I strongly disagree.
Almost all songs from Backspacer suffers in the live version, and IMO, Amongst the waves and Force of nature suffers the most.
Maybe Got Some and GSMF don't suffer that much, but still... And Unthought Known is a live song... It sucks in the boot, but for "the moment", its fantastic.

Really? Force of Nature, definitely, and I agree that the rest of the album pretty much sucks live but Perth 2009 and Winnipeg 2011 had some pretty great versions of ATW.

In my judgment, ATW is suposed to be an "epic athem", which it ALMOST got it in the studio version, but live, it just falls flat. I mean, after the solo, it was suposed to come back with that big explosion of guitars and etc... But Stone's guitar and Ed's voice just sounds tired...
It happens in Force Of Nature also, and the step down doesn't help at all in that song...
I really wish they play Speed Of Sound more often, so it gets a space, 'cause is far from beign a bad song.

"Somewhere there's a siren singing, that only he hears"
Lyrically, that song is pretty heavy, but in a very sweet, wistful, almost romantic way. It's like Eddie is the narrator of a sad, surreal love story, and that's the song of the ocean... literal or metaphorical... separating a man from his girl.

Absolutely great song. It's my dad's favorite... which isnt much of a case-helper at all... but despite that, I really love it.

Spoiler: show

I've never been so glad that I dug up an old thread!

"Amongst the Waves" is the only song from Backspacer that I feel improves significantly live, though I do think "Just Breathe" and "The End" can be great on the right night. And "Got Some" was cooking pretty good by the end of 2010.

Every time I read the thread title I wan't to make the following post:

Let's not.

agreed no accounting for taste. SOS along with supersonic voted by majority Of rm users to be the most unliked songs on backspacer.

Where as got some was voted by the majority to be the opposite. So looks like alot of pj fans share my views.

Got to love democracy!!!

Funny how Backspacer and Self-Titled get so much hate on here, and yet everywhere else, people love them.

That's a questionable assertion right there, Tig.

Thing is, S/T really grew on me. I like it a lot now. But it's been almost 3 years and I can't get into Backspacer at all.

my theory is still that you'll need another album--it's not just the time that's passed

S/T was a good record for me from first listen. I was impressed and loving it day one. And though I'd rank it in the lower half of their catalog I still think it's a solid album. Fix the production and it probably jumps up a spot or two.

Backspacer took me a minute. It was the first PJ album that was unexpected. Usually the record comes out and resonates with me almost immediately. Sometimes it feels like the band and I are in the same head space all the time. The album they release is usually the album I want. Binaural is the only other one that didn't have that feeling. However, unlike Binaural, Backspacer really started to take shape after several listens and I began to appreciate its identity.

Ultimately, I think if Backspacer were longer I'd rank it below S/T. But it's a really tight little rock record that keeps surprising me each time I listen to it.

RM's misgivings about Backspacer feel extremely similar to things I've read about other artists who've historically released minor records like this, which were initially perceived as some kind of compromise of artistic principle. I don't know if it's Stip or Spenno who argued this before, but I think the position is right: Backspacer won't seem like nearly as big of a deal when it isn't shouldering the responsibility of accounting for the band's "current style." I mean, it's not the kind of record which seems destined to ever be perceived as one of the band's great records, but it does seem like some context will afford it a better opportunity to be enjoyed for what it was meant to be.

I've been arguing that, although spenno may also be doing the same

I think you (and stip) right.

It's already my #5 PJ album. It'll be interesting to see if the kind of perspective you're describing will jack it up my rankings.

it may not move it at all, of course--especially if you already like it. But it is almost always easier to appreciate a record on its own terms when it is no longer the current record and being forced to shoulder everyone's future expectations and aspirations. That's not just a Pearl Jam thing.

Thing is, while I sincerely hope Pearl Jam continues to record and release records for another 20/25 years, IF Backspacer ended up being the last album, I'd be fine with it. I don't think it does anything to tarnish or diminish what Pearl Jam has done or redefine what they're about.

I just find it kind of funny and strange that a coule records in an artists career and people want to throw up the white flag and called sell out and embarrassment.

Man. I would have hated to be on the internet when Neil released a few of his records.


also - dct....you married a MN gal?

She's from Kansas, actually.

OH.

Well, fuck you.