Album
Backspacer
Backspacer is Pearl Jam's ninth studio album, released in September 2009 on the band's own label, Monkeywrench Records. The members began sketching instrumentals and demos in 2007, then regrouped the following year. The recording took place between February and April 2009 in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Brendan O'Brien returned to the producer's chair for the first time since Yield in 1998.
It follows two politically charged records, Riot Act and the self-titled album of 2006, with a brighter outlook that Eddie Vedder linked to Barack Obama's election. At just over 36 minutes, it is the band's shortest studio album, and it moves quickly. "The Fixer", "Got Some" and "Just Breathe" were the singles. It became their first US number one since No Code and also topped the charts in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Backspacer: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 36:38Tracklist
- 1Gonna See My FriendEddie Vedder2:48
- 2Got SomeJeff Ament and Eddie Vedder3:03
- 3The FixerCameron, Gossard, McCready, Vedder2:58
- 4Johnny GuitarCameron, Gossard, Vedder2:51
- 5Just BreatheEddie Vedder3:36
- 6Amongst the WavesStone Gossard and Eddie Vedder3:59
- 7Unthought KnownEddie Vedder4:09
- 8SupersonicStone Gossard and Eddie Vedder2:40
- 9Speed of SoundEddie Vedder3:34
- 10Force of NatureMike McCready and Eddie Vedder4:05
- 11The EndEddie Vedder2:57
- Produced by
- Brendan O'Brien
- Recorded at
- Henson, Hollywood, Southern Tracks, Atlanta, Doppler, Atlanta
- Recorded
- 16 February – 30 April 2009
- Label
- Monkeywrench Records
- Length
- 36:38
Line-up
- Justin Bruns · violin · guest
- Cathy Lynn · viola · guest
- Danny Laufer · cello · guest
- Christopher Pulgram · violin · guest
- Brice Andrus · horn · guest
- Richard Deane · horn · guest
- Susan Welty · horn · guest
Singles
- “The Fixer” · 24 August 2009
- “Got Some"/"Just Breathe” · 31 October 2009
- “Amongst the Waves” · 17 May 2010
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 2009 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart · 2009 | 9 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2009 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2009 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2009 | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2009 | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2009 | 1 |
| Irish Albums · 2009 | 2 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2009 | 2 |
| Austrian Albums · 2009 | 3 |
All 26 charts
| Dutch Albums · 2009 | 3 |
| German Albums · 2009 | 3 |
| Italian Albums · 2009 | 4 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2009 | 4 |
| Spanish Albums · 2009 | 4 |
| Danish Albums · 2009 | 5 |
| Scottish Albums · 2009 | 5 |
| Swiss Albums · 2009 | 5 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2009 | 6 |
| Mexican Albums · 2009 | 8 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2009 | 9 |
| Finnish Albums · 2009 | 11 |
| Swedish Albums · 2009 | 13 |
| French Albums · 2009 | 20 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2009 | 33 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2009 | 34 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2009 | Platinum |
| Canada · 2010 | Platinum |
| Italy · 2013 | Platinum |
| New Zealand · 2009 | Gold |
| Portugal · 2009 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2009 | Silver |
| United States · 2010 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
64.0
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5.0k
ListenBrainz listeners
53k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
13k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 20 September
Every year →
More from Pearl Jam
Full discography →
Ten
1991
Vs.
1993
Dissident (Live in Atlanta)
1994
Vitalogy
1994
No Code
1996
Yield
1998
Live on Two Legs
1998
Binaural
2000
2000-05-30: Wembley Arena, London, UK (#5)
2000
2000-06-08: Bercy, Paris, France (#10)
2000
2000-08-29: Boston, MA, USA (#43)
2001
2000-08-25: Jones Beach, NY, USA (#41)
2001
2000-10-22: Las Vegas, NV, USA (#62)
2001
Riot Act
2002
2003-07-08: New York, NY, USA
2003
Lost Dogs
2003
2003-10-22: Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA, USA
2004
Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003)
2004
Pearl Jam
2006
Live at Easy Street
2006
Live at the Gorge 05/06
2007
2007-08-05: Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago, IL, USA
2007
Live on Ten Legs
2011
Pearl Jam Twenty
2011
Lightning Bolt
2013
Vault #6: 1998-07-13: Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA
2016
Let’s Play Two: Live at Wrigley Field
2017
MTV Unplugged
2019
Gigaton
2020
Give Way
2023
Dark Matter
2024
The Last of Us
2025
The best of 2009
All of 2009 →
21st Century Breakdown
Green Day · 2009
Liebe ist für alle da
Rammstein · 2009
Black Gives Way to Blue
Alice in Chains · 2009
Raditude
Weezer · 2009
Greatest Hits
Foo Fighters · 2009
World Painted Blood
Slayer · 2009
Live at Reading
Nirvana · 2009
Orgullo, pasión, y gloria: Tres noches en La Ciudad de México
Metallica · 2009
Endgame
Megadeth · 2009
The Smashing Pumpkins 2008-12-07: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL, USA 2009
2008-12-07: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL, USA
The Smashing Pumpkins · 2009
Iron Maiden Flight 666 2009
Flight 666
Iron Maiden · 2009
Backtracks
AC/DC · 2009
More on Monkeywrench Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2009-09-18 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 18 September 2009 | ignored lone early release dated 2009-01-01 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 20 September 2009 | |
| Wikidata | 20 September 2009 | |
| US release | 20 September 2009 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 21 September 2009 | earliest UK or European date |
15 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | US | Monkeywrench Records | 804879169413 | other |
| 2009 | XE | Monkeywrench Records | other | |
| 2009 | US | Monkeywrench Records | 804879202929 | other |
| 1 January 2009 | XW | — | 602527189802 | original |
| September 2009 | US | Monkeywrench Records | 804879199823 | other |
| 18 September 2009 | NZ | — | 602527163178 | other |
| 20 September 2009 | CA | Monkeywrench Records | other | |
| 20 September 2009 | CA | Monkeywrench Records | 0602527189802 | other |
| 20 September 2009 | US | Monkeywrench Records | 804879199724 | other |
| 21 September 2009 | GB | Monkeywrench Records | 602527163178 | other |
| 21 September 2009 | GB | Monkeywrench Records | other | |
| 21 September 2009 | XE | Monkeywrench Records | 0602527163178 | other |
| 21 September 2009 | PL | Monkeywrench Records | 602527163185 | other |
| 21 September 2009 | GB | — | other | |
| 4 August 2010 | JP | Universal Music | 4988005620293 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |