What is Each Album's Major Flaw?: Backspacer

[McParadigm]

It's OK Bilbo is Batman was insightful enough.

?

Spoiler: show

[stip]

It's OK Bilbo is Batman was insightful enough.

?

Spoiler: show

In one of my several recent critiques of the Hobbit (the book) I pointed out that Bilbo is basically Batman. He solves every problem, handles every crisis, and turns every other character (except gandalf) into an incompetent idiot who exists yo make bilbo look impressive)

[LetMeSleep]

Ah, the much maligned Backspacer. I like this album more than most folks around here. The concept behind Backspacer is fantastic – a short album (esp. by today’s standards, where every CD is 80 minutes) with short, sharp songs that pack a punch. As an idea, this is great. The execution of that idea is Backspacker’s fatal flaw. There are some good, short tunes on here: GSMF, Got Some, the Fixer, Johnny Guitar. Those are the first four songs on the album and they bode well for the whole thing. Now one could get nit-picky and say that those first four songs pale in comparison to rockers from the band’s heyday. I don’t disagree. These songs are not on par with even some of the rockers on S/T and certainly nothing before that. But this is PJ Mach II and you take what you can get. So we have a good idea, followed by some songs that – while not great by PJ standards – at least achieve Backspacer’s modest goals.

Then it all goes to shit. The fatal flaw of Backspacer is abandoning the original concept and letting half of the album become acoustic Eddie solo tunes. I admit that I liked Just Breathe and the End when I first heard them. Ed personally killed Just Breathe for me by playing it into the ground during live shows – and them stomping and kicking its corpse a few times for good measure. If I never hear that song again, I will be a happier man for it. I can still sit through the End, but you have to sort of get yourself into a particular headspace for maudlin songs that offer musings about death. This is not easy listening in any sense of the word. I like Amongst the Waves (the lyrical theme is similar to Just Breath and the End) but it also doesn’t really fit the original (better) concept. So the big flaw of Backspacer is letting Strummin’ Ed and the Acoustics take over the record. What could have been a decent attempt at a welcome concept became an album that did not truly satisfy on any front.

Oh, and that sub-high-school-poetry-class “gems and rhinestones” lyric that everyone thinks is so great? Yeah, that sucks.

Well said Pry,To. I always enjoy that 1-4 run too. JB kills the album and AtW can't get it back again. I retrack it as a 8 track album and from memory go 1-4>SoS which transitions well.

[Leatherhead]

“gems and rhinestones”

Yea, I hate this lyric.

[McParadigm]

“gems and rhinestones”

Yea, I hate this lyric.

I'd take a thousand of that, though, to never get any more of that "I pull you close, so much to lose" artless, lazy drivel. Give me goofy imagery over heartless simplicity that would offend a Hallmark card buyer any day of the week.

[stip]

I quite like the gems and rhinestones lyric

[stip]

Though I agree that Eddie seems to conflate the sincerity of a sentiment with its profundity, and his more intimate songs have suffered for it lyrically of late


Having said that, the 'I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love' lyric is great

[stip]

Though I agree that Eddie seems to conflate the sincerity of a sentiment with its profundity, and his more intimate songs have suffered for it lyrically of late


Having said that, the 'I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love' lyric is great

[Jorge]

Though I agree that Eddie seems to conflate the sincerity of a sentiment with its profundity, and his more intimate songs have suffered for it lyrically of late


Having said that, the 'I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love' lyric is great

[Jorge]

Though I agree that Eddie seems to conflate the sincerity of a sentiment with its profundity, and his more intimate songs have suffered for it lyrically of late


Having said that, the 'I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love' lyric is great

[stip]

Though I agree that Eddie seems to conflate the sincerity of a sentiment with its profundity, and his more intimate songs have suffered for it lyrically of late


Having said that, the 'I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love' lyric is great

that's such crap

but

Though I agree that Eddie seems to conflate the sincerity of a sentiment with its profundity, and his more intimate songs have suffered for it lyrically of late


Having said that, the 'I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love' lyric is great

I can agree with this.

[96583UP]

crap on both hands is great

[Kaius]

I can't believe Backspacer is actually being discussed right now.

[LetMeSleep]

only here

[Kaius]

Don't mind me, LMS. I was just trying to be clever. It doesn't always work out in my favor.

[VinylGuy]

The time between albums is Backspacer mayor flaw, because its such a short and light themed record, it really needed that EP Mike hinted at the time.
As for the album itself, the first 4 tracks are very very good, they rock and still sound fresh and new for a band like PJ. They never did something like that before...Just Breathe is ok, i get the hate and i get the love.

After that it kinda drags a little because neither UK and ATW are as strong as they need, they are the center pieces and dont quite belong there. I wonder if Of the earth wasnt needed there...

I do love Speed of sound and Force of nature.

[BurtReynolds]

If Lightning Bolt came out a week after Backspacer, they would both still suck.

[VinylGuy]

If Lightning Bolt came out a week after Backspacer, they would both still suck.

Nope.

[BurtReynolds]

I think my argument is airtight.

[holdtightthething]

I think my argument is airtight.

Airtight as an old boat with a bunch of holes in it.