This is a multi-part series for each album. We'll move on to the next album when it seems like it's been discussed enough. I'd like to reiterate that the aim of these discussions is to hear opinions on what you think is the single most significant flaw for the album being discussed. We're not looking for general album bashing, but rather a critical look at the single biggest weakness for each record.

Example of a poor post:
There are so many things that suck on this album. Track 4, 8 and 9 are terrible and the lyrics for such and such a song a really bad. Not only that, but the cover is stupid.

Like I said, we're not looking for general album bashing. What I suggest is to go give a listen to the album being discussed. For some of us, it's been a while listening to these older albums all the way through, and it helps you think and take that critical view before you post. Try and be insightful and give good reasons why you believe the flaw you're pointing out is the biggest flaw of the album.

You can also still participate in the previous album discussions.

Previous album discussions:
Ten
VS
Vitalogy
No Code
Yield
Binaural
Riot Act
Pearl Jam (S/T)

I like BACKSPACER. To me it's a step up from Avocado/ST/Pearl Jam which in turn is another step up from Riot Act. This is a happy trend. I wholeheartedly applaud releasing a shorter and more concise batch of songs. Unless you have some kind of epic double album going on, or the songs are so incredible they warrant inclusion on a record, I don't see Pearl Jam being a good candidate for having 14 or 15 songs (or more) on a record. But I've always been someone who thinks that less is more. I hate the feeling that a record is devalued because there were 3 or 4 mediocre songs thrown on that didn't need to be. That's why god invented B-Sides.
BACKSPACER makes me happy here. It's lean, low in fat and won't give you a tummy ache or digestion problems. However, there is something about this album as a whole that's taken me a while to pin down that deflates me. It's something that resonates more so on this record than any previous. Something that seems to be a growing trend with the band in general that leave a slight taste of disappointment. What is it?

Lack of PASSION

Or maybe more precisely, a lack of something to have passion FOR

Musically, I don't have too many complaints. At times I still find myself hoping for something drastically different...epic piano song or bass only jam, or...I dunno. They are a rock band playing rock songs and it works. Musically, they still pack a mighty punch. The irk for me comes largely in the lyrical content. Not that they are bad, but that they lack a certain PASSION that existed in the band on earlier albums. Weather we are talking about the political punch of Grievance or World Wide Suicide, the sociological importance of WMA or Do The Evolution, or the intense introspective depths of Corduroy, Black and Rearviewmirror. Where has that inspiration and passion gone? The closest this comes on BACKSPACER is literally and figuratively The End. A deeply reflective song that lyrically brings back just a little of that introspective passion.
But to me, tunes like Johnny Guitar...where the inspiration was a goofy picture seen in a bathroom. Or The Fixer, where Ed is just basically talking about him helping the band write their songs, or even Supersonic which is basically just about listening to loud music...where is the charge on serious sociological problems? Political issues? Changing the world, even if it's just rock music! It seems now like a group of guys who settled down, had kids have accepted the world and their place in it and want to relax, play music and enjoy their time. NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!!! The problem for me is that it's not what *I* want to hear in a Pearl Jam record. I still want to push the limits and hear a great new political rock song, or hear the sorrowful tale of a troubled soul. I know that members of the band have even said that this record is more uplifting and happy largely because of the political climate with Obama and no longer having Bush in office. They have kids now, are getting older and more settled. Maybe what I'm looking for is just in the past. Or maybe what I'm looking for does not become active until either the world starts going to shit or there is some major catastrophe in the bands lives. This is what I mean when there seems to be a lack of passion to have something FOR. Many a great artistic pieces come out of the self torture, pain, suffering and angst of the artist. When the artist is happy, there is no fire to be stoked.

So my final feeling for BACKSPACER is that it's a good album, but it's not what I'm looking for. I miss that PASSION.

