Lets Actually Listen to the Album: Backspacer

[stip]

the celine dion thing is like comparing something to Bon Jovi. It's a way to dismiss a song by comparing it to an artist few people respect without having to make a case for why you feel that way AND simultaneously imply that anyone who does like it must have shitty taste in music.

[harmless]

I just don't see how "I can imagine Celine Dion singing it" is an explanation for a song being generic. If you told me you think "Amongst The Waves" sounds just like a lot of Celine Dion songs or like 100 generic adult adult contemporary songs I would understand you. (But I wouldn't agree) I'm just being a bit pedantic I guess. A song could be a totally inventive power ballad and I could probably imagine Celine Dion singing it. That wouldn't make it generic just because she wrote generic music.

Forgive me for assuming that the typical RM user would associate Celine Dion with generic adult contemporary music. I should have known better.

I can't say the song sounds like 100 Celine Dion or adult contemporary songs because I do not listen to Celine Dion or adult contemporary songs by choice, I just know what the genre sounds like from its presence in the mainstream and pop culture, and this involves typical standard song structures, big epic choruses with simple imagery, lyrics about souls being saved, etc. I simply thought the fact that ATW just generally sounds like this type of music spoke volumes in itself. I guess that's too subjective to be of any substance.

Yeah, I totally know what you mean and I do associate Celine Dion with generic adult contemporary music. I just had a problem with how Amongst The Waves is generic just because you could imagine someone that makes generic music singing it. I could imagine her singing alot of non-generic songs.
I get where you're coming from saying Amongst The Waves is generic if it sounds like all that generic crap to you.
What makes you think of Celine Dion in Amongst The Waves? Is it everything or just Eddie?

I've just thought of the PERFECT thing to replace Stone's guitar solo: the low Irish whistle part in that Titanic song.

[harmless]

the celine dion thing is like comparing something to Bon Jovi. It's a way to dismiss a song by comparing it to an artist few people respect without having to make a case for why you feel that way AND imply that anyone who does like it must have shitty taste in music.

Bingo.

The funny thing is, I can see other people comparing their own favourite bands' worst songs to Pearl Jam.

[Mike]

the celine dion thing is like comparing something to Bon Jovi. It's a way to dismiss a song by comparing it to an artist few people respect without having to make a case for why you feel that way AND imply that anyone who does like it must have shitty taste in music.

Bingo.

The funny thing is, I can see other people comparing their own favourite bands' worst songs to Pearl Jam.

Yeah, Pearl Jam doesn't seem to be very popular among...uh..."hipper" people.

[LikeLukin]

I just don't see how "I can imagine Celine Dion singing it" is an explanation for a song being generic. If you told me you think "Amongst The Waves" sounds just like a lot of Celine Dion songs or like 100 generic adult adult contemporary songs I would understand you. (But I wouldn't agree) I'm just being a bit pedantic I guess. A song could be a totally inventive power ballad and I could probably imagine Celine Dion singing it. That wouldn't make it generic just because she wrote generic music.

Forgive me for assuming that the typical RM user would associate Celine Dion with generic adult contemporary music. I should have known better.

I can't say the song sounds like 100 Celine Dion or adult contemporary songs because I do not listen to Celine Dion or adult contemporary songs by choice, I just know what the genre sounds like from its presence in the mainstream and pop culture, and this involves typical standard song structures, big epic choruses with simple imagery, lyrics about souls being saved, etc. I simply thought the fact that ATW just generally sounds like this type of music spoke volumes in itself. I guess that's too subjective to be of any substance.

Yeah, I totally know what you mean and I do associate Celine Dion with generic adult contemporary music. I just had a problem with how Amongst The Waves is generic just because you could imagine someone that makes generic music singing it. I could imagine her singing alot of non-generic songs.
I get where you're coming from saying Amongst The Waves is generic if it sounds like all that generic crap to you.
What makes you think of Celine Dion in Amongst The Waves? Is it everything or just Eddie?

