Backspacer Review: New Pearl Jam!

It's here!

 

Actually, we got two -- yes, we pre-ordered TWO of the new Pearl Jam album.
Frankie came home this weekend, especially because he knew it would be arriving in the mail. (AND because he wanted to watch the Giants/Dallas game with Brianne, of course.) But Pearl Jam had a lot to do with it.

Because we pre-ordered, it came in early. The album actually goes on sale today at Target. You should definitely go get some!

We've been listening to it obsessively for the last two days already. (We have to get ready for the concert, after all!) I have some definite favorites, and some I really don't like too much. But Thor says I'm gonna change my mind about those songs, and love them too. We'll see; I do tend to like songs more over time.

SPOILER ALERT: I'm gonna tell ya all about my opinion about every song. If you don't care, here is a good place to stop reading! :) ('Bye, Mom. I'll call ya later.) It's my early opinions; I probably will change them as I listen to it more. And keep in mind, I'm no Pearl Jam expert. That would be my son and my husband. But I know what I like. And I'll probably like this album more and more, as I listen to it more and more.

The album itself has some feelings of a spiritual progression, I think. Listening to it now, it makes me think of the spiritual growth and life cycle of the main character, who I guess is Eddie... or maybe anyone. (This is all just my own opinion, of course. But this is what I'm getting out of it...)

The first two songs are "Gonna See My Friends" and "Got Some." Fast paced, and they blend together in my head. He's talking about being a victim of desire, about being sick of everything and depending on something outside of himself (other substances, other people, rock songs, whatever) to take away the pain and agitation. I really don't like these songs; but then, I think I'm trying to be passed this point on my own spiritual evolution, so they don't really say anything I want to hear about.

The third one, "The Fixer," is the song they've been playing on the radio. It's fast, it's catchy, but I don't like it much. Something about it doesn't hit me right. Maybe because it's too catchy. Maybe it will grow on me; it definitely stays in your head. It will probably be one of the big hits off the album. Thor says I'm a "b-side chick", which is probably true. I don't usually like the hit singles as much anyway. But in this song, the character seems to be more positive, and working to fix what's wrong, not just avoiding the problems. He says, "I'll say your prayers, I'll take your side, I'll find us a way to make light, I'll dig your grave, We'll sing and dance, what say, could be our last lifetime!"

Track four is pretty cool; some how, I hear something of Kings of Leon in that song. Something about the way Eddie sings it. I'm not going to figure out why, but I do like it. It's called "Johnny Guitar" but it seems to be more about the girl in the song, and I'm not sure who she is really, but he does say that "the type of girl responsible for original sin... can't help but wonder where and who she is..."

After that, if you skip right to track 5, you've gotten to the section of the album I like best, a run of a few PERFECT songs. Track 5, "Just Breathe," is one of the greatest songs on the album. "Just Breathe" is slow, but upbeat, and it's a lot like one of the songs on the "Into the Wild" album. ..."I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love... some folks just have one, others they got none, aw huh.... Stay with me... Let's just breathe..." I love that song. We can listen to that one over and over, for sure.

Track 6 is "Amongst The Waves". Love that song too! "Love ain't love until you give it up... Riding High amongst the waves... I can feel like I, have a soul that has been saved... I can see the light, coming through the clouds in rays, gotta say it now, better loud, than too late..." There is a lot of great lyrics in this album.

Track 7 is absolutely amazing. "Unthought Known" is the name. It's my favorite track on the album. I've put it on auto repeat over and over already. It's upbeat, not really slow, but not over the top... and then it swells and builds. It's gonna be GREAT in concert. The lyrics are wonderful, and the whole song is very meaningful. My favorite lyrics are "Feel the sky blanket you, with gems and rhinestones... see the path cut by the moon, for you to walk on... for you to walk on..." I think it's got a beautiful message. You've GOTTA HEAR IT!!!!

Supersonic, Track 8, is the song that Frankie seems to dislike the most, for some reason; it's got a superfast, punky feel. I like it well enough, but it hasn't grown on me yet. I'll probably like it more over time.

Speed of Sound and Force of Nature are songs I think I'm going to like more after I've gotten over my obsession with Track 7.

And then, the final track, named "The End" -- is where the main character, whoever he is -- is looking back and ready to go, and he's passing away. It's slow and haunting. He says, "slide on next to me, I'm just a human being... I will take the blame, but just the same, this is not me... you see... believe... I'm better than this." And it ends, abruptly, like a life; but it goes on in your mind, leaving you wanting more, like the spirit never ending











and that's the album. I really love it.

