Ten

Good even though I'm not a divorced dad

Its pretty good I like Black

Good basslines. The singer has a very unique tone. Lyrics fun. That all being said, it's still not really my thing.

I have never listened to this album, though practically everyone I knew in '92 was obsessed with it. A couple of the tracks were somewhat forgettable, but as a debut album this is top notch. I would give it a 3.5 but will generously round it up to 4. I have had such a run of mediocre albums in a row, this was a breath of fresh air.

This was great. Haven't really listened to Pearl Jam before. You can really hear how they've influenced the rock music of today, and especially the rock music that was popular a few years ago. Some melodic tracks, which I especially liked. The guitars stood out to me for their sound in a good way with their riffs and sounds.

Not to compare but I’m Definitely more a Nirvana guy. Of the big four Grunge bands Pearl Jam might be dead last. However it’s been years since I’ve listened to this so let’s see. Well I feel a hint bad for above statements as it’s not right to compare two bands. I can’t deny this was a good listen and very well produced. Would I put it on all the time probably not but it deserves the praise it gets 4/5

Undoubtedly one of the most overrated albums ever. Don't get me wrong, it is a good album with a lot of influence that it had on Grunge but the praise it still gets more than 30 years later while having aged not really well nor bad baffles me as a lot of the songs are very average and just even out due a couple of really great songs. 'Once' opens the album with a somber guitar that transitions into a very Hard Rock instrumental and like most of the album you understand a bit of what is sung but ultimately have no clue of what's going on. And I don't think that it's a bad thing. It adds a uniqueness to it that makes Pearl Jam a very differentiable act. The song itself is pretty good and the chorus is pretty nice although the work around the chorus is improvable. The legendary 'Even Flow' follows and is without a doubt one of the best songs on here. For me the song just has a very even flow (sry) as it keeps steady and keeps me interested even when the chorus isn't there. My only criticism is that the guitar solo and the bridge at the halfway mark weren't really needed and just streches the song unnecessarily. The greatness stays with 'Alive', another very widely known track that brings in much more emotional depth instead of having the classic "rock to it" attitude. And while that makes it one of the most interesting and gripping moments on the album, I do think that they could've done a little bit more in terms of making it a more emotional listen than it already is. But the final guitar solo is one of if not the best on the album. 'Why Go' follows with a very overblown vocal delivery that just does not work in the way it is mostly performed. I do not care for it most of the time although the chorus is pretty neat once it starts. While it also feels a little overblown at the start, once 'Black' reaches the climax with the piano it does make a pretty deeply touching song and the guitar solo the second time just adds even more. I just think that another band could've made the song into MUCH more than it came out here. Still a great piece. 'Jeremy' is another one of the widely known songs this album offers. And it is in my opinion the worst one so far. It isn't a bad song but it fails to hook with the hook, to make me emotional with the performance or interested in anything they do on here. It's there and has some neat moments but ultimately fails to make anything noteworthy. The second half starts with 'Oceans' and it has a similar problem to 'Jeremy' as the song does not appeal to me in any way. Only that I here feel like they had a much bigger intention and ambition that in the end couldn't be fully implemented. 'Porch' is much better but I still don't care much for it. I don't have much to say about it except that I do not mind the song but it isn't as interesting as most previous stuff. The next song 'Garden' is much better though. The early appearing chorus and the the strong difference between the loud and noisy chorus and the slower and quieter verses work really well and make this another more emotional cut on the album and easily my favourite on this half of the album and the album in general. But the momentum isn't held as 'Deep' is another rather forgettable song. The vocal performance on the chorus is pretty strong though. 'Release' is conceptually a very different song as the song itself is with over 6 minutes the longest but includes a "hidden track" at the end called 'Master / Slave'. 'Release itself is actually pretty good in the way it adds a lot of characteristics of Post-Punk and builds up pretty nicely. It's just that the tension build doesn't release into anything worthy. The chorus is very basic and the way it vocally goes into that is even more average. Having just the influences from another genre and a bigger length doesn't make it as great as it could've been. The ominous ending that is 'Master / Slave' is pretty great in comparison and makes it ultimately a track worthy of being here. favourites: Garden, Alive, Even Flow, Black least favourites: Oceans, Porch, Deep Rating: decent 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

1-5 is 5 star. 6-10 is 2.5 star-ish. A 4 then

Explain this Atheists: How the fuck did these blokes predict that Mookie Blaylock would be an All-Star and make the All-Defensive first team twice?? Bro would pick your pocket then laugh about it. He was a quality college baller but it was still early doors for him. Now, why is Mookie relevant? Mookie Blaylock was their original band name and Mookie wore the No.10 jersey. Hence, the debut being titled "Ten". "Ten" was released during the peak of grunge and given there was an abundance of bands trying their luck, success wasn't guaranteed. It would take something special like this release to help Pearl Jam be acknowledged as a part of the 'Big Four' during this era. The cover art is the members standing in a circle with their arms risen, hands meeting in the middle. Bassist Jeff Ament stated this signified being together as a group and entering into the world of music as a true band...a sort of all-for-one deal. Ok, seems reasonable enough and a suitable choice for a debut. It's never been a personal favourite cover but it is serviceable. But all of this background information means fuck all if the music is nothing of note… right? We kick things off with "Once", an intro containing some nice percussion, droned out vocals from Eddie which then kick shit into gear with an immense main guitar riff and heavy drumming. It tells the tale of man who "once upon a time, could control myself" but descends into madness and turn into a serial killer. Intense songwriting choice for an opener but I think it pays off massively. I understand many peoples gripes with Eddie as a vocalist but my word is this a good start. The almost rapped pre-chorus is cool. A tight solo follows into a belter of a performance from Eddie on the final chorus, strained and passion filled. Great start. Next… Explain this Atheists "Even Flow" has what debatably could be one of the most recognisable intro riffs of all time. Now, this is an occasion of which I could agree with the gripes surrounding Eddie's vocal style as through the verses in this, his delivery of certain lines sound awkward to me. His performance on the chorus is better. The guitar work on this one is absolutely marvellous, duelling lead and rhythm parts from Mike and Stone which harmonise in parts are just brilliant. Dave Krusen's drumming here is tight and rocksteady, audible on the bridge. It's iconic, it's great What's up with these iconic intro riffs?? Well next up we have "Alive" which has a nice duelling between the electric main riff and an steady acoustic chord progression under it. Dave's drumming is also of interest in this intro, with the open hi-hat punching straight through the mix. Eddie tells a personal story of which his mother tells him the man who he thought was his father was actually his stepfather, his biological father no longer alive. A strong piece of songwriting, an absolute barnstormer of a chorus which then leads into more great guitar play. Eddie croons as he does best in parts here then explodes again for the final chorus before another tight solo from Mike which has Dave thrashing the living shit out of the kit. Absolute brilliance, one of their best with no real gripes from me here. "Why Go" reverses the approach, the intro is done through a tight drum pattern from Dave and a thick bassline from Jeff. The main riff here is rather subdued, a palm muted affair that doesn't really come to life until the chorus riff. However the same dark storytelling resumes. It is about a girl who was put in mental hospital against her will and without any mental illness. “Why Go” refers to the lack of motivation to go back home after spending time unjustly in this place. Eddie's performance is solid, nothing outstanding though and the droned out backing vocal through the chorus I find rather odd to be honest. The star of the show here is again the solo from Mike. Good, doesn't really compare with the first three tracks though and CERTAINLY NOT the next two that follow. Did you think you would get given a reprieve from the dark storytelling here? May I offer you an opportunity to double down with "Black" instead. My fucking word what a song. Who said a song about a relationship falling to pieces had to be done through a soppy slow ballad, clearly not Eddie. Again, easily recognisable intro riff which kicks the song off, a clean guitar riff might I add here which is a rarity here. Again a lovely duelling lead and rhythm pairing are present with some underlying piano playing courtesy of guest performer Rick Parashar. The distorted guitar lick leading into the chorus sounds fucking great. It's the back half of this song that makes it seriously incredible. Eddie belts and croons his ass off, a nice lead solo from Mike is played over the main riff and the doo-doo-doo's harmonise with it and work perfectly. A very well written and played song paired with an absolutely unreal vocal performance, especially on the back half. Special, special song. Could anything top "Black" for me, well surprisingly yes. For me personally, "Jeremy" is far and away my favourite Pearl Jam ever released and it begins with that goddamn bassline and some sharp cymbal work from Dave. The song takes its main inspiration from a newspaper article about a 15-year-old boy named Jeremy Wade Delle from Richardson, Texas, who shot himself in front of his teacher and his second-period English class of 30 students on the morning of January 8, 1991. Eddie details who Jeremy was and I think the chorus solely being "Jeremy spoke in class today, Jeremy spoke in class today" is an absolutely chilling and genius line. Aside from the story behind it, again some seriously good duelling guitar work is on display as well as guest performer Walter Gray on the cello. It is all capped with the iconic climax where Eddie belts something along the lines of "AH AIGH AI AI AY YEAHHH", sounds good to me mate. Top tier, their best in my eyes. So that's the A-Side down and well, it was pretty stellar. "Why Go" is the weakest on that side but that is only because it has 5 behemoths strategically sandwiching it. "Oceans" is the first track on the B-Side and… it's alright. Comfortably the shortest track on the album, clocking in at 2:41, it may also be the weakest on the album. Eddie details that he doesn't want a lover of his to stray away as he will return to them. I don't know about this one to be honest, it's a little cliché with the use of 'ocean' terms and metaphors. It's also nothing really special musically. The acoustic guitar work sounds nice and is honestly maybe the highlight of this, or maybe the underlying bassline of loses any audibility after Eddie intensifies his vocal. It's decent but never a song I'd come back to. Next up is in my opinion maybe the most underrated song on the album, "Porch". I absolutely love Eddie's fast, almost rapped delivery through the verse. The guitars are crunchy as all fuck through the chorus, nearly ear piercing. The underlying bassline is ever present and sounds great, the double tracked guitar solo sound fantastic. The little drum fill before the final chorus booms and the little guitar licks in that chorus while Eddie belts combine for a brilliant little track. "Garden" kicks off with the opening and main riff for the track, a lovely clean one at that. The verses are fine but my word does Eddie put on a killer performance for one of my favourite choruses on the album. With what is meant to be with reference to the Gulf War, Eddie belts: "Yet I'll go with my hands bound. I will walk with my face, blood. I will walk with my shadow flag Into your garden, garden of stone, yeah." On first listen it took my attention immediately. Aside from this, some chunky distorted guitars come in for the 2nd chorus and progress onward. A lovely solo intersects and acts as the bridge with more duelling guitars, you really need to listen to this through headphones for the isolating channel experience. This continues through to the final chorus which is a culmination of everything, Eddie belting, guitars soloing either channel, a chunky main riff played under it and some ever steady drumming. Fantastic song. We then run into a bit of an oddball, "Deep". The guitar driven intro is fun but simultaneously sounds like an AIC rip off. The subject matter stays dark, describing a man that is contemplating suicide by jumping off a building, in too deep to stop himself. I can't pinpoint exactly what about this song doesn't do it for me but I suppose not everything has to click. The main riff is ominous, dark and near disorienting, the storytelling is there, the slick bridge transition is cool and the drum fill finish the song off nicely but as a whole it's just a good track, not amazing. So, how do you cap this album off? With an appropriately titled "Release" of course. Eddie's approach on the first verse here took my interest. It's noticeably in a deeper and more guttural sounding register. Do I necessarily like it? Fuck knows, but it's interesting and makes sense given what follows. He belts "release me" and that's where the switch to typical Eddie occurs. The guitar effects give the track a unique atmosphere. What I don't understand is why the 'hidden' track is latched onto this and done where the transition is rather odd. Would've rather it just cut at the end of "Release". Good song and a suitable closer to the album nonetheless. My final thoughts on this and especially what to score this are somewhat convoluted. It's a great debut, do not get that twisted. Eddie has moments of magic and some where I can see the hatred toward his vocal style being justified. Instrumentation is superb for the most part. I do not like how it closes with the transition to the hidden track and I just feel like that the drop off from Side-A to B is rather significant. "Ten" also has been attributed to significantly influencing the post-grunge/dad rock/butt rock scenes that many hate and I can also see that. It's great, but I feel it may very well be the weakest amongst it's big four counterparts. Also, they could've fucked off "Oceans", then they would have an album called "Ten" that actually has 10 tracks, idiots. Track Ratings Once: 4.5/5 Even Flow: 4.5/5 Alive: 5/5 Why Go: 4/5 Black: 5/5 Jeremy: 5/5 Oceans: 3.5/5 Porch: 4.5/5 Garden: 4.5/5 Deep: 4/5 Release: 4/5 AVERAGE TRACK RATING = 48.5/55 x 10 = 8.8/10 ALBUM RATING = 8/10 TOTAL RATING = 8.4/10

