl Jam, if you haven't gotten that by now then I don't think you really like this band.
[/quote]
Like it or not though what inevitably happens is if they have a big hit like Last Kiss again it brings two types young kids into the fold. People like me who then discover the band or people who will buy the new album, hear some weird ed vocals and never return to PJ.
For those who already know of PJ this becomes like what happens with any established band. "Thats that band that does evenflow's new single" - "not bad" but they still ultimately will be tied to their back catalog for 95% of their audience. They are not going to be the Gaslight Anthem, KOL, or the National and have college buzz just because they are trying to sound different from old PJ on backspacer. It just doesn't work that way...
Maybe if they want to hit that age group they should tour some college campuses and charge reasonable ticket prices.[/quote]
U2 did it, REM has done it many times, and PJ is all over college radio right now so...not sure what point you're trying to make exactly? Also, I think ALOT of people associate PJ with their political activism which makes them remember songs like WWS and a lot of the newer stuff, not just the old hits.
“May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” - Frank Sinatra
“There were a few years where I’d meet people and they’d say, ‘So what are you guys up to?’ And we had just done, like, Riot Act — we’d done a couple good records. It was like they thought we were some band that only existed for a few years.”
Like, “I remember you guys — 1992, right?”
“Exactly. And I feel like if we were a niche band, then we’d have our little thing now and that would be fine. But we’re bigger than that. I think these songs are worth hearing. And it’s not like the airwaves are cluttered with the greatest music. What — if we don’t do it, American Idol will? A lot of what we’re doing now is about getting new ranks of kids coming in, and not just playing for old people all the time.”
Because then you’re Foghat at the state fair.
“Right. Which is great, too, ’cause it’s Foghat, and we’re at the state fair, and we’re waiting for ‘Slow Ride,’ and then it’s, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Slow Ride”!’ I just don’t ever want it to be, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Jeremy”.’”
and what he said is so true, if they had made a Vs style album every time they released one then what he described is what would and does happen to bands. Think about it...think about all the bands that got famous and then released the same album rehashed over and over...where are they now? It's evolution baby, go with it or find another band because they'll never release another Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, Binaural, Riot Act, Self Titled, Backspacer album again! It's what makes Pearl Jam...well Pearl Jam, if you haven't gotten that by now then I don't think you really like this band.
Like it or not though what inevitably happens is if they have a big hit like Last Kiss again it brings two types young kids into the fold. People like me who then discover the band or people who will buy the new album, hear some weird ed vocals and never return to PJ.
For those who already know of PJ this becomes like what happens with any established band. "Thats that band that does evenflow's new single" - "not bad" but they still ultimately will be tied to their back catalog for 95% of their audience. They are not going to be the Gaslight Anthem, KOL, or the National and have college buzz just because they are trying to sound different from old PJ on backspacer. It just doesn't work that way...
Maybe if they want to hit that age group they should tour some college campuses and charge reasonable ticket prices.[/quote]
U2 did it, REM has done it many times, and PJ is all over college radio right now so...not sure what point you're trying to make exactly? Also, I think ALOT of people associate PJ with their political activism which makes them remember songs like WWS and a lot of the newer stuff, not just the old hits.[/quote]
If PJ ever makes and album like All that you cant leave behind, I'm out.
I'm a HUGE REM fan but they never really sacrificed creativity imho until this album accelerate. Actually in a lot of ways backspacer and accelerate seem like distant cousins to me. I like both, both had crossover hits as first singles... but both might end up being the most forgettable albums in their respective bands catalog.
Comments
it is basic on purpose.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
Their albums are not basic at all, and who is talking about picking up a guitar and playing their songs?
But hey, it sure is "poppy"
www.myspace.com/kryslowe
2008: MSG 1, Hartford, Mansfield 2, Ed Solo NYC 1
2009: London (O2), Philly 1, 2, 3, & 4
2010: Hartford, Boston, MSG 1 & 2
2011: Ed Solo Hartford
2012: Philly (MIA Fest)
2013: Worcester 2, Brooklyn 1 & 2, Hartford
totally agree, this album really is stunning
indeed. not everything needs to be as all over the place artsy as no code. Hell, i LOOOOVE no code. i think it's also brilliant. but take the music for what it is and how it makes you feel. not everything has to be a jog through a maze rather then a walk in the park. i think backspacer is up there with yield as pj's greatest album. yield does have a special place in my heart though. bottom line is that backspacer is fucking incredible!
