i think pearl jam has done better work with out trying...when they have tried it comes out bad....they from my opinion....need to express what they learned in life....even if is something we all might not like...but at least it makes a point...to try to influence us politically eddie vedder has over done it....i sent a message to their myspace.com page as well.....they don't help themselves considering radiohead,muse and other great bands who are not affraid of what eddie is.....and that is the new internet music....i will buy the album...am i going to stick to it like some other times..it doesn't sound like it from the video clip on mspace.com page they have running...this band used to not need to tell us that their lirics are better than other bands....and they do in the clip...eddie's voice still sounds good....but is in hidding....the lirics....have to be about him coming of age...like bob dylan and neil young...that's what i would like to see them come to in terms on longetivity...

I agree 100%.

Hey Robert Elias, stop reading too much into the music and what you would like to hear from them. Pearl Jam are a better band than radiohead or muse will ever be. Although I will agree with you regarding Eddie trying to influence us politically. This record is the some of the best work pearl jam has ever put out. Also you should learn to spell lyrics correctly!

Dear Robert

So you dont like Vedder to try and tell you who to vote on.
But how does that make you look, when you tell him what he "should" write about ?

Its their band, I'm glad they do what they like of it, without giving in to anyone's expectations. And I'm glad they're still around after all these years, passionately making music, to many people's ears and souls delight.

i pay for their music,i used to pay for the ten club memebership,i pay for their concerts....they should perform...not drink wine and tell me about the other side of rush limbaugh....i can care less about politics...lirics yes i do care.....listen to into the wild...and get the picture...that is when he does he's best work....matured and inteligent....

radiohead its been doing 20 times better than pearl jam since ok computer....i;m sorry you have no understanding where music is now....i still like pearl jam...but you know what even neil young is doing better than them....you probably live in the times of ten....

thanks!....

lets see the impact it might have on us....as true fans...this new album....i have truly moved on to other music....but i am interested in hearing them....from into the wild experience i think sometimes it might be better if they split...and he goes on his own way...hiw tempo in the low melodies seems to be still his best way of expression...the loud want to be back to the early 90's not sure is that appealing anymore....but than again.....we all have our moments right?

thanks to all you guys responses...and to spin magazine...

Hey Robert...I...can't...understand...you.

Do...you...know...what "..." is...used...for...?

Buy a clue, and THEN type.

i understand you....you're a die hard fan..

To Quote: Miguel "Its their band, I'm glad they do what they like of it, without giving in to anyone's expectations. And I'm glad they're still around after all these years, passionately making music, to many people's ears and souls delight." Well said.

Pearl Jam is and will remain my favorite band. I accept that they have political views and I do not mind hearing them, especially while drinking wine!

Into The Wild is an amazing sound track. The scope of artistic impression from Eddie's interpretation of the story, mixed with a medley of instruments, gave us poetic sounds that will last for ever.

The anticipation and discussion surrounding Backspacer is great! September 20 will be a great sounding day!

I can hardly wait to see Pearl Jam on Friday September 25 - it will be my first time seeing them live. Every other time they stopped by, I was unable to afford a ticket. Last year I was lucky enough to see Eddy back to back, when he preformed live in BC. I loved seeing his "Experiments" and I can only hope that he and the band will have a few "Experiments" on stage on Sept 25.

So in case anyone posts and disagree's with Robert's clever postings. Realize that you can't have a differing opinion with Robert because therefore you must be a die hard fan and can't see the forest through the trees.

Great cd. One of the best I've heard in a long while.

like the other guy i agree 100% with Robert

eddie made a mess in the early 90's staying behind and keep satying behind.

his goers are into ten.look at that last album they sold us.

leave Robert alone and make a point.would you?

mook needs to read what pj fan wrote than respond adequate.me too in a long time.so we agree on something.the long time part....

i've seen them 3 times and than one time got a free ticket in a contest by being the fan with the more complete collection of their discography and gear.didn't bother go to see them.the last was with eddie by himself on the into the wild tour.if it wasn't because of my girlfriend i would have walked out.he was hung over kept reminding us about it.and took a banner of obamma back and forth on the back of the stage and spend most of the night talking about politics.in between songs.drunk the whole time singing really bad.plus some of the people rude at the concert were just not what i expected old school dressed.just like eddie vedder. again he needs to split and go his own way.or decide once and for all is he following us.or are we following him.because i am not going to hear music that makes me think the world is wrong.maybe i been wrong all along with this guy.but there was a time i would just hear and hear the albums coming out.sunday is a special day for me too.but is it for pearl jam the band?

clever ......thanks.....so you consider your self a die hard fan i see....it wouldn't surprise me if ten is your best album.and when you drink you feel eddie is gifted.or do you have a difference of opinion?twicker days are over is all i'm trying to say....this loud stuff does not suit well with eddie,just look at this postings where the spark came from.a critic rather than a die hard fan.been there done that.music was over from them since vs but some of us followed.and some always will be there.good for them....and of course the next guy will say....can't we all get along?....no videos for many years?no bootlegs concerts?than that is all they have been giving us....if i want to buy a cd from japan,australia in concert they have it with the same repition of songs...as if they feel in debt for us for not giving it to us when we want it.at last....members get a christmas cd as if we were kids.....aren't we all from those times in other faces in life?....keep writting i have more.....i wish eddie gets involved in this subjects....the politician.

hey, do you know what a period is? or for that matter a sentence?

have you seen eddie's lirics...not only on one album but all his albums....do you actually hear what he writes?....or are you like the pearl jam magazine which i bought when available and we ...meaning all didn't know what it was a word or two?

give you an example...nocode.....make sense before you write in response...so sad it becomes about me not pearl jam ans their new album coming up on sunday....and we are spin magazine.soes that tell you something?

oh wait i use slang that's why you can understand me.

keep at it

i was just listening to the fixer....is that bruce springsteen wanting to be eddie vedder or eddie vedder trying to be bruce?