This record was ubiquitous in my small suburban NJ town when I was 11 or 12 in the early 90’s. Everyone my age knew these songs, liked these songs. You heard them on the radio, saw the videos on MTV. There were commercials on broadcast TV during sporting events or American Gladiators in promotion of this album, so even if you didn’t have MTV, you were aware of it. You’d listen to this record with your friends on the way to soccer or lacrosse practice and debate if Pearl Jam was better than Nirvana. I’m struggling to think of someone I knew back then who actively disliked Pearl Jam. It was like oxygen: all around you, all the time, providing a sort of angsty teenage sustenance that kept you going. This record is one of the soundtracks to my youth and if you’re in your early 40’s, it’s probably one of yours, too. Listening to it just feels right, like putting on a pair of comfortable slippers or finally getting home after a long plane ride. I am fully on board with the nostalgia trip that this record provides. And that is why I was going to give it 5 stars. The more you focus on nostalgia, however, the more you’ll start to remember the cracks in perfection: like how you never really used to listen to this entire album and would start to lose attention after “Jeremy”, even though “Porch” was pretty fucking good. I’m willing to bet that if you found an original vinyl pressing of this record, the A-side of it would have a lot more wear than the B-side. The A-side of Ten is amazing, hit after hit after hit. I think every one of those songs got massive airplay back in 1992. The B-side of this record…not nearly as strong. Ten is a great reminder that when you’re being nostalgic, you’re choosing to remember the great things and usually not the factual reality. But, man…is that A-side fantastic, or what?

Super album but not quite a 5 star.

I love Vs. and Vitalogy, which makes me think perhaps the wrong Pearl Jam album is on the list. I know the album very well, and revisiting it should tell whether it's a 4 or 5. This holds up incredibly well. If you don't let some of the heavy subject matter get to you, this will always be an enjoyable listen. Bonus points: Sent me on a deep dive through the heap of incredible live Pearl Jam albums (seriously, I stopped counting, there were so many in Spotify alone). Minus point: Realizing my favorite Pearl Jam songs aren't on this album. Actual rating is 4.5.

4 superb grunge songs and a bunch of other unfocused tracks that make Pearl Jam one of the weaker bands in grunge's main staple.

The whole first song I was thinking hey this reminds me of that one song but I don’t know what it’s called or who it’s by but it’s so familiar. Anyway it turned out to be the second track.

I see the popularity, I was there so I'm sorta over it because it was sooooo overplayed but it aged well.

Вроде бы и неплохо, но эти роковые депрессии совсем не в настроение, в другое время может быть и понравилось бы, а пока увы

Harder rock than I usually listen to, but I like Eddie Vedder's voice. Good stuff. My band plays Alive, so I was familiar with that one. Not enough variety in the tunes for me. "Release", though, is a nice change of pace.

Creed ass vocalist

Being the 4th best of the big four of grunge is still better than most of the alternative-rock cheese that came after Seattle was mined for oil. I just wish somebody would've given Eddie the heads up that ending your song about a little boy killing himself in front of his class by scat-singing is probably in poor taste. I think this'll be all the Pearl Jam I need until I turn 43 and deeply resonate with Black after divorce number 2.

Nirvana Wish

Torn between 2 and 3 stars. I love that Pearl Jam exists and what they've done to inspire a lot of bands I love, but they're just not my cup of tea aside from a song or two. Still happy I listened, but I can't imagine any scenario where I'd choose to put on this album when there are so many to choose from that don't feel like work to get through.

Ok, so here’s my problem with Pearl Jam… 1.I had never consciously listened to them but if you played a song I would have probably guessed that’s who it is. Half the album are overplayed hits. I was most into the songs I had never heard before. 2. I have this preconceived notion of who a “pearl jam fan” is and it’s a crusty older dude who is wearing vans, past his prime, and waaaaay too into them. Everything is about stories from when they were in college… 3. I actually liked the music! It sounds good! But I can’t f’ing understand the lyrics because he slurs his words and mumbles! ENUNCIATE, please!

Yuck, Ten. *URGH* I loved this stuff upon release; I was 17 years old. *ROWWWWRRR* But I hate listening to this record now. *EEEEEE* Why in the world did this band let Vedder grunt and grimace and emote from his calculatedly tortured guts in every space available to him? *EEEOOOH* Who green-lit this approach? *UNNNNGH* One star, plus one star for Release, which I still love. *OOOOOH* There are also a couple of gems among the various b-sides and toss-offs from this period. *ARGGHGLLLEBARGLE-HUH!* But give me No Code or Yield any day of the week. *UNNNGH* This record is gross. *HUNH* And the 20 year anniversary \"redux\" remix is even more unlistenable. *YEEEUGH* There's no salvaging this thing, sorry. *AAAAAOOOORGH*

I’m sorry Seattle

This album is either very dated, not for me, or both. The songs are all peak generic dad rock and I associate them with guitar hero / rock band. It doesn't help that my friend Sal always blasts Pearl Jam as a joke. 4/10. Sorry to dads everywhere.

Didn't understand this album when it first came out, and I still don't understand it.

Nicht gut gealtert. 90er Powerrock mit starken Powermännern fand ich mal richtig gut, aber nervt jetzt eher. Noch ein Stern für die guten alten Zeiten

Too dreary.

I don't like pearl jam!!!!!! AGGGHHHHHHHH

Songs to eat a shotgun too. Grunge is dull. Voice is not great.

