Pearl Jam - Ten
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Members who requested this CD also requested: Album Review Nirvana's Nevermind may have been the album that broke grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream, but there's no underestimating the role that Pearl Jam's Ten played in keeping them there. Nirvana's appeal may have been huge, but it wasn't universal; rock radio still viewed them as too raw and punky, and some hard rock fans dismissed them as weird misfits. In retrospect, it's easy to see why Pearl Jam clicked with a mass audience -- they weren't as metallic as Alice in Chains or Soundgarden, and of Seattle's Big Four, their sound owed the greatest debt to classic rock. With its intricately arranged guitar textures and expansive harmonic vocabulary, Ten especially recalled Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. But those touchstones might not have been immediately apparent, since -- aside from Mike McCready's Clapton/Hendrix-style leads -- every trace of blues influence has been completely stripped from the band's sound. Though they rock hard, Pearl Jam is too anti-star to swagger, too self-aware to puncture the album's air of gravity. Pearl Jam tackles weighty topics -- abortion, homelessness, childhood traumas, gun violence, rigorous introspection -- with an earnest zeal unmatched since mid-'80s U2, whose anthemic sound they frequently strive for. Similarly, Eddie Vedder's impressionistic lyrics often make their greatest impact through the passionate commitment of his delivery rather than concrete meaning. His voice had a highly distinctive timbre that perfectly fit the album's warm, rich sound, and that's part of the key -- no matter how cathartic Ten's tersely titled songs got, they were never abrasive enough to affect the album's accessibility. Ten also benefited from a long gestation period, during which the band honed the material into this tightly focused form; the result is a flawlessly crafted hard rock masterpiece. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide Credits
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Gigi M. (
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This CD is Pearl Jam at its very best.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
"An early 90s classic."This was the debut by basically the only grunge band that's still thriving today. I'm not hugley into grunge, but this is still a damn good album. The only other grunge band I'm a fan of is Alice In Chains (who sounds more heavy metal, but whatever). I currently own 3 Pearl Jam albums (this, Vitolagy, and their newest self-titled), and even though I like Vitalogy the most out of the 3 (though all 3 are great), this is the one I've been listening to the most lately. Eddie Vedder is a great vocalist, second only to Layne Staley from Alice In Chains in the grunge genre in my opinion. Stone Gossard is one of the best guitarists out there. He has some great guitar solos on Once, Why Go, Porch, and Oceans. Jeff Ament is a great bassist, and he's very audible. Mike McCready is no no-name rythm guitarist, and sometimes he does dual solos with Stone. Dave Krusen is no Keith Moon or Neil Peart, but he still provides a suitable rythm section for the other 4 of Pearl Jam. The songs on this album range from upbeat and agressive (Once, Evenflow, Why Go, Jeremy, Porch) to dark and moody (Alive, Black, Oceans, Garden, Deep, Release), and it gives Ten a great mixed feel. I haven't 100% familiarized myself with the songs, but I can already tell you that they're all great. Even though all of the songs are great, my favorite would have to be Alive. From what I got from the lyrics, it's about a mother who tells her son that his dad is dead, and he wishes he was dead with him. The chorus, "I'm still aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!!!" is great, and in my opinion, Stone delivers his best solo on the entire album.
You can hear traces of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, AC/DC/, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, and other hard rock/heavy metal bands scattered all over Ten. But even with that, Eddie and co. don't rip them off at all. So if you want some awesome modern hard rock, get this album. It's the best album of 1991, and it gets my vote for the best debut of the whole 90s.
P.S. When it comes to grunge, this annihilates Nirvana's Nevermind.
Reviewer: Squash 'N' Squeak "The Silencing Machine" (The Gates Of Delirium) (Amazon.com)