Arc

I haven't posted an Eddy Vedder video in at least a week. So here ya go. WATCH IT, I'm tellin' ya! Well, you might not like it. It's very tribal, chanting. He samples his voice and keeps looping it back.

When we went to the NJ PAC last week ... was it just last week? Or two weeks ago? Anyway, he did Arc then. It was way better than this one. It was a total goosebumps experience. But this is good too.

I don't know why noone is allowed to post videos for that show.

Anyway, I'm in a music mood.

Into the Wild Bus -- more or less

There was a book, called Into the Wild, which was recently made into a movie. Of course, my family was really into it, mainly because Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam made the sound track. You might remember that we went into NYC to see it when it first came out. But in addition to the sound track, the story was very appealing to us as well.




It was about this kid, Christopher McCandless. (Did I spell that correctly?) It's a true story. After this kid graduated college, he had enough money and good enough grades to go to Harvard Grad school and make his parents proud. But instead, he ran away from home. He wanted to get away from society and the materialistic culture we live in. At first, he just wandered around as a tramp. Eventually, He decided he wanted to go "into the wild", on a great Alaskan adventure, and live off the fat of the land. Unfortunately, the kid wasn't well prepared or well trained.

He made it to Alaska, where he found an abandoned bus to live in. He kept a journal of sorts, which is how anyone knows anything about him. And it seems, according to the movie, that he found the answers he was looking for -- but it was too late. He couldn't get back out of the wild. When he tried to hike out, the streams he had crossed going in had become raging rivers he couldn't cross. Being unprepared, he hadn't brought a map to find his way to the place he could ford the river. Then, he accidentally ate poison berries. And died. In the bus.

It was a great story.

No, really, it was, because some of the philosophical questions he had raised were answered... at least, they were in the movie. It's lovely how a movie can tie everything together. It was almost like he sacrificed himself to show you the way to a happy life. More or less. And the video was gorgeous, of all the beautiful scenery.

Plus, obviously the sound track was great -- I like it more than Frankie does, because it's more simplified without the whole Pearl Jam band backing Eddie. And actually, Vedder is doing a solo tour, and tickets go on sale tomorrow. So I have my fingers crossed to go.

So. The point to my story is this.

Frank and I went to the Catskills this weekend. We decided to look into buying property, like a summer house or something. (Which we decided against, but that's a whole other story.) But... one of the properties we found was this.




It was so "Into the Wild", I really would like to get it. It even had a spring, and a two-seater out house! Unfortunately, the out house is just up hill, close to the spring. This seems like a really BAD idea to me.

As for the real "Into the Wild" bus, in Alaska, where the kid actually died, it has apparently become quite a tourist attraction. Which is a really bad idea, because it's obviously a dangerous place... it killed McCandless!

Pearl Jam

Finally got our photos!

Frank had the SD card with all the photos on it from the two Pearl Jam concerts. I finally got hold of it, so here are my top three choices of photos to blog...

 

Here are my very happy boys. They enjoyed it very much. So did I.

Pearl Jam - Telephoto

 

At Madison Square Garden, 2008

Pearl Jam.

OK, I've put videos of Pearl Jam on here before, and I know you all don't really care, but I went to the show on Tuesday -- and Frank and Frankie went to the show on Wednesday, also -- and you all have NO IDEA what kind of an experience.

The video doesn't do it much justice, either. I searched the you tube site, and this was one of several good clips. But you just can't get the full effect. The camera has an eye that's too small. The microphone isn't big enough. You can't feel the vibrations.

I'm telling you, it's like a religion. More than a little.

No one around here, of my friends, have any interest in Pearl Jam. No one of the kids friends do either. It almost feels like no one likes them. And yet the concert was sold out within 7 minutes. I know of people who came from Greece and Portugal and Texas to be at this show. When you start to really get into it, you are willing to spend the money to travel purely for the concert.

Every seat was full, and every person in the stadium seemed to know every word to every song. People were singing and dancing. The concrete stadium was actually bouncing, literally. It doesn't usually.

I hated Pearl Jam when I first heard them. They were too hard, and all the words blurred together, I had no idea what they were saying. But after years, I'm converted.



Garden (live)
Time: 6:52
Gossard, Ament, Vedder
From the single "Dissident"
She don't wander in here don't wander in here she
She don't wander in here don't wander in here
The direction of the eye so misleading
The defection of the soul yea nauseously clear
I don't question our existence
I just question our modern needs don't wander in here she
She don't wander in here
I will walk with my hands bound
I will walk with my face blood
I will walk with my shadow flag
A-into your garden garden of stone yeah
After all is done and we're still alone yea
I won't be taken yet I'll go with my hands bound
I will walk with my face blood
I will walk with my shadow flag
Into your garden garden of stone-ah yeah
I don't show I don't share
I don't need yeah What you have to give yeah ah
Oooh I will walk with my hands bound
I will walk with my face blood
I will walk with my shadow flag
Into your garden garden oh
I will walk with my hands bound
I will walk into your garden garden of stone yea
I don't show I don't care
I don't need yeah no need to live me to live me to live Ha
---------------------
I still don't know exactly what he's saying, but the feeling comes through.