This is a great series for those of you who haven't read the previous threads

I think that lack of passion is why backspacer is not quite in my elite group of PJ records. Even the go for broke emotional songs like Unthought Known, while powerful, don't quite feel earned. There's not the catharsis that comes with struggle. And while the first four tracks are fun, aggressive, playful songs, they don't have the lyrical depth that you had on tracks like WWS, Comatose, etc. So I'm with you there.

In that respect I think Backspacer works really well in the context of PJ's catalogue--the build up to the catharsis comes from what was worked through on the last 3 records. It's nice to have these songs in the catalogue, and they fit really well there. But I agree that sticking all of them in one place could leave you wanting more.

So I agree, I 'd like something more ambitious than backspacer next time, but as a standalone moment in time I'll still take this one. I don't really have any major criticisms about the record as a whole

That's really my only 'complaint' on this one (at least that I have off hand). The record sounds great, Eddie sounds as good as he's going to at this point in his career (which, as luck would have it, is really good). I'd like some more MIke solos since I really love them but since i'm a big fan of the songs as is I can't say for sure that they would be better with them. They might just make them sound too busy.

I do think this is probably Eddie’s weakest record to date lyrically, although it’s possibly his strongest melodically so it doesn’t kill the record (but it does keep it from that top tier). The Fixer and Johnny Guitar are clever, the verses in Amongst the Waves are excellent, and there are some really nice moments in Unthought Known, The End, and Speed of Sound. But the only song that is very strong lyrically from start to finish is Force of Nature. Eddie can do better

The ONLY thing wrong with Backspacer is the placement of Just Breathe in the tracklisting. I feel like it kills the tempo. Gonna See -> Got Some -> The Fixer -> Johnny Guitar is fantastic but all the momentum comes screeching to a halt with Just Breathe. Even though it is the 5th song I feel like you get there in under 10 minutes because the songs are so concise and fly right by.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE the song but it doesn't fit the record (well, in terms of style - the lyrics are uplifting and fit right in). Another mid-tempo rocker would have been better to segue into Amongst The Waves - something like Force of Nature maybe. I actually don't have any complaints and we are a month into the release and I'm not tired of it. It might be the most "complete" Pearl Jam album to date.

Also, I think you guys are confusing "passion" with "risk-taking". There is plenty of passion here but they didn't take a lot of risks. These songs are right in the PJ comfort zone and there's nothing wrong with that, IMO.

Too short

I would have to disagree with the lack of passion statements. Most specifically the songs you cited. I believe your reading the songs based on face value and not looking into what the songs can mean.
Johnny Guitar: yeah it was inspired by an album cover. Its not about what inspired it but the story that the song is telling. A man that wants a woman that he would cherish and love but can't have . Just another woman that doesn't have and wont gain the appreciation or admiration from Johnny that the storyteller would provide.

The Fixer: it really is a beautiful song about someone that just wants to make the world a better place (Stones observation that i agree with). Its not about Ed fixing songs. It has a bigger picture.

Supersonic: Love for music. Simple as that.

Saying this album lacks passion or inspiration really does baffle me. I think there is alot of reading between the lines that a lot of people don't care for these days. I see this album as just an appreciation for life. Every song to me screams the idea of cherishing it all, and that there will be an end but that's ok as long as you ride life until that point. Pearl Jam puts away the idea of having to take a stand and fight something on this album. Instead they are embracing.



Major Flaw time:
Boy overall i think it is an exceptional album. The pros outweigh the cons by a landslide. The only flaw i have is its guitar work . Being a guitar player i was looking for more from mike and stone. Playing rockband really helped me hear how empty the guitars are on this album. Having said that , them laying low really opened the door for Stone and Jeff to put out there best collective effort to date and i can appreciate that .

I like the step back from needing to be overly passionate. If you never mark the surface, then you have no notion of depth.

My one big complaint about this record is that it runs a little too close to that (IMHO) obnoxious rock-half-soft-half trend the band has been tickling ever since...was it the greatest hits package? That dividing up of tracks so that all the slow stuff is in one place, all the hard stuff in another, only very rarely improves your resulting work. It might have made for something cool on Binaural. Might. On most records it just feels like a coupla EPs pasted together.

