The grunge movement of the early '90s is overly attributed to Nirvana. Sure, Kurt Cobain and his band of long-haired miscreants shattered the fiasco that is most '80s music with a song about smelling teenagers' spirit, but the group had help.
Highlighting the underground Seattle scene at the time was Pearl Jam — a band
that receives little credit today for its accomplishments. OK, Nirvana T-shirts are still rad among whiny teenagers and skinny-jeaned hipsters, but I’ll
be damned before I let Pearl Jam decompose in the shadow of “Nevermind.”
Pearl Jam’s “Ten” is an indisputable classic. Released in 1991 about a month
before Nirvana’s opus, “Ten” would eventually guide Pearl Jam into the
stratosphere, making it one of the biggest American rock bands of the '90s. But that’s
all well-known history the commemorative “Pearl Jam Twenty” documentary can
flesh out for you.
What isn’t known is why I’ve always had a deep affinity for the record. Since I
was 12 years old and awkwardly finding myself, “Ten” has been
monumental in its importance to me.
These are my favorite tracks from Pearl Jam’s debut, etched onto freshly
cleaned, virgin black vinyl, of course.
1. “Once”
Since its release, “Ten” has ascended into legend for three reasons. The first is Mike McCready’s furious guitar riffing and soloing.
The second is Eddie Vedder’s arena-filling growl that could plow you over with force and break your heart at the same time.
The third, and most important, is the chemical reaction that happens when you put the two of them in a recording studio together and let them fly.
“Once” is quite the album opener, because it encapsulates all three reasons into a tight track and really defines the sound for the rest of the record.
2. “Even Flow”
Stone Gossard is the unsung hero of Pearl Jam. He is the primary songwriter, yet no one ever seems to throw him credit. Granted, it’s hard to overshadow the wild antics Vedder brought on stage and McCready’s complete deconstruction of how a blues-influenced guitarist should play.
“Even Flow” really accentuates that point, too. Intentionally recorded to emulate a live sound, “Even Flow” is unrelenting, with a force and gusto that rides almost completely on the coattails of Vedder and McCready.
Oh, and that guitar solo is transcendentally crafted. Seriously, McCready is top notch here. Even more impressive is how “Even Flow” doesn’t even showcase his best work on the album.
3. “Alive”
Vedder’s lyrical ability shines throughout the record. He melds tumultuous topics like incestuous relations with a mother who thinks her son resembles her dead husband and completely unabashed and raw emotion in ways no other vocalist has ever really done.
“Alive” feels like Vedder’s descent into madness. Whenever he wails the refrain, “I’m still alive,” his voice cracks and shakes with the kind of recklessness a buzzing psycho killer would scream as he claims a victim.
Despite giving a vocal performance for the ages, Vedder is practically overshadowed by a McCready throw down that is relentlessly air-guitar friendly. I saw Pearl Jam live a few years ago and watching a nearly sold out stadium simultaneously copy the guitar solo was an experience unlike any other.
4. “Black”
Central to the emotional arch Pearl Jam follows is “Black” — a down-tempo ballad that feels like a page ripped from Vedder’s diary and read aloud.
This track always felt like it was written for me. When I first discovered “Ten,” I was immediately enamored by the nakedness in Vedder’s voice.
I’ve always written with emotion in mind — letting my thoughts flow with little vetting or editing. “Black” and its untreated desperation is the reason for that. It has, and always will, connect with me in an abyssal type of way. I can’t explain it, but I don’t really want to either.
Bringing this Vinyl Voyager to a close is tough. I feel like I could write endlessly on Pearl Jam’s brilliant debut. From the heartbreaking narrative of “Jeremy” to the forlorn cries of passion in “Release,” the whole album is packed with reasons to hail “Ten” to the heavens.
I urge anyone who even slightly enjoys '90s rock tropes to give “Ten” a try. Its legacy is set in stone and is truly quintessential in modern rock’s canon.
Tell the reporter about your vinyl collection at nlatona@asu.edu or follow @Bigtonemeaty on Twitter.
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