Product Description

TEN, Pearl Jam's debut album, was released less than a month before Nirvana's NEVERMIND, and although it took longer toclimb the pop charts it also hung around longer, eventuallyoutselling its Seattle rival. Together, the two albums reinvigorated rock and roll, whose share of the pop marketplace had been slipping through the late 1980s. But while Nirvana's bruising punk rock was an all-out assault on the classic-rock dinosaur, Pearl Jam's accomplished hard rock was an attack from within the system.
The drawn-out, bluesy guitar riffing and anthemic choruses that dominated TEN instantly gave away roots in the same popular hard rock and heavy metal that Nirvana was intent on crushing. Indeed, before forming Pearl Jam, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament (who between them wrote most of the music on TEN) were the core of two '70s-influenced metal bands, Green River and MotherLove Bone. But in place of the self-aggrandising, larger-than-life singers that led most such bands, Gossard and Ament found Eddie Vedder, a ravage-voiced vocalist more apt to identify with the abused and misunderstood children he was singing about than with any other rock stars. When he exploded into one of TEN's many memorable choruses, Vedder offered transcendence for the people who needed it most.
The storyline of the album's breakthrough single, "Jeremy", was typically vague and elusive (despite a highly suggestive video), but the message was not. The meek and the misunderstood, PearlJam seemed to be saying, would rise and inherit the world, even if it was only a world of their own invention.

Track Listing

1. Once
2. Even Flow
3. Alive
4. Why Go
5. Black
6. Jeremy
7. Oceans
8. Porch
9. Garden
10. Deep
11. Release
12. Master/Slave

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31270 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-21
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Great album, or greatest album ever?
In 1991 the greatest ever grunge album and indeed one of the greatest albums of all time was released; but not many people realised. One year later the album finally made it's mark climbing it's way to the high end of the billboard charts and staying their; for 2 years (eventually outselling Nirvana's Nevermind). So, why was it able to do this? Well, simply because its an amazing album. No fillers, just 11 great tracks. Opening with the harder material of Once, Alive and Even Flow and finishing on the softer Release the album is arranged beautifully (my favourite bit being when Why Go follows onto Black). Often dubbed as a dark album Ten is a rather moving album with each song bearing enormous weight. Execution of the songs may have troubled most people but Vedder's amazing and varied voice tackles it with ease. Each song gets a at least a 9 or 10/10, but gun to my head the highlights for me are Jeremy and Garden. Ten is 11 great songs perfectly arranged into a masterpiece albums. Most bands couldn't produce a Best of album this good. You may never need buy another album again.

On the Vinyl edition:
This is the first ever LP ive bought. After all the hype the medium gets it did not disappoint. A certain amount of soul/atmosphere/warmth has been lost in the digitalization of music. The added feel of vinyl really complements the mix of loud and quiet in this dark album. If your dad's record player is sitting in the living room waiting to be played give it this album you will both appreciate it

The first
This album was the first to separate me from listening to my brother's music to listening to my own. Although I didn't necessarily 'discover' it on my own (a friend said hey listen to this - a new appreciation for music and words was born) who really discovers these kinds of things. Maybe they find you when you need them or when you're ready.

A lot of people say that the more recent PJ albums aren't as good as 'Ten' and they can't really get into them. I would disagree. My opinion is that they are just different. People change and I would guess that this is what is reflected in the change over the years of PJ. Maybe it is the people that say PJ isn't the same that are the ones that haven't changed and grown. Either way this album to me has raw emotion and the power and thirst that goes with it

Great album, or greatest album ever?
In 1991 the greatest ever grunge album and indeed one of the greatest albums of all time was released; but not many people realised. One year later the album finally made it's mark climbing it's way to the high end of the billboard charts and staying their; for 2 years (eventually outselling Nirvana's Nevermind). So, why was it able to do this? Well, simply because its an amazing album. No fillers, just 11 great tracks. Opening with the harder material of Once, Alive and Even Flow and finishing on the softer Release the album is arranged beautifully (my favourite bit being when Why Go follows onto Black). Often dubbed as a dark album Ten is a rather moving album with each song bearing enormous weight. Execution of the songs may have troubled most people but Vedder's amazing and varied voice tackles it with ease. Each song gets a at least a 9 or 10/10, but gun to my head the highlights for me are Jeremy and Garden. Ten is 11 great songs perfectly arranged into a masterpiece albums. Most bands couldn't produce a Best of album this good. You may never need buy another album again.