Nope

don't like this at all

Proper music for subscribers to Guitar Player magazine. Dead boring. Eddie Vedder sings in a way that gives a totally impression that he's on about something deep and important, but it's mostly sixth form nonsense. Baffling why this slick lump of stodgy classic rock was mentioned in the same breath as records by much stranger works from Nirvana, Melvin, Dinosaur Jr, Afghan Whigs, etc. It came out when I was at school and I didn't understand why loads of other "alternative" kids lapped this dadrock up. Doesn't "feel" like a 1 star album, but it strongly disliked every song. 1 star it is. Hats off to the lads, though, for their stances against ticket gougers and so on.

Some might say that Pearl Jam is among the best of the 1990s music scene, and they would still be in the bottom of the list stacked against 60s and 70s musicians. Slurred and mumbled lyrics, and anytime you think they may actually break out into a melody they take a quick left into thrash and trash. They suck.

Instrumentals are decent but I can't get past my dislike for that voice

I don't get Pearl Jam

I'm not a fan of Eddie Vedder. And this album is so weird. It's grunge era album, but it's not really a grunge album. It's just a bunch of regular rock songs that routinely go on to long. Why do we need 5 or 6 minute songs here? Leave the stretching out to Gov't Mule. There are some guitar hooks, but EV is SO over the top with his vocal emotions that I can't get past the vocals. Always been the black sheep of the Seattle bands for me. I've tried a few different times to give this album another chance, but it's not for me. Just because I took the time to look up the release dates: 8/27/1991 - Ten 9/24/1991 - Nevermind 10/8/91 - Badmotorfinger I'll always be Team SG first but Nevermind is a stone cold, locked down classic album too.

I do not like this man's voice

I just do not enjoy incoherent shouting over loud sounds it turns out

Yuck.

Off the cuff remark: unremittingly dull rawk. Vocals are especially grating. Standout track: couldn't bear to listen to any all the way through. Revisit?: no, no, no, no

Far too much wah guitar and pitch bending for my taste, it quickly becomes monotonous. How many guitar solos do you want on an album? All of them, apparently. I can see how it might appeal to some, but to me it just feels self-indulgent. I’m also not a fan of the overall mix; the drum sound, particularly that hollow snare, really doesn’t do it any favours. Eddie Vedder’s vocal style, like he gargles a bag of jagged stones every morning, only adds to the fatigue. It all blurs into one long track stretched over 53 minutes. I won’t be revisiting this. I slogged through it once and that was enough.

Extremly boring

most overrated band, maybe of all time? have no idea what makes this band special other than eddie vedder’s annoying vocals. and it shows since they fell the fuck off after their second record :///

A lesson in tedium. The opening and closing bass lines of the album are the highlights. Whiny vocal throughout does nothing for me.

Didn’t like it then , don’t like it now. Not even a sense of nostalgia from this. Eddie is just horrible.

Dire

WHY MOMMY WHY?!?!

No reason to listen again. Drab, monotonous.

Uh

Awful

2/10

I am reminded of the "Bowling for Soup" line - "Her CD changer's full of singers that are mad at their dad". There are some ok arrangements on here, some good dynamics, but the voice grinds my gears. The songs mostly outstay their welcome and are overblown, too Obviously I am in the minority here, but from this seat, one star.

shite

Nope. Didn’t start appreciating Pearl Jam.

Sucks

no

i just really don't like pearl jam

I hated this alum when it was released. I tried to give it a fair shake now, years later, but my opinion is largely the same. Possibly the worst representation of the Seattle scene at the time. There are a few good riffs throughout but largely this is watered down radio rock; a safe and accessible way for the major labels to play in an underground sandbox without getting hurt. Can't finish this out without touching on the fact the Vedder's vocals are god awful; floating somewhere between unintentional comedy and unlistenable garble. Hard to believe half this band was in Green River.

that was certainly noise

Not for me.

I hate pearljam with a passion

Pearl Jam suuuuckshyaawww

I just can't do pearl jam, if I could give no stars I would.

The biggest problem I have with Pearl Jam is Eddie Vedder's voice. I think I'd potentially like the music more if the vocals didn't distract me so much, but as it stands, most of the album just made me slightly annoyed. Up until now, I haven't ever given an album a one-star rating since most of the albums I haven't liked have just not made me feel any type of way, but this one was a little hard to get through. Even Flow is maybe the only song I quite like.

What a bloody awful racket.

physically couldn’t listen to this soz not my vibe at all

nä du.

Probably just not my jam. I listened to it straight without actually hearing it.

I’ve never liked Pearl Jam and this album didn’t change my mind

I don't like it.

Its still no better than it was in 1991

pearl jam is boring

Oh what a waste of time. Uninspired Jam tunes, hated it. Don‘t expect to find a pearl.