Eddie. It's always Eddie.

[harmless]

I just don't see how "I can imagine Celine Dion singing it" is an explanation for a song being generic. If you told me you think "Amongst The Waves" sounds just like a lot of Celine Dion songs or like 100 generic adult adult contemporary songs I would understand you. (But I wouldn't agree) I'm just being a bit pedantic I guess. A song could be a totally inventive power ballad and I could probably imagine Celine Dion singing it. That wouldn't make it generic just because she wrote generic music.

Forgive me for assuming that the typical RM user would associate Celine Dion with generic adult contemporary music. I should have known better.

I can't say the song sounds like 100 Celine Dion or adult contemporary songs because I do not listen to Celine Dion or adult contemporary songs by choice, I just know what the genre sounds like from its presence in the mainstream and pop culture, and this involves typical standard song structures, big epic choruses with simple imagery, lyrics about souls being saved, etc. I simply thought the fact that ATW just generally sounds like this type of music spoke volumes in itself. I guess that's too subjective to be of any substance.

Yeah, I totally know what you mean and I do associate Celine Dion with generic adult contemporary music. I just had a problem with how Amongst The Waves is generic just because you could imagine someone that makes generic music singing it. I could imagine her singing alot of non-generic songs.
I get where you're coming from saying Amongst The Waves is generic if it sounds like all that generic crap to you.
What makes you think of Celine Dion in Amongst The Waves? Is it everything or just Eddie?

Eddie. It's always Eddie.

Don't you know? These guys could never make a good album without Eddie!

[Soulfire]

I have hated Backspacer for a long time. I decided to give it another spin, but it isn't like I haven't heard songs from it plenty of times since I quit listening to it as an entire album. However, it has been a long time since I've listened to it from start to finish and I wanted to give it another fair shake before Lightning Bolt is released.

I still hate the majority of this album. From craptastic fades, cheez whiz oozing from the seams as Brendan O'Brien pretends he's the long lost missing band member that Pearl Jam has been longing for, to and abundance of songs that just don't sound like "Pearl Jam" to me, I can't stand this album as an album.

There are individual songs that I like, but really nothing much that I love. For me, it remains the weakest album they have released by far. Listening to Backspacer again and knowing Brendan O'Brien is once again acting as if he's in the band based on seeing him walking out on stage to perform his cheez whizardry in person, I'm reminded that I'm dreading what Lightning Bolt may contain for me. I'm finding myself feeling PJ is "missing" rather than "hitting" with me in a lot of their recent output (but I love Mind Your Manners).

I see reviews in this thread of people loving songs like Speed of Sound or Amongst The Waves and I find myself wondering when these fans found the band and what other music appeals to them. Listening to this album again tonight has left me thinking that PJ really needs to get back into a room together and flesh out music together instead of bringing in rather completed ideas and throwing some lyrics onto them, etc. The music of Backspacer is certainly not the music I found myself entranced by long ago, nor does it seem to resemble a "natural evolution" or a pleasant surprise I'm craving. And trust me, I've been enjoying PJ since pretty much the beginning and have hung with them through many surprises and gear shiftings, but a lot of music on Backspacer strikes me as ear shittings instead of gear shiftings. Backspacer hits me as an underdeveloped compilation of music without a coherent idea behind it and lesser musicianship that a new wannabe member of the band tried to inject himself into and polish in ways that do not match the real band members' creative output. Dare I call this Pop Pearl Jam?