2008: MSG 1, Hartford, Mansfield 2, Ed Solo NYC 1
2009: London (O2), Philly 1, 2, 3, & 4
2010: Hartford, Boston, MSG 1 & 2
2011: Ed Solo Hartford
2012: Philly (MIA Fest)
2013: Worcester 2, Brooklyn 1 & 2, Hartford
exactly, and if the band made an album that sounded like Vs or No Code every time they wouldn't have lasted as long as they have. I think Ed summed it up best in a recent interview where he said this:
“There were a few years where I’d meet people and they’d say, ‘So what are you guys up to?’ And we had just done, like, Riot Act — we’d done a couple good records. It was like they thought we were some band that only existed for a few years.”
Like, “I remember you guys — 1992, right?”
“Exactly. And I feel like if we were a niche band, then we’d have our little thing now and that would be fine. But we’re bigger than that. I think these songs are worth hearing. And it’s not like the airwaves are cluttered with the greatest music. What — if we don’t do it, American Idol will? A lot of what we’re doing now is about getting new ranks of kids coming in, and not just playing for old people all the time.”
Because then you’re Foghat at the state fair.
“Right. Which is great, too, ’cause it’s Foghat, and we’re at the state fair, and we’re waiting for ‘Slow Ride,’ and then it’s, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Slow Ride”!’ I just don’t ever want it to be, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Jeremy”.’”
and what he said is so true, if they had made a Vs style album every time they released one then what he described is what would and does happen to bands. Think about it...think about all the bands that got famous and then released the same album rehashed over and over...where are they now? It's evolution baby, go with it or find another band because they'll never release another Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, Binaural, Riot Act, Self Titled, Backspacer album again! It's what makes Pearl Jam...well Pearl Jam, if you haven't gotten that by now then I don't think you really like this band.
They've pushed the envolope enough in their career. I'm content with catchy and familiar stuff at this point. If it's all we really need to put a smile on our faces and get us through the day, then so be it.
If they aren't challenging you enough, listen to the other 11 billion songs out there. I'm sure you'll find something.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
it was the same thing on the last album too. I just don't get how after all these years and all these albums that people don't understand that Pearl Jam will never make another album that sounds like Ten or any other previous album. They're always different, and actually today I was thinking about how many times over the years I've played PJ tracks for people and they've said "this is Pearl Jam???" and it would be a song from like Vitalogy or Vs lol.
Agreed. I felt exactly the same way upon first listening to the album.
dig. just because backspacer doesn't brood in the shadows with minor chord progressions or have infinite space for mike to explore doesn't constitute lack of creativity. these are very well-crafted songs, with moving lyrics, textures, and arrangements. i'm baffled how this would escape a so-called musician. i can see how someone would disagree with the success of their efforts, but to deny that there is no creativity is just ignorant. this is not the pearl jam you've heard over the past releases. they've moved to a different musical territory. is that not creative? i'm loving this new face/phase, but that's just me.
well put and I agree 100% with what you said about Riot Act
Just so you know, this is not a good or valid argument. Its basically just an appeal to authority, and basically boils down to this: "Pearl Jam are talented as a band, therefore anything they put out must be good, and can't be judged negatively by people outside the music industry". Not exactly a strong argument.
I don't think it has anything to do w/elitism. If the music just doesn't grab me, that makes me an elitist?
Wow. I respectfully but strongly disagree. But, everyone has an opinion and to each their own.
I would like to say this though...is there some unwritten law that says every Pearl Jam album has to have a bunch of guitar solos? I mean think about what you're saying...it doesn't NEED to have a bunch of solos or jams to be a great record. Pearl Jam can do whatever the hell they want, and personally, I'm thrilled they've not chosen to make the same album over and over but instead 9 completely different albums.
Hmm. You may be mostly right about this, but I love both Riot Act and Backspacer so there are exceptions to this observation of yours.
i guess it just comes down to one thing, you either like new pearl jam or old pearl jam. sure we all love both either way, but i cant help that my musical tastes dont favor anything post 95ish, and thats for any band, period. i absolutely loved the grunge era, cant say the same for todays music. to each their own, as they say
but one thing is for sure, PJ is still getting that fracion of kids to enter a different world of music and keeping what little sliver they can away from those shit bands like good charlotte and the rest of the whiney makup wearing cry babie pussies that dominate the music industry today. them and douchye west.
at the same time, at least they didnt release a Chinese Democracy type sack of shit
I think this album has some good songwriting, and it benefits ALOT from brendan o'briens input, both production & his contributions in the music.
All in all, I will be listening to backspacer ALOT in the next weeks, but at the same time I will not keep their back catalogue far away.
I totally understand what you are saying. To me PJ has not been the same since Riot Act. Riot Act was the last of them making an artistic statement as opposed to a collection of decent rock songs. There is nothing "challenging" about S/T or Backspacer.
Ed is clearly at his best right now doing acoustic ITW type stuff and I loved that album.