Typical peral jam, trash

Few good sounds nothing stands out

One of the greatest Grunge Albums of all time I mean even flow hellooo

One of my favorite albums of all time by one of my favorite bands of all time

Perfect album. One of the best Grunge album of the time. No skips on it. Each song flows beautifully into the next. Really glad to get this one today.

Hell yeah! Excited to get assigned this today. Great album. Hit after hit and even the songs that weren’t hits are good. (5)

Solid.

Há discos que estão em listas definitivas de certas décadas não são por acaso, e Ten do Pearl Jam não é excessão. Esse disco é absolutamente sublime, com camadas emocionais únicas, onde somente Eddie vedder seria capaz de transpor todo esse sentimento melancólico para quem esta ouvindo. Revisitar esse álbum por completo foi um grande deleite, ainda mais dando uma passadinha pelo Unplugged MTV gravado pela banda, onde tudo que era impactante e emocional se triplica em modo acústico. Grande discos da década, sem sombra de dúvida, obrigação ouvi-lo.

Was umming and arghing about what to rate this. It feels like a 9/10 so better than a 4/5 and not QUITE a 5/5. However I can’t do half stars so I’ll round up

Just a fantastic album. Very nostalgic for me of course, but also just a solid list of tracks from top to bottom. This listen I noticed Eddies frequent references to his relationship with his father which hit me harder now that I am a dad myself... there are also a number of 'virgin'-type references on here also that are interesting. Top tracks def include Porch which I think is very underrated and part of the sonic lineage that leads to 'Go' which is one of my favourite PJ tracks ever. Alive remains such a tremendous track though - tough to beat that rotovibe solo.

10/5

Probably biased because Black alone might warrant a 5 star review, incredible debut album.