Gonna See My Friend - It's alright, but nothing special to me and seems a bit recycled. I'd give it around a 7
Got Some - I like it quite alright, but it isn't special either. I'll give it a generous 8
The Fixer - These lyrics still suck, but overall I'd say listening again helped me bump it to a 7
Johnny Guitar - This song at least surprised me and has some infectiousness to me 8
Just Breathe - Plagued by cheez whizardy and soft rock debilitation, had some potential that was killed 4
Amongst The Waves - Bleh 4
Unthought Known Album version is neutered and too forced. 6, maybe a 7 if I'm in a good mood.
Supersonic - I can jam to it, but nothing special and pales compared to Sonic Reducer, etc. 6
Speed of Sound This is horrible. Cheezy as hell. 3
Force of Nature - Some potential, but misses being magic by a decent amount instead. Generous at 6
The End - Lots of potential killed by more cheez whizardy from Brendan O'Brien's heavy hand. 6

[Lounge Lizard]

...Gonna See My Friend - It's alright, but nothing special to me and seems a bit recycled. I'd give it around a 7
Got Some - I like it quite alright, but it isn't special either. I'll give it a generous 8
The Fixer - These lyrics still suck, but overall I'd say listening again helped me bump it to a 7
Johnny Guitar - This song at least surprised me and has some infectiousness to me 8
Just Breathe - Plagued by cheez whizardy and soft rock debilitation, had some potential that was killed 4
Amongst The Waves - Bleh 4
Unthought Known Album version is neutered and too forced. 6, maybe a 7 if I'm in a good mood.
Supersonic - I can jam to it, but nothing special and pales compared to Sonic Reducer, etc. 6
Speed of Sound This is horrible. Cheezy as hell. 3
Force of Nature - Some potential, but misses being magic by a decent amount instead. Generous at 6
The End - Lots of potential killed by more cheez whizardy from Brendan O'Brien's heavy hand. 6

Like me you were drawn to Pearl Jam because of qualities opposite to what's on display in Backspacer.
I can still enjoy some songs, though. GSMF, JG, ATW, UK are very good though uncharacteristic of PJ in many ways.

[Mike]

I see reviews in this thread of people loving songs like Speed of Sound or Amongst The Waves and I find myself wondering when these fans found the band and what other music appeals to them.

It's totally possible to be a long time Pearl Jam fan and enjoy these songs at the same time. My favorite albums are Vitalogy and No Code if you're wondering.

[harmless]

I see reviews in this thread of people loving songs like Speed of Sound or Amongst The Waves and I find myself wondering when these fans found the band and what other music appeals to them.

It's totally possible to be a long time Pearl Jam fan and enjoy these songs at the same time. My favorite albums are Vitalogy and No Code if you're wondering.

I found this band in 1991 and still really like both of those songs. But yeah, we must be newer / younger fans because our music taste can stretch to that

[Got Some]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=plpp&v=s3m4gvJDrlo

[Strat]

"We've made our excessive record, and we'll probably make another one next time har har har"


I hope

[harmless]

That EPK made Backspacer look way better than it was.

[Django Butterworth]

With the exception of Force of Nature, Backspacer is a pretty good record.

[harmless]

With the exception of Force of Nature, Backspacer is a pretty good record.

There's a bit more wrong with it than that, but yes it is a good, flawed record.

[Strat]

That EPK made Backspacer look way better than it was.

You hear them playing the fixer and got some and just breathe and its all so raw and feels much more organic.

The production really is over the top. And i dont mean adding lasers to SOS, but all the levels are boosted so heavily and compressed to shit that it doesnt feel like a band playing in the same room together.

I do enjoy backspacer but ....

[Django Butterworth]

There's a lot wrong with Vitalogy too, but it doesn't garner the type of hate Backspacer does.

[harmless]

That EPK made Backspacer look way better than it was.

You hear them playing the fixer and got some and just breathe and its all so raw and feels much more organic.

The production really is over the top. And i dont mean adding lasers to SOS, but all the levels are boosted so heavily and compressed to shit that it doesnt feel like a band playing in the same room together.

I do enjoy backspacer but ....

Yup.

We're going to get more of the same production-wise, probably, but hopefully the songs suit the treatment better this time.

[PHATJ]

There's a lot wrong with Vitalogy too, but it doesn't garner the type of hate Backspacer does.

Take that back you dick!

[harmless]

There's a lot wrong with Vitalogy too, but it doesn't garner the type of hate Backspacer does.

There's nothing wrong with Vitalogy.