Home > Music > Pearl Jam > Discography

Pearl Jam Ten Release Date: 1991 08 27 Running Time: 50:46 Label: Sony BMG Music (Canada) Nirvana's Nevermind may have been the album that broke grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream, but there's no underestimating the role that Pearl Jam's Ten played in keeping them there. Nirvana's appeal may have been huge, but it wasn't universal; rock radio still viewed them as too raw and punky, and some hard rock fans dismissed them as weird misfits. In retrospect, it's easy to see why Pearl Jam clicked with a mass audience -- they weren't as metallic as Alice in Chains or Soundgarden, and of Seattle's Big Four, their sound owed the greatest debt to classic rock. With its intricately arranged guitar textures and expansive harmonic vocabulary, Ten especially recalled Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. But those touchstones might not have been immediately apparent, since -- aside from Mike McCready's Clapton/Hendrix-style leads -- every trace of blues influence has been completely stripped from the band's sound. Though they rock hard, Pearl Jam is too anti-star to swagger, too self-aware to puncture the album's air of gravity. Pearl Jam tackles weighty topics -- abortion, homelessness, childhood traumas, gun violence, rigorous introspection -- with an earnest zeal unmatched since mid-'80s U2, whose anthemic sound they frequently strive for. Similarly, Eddie Vedder's impressionistic lyrics often make their greatest impact through the passionate commitment of his delivery rather than concrete meaning. His voice had a highly distinctive timbre that perfectly fit the album's warm, rich sound, and that's part of the key -- no matter how cathartic Ten's tersely titled songs got, they were never abrasive enough to affect the album's accessibility. Ten also benefited from a long gestation period, during which the band honed the material into this tightly focused form; the result is a flawlessly crafted hard rock masterpiece. Steve Huey, All Music Guide Tracks: Title Composer Time 1 Once Vedder, Gossard 3:51 2 Even Flow Vedder, Gossard 4:53 3 Alive Vedder, Gossard 5:40 4 Why Go Vedder, Ament 3:19 5 Black Gossard, Vedder 5:48 6 Jeremy Ament, Vedder 5:18 7 Oceans Vedder, Gossard, Ament 2:41 8 Porch Vedder 3:30 9 Garden Ament, Gossard, Vedder 4:58 10 Deep Vedder, Ament, Gossard 4:18 11 Release Gossard, Ament, McCready, Vedder, Krusen, Krusen 6:30 Releases: Year Type Label 2007 LP Sony BMG Music (Canada) 1992 CD Epic Associated 1991 CD Epic Associated 2003 LP Simply Vinyl Records 2007 CD Sony Music Distribution 2008 LP Sony BMG Music (Canada) 1991 CS Epic Associated 1991 LP Epic Associated 2007 LP Sony BMG Music (Canada) 2000 CD Sony Music Distribution

Group Members: Dave Krusen Eddie Vedder Stone Gossard Dave Abbruzzese Jack Irons More >> Similar Artists: The Smashing Pumpkins Screaming Trees Soundgarden Nirvana Blind Melon More >>

Influenced By: Neil Young The Who R.E.M. Dead Boys Aerosmith More >> Followers: Candlebox Better Than Ezra Course Of Nature Silverchair Collective Soul More >>

Browse More Music:
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z