Into the Wild -- the book...

I just finished reading "Into the Wild", a non-fictional story. I read the book because I saw the movie, and I saw the movie because Eddie Vedder did the sound track. It all comes back to Pearl Jam, right? Actually, though, I am really glad I read the book, and it has nothing to do with Pearl Jam.

The sound track is great. I've had it on heavy rotation for a few weeks already. It's not so much "hard" rock as other Pearl Jam stuff is. It's rather haunting and melodic or something.

The movie was great too. It had some beautiful, amazing cinematography, gorgeous scenery. It isn't getting any screen time near my house, or I would go see it again. It isn't the kind of thing that most people want to go see for light entertainment. Not a lot of dialog, not the "shoot 'em up" kind of action, although I would say there was a lot of action... Not the happily ever after kind of ending that you would like, because it was TRUE. What you got was a true to life ending.

I couldn't imagine what the book was going to be like, because the movie was so visual. There was a very strong underlining meaning, but I really didn't understand how what I saw (and heard) was going to be worded in a book.

In spite of the fact that I heard the sound track and THEN saw the movie, and THEN read the book, the book really did come first. I wish I had read the book first. There was a lot of philosophy in the book that came across in the movie, but in a simplified way. I got so much more out of the book. I can't wait to see the movie again!

Waiting for the SHOW

 
Why didn't we get a picture with Tim???

OK, the question was raised -- who is Tim? You can visit Tim at his blog at Donnelly Ink. He's the guy in the music biz who we got to know when Frankie was sick, through a friend of a friend of a friend, who knows Eddie Vedder well enough to ask him to call Frankie -- and have Eddie actually call.

RED CARPET PREMIERE!!!

 

The other day, we got a call out of the blue from Tim Donnelly, who let us know that the recent Pearl Jam DVD -- which he had helped collaborate on -- was being released (which we already knew, of course) -- at a Super Cool premiere in Manhattan at the Ziegfield Theater. He wanted to know if we wanted to go. (Look at these pictures again, and Take a guess.)

The first consideration -- work/school. I'm waking up at such an ungodly hour now (5:30) that I've been going to bed super early. OK, I was fine with that, I can sleep on the train.

Then, Frank's work -- he was definitely interested. He figured he could get out of work on time to make it home and then to the train and then to the theater.

Then, school. It was "back to school night." I wouldn't get to meet the teachers. Not a problem, now that I work there. I can talk to them any time I want to.

Nick had no problem with being out late. He has very light classes this semester. At least, that's what he tells me so far. We'll see how the report card comes in.

The minor sticking point was Frankie. He had a lab report due for physics, and a test in history. But, of course, this was a PEARL JAM movie. So he was in.


We called Tim when we got into the city, and finally had the opportunity to meet him. He was very nice and even gave us the DVD (which we had already ordered, but now Frankie can have his own copy.) Afterwards, we thought to ourselves -- we are such idiots! We should have had him autograph it!

Actually, now that I'm sitting here thinking about it, the director, Danny Clinch, was there as well. We could have had him autograph it too. Oh well.

The theater was GORGEOUS. And we sat down in front, which was great from a concert movie perspective, although I would have liked to see how the audience was reacting, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around.

The movie was beautifully done, great music, beautiful cinematography -- is that how you spell that? Definitely worth it.

Tim mentioned that it was a big day for him, because not only was this project coming out, but on the same day the other disc he was working on -- "Goin' Home, a tribute to Fats Domino" -- was being released. We've ordered that disc too.

We felt like hot shot rock and roll type people, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. Funny enough, when I got home I checked my email. We had a note from Make-a-Wish, inviting us to go on a Yacht tonight. They would even provide transportation.

We had to turn THAT offer down. I can't take too much of this jet set lifestyle!

The crowd at Lolla -- many, many stages

 
Frank said that everyone was in a great mood. No one was pushy or nasty or anything, everyone was just thrilled to be there -- kinda like the summer of love or something. Lots of people, though, huh? See the Sears tower in the background?

The boys at the show

 

Pearl Jam Rocks...

 

... here is the view from the cheap seats. Ok, there really were no seats. They enjoyed it, though. But I may have enjoyed it more, because I was watching the video download on line, and I was MUCH closer to the screen than they were to the stage.