10/10 It took a while for Pearl Jam to click with me, which is quite weird as I went through a proper grunge phase in my teens. I’d live and breathe everything Seattle grunge for a number of years, but it wasn’t until my twenties when I took a punt on this album and everything fell into place. The rapid rise of Pear Jam is something worth noting before we get into the record proper. After Andrew Wood’s untimely death in 1990 and the subsequent dissolution of Mother Love Bone, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament began to write new music, joining up with Mike McCready. After a brief hunt for a vocalist, they connected with Eddie Vedder and, within 5 months of their first show together, the band entered the studio to record this album. It’s a remarkably short period of time for a band to establish not only such a coherent sound as this, but also the sheer number of quality tracks that make up this record. Because by god, this thing slaps. But it’s also got great range to it. The first half is a relentless flurry of hits, with top notch hooks, beefy riffs and nuanced composition. It’s pretty powerful stuff, but Eddie Vedder’s unique and emotive vocal talents provide a heart and soul to the weight that the rest of the band delivers. Once, Even Flow and Alive is an iconic opening trio, and things continue on that vein until we get a brief pause for Black, which is a really beautiful and heartbreaking lament that still delivers with weight and groove, despite the more subdued vibe. And then they close side one with the utterly iconic Jeremy, which is such a harrowing and prescient exploration of disenfranchisement and violence in America’s youth, while also being a completely banging rock song. The second half of the record actually takes a subtle change in direction, leaning a little more into simmering edges of sound design and experimentation, toying with slightly more psychedelic glints, rather than the balls-to-the-wall drive of the opening half. Some people would consider it to be a slight dip, but personally, I like the fact that they take a slightly more sonically introspective and exploratory approach to things as the record progresses. Sure, there aren’t as many iconic riffs and hooks as the opening side, but it manages to deliver a great deal of sonic interest and nuance, while retaining the bands characteristic sound. It’s more brooding and tension filled, but it still completely delivers on what the band set out to do, and we still get some really beautiful moments of melodic writing on tracks like Porch and Garden. It’s really a wonderful journey of an album in that regard. Ever since I first picked up my first copy of this album, it’s been one that’s clung to my mind, getting regular airtime in the intervening couple of decades, and I don’t expect that to stop any time soon. It’s a Ten from Pearl Jam and it’s a 10 every day of the week from me.What a glorious record. Once - A slightly drifting, trippy into, and then things kick in with a punch. It’s not really fast, but the urgency of Eddie Vedder’s vocal gives this a pressing forward momentum, and then his vocal melody in the chorus is top notch. The guitar solo on this track is fantastic too. It’s not overly complex, but it feels like it drags out emotion in quite a visceral way. There’s a great pulse to this, and I think some of the drumming is really solid. A great opener. Even Flow - It’s quite the one two punch, and there are some absolutely killer riffs on this track. Eddie Vedder’s vocal lines and delivery are brilliant too, with a superb blend of melodic and rhythmic choices. The dynamic and tonal changes between verse and chorus give a great sense of movement and range, while the incidental lead guitar elements give it extra life. Banging chorus too. Alive - It’s another absolute banger. The slow build intro is well paced, with a cool groove and some solid riff work, and a bubbling tension that gently opens up into the chorus beautifully. And this chorus is one of the all time grunge greats. Vedder’s vocal is in places gut wrenching, and the musicianship all around is a perfect blend of function with moments of flair. The way the weight and freneticism of the composition and production increases over the song’s length is pretty subtle, but very effective. The guitar solo wails too. Love it. Why Go - Cool beat to open, then a great riff to back it up. I appreciate the moments of Pearl Jam’s work that lean just a touch into psychedelic sound design, and they throw a bit of that in before the verse kicks in proper. There’s such a great groove through the verse, delivered equally from every band member. I love that the first chorus is pretty much Vedder on his own, in a shortened format that they then extend and fill in when it comes back. Another absolute cracker and we’ve not had a single moment in which this album has dipped yet. Black - And that won’t happen here either. This is such a beautiful song. The bass and guitar parts dance around each other in such a smooth and considered way and Vedder floats atop them. The addition of the piano part to this track was a brilliant choice too. Lyrically, this is so poetic and beautiful but utterly gut-wrenching, and the delivery is extraordinarily emotive. When he gets to the bridge and hits the “I know you'll be a star, In somebody else's sky, but why? Why can’t it be mine?” it feels like a punch in the gut every single time. What a beautiful piece of music. Jeremy - Another classic. This album delivers with the consistency of Royal Mail in the 1970s. A song about a school shooter that manages to deal with a tragic event with sympathy to both the victims and perpetrator equally? Yes please. It’s tragic, it has superb melodies, riffs and performances and has so much raw emotion blended with melodic beauty. As a band, they build within their compositions so well, with songs ending with such strong, full sounds despite often starting out much more delicately. It’s just a brilliant song, superbly performed and produced. Oceans - It feels like the first proper pause for breath on the record, but the push and pull of the rhythms are great and the dynamic range and change in sonic palette from the album up to this point lets this work really well as a palette cleanser. There are some really nice harmonies in here too and it’s a very pretty song. Porch - That pause for breath is over, and we’re back in with some more punchy drum work and cool, powerful riffs. I love Eddie Vedder’s melodic writing and it’s in fine fettle again here. The instrumental break in the middle is the most stereotypical “grunge” sound on the record, feeling somewhere between Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, but when they punch back in it’s pure Pearl Jam. The way they evolve tonally through repetitive sections is quite admirable, and when Vedder locks into a repeating phrase, he can drag so much out of it. Garden - The opening for this shimmers and broods with tension and some really beautiful counterpoint between the two guitars and Vedder’s vocal, pinned down by the restrained bass. When things punch in, it gives great power and depth to the sound, and the vocal line is great hook. Later on they hit a middle eight that’s such a meaty riff, but they only hang on it briefly, which is great. This is quite the patient track and there’s nothing quite as hooky as some of the earlier tracks, but there’s something about it and the passion of the vocal that still completely sells it. Deep - They lean back towards some more sonic experimentation and psychedelic edged stuff now and they play really well again with the range of dynamic and intensity between the verse and chorus. There’s some excellent guitar work that manages to both roam and remain in touch with the song really well. The persistent, bouncing groove that threads through the song keeps things hooked in too, while Eddie Vedder drags everything out of his vocal performance. Release - The record closes (kind of - there’s a bonus track) with a slow but broiling sea of melody and counterpoint. The groove is leant back, but still pulls you on with it. The song ramps up and drops back in intensity really nicely and while it’s another that doesn’t have the hooks of the early album tracks, the vibe and pulsing energy is it’s own thing that’s just as engaging. The hidden track loops us back to the drifting psychedelic soundscaping work of the intro and has some great sound design and a cool rumbling beat to it. It’s genuinely a pleasing thing to drop back to, because they only tease a short amount of it in the opening.

formative album for me. both great and depressing as hell

Absolute classic in my collection. Many nights in my 20s with this on repeat

Love it - great teen memories, thx!

One of my favorites from my youth. Just a wall of guitar sound, but not like in the hair metal bands. The mix really captures the feel of a band that worked these songs out on the stage. There were some fantastic albums that came out of this era. This was one of those weird periods of time where the music I liked suddenly become popular.

