Review Summary: The essential Pearl Jam album. Great musically and lyrically.
At the time when grunge arrived in the early 90's, it was easily a tumoultous time. Bands galore were arriving on the scene, not just from grunge, but from punk (Green Day, Blink-182), metal (Pantera, Sepultura, Machine Head), and other such tendencies. 4 bands dominated grunge, with four important albums: Nirvana, with Nevermind; Soundgarden, with Superunkown; Alice in Chains, with Dirt; and Pearl Jam, with Ten. All of them would make a mark on the music of the time, making a clear break from the 1980's. Where the major commercial 80's acts had been all about partying, hedonism and self-indulgence, these guys were the oppsite: they focused on the murkier, seedier side of things. These were streetwise bands, that spoke the language of the common people. This is why the 90's can often be spoken of as: "the decade of the forgotten society".
Pearl Jam was one such band. If Ten doesn't sound as a record coming from an inexperienced band, it's because it's not. Quite the contrary, these guys were already in Mother Love Bone, albeit with another singer. This experience helped plenty when the time came to make this special record. It also helped that Vedder proved to be an excellent lyricist and a fine baritone vocalist. Being a band that pretty much ignored the 80's, and opted to use late 60's-early 70's music as a main influence (The Who, The Doors, Cream, Black Sabbath, etc.), this explains why the band doesn't sound at all like an 80's band. Compare Vedder with Jim Morrison and you'll easily see the resemblance in style. Of course, while Morrison would use more personalistic and often sexual subject matter, Vedder would sing about the streets, hard living and family issues.
The album opens up with the epic "Once" which is part of the Mamasan Trilogy. A fantastic song, speaken about a murderer, the band easily opens up your appetite for the rest of the record. "Even Flow" has a great riff and solo, and speaks from the point of view of a homeless man about to die. "Alive" is a high watermark; the precursor of "Once" in the Mamasan Trilogy, it speaks about a young man who learns his father was killed in the streets; he later grows up a criminal himself. This song has an epic instrumental at the end, impeccably showing off the talents of the band.
Other great songs here include "Jeremy", the true story of a boy who shoots himself in front of his classmates; "Black", a story of a broken relationship; "Why Go" is a fine track as well.
Just do yourself a favor and hear the whole thing. Bottom line: Great music, great lyrics, great everything.
