Review Summary: Has its moments, but severely overrated.
Pearl Jam is a grunge band, similar to Nirvana. However, the members of Pearl Jam were never involved in any incidents related to drugs or alcohol like Nirvana (RIP Kurt) In Fact, they were the only rockers out of the big four who have stayed stable, even to this day. This album is there debut, and it's called "Ten" arguably there best album.
The album kicks off with "Once" with starts with some eerie drums before guitars, bass and eventually Eddies vocals kick in. His voice really compliments the song, as do the strong disortion pedals on the guitars. A great opener. The album gets funky on the next song "Even Flow" wich is PJ's biggest hit, soaring with powerful vocals, heavy guitar and bass work and powerhouse drums. "Alive" has catchy riffs and very relatable lyrics. The vocals aren't the best but they will get better later on.
I have to start a new paragraph solely for the next song, "Why Go" this is undeniably the band's best work. The guitars, bass and drums with Vedders voice are all mixed perfectly with excellent lyrics. The song really sticks out to the rest of the album, and is a serious jam. Definitely listen.
Lyrically, "Black" the next song, is the second best on the album, discussing Vedders world fading to Black hence the title, with stellar mixing and beautiful guitar work. Then, there is "Jeremy". Yes, Jeremy. The definitive PJ song, solely because of the vocals. Eddies soaring voice in the chorus "Jer-aaaa-meeeeeeee spoke" is instantly recognizable to any fan, and is amazingly catchy. Great.
The rest of the album is worth talking about, but there isn't much interesting to say. That's the major problem with this CD. It hasn't aged very well. The next few songs aren't very original lyrically and have your average distorted guitars and loud vocals. It's Pearl Jam jumping on the 90s grunge bandwagon, take that how you will.
Overall, Ten is a solid grunge effort for fans of the genre, at least the first half of it. The last half, however, is horribly dated and doesn't really live up to the accliam. It still has strong points, though. Check it out if you must, it has some solid cuts.
Recommended Tracks
Once
Even Flow
Why Go
Alive
Black