I don't honestly know that there are any transitions on this record that I would want to fuck with, but that mismatch styling always bums me.

Maybe to clarify even more how I feel...the album seems to have less reason to be passionate when compared to OTHER Pearl Jam albums. That is not to say there is zero passion on Backspacer. Not at all! But when I COMPARE this album to the other 8, it stands out as the weakest entry for me in that category.

Ok. I can see how you could feel that way. I do not feel the same way but i do agree there is not a clear cut subject. i would argue that is on par with No Code in that aspect though.

Like i said i feel its about Life, Love and appreciation. It comes across to me very strongly. Not so much to you and that's fair.

This is the flaw for me. It's not devastating, because his voice is used well, but I want more from those words than just the way they sound.

Buggy feels there's a certain lack of passion as it relates to previous Pearl Jam records. I have to agree that as a whole it's not as serious (lyrically), not as weighty as previous albums. But that's not a problem for me. I like hearing pearl jam on record having fun and celebrating life--this record feels the way a live show feels. It's not silly, exactly. JG is the closest the album gets to silly and that's too well-crafted a lyric to properly be called silly. Besides, I don't tend to like when PJ really gets goofy--Leatherman, Hitchhiker, Sweet Lew ... all those songs feel like a band goofing off, not one having a good time. Backspacer sounds like the band having a good time, but being serious as well.

For me, what's missing is a lyrical lack of focus.

That focus was clearly applied elsewhere. I'm a huge fan of this album. Musically it is focused. Brendan seems to have really helped them distill their songwriting to a fine brevity/quality ratio. And as I said before, the vocalization is good, too. Ed is obviously interested in that these days. But he says in the promo video that he didn't work on the lyrics for this one the way he usually does--stuff came to him and he went with it.

I don't know which songs came easily and which required a little more work. Maybe the ones that came out and needed no editing at all are actually the ones I think are best. I think JG is a great lyric, Amongst The Waves is really strong, Force of nature and The End are both quite good. But GSMF, Got Some, The Fixer, Just Breathe, Supersonic ... all of those could use just a little bit of work. Most still have their moments. GSMF has the most awesome two opening lines of any PJ record. The Supersonic chorus is something I adore. But, as a whole, too many of the songs here just seem to lack a real reason to be, they're not focused on anything.

having more passion for a certain cause, as Buggy suggests, would probably make the lyrics more focused--then again I know this isn't always a good thing.

But I listed to a song like ATW and I really hope that Ed really feels that song. I really hope that's where he is. And if it is, then I don't want him to go back to torturing himself for my listening pleasure.

I just have to mention the fact that The Fixer is not about Ed 'fixing' or helping the band write songs. Stone likes to joke about that, but Ed has confirmed that it's about the attitude a man too often has in a relationship: that he can fix everything for his girl. This song is about a character flaw.

That said...

I agree with the lack of passion, but I would use the words 'seriousness', 'importance' or even 'honesty.' It seems like they've taken all that's good about Pearl Jam and reduced it all into a nice, easily digestible soup. The songs don't have the depth or significance that Pearl Jam have had before, no, BUT as a whole the album is extremely strong and palatable. So I won't name 'lack of seriousness' as my major flaw, because it does not ruin the album for me. As Stip said, they've got enough very serious and sincere material so this 'fun' album is an enjoyable breath of fresh air.

I also think this album is without a single bad song, so I can't fault it for that.

