The following article contains discussion of self-harm.
When it comes to an artist who has enjoyed the same level of success as Seattle’sPearl Jam, there is typically some debate regarding what their greatest work might be. Given the subjective nature of art, some fans are liable to be in the camp of one album being a band’s greatest, while other fans are just as likely to firmly believe another album to be the band’s greatest. WithPearl Jam, however, it stands pretty firm that their greatest album is indisputablytheir iconic debut album,Ten.
Tenis driven byEddie Vedder’s distinct, low-pitched vocalsand Mike McCready’s absoluteshredding on the guitar, with a steady musical ensemble of Jeff Ament’s bass line, Dave Krusen’s drums, and Stone Gossard’s rhythm guitar.Though it wasn’t immediately the massive success that it has come to be,Teneventually peaked at number two on theBillboard200 list of albums and has become widely regarded asPearl Jam’s greatest album, featuring eleven tracks of sheer musical genius.
11Porch
Track 8
A hard, soulful protest of an anthem, “Porch” is no doubt an asset toTen. The first verse, which consists only of vocals and guitar with just a hint of feedback towards the end, is a phenomenal lead into the explosion of sound that comes next.Once the drums kick in, this song really takes off;it just doesn’t exactly hold up in comparison to some of the other tracks on this album with similar qualities.
A hard, soulful protest of an anthem, “Porch” is no doubt an asset to this album.
There truly isn’t a dud on this album when it comes to the lyrics, butthe lyrics to “Porch” don’t really achieve the same level of greatness as many of the other tracks onTen. There are certain words that almost always sound odd or unnatural in a song. If anyone could pull them off, Eddie Vedder would be the guy, but for some reason, the word “initiatives” in the second verse has always stuck out to me, and unfortunately, it takes away from the overall artistic merit of the song.
10Deep
Track 10
Starting with a hell of a riff,“Deep” is a great show of Mike McCready’s virtuosity on guitar.It almost sounds as if he is freestyling at times, in the best possible way. The solo in particular is unbelievable, and though it comes to a welcome close with Eddie Vedder’s vocals, it feels a little short. The guitar riff that continues throughout the verses and chorus of the song builds up to the inevitable solo, which essentially smashes through the barrier of every other element of the track to really shine, but it hardly even lasts 15 seconds.
Vedder is credited with writing the lyrics to all eleven tracks on this album, and there are some true shows of lyrical poetry. If read like the poetry it is,the lyrics of “Deep” leave a little more to be desiredby the time the song ends. And maybe, probably, that’s a conscious artistic choice, what with the emotionally heavy nature of the song, but as great as “Deep” is, it isn’t entirely fulfilling by the time it ends.
9Garden
Track 9
“Garden” kicks off withan almost unsettling guitar lick, one of the more recognizable guitar sequences on this album. Eddie Vedder’s vocals take a sort of backseat, at least in the first verse; he is faintly muted while Mike McCready’s guitar lick stays center stage until the chorus. Once the chorus hits, Vedder is still relatively quiet in comparison to the guitar, but everything starts to blend together at this point, when the song itself really starts to take off.
Though maybe not as loaded on every musical element as the rest of this album,“Garden” is the kind of song that just puts you in a trance while listening. Though not at all similar in sound, this song reminds me of the feeling I get while listening to shoegaze—completely and totally lost in the music, swallowed whole by the repetition and the cooing, long-held notes in the vocals. It isn’t the most complex song on the album, but it is certainly among the most mesmerizing to listen to.
8Oceans
Track 7
“Oceans” was the fourth single released fromTen, and, unfortunately,it did not come close to the success of the other three singles.It wasn’t released as a single in the U.S. until a few years after the full album’s release, which could have contributed to the song’s lack of commercial success, though “Even Flow” and “Jeremy” were also released as singles after the full album’s release, and those songs were both wildly successful. The guitar strumming in which you can hear every string at the beginning of the song leaves you breathless, with Eddie Vedder’s vocals in perfect unison.
It isn’t the guitar, however, that was responsible for this track; in a since archived interview with Seattle Sound Magazine, Vedder explained that wrote the lyrics to “Oceans” while locked outside the studio in the rain, where he could only hear Jeff Ament’s bass through the walls (viaWMMR). Not many song lyrics are written with a bass accompaniment alone, which stands asa testament to both Vedder and Ament’s talent.
7Release
Track 11
The nine-minute finale ofTen, “Release,” is a gut-punch of beauty in a song. For the first 45 seconds of the track,all you’re able to hear is a mind-numbing hum of guitar and Eddie Vedder’s lyric-less vocals, putting you in an almost trance-like state. Once he begins to sing actual lyrics, Vedder’s deep, velvety voice is so low that he almost sounds like an instrument at times. About halfway through the second verse, when he gets to the line,“I’ll rid the wave / Where it takes me,“he just lets loose, belting out the words with unbridled passion.
The nine-minute finale ofTen, “Release,” is a gut-punch of beauty in a song.