Thanks for the great review on the forthcoming album from one of my all time favorite bands, Pearl Jam. Looking forward to the new album; especially after reading this review.

However, with regards to "Obama in the White House means no political bellyaching"...
Lets not assume all is well (for Eddie, or for America) since the GOP are out of power. People are starting to recognize that there are no significant differences between the corporate-controlled Demicans and Republocrats. Consider the one (and only) campaign pledge that President Obama has actually come through on thus far... escalating the war in Afghanistan!

Medicare For All! Single Payer! HR 676!
http://www.madashelldoctors.com/
http://www.singlepayeraction.org/
http://www.pnhp.org/

i agree 100%

love pearl jam ... but this is lacking something, possibly heartfelt emotion.

I don't think Pearl Jam are looking at Radiohead, Muse etc as compeditors as much as they might see them as fellow travellers on the music trail...and listening to Pearl Jam from an early age I quickly caught on to the fact that they aren't putting album sales infront of creative freedom which is something I love about them. In regards to politics, I think in the last few years its been really hard not think/write/talk/sing about politics whether you are a musician or not, and I commend the band on standing up and using their platform for something other than showboating or collecting "status" points with the media.

With the re-release of Ten almost signalling the end of one journey, Backspacer begins a new one that I find exciting yet filled with all the elements of Pearl Jam that I have loved for years.

I've listened to Pearl Jam since their 90's heyday and I've enjoyed every album for various reasons. Part of what I've enjoyed most is being able to walk beside the band and grow along with them. It's easy to take shots at them for not being the same band that put out Ten or Vs but they're not. They're fortysomething year old musicians that have moved past the angst of youth and have seen a world far bigger than most of us get to see. Personally I can't stand Ten anymore. They've done far more creative things since that record. It's great for nostalgia but I don't think it's the definition of PJ.

I've listened to Backspacer nearly five times now and find it to be one of their finest records. It's nice to hear something positive for once that reeks of optimism and energy. I think PJ has been reinvigorated these last few years and it's a good damn thing.

As for the statements earlier regarding Muse and Radiohead, I find it hard to compare these bands to PJ. Radiohead hasn't been truly inspired since OK Computer. In Rainbows came close but not quite. Muse ,I actually really like Muse, but let's be honest, these kids are Radiohead and Queen all rolled into one. They make some pretty good tunes but they're nothing but an amalgam of the two. Pretty far from being the future of music in my opinion.

Just my two cents.

Radiohead hasn’t had anything good since "Kid A" and didn’t put out anything good until "The Bends." So that’s three good albums to Pearl Jam's six. It seems that Radiohead are in that stage of albums that pearl jam was during Binaural and Riot Act, in a little funk when it comes to grabbing new listener attention, but keeping their devoted fans, maybe that planned it that way, I believe Pearl Jam did.
I find it commendable that Pearl Jam stick to the basics because The Who, The Ramones, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Neil Young etc. are a big part of Rock's core sound, and if you veer too far away from that you start sounding like Fall Out Boy. There is only so much you can change to a style of music before it sounds really bad and empty, just listen to a Ramones album then listen to a Blink-182 album right after... no thanks, I think I'll stick to the Ramones.

I witnessed one of the greatest shows I have ever seen on Aug 24th, and that was Pearl Jam at the Chicago United Center. They had tons of energy, they enjoyed playing together, and the fans were in awe of how well they all read off each other in their collective and individual instrumental performances, moments that I hardly ever witness through seeing hundreds of other bands play live. Stone and Mike were in true form, Jeff sounded better than ever, Matt was on fire, and Eddies vocals were perfection. Even though i didnt make the Aug 23rd show, I heard they were just as good that night. The fact that you think Pearl Jam should break up is utterly ridiculous, they are still in their prime. Eleven years after seeing them for the first time in '98 they were better in '09. Every great band usually starts out as a live band, and let me tell you, Pearl jam was great that night, so even if they put out a mediocre album, they still are an amazing band.

Um, I think we learned how to type complete sentences in 2nd grade. I think you were dissing Pearl Jam there but I have too much brain ache from bad grammer to comment.

I agree with Neuge, Pearl Jam is one of the best live bands you will ever see. No they dont put on any crazy pyro technics or do anything flashy, but they go out there and play for hours and they play up to the fans which is the most important thing. I took a friend of mine who is not a huge pearl jam fan and didnt even really know a lot of the more recent music to one of the MSG shows last year and when he walked out he was like WOW! That was one of the best shows that he has ever seen.

Robert Elias you sound like an ass and really dont seem to know much about music, especially since you are spitting out crap about Radiohead and Muse. Both great bands in their own right, but neither can hold a candle to pearl jam!

I don't think anyone is making any sense on this board. Pearl Jam, thanks for the music.

Dude, your a bit of a wanker ain't you. i've read all of your posts and besides being completely illiterate, you are just a hater. Somebody once said a fool will always mock what he cannot understand. PJ rocks then and now.