So, my major flaw: the placing of Supersonic and Speed of Sound next to one another. I very much like them both as individual songs, but I can't understand their proximity to one another.. at all. I don't know what they contribute to one another, and my ears have a really hard time adjusting to the sincerity of Speed of Sound coming right after the 'silly dumb rock' of Supersonic. SOS is meant to be taken seriously and a lot of people are finding it hard to do so because the track before it completely undermines its message.

lack of seriousness. thin sounding guitars (although the strength of the bass and drums does make up for this to some degree, but i still don't like that thin sound all that much). i don't really get drawn in by most of the lyrics (a song like johnny guitar, that music, at times, sounds like it should have a place in a serious PJ song). unlike a lot of others, i'm not a huge fan of the vocal melodies on the album.

anyway, these are all applicable in a majority of the album for me, though i think they all have exceptions at some point.

Interesting, I had heard from Matt and most recently Mike (NPR I think?) that The Fixer was about Ed 'Fixing' the songs.



I agree, and would throw those words into the mix as well.

1. Lack of solos.
2. Lack of guitar interplay. Imagine how out of place a song like RVM would sound on this records.
3. The worst lyrical output by Ed ever. Hell, I think the topics are pretty boring.
4. I'm not a fan of any of the slower number. I think The End and Just Breathe are just awful.
5. Ed's vocals. He's become a generic sounding singer. Nothing special about any of the vocals.
6. Very generic production.
7. The attempt at a poppier, lighter sound. It's just not who they are.

I can't find a single moment of feeling the record or a song is epic.

After a month with the record and many many listens I gotta add speed of sound to my list. It's not a bad song, but it could have been a great song. Imagine giving Sleight of Hand that treatment

Wow. A lot of comments about flaws from everyone. I guess you could nitpick any album, so I won't argue any of the specific comments. Everyone gets out of Pearl Jam what they want, and if something doesn't sound good to you, then who are we to say you're wrong or right?

So, I have no issues with the album. It's an album they felt they needed and wanted to make, and you either take it and like it, or you don't. I think first and foremost, Pearl Jam makes the music for themselves and distribute to the public. I don't get (or agree) with comments saying "oh, this isn't PJ". It is PJ, whether you like it or not. It's what they wanted to create. Hey, I think Stupid Mop, Lukin, Spin the Black Circle suck, but that's part of Pearl Jam. I just don't ever listen to them. You don't have the right to say what is or isn't PJ. They do. Ten is Pearl Jam. Riot Act is Pearl Jam. Backspacer is now Pearl Jam.

I think my only main issue is that there is no song on it that abolutely blows me away (The End comes awfully close). People are right in saying that it's consistent; it's never that bad, but it's also IMO never THAT extraordinary. Maybe that's due to the lyrical material being relatively 'lightweight', but besides The End, my two favorite songs are Got Some and Johnny Guitar, so I don't think that's necessarily the problem. I don't think it's a problem per se, but whatever alchemy formed moments like Insignificance, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Last Exit, etc. didn't happen here. Like I said, that doesn't diminish the album to any great degree. It just doesn't get quite that high.

What Buggy wrote is fair to say (I added the italics); I don't see anybody saying this is not PJ. I do see people saying it would have been a better PJ album, and they would've liked it more, if they hadn't done what they did. Which is a fair criticism, whether or not I agree with it.

I agree with Buggy, the problem here is passion. Even Unthought Known which I adore I think soars due to artfullness not necessarilly passion. There really isn't anything on here where PJ grabs you and says you need to hear this and you need to feel this. They used to do this all the time even as late as Avocado with things like WWS and Life Wasted.

Riot Act may not have been that high on passion either, but there was a very consistent disassociative theme running through it which Ed delivered perfectly and consistently. For listeners like me who like that sort of thing, Riot Act is a beauty. No Code - not entirely passionate but extremely artfull.

Backspacer - not passionate, not artfull, not really sure what the point of it is actually except to put some pretty good songs out there...

Ed's squeeky vocals don't help either.

and artfull may not be a real world but I like to create words.

I've heard a few people say Ed's vocals on Backspacer are especially artistic or as above that his voice is "used well"...

I don't get this. To me, it barely sounds like his voice anymore. It sounds like he has a bad cold.