Once again Pearl Jam takes the unpolished rock and roll approach, a page directly from the holy book of The Ramones. For most of the record, Eddie Vedder shows he has no shame in allowing his voice to rip and roar in a slew of continuous streams that lead us all to the chapel of rock (“Gonna See My Friend,” “The Fixer”).

In addition to Backspacer’s riff-soaring tracks, several songs employ melodic breathing room (“Just Breathe,” “Amongst The Waves,” Speed of Sound”) allowing the album to flow as a work of auditory art, a rare achievement in this day and age.

The guitars of Mike McCready and Stone Gossard work their complimentary magic during “Supersonic” and “Force of Nature,” and Matt Cameron’s drums are perfect on all 11 songs as expected.

Backspacer is an improvement from 2006′s Pearl Jam, and possibly their best effort since the underrated and underappreciated Yield-Binaural era. While this is not the greatest record in the band’s repertoire nor does it offer a stunning new direction, it is always refreshing to hear rock music that is done right -Meds

Pearl Jam is Eddie Vedder (Vocals), Mike McCready (Guitars), Stone Gossard (Guitars), Jeff Ament (Bass), and Matt Cameron (Drums).

Track Listing:

1. “Gonna See My Friend”
2. “Got Some”
3. “The Fixer”
4. “Johnny Guitar”
5. “Just Breathe”
6. “Amongst The Waves”
7. “Unthought Known”
8. “Supersonic”
9. “Speed of Sound”
10. “Force of Nature”
11. “The End”

official site — amazon.com — wikipedia.com

Note: Pearl Jam has an exclusivity deal for this album. You are going to have to head over to Target or iTunes to buy it.

According to blabbermouth.net, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder is planning a solo tour this summer. Pearl Jam should be supporting Ten (Deluxe Edition) on the road which was released in March. Maybe they’ll put something together for the fall? In the meantime, here are Vedder’s solo dates:

June 08 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre
June 09 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre *
June 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Tower Theatre
June 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Tower Theatre
June 14 – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Opera House
June 15 – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Opera House
June 18 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
June 20 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum
June 21 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum *
June 23 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
June 24 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center *
June 29 – Maui, HI – Arts & Cultural Center, Castle Theatre
July 01 – Honolulu, HI – Hawaii Theatre
July 02 – Honolulu, HI – Hawaii Theatre

* indicates the “unconfirmed, possible ‘rollover’” date

I don’t understand how every Pearl Jam show seems to get better and better. This time around, these rock legends incorporated my 3 favorite things of all-time in the same show: The Ramones, Kiss, and the New York Rangers.

In addition to a great setlist with rarities such as “Garden” and “I’m Open,” CJ Ramone played the bass on “I Believe In Miracles,” and Ace Frehley played lead guitar on “Black Diamond.”

Eddie Vedder also gave a shout-out to the recently retired #2 of New York Ranger’s legend, Brian Leetch, and also a quick shout to Mark Messier’s #11. This probably means nothing to many people but it was a slice of Heaven for me.

K-Rock’s Dysfunctional Family Picnic 3 featuring Rage Against The Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Blink 182, Rob Zombie, Hole, Kid Rock, and Limp Bizkit at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY, June 11, 1999, This festival was my 24th rock concert and a special one as you can see from the line-up. Highlights that I can remember include Howard Stern singing back-up for Rob Zombie on “Dragula,” Stone Temple Pilots and Hole not showing up to the concert, Fred Durst leading the crowd in a launching of 15,000+ glow sticks towards the stage, Kid Rock and Jo-C right before Kid Rock blew up following the Woodstock performance, and Rage Against The Machine at their peak.

Ben Folds Five and Guster at the Palace Theatre, Albany, NY, April 18, 2000, I know, I know. Ben Folds Five? Rock show? Well, let me tell you something. If the piano can be a blasting Marshall stack turned to 11 or a spinning drum kit 25 feet above the crowd, this is it. I have always loved what Ben can do to a baby grand piano. There is something so rocking about Ben Folds that so many people miss. I actually hear a death metal presence in his work. Then again, I am out of my mind. Cheers to my 32nd rock show.

Tattoo the Earth featuring Metallica, Slayer, Slipknot, Sevendust, Sepultura, and Mudvayne at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, July 20, 2000, This was a very special NY area show that added Metallica to the already perfect line-up, then it became golden. It was my 36th concert and an absolute blast. I was on the floor and the floor was actually relaxed and chill during Metallica and Slayer. I was able to enjoy the beauty of two of my all-time favorites; meaning no crowd-surfers falling on my neck and no ex-military skinheads punching me in the face. What a wonderful show.

Weezer at Irving Plaza, NYC, August 23, 2000, I actually gave up my Pearl Jam tickets to go see the long awaited return of Weezer. This was prior to the release of the awful Green Album. Who knew that Weezer was going to suck after this amazing show? I didn’t see it coming. Weezer ripped through Blue Album and Pinkerton favorites as well as obscure b-sides. I had such a great time at my 39th show.

Dave Matthews Band at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, June 11, 2001, The only reason this show made it to this list is because of what happened in the encore. During the song, “Two Step,” the sky opened up and poured about 12 inches of rain on the crowd, with thunder and lightning, playing harmoniously with the band for close to 15 minutes. It was an amazing site for show #45.

Blink 182 and Green Day at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY, May 30, 2002, The reason that show 64 made it to the list is because these are the two mainstream pop-punk giants playing the same stage on the same night. It was almost like they were trying to out-perform the other and I appreciated that. It wasn’t the best Green Day show I’ve seen and it wasn’t the best Blink 182 show I’ve seen. But together, it rocked hardcore. It was also cool when Mark Hoppus threw his bass into the water.

Tommy Lee at the WWE Cafe, NYC, June 15, 2002, Why? Because I met Tommy after the show and he was mega-cool and friendly, and I am not even a chick. Tommy was out supporting Never a Dull Moment, which I thought was a great album, far better than Tommyland: The Ride. This was my 65th show and it consisted of a cool band, a cool crowd, and a cool experience.

Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden, NYC, July 9, 2003, I remember standing in the last row of the Garden behind the stage, thinking to myself, “I can die now, I’m ready, take me.” That is how great this concert was, but you know what? The show I just saw in June outdid this one, which you will see in my top 10.

Velvet Revolver and Chevelle at the Aladdin Theatre, Las Vegas, NV, August 20, 2005, Vegas baby, Vegas. This was VR’s city that night. Scott Weiland ripped and sounded phenomenal and Slash was his typical amazing self. Cheers to show #84. The only thing that could have made it better, is if Libertad was out for this show.

Rob Zombie at the Nokia Theatre, Times Square NYC, March 29, 2006, I am a high school teacher and this was a school night. But hey, how often do you get to hang out in the VIP section with Pete Steele of Type-O-Negative and members of Biohazard, while being in spitting distance of Rob Zombie. Rock show 87 was sick.

Well, there you have it. These are the 10 honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the top 10. This took forever to do, by the way. I will begin the top 10 very soon. I hope you enjoy this series.