Pearl Jam: Ten Review

Not too many genres have a unanimously definitive album. Grunge on the other hand, is immediately defined by Nirvana’s Nevermind. You would be hard pressed to find an argument from anyone. People will banter about how it may not be the strongest, but it certainly is the most recognizable of the genre. Right behind Nevermind is Pearl Jam’s Ten, it’s the Dr. Phil to Oprah, the Robin to Batman, and the Scottie Pippin to Michael Jordan - they’ll always be second. Being second to Nevermind certainly isn’t a knock against Ten - in fact it’s about as big of a compliment that you could give any grunge record. Ten is a phenomenal album released by a band that would go on to lead a not so phenomenal future which was marked by being a few notches over mediocre.

The main difference between Nirvana and Pearl Jam was Nirvana was more indebted to the punk scene while Pearl Jam lent themselves more to the hard rock scene. The hard rock elements are incredibly clear throughout. The music claws away with heavy distorted instruments, thunderous vocals, and stellar guitar work. And while I’ll always have a grudge against Eddie Vedder for all the imitators that have spawned from his liking, (I’m looking at your Chad Kroeger) very few have the same kind of passion he delivers. Take "Black" for instance, when he sings:

I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life
I know you’ll be a sun
In somebody elses sky
But why, why, why can’t it be
Can’t it be mine?

Have you ever heard someone sing with as much emotion as he does right there? Damn it’s remarkable! This guy can even outperform Roger Daltrey on Daltrey’s own song!

And what would a grunge album be without angst soaked lyrics. There so much angst in fact, that when people tried to construe "Alive" to be an inspirational and uplifting song, they were quickly shot down after realizing that it’s truly about a mother who is sexually attracted to her son because he resembles his father. How’s that for a shocker? And the themes that run throughout follow the same pattern of despair as "Alive".

Ten is the highlight of Pearl Jam’s career, and not only of Pearl Jam’s career, but the grunge scene as a whole - and rightfully so. From beginning to end Ten is packed with memorable tracks that breathe fire and energy. The guitar work is some of the best of the genre, and Vedder’s voice delivers a multitude of angst with passion and bravado. Ten is a must own album for anyone who lived through the 90s.

(On a side note, this is technically a review of the re-release of Ten which not only features the original recording, but a remix of the album. To keep it brief, because I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise, it sounds very similar to the original - some of the instruments have a little more bite to their sound, but it would be very difficult to notice without listening to the original and remix back to back. Essentially it is a minor upgrade in sound quality.)

Grade: A+