To me Backspacer is an album like any other rock band would make. 2 or 3 really good tracks some other intersting things and some filler.
The Fixer is a good single. Unthought Known, Got Some, and to a lesser extent Just Breathe and Force of Nature are very good PJ tracks. Amongst the Waves works for what it is, a light breezy track that would have been better released in May and played on the way to the beach.
The End would have benefitted from a traditional vocal delivery and Speed of Sound was destroyed by BOB trying to make it sound like something it isnt so there wasnt too much ITW.
Johnny Guitar is interesting but not something I'd hang my hat on , Supersonic is functional but not notable, and GSMF is basically an X song with an annoying vocal.
“There were a few years where I’d meet people and they’d say, ‘So what are you guys up to?’ And we had just done, like, Riot Act — we’d done a couple good records. It was like they thought we were some band that only existed for a few years.”
Like, “I remember you guys — 1992, right?”
“Exactly. And I feel like if we were a niche band, then we’d have our little thing now and that would be fine. But we’re bigger than that. I think these songs are worth hearing. And it’s not like the airwaves are cluttered with the greatest music. What — if we don’t do it, American Idol will? A lot of what we’re doing now is about getting new ranks of kids coming in, and not just playing for old people all the time.”
Because then you’re Foghat at the state fair.
“Right. Which is great, too, ’cause it’s Foghat, and we’re at the state fair, and we’re waiting for ‘Slow Ride,’ and then it’s, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Slow Ride”!’ I just don’t ever want it to be, ‘Baby, put down your chili cheese dog, it’s “Jeremy”.’”
and what he said is so true, if they had made a Vs style album every time they released one then what he described is what would and does happen to bands. Think about it...think about all the bands that got famous and then released the same album rehashed over and over...where are they now? It's evolution baby, go with it or find another band because they'll never release another Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, Binaural, Riot Act, Self Titled, Backspacer album again! It's what makes Pearl Jam...well Pearl Jam, if you haven't gotten that by now then I don't think you really like this band.[/quote][/quote]
Like it or not though what inevitably happens is if they have a big hit like Last Kiss again it brings two types young kids into the fold. People like me who then discover the band or people who will buy the new album, hear some weird ed vocals and never return to PJ.
For those who already know of PJ this becomes like what happens with any established band. "Thats that band that does evenflow's new single" - "not bad" but they still ultimately will be tied to their back catalog for 95% of their audience. They are not going to be the Gaslight Anthem, KOL, or the National and have college buzz just because they are trying to sound different from old PJ on backspacer. It just doesn't work that way...
Maybe if they want to hit that age group they should tour some college campuses and charge reasonable ticket prices.
Like it or not though what inevitably happens is if they have a big hit like Last Kiss again it brings two types young kids into the fold. People like me who then discover the band or people who will buy the new album, hear some weird ed vocals and never return to PJ.
For those who already know of PJ this becomes like what happens with any established band. "Thats that band that does evenflow's new single" - "not bad" but they still ultimately will be tied to their back catalog for 95% of their audience. They are not going to be the Gaslight Anthem, KOL, or the National and have college buzz just because they are trying to sound different from old PJ on backspacer. It just doesn't work that way...
Maybe if they want to hit that age group they should tour some college campuses and charge reasonable ticket prices.[/quote]
U2 did it, REM has done it many times, and PJ is all over college radio right now so...not sure what point you're trying to make exactly? Also, I think ALOT of people associate PJ with their political activism which makes them remember songs like WWS and a lot of the newer stuff, not just the old hits.
Like it or not though what inevitably happens is if they have a big hit like Last Kiss again it brings two types young kids into the fold. People like me who then discover the band or people who will buy the new album, hear some weird ed vocals and never return to PJ.
For those who already know of PJ this becomes like what happens with any established band. "Thats that band that does evenflow's new single" - "not bad" but they still ultimately will be tied to their back catalog for 95% of their audience. They are not going to be the Gaslight Anthem, KOL, or the National and have college buzz just because they are trying to sound different from old PJ on backspacer. It just doesn't work that way...
Maybe if they want to hit that age group they should tour some college campuses and charge reasonable ticket prices.[/quote]
U2 did it, REM has done it many times, and PJ is all over college radio right now so...not sure what point you're trying to make exactly? Also, I think ALOT of people associate PJ with their political activism which makes them remember songs like WWS and a lot of the newer stuff, not just the old hits.[/quote]
If PJ ever makes and album like All that you cant leave behind, I'm out.
I'm a HUGE REM fan but they never really sacrificed creativity imho until this album accelerate. Actually in a lot of ways backspacer and accelerate seem like distant cousins to me. I like both, both had crossover hits as first singles... but both might end up being the most forgettable albums in their respective bands catalog.