Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)

Pearl Jam's debut album 'Ten' is very dear to me. I literally know this album like the back of my hand. Every drum roll,every guitar solo,every time Eddie Vedder 'oohs' or 'aahs', I know it. It still mesmerizes me to this day and it never grows old 4 years after I first heard it. Every once in awhile an album or albums come around that defines the zeitgeist. This along with Nirvana's 'Nevermind' captured the spirit of the grunge movement. With their flannel shirts, torn jeans and a 'I don't give a fuck' attitude, Pearl Jam captured the attention of the youth of the 90's. They were a band people could actually relate to. They weren't a bunch of overblown rock stars, they were more than that. They were real. Pearl Jam was formed in 1990 after the demise of Mother Love Bone, an upcoming grunge band. Ten was critically lauded upon release and was commercially successful, having sold 13 million copies in USA till date.

On 'Ten', Pearl Jam successfully manages to fuse hard rock,arena rock and punk to give it a unique sound. It is one of the landmarks of alternative music. Oddly, the album starts off with part one of a hidden track known as 'Master/Slave'. This gives way to the album's true opener, 'Once' ,a heavy rocker which sets the tone for the rest of the album. The next five songs that follow are, in my eyes, all classics. As most people know, 'Alive' is a muscular rocker with powerful lyrics that deal with a boy coming to learn about his real father and also involves,shockingly, incest. 'Alive', even today, serves as an inspirational anthem to many with its uplifting chorus and instrumentals. Of note is also a brilliant solo by Mike McCready which I can actually sing along to! 'Even Flow' is another brilliant song on which Eddie Vedder deals with homelessness. It proves as an excellent companion song to 'Alive'. The next song 'Why Go' is also solid, dealing with the use of psychiatric hospitals. 'Black' is perhaps the most emotional and fragile song on the album.You can actually feel the pain and sadness in Eddie Vedder's voice as he sings about the loss of a loved one. 'Jeremy' is a dark song with an even darker music video that accompanied it. It is one of the highlights of the album and deals with an emotionally neglected boy and his subsequent actions. The song sends a chill down my spine every time I hear the swirling guitars descend into chaos and madness in the end. The album hits a low with 'Oceans' and along with 'Porch' (an upbeat punk rocker) and 'Deep', which are pretty standard fare. 'Garden' is an underrated gem which grows slowly on the listener. The album's closer 'Release' displays Eddie Vedder's wide vocal range, and is one of the more mellower songs on an otherwise heavy album. 'Release' also features part two of the hidden track 'Master/Slave'. While Ten is Pearl Jam's finest, one should not hesistate to check their subsequent albums which are all brilliant in their own ways.

Song Picks

• Alive
• Even Flow
• Why Go
• Black
• Jeremy
• Release