By brandon / July 29, 2009
Tom Tomorrow’s Backspacer cover’s being revealed today via an on-line treasure hunt: Bits of the art are showing up on nine different sites as we speak. See them separately at antiquiet and (spoiler) united in the small composite accompanying this post. If you do decide to visit each participating site, you’ll get this demo of “Speed of Sound,” a Backspacer song Eddie Vedder performed solo earlier this month:

6/29/09 – Castle Theater, Maui, HI
Set list: Walking The Cow, (Brain Damage)/Sometimes, Around the Bend, I Am Mine, Betterman, Far Behind, No Ceiling, Guaranteed, Rise, Millworker, Last Kiss, You’re True, Open All Night (Springsteen), Driftin’, You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, Patriot, Elderly Woman…, Porch
1st encore: Society, Throw Your Arms Around Me, ‘Til the Rivers All Run Dry, Golden State, Wishlist, Speed of Sound, Arc
2nd encore: Hard Sun
TFT Notes: Ed debuts “Speed of Sound” which is “a piece of fruit that just fell off the tree” and Ed felt “compelled to play it (in Maui) because the tree happened to be on this island.” He mentions he recently recorded in Hawaii with Ron Wood – which had the audience thinking they were getting the song from that collaboration – but the recent announcement of the Backspacer tracklisting confirmed the song as a PJ original.

Ed debuts “Speed of Sound” which is “a piece of fruit that just fell off the tree”

jesus christ

wait, people don't like speed of sound? that's one of the few tracks on backspacer that i can tolerate.

To be perfectly honest I can't remember what it sounds like.

you hear this, stip? he's challenging your manhood

This is awesome!

I feel the need to contribute in some way, so here goes-

Speed of Sound (demo) was given out as a reward for completing the Backspacer treasure hunt which was available on 7/29/09. The Backspacer album was recorded largely between Feb 2009 and April 2009, and Eddie had a solo tour that ended August 2008. Who knows where it was recorded, but it was likely at the end of 2008, not late 2009 as you have listed. Eddie waited until he got to Hawaii apparently to play it solo on 6/29/09, as the song was apparently conceived while there at some previous time.

TFT Notes: Ed debuts “Speed of Sound” which is “a piece of fruit that just fell off the tree” and Ed felt “compelled to play it (in Maui) because the tree happened to be on this island.” He mentions he recently recorded in Hawaii with Ron Wood – which had the audience thinking they were getting the song from that collaboration – but the recent announcement of the Backspacer tracklisting confirmed the song as a PJ original.

One track I'm not seeing is "I'm Still Here" -- I think it was a hidden track on the Japanese version of "Lost Dogs." I could just be missing it, though.

Very sexy. What are you planning to do with this?

Did you consider the complete songs on Single Video Theory?

Crapshoot Rapture ??

From my (possibly unreliable) memory, Ed originally intended Speed of Sound for Ron Wood's album but it didn't end up coming together so he claimed it back.

Thanks hlniv! This is exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. "Late 2009" was actually a typo, it should have been "late 2008", so good to know I'm likely on the right track there.

That info about Ron Wood is helpful for 'Lucky Man' from EV Disc 4 too



I'm Still Here was actually an mp3 that was leaked around the time of Lost Dogs, it wasn't featured on any official release or promo (that Japanese reference someone made up really stuck!).



Probably a proper more expansive 'Stray Cats' compilation, which was just thrown together quickly when CC and LIR were leaked.



I did, but again I have something else in mind for these



Rare audience-recorded stuff obviously not included.