The first half of the song ends with the repetition of the line"Release me,“followed by a prolonged silence, and thena sort of experimental hodgepodge of percussion at the helm of a four-minute jam. Each of the instruments, including the vocals, just plays, with seemingly no direction or really any cohesion at all. It’s definitely a bizarre way to end such a raw, emotional song, let alone the entire album, but it grows on you as it chugs along until it fades out, closing outTenon a high.
6Why Go
Track 4
Dave Krusen kicks things off in “Why Go” witha hardcore drum beat counting in an equally hardcore bass line and some heavy effects on the guitar, too. I’ve always thought Pearl Jam had more of a classic rock influence than the rest of the Seattle four grunge bands, but “Why Go” has that adrenaline-fueled, punchy sound that likely contributed to the band’s categorization as one of the pioneers of grunge.
Eddie Vedder’s vocals have a throatier sound on this track, making him sound almost angry in a way, but making the passion and feeling in his voice all the more poignant. Mike McCready’s guitar solo on this track is also one of the greatest guitar solos not only of his career, but of ’90s music in general.Vedder touches on some deeper themes of mental illness in the lyrics, as he does in many of the tracks onTen, but overall, “Why Go” is a rage-filled absolute anthem that captures so much of what makes Pearl Jam great.
5Once
Track 1
Kicking off the album in the same experimental vein with which “Release” ends the album, “Once” then launches into a characteristic grunge mix of guitar, drums, and more throaty vocals from Eddie Vedder. The initial prolonged"I admit it"sounds like Vedder is just rising into the scene of the song, as he leads into the rushed vocals of the pre-chorus,then finally just smashes through the sound barrier with his iconic"Once upon a time.“I don’t know that there is any other chorus on this album that reallyhitslike that one does.
Though it wasn’t a single, I think “Once” is the perfect song to introduce both this album and Pearl Jam’s entire discography. It embodies their signature sound in each and every instrument, from the crunchy guitar riffs, to the subtly hardcore drum fills, to the smooth and low to high and scratchy vocals, and everything in between. It is the perfect setup for what is to come on such a legendary album.
4Even Flow
Track 2
“Even Flow” was the second single off ofTen, but the first song to be released as a single after the album was released. Though it didn’t make theBillboardHot 100, “Even Flow” peaked at number 27 on the UK Singles chart, and number three on theBillboardMainstream Rock Chart. Similar to “Once,“this is just a song that screams Pearl Jam. Showing off Eddie Vedder’s vocal range, as well as their grunge-inspired sound on drums, guitar, and bass, I would point anyone looking to get into Pearl Jam squarely in the direction of this song.
I would point anyone looking to get into Pearl Jam squarely in the direction of this song.
The way Vedder sings the lyrics of the chorus highlights the namesake of the song—the vocals sound like an even flow of sound. Though, aside from perhaps the vocals, it may not be the riskiest song on the album, sticking to a pretty steady tune and rhythm,“Even Flow” is the song they have played the most in concert, having played it over 900 times live(viapearljam.com). One of the more consistentTenjams, there’s a reason fans expect to hear this song at Pearl Jam concerts.
3Black
Track 5
One of the greatest slow jams of Pearl Jam’s career, “Black” is the kind of song that you can listen to on repeat for hours and never get sick of. The band brought in a pianist to add to their typical four-piece musical ensemble, adding to the emotion present in each and every note of the song. Despite its massive success, the band refused to release this song as a single. The lyrics are deeply personal, made clear throughout the entire song but especially in the outro:
I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life
I know you’ll be a star
In somebody else’s sky
But why
Why can’t it be
Why can’t it be mine
In an archived interview withRolling Stone, Vedder explained, “We didn’t write to make hits. But those fragile songs get crushed by the business. I don’t want to be a part of it. I don’t think the band wants to be part of it.” “Black” is the kind of song that, given how emotional and personal it was,Pearl Jam did not want to be warped and ruined by executives and the business side of the music industry, which ultimately added to the respect and admiration it drew from fans.
2Alive
Track 3
When Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Jeff Ament were looking for a vocalist and a drummer for their new band, they sent out a five-track demo tape calledStone Gossard Demos ‘91,a tape which found its way to Eddie Vedder (GuitarWorld). Vedder sent the tape back to the band with the inclusion of his vocals, singing lyrics he wrote over Gossard’s song, “Dollar Short,” and with that,Pearl Jam had their lead vocalist, as well as the first single from their debut album.
The first single off the album, and the only single to be released before the album’s release, without “Alive” there would be no Pearl Jam. Vedder’s lyricism and vocal talent had caught the attention of not only his future bandmates, but the world as well. Similar to “Black”—another song bred from the Gossard demos—the lyrics of “Alive” were deeply personal to Vedder, and one can tell as much with the hypnotic way he belts out the chorus,“Oh, I, oh, I’m still alive.“That lyrical poetry I was referencing earlier? “Alive” is the pinnacle.