One of my favourite albums, happy to get any reason to listen to it again

I expected to be a bit bored of this album. It has a very "on the nose" mainstream, guitar driven, arena rock sound that is easy to criticize for being a little too familiar. On top of that, several of these songs have been played to death on rock stations since this album cam out. Surprisingly, I actually got totally sucked in, and found myself really enjoying leaning into the familiarity. This album was an absolute monolith when it came out, I feel like it really hasn't aged one bit and still feels just about the pinnacle of this generation and genre. While it does feel incredibly mainstream, I actually find it really impressive that it can somehow still feel completely authentic and genuine.

Dit is toch een bijzondere plaat, met meerdere iconische nummers. Ook dit album werd mij vaak voorgeschoteld, alleen bij dit album werd vaak veel overgeslagen. Of eigenlijk werd hij steeds weer teruggezet naar Alive. Ik was blij als we als we Jeremy haalden, want dat vond ik zelf het fijnste nummer op het album. Het album bestond hierdoor voor ons dus uit zo'n 6 nummers. Met uitzondering van opvuller Why Go alleen maar knallen. Nu luister ik natuurlijk wel ook het tweede gedeelte. En eerlijk gezegd geef ik de groep wel gelijk. Er staat absoluut niets slechts op, maar het haalt het niet bij het uitzonderlijke niveau van de eerste helft. Maar goed, die eerste helft had de vijf sterren al lang te pakken.

Ik denk dat iedereen wel weet op wat voor cijfer dit plaatje gaat komen. De heren wisten het zelf destijds ook al gelijk, dus noemden ze hun album zo. Een zeldzaam album waarop elk liedje raak is en alle nummers dus goed zijn. Ik wist zelf natuurlijk in 1991 van toeten nog blazen, maar zelfs als klein menneke kreeg je dit album al wel mee. Ik denk dat ik het voor het eerst hoorde, toen ik bij mijn hardrockoom (die ik wel vaker heb aangehaald) de hoes uit zijn platenkast haalde. Op de een of andere manier trok die hoes toch ook al de aandacht. Onmiskenbaar 90s denk ik wel, maar tussen de doodshoofden van Iron Maiden was dit voor mij een positieve uitschieter. Ik weet eigenlijk niet of Alice in Chains en Soundgarden ook in zijn platenkast stonden. Die zouden ook zeker niet hebben misstaan, maar Pearl Jam herinner ik me nog. Vanaf toen heb ik dit album tot op de dag van vandaag regelmatig gedraaid. Het verveelt nooit en zogezegd zijn alle nummers raak. En dat heeft de band helaas daarna zelf ook nooit meer kunnen overtreffen. Maar wat wil je, als je zo'n classic hebt geproduceerd. Ze hadden ook op hun lauweren kunnen rusten. Dit album is in ieder geval de 10 sterren dubbel en dwars waard.

A personal favorite of mine. Definitely in my top 10. This album is the epitome of 90s grunge. With themes of helplessness and loneliness in a golden era of Americana, this album illustrates a rejection of affluence without consequence. This album features easily the two most popular songs by Pearl Jam: Evenflow and Jeremy. These exemplify the themes of the album; a vulnerable person rejected by society and acting counter to it. If only we had been better to them, maybe things could have been better for them and those they hurt. It’s gut wrenching and beautiful. The pacing is incredible. Eddy Vedder’s vocals are supreme. And the band, as a whole, gels on every track. I love this album, and I hope you do, too.

I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky, but why, why, why can't it be mine?

This is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I think it's the pinnacle of grunge and maybe even 90s rock in general. Eddie Vedder's lyrics may not be the best on their own, but his delivery is so wholehearted that it's impossible not to be moved by it. Between the hits, absolute bangers like "Once," "Why Go," and "Oceans" may get lost, which only shows the overall quality of the songs in this album. I know I am biased, but this record runs laps around Nevermind, and you can talk to my lawyer about it.

Un debut histórico, lleno de temas icónicos para el grunge y otros que no conocía. Es obvio que el lado A del álbum es superior y tiene todos los temas conocidos, pero el lado B mantiene el ritmo a la altura y genera grandes atmósferas con sus jams imponentes. Sin dudas un álbum impresionante y que debería haber escuchado hace mucho tiempo. P.D.: El combo Black/Jeremy debe ser lo más desgarrador que escuché en mí vida.

A monster album of my youth. I never carried the torch for Pearl Jam, but they were always there and important, and honestly this gets better with age when a lot of similar artists/albums of that era do not.

Maybe it's because alternative music fundamentally rewrote the sound of rock music, but I'm surprised by how...straightforward (?) this sounds now. Meaning it just sounds like guitar rock to me, with nothing particularly "alternative" about it. But we're a long way from 1991, and even though I was there when Ten came out, I've lost some of the sense memory of what was on the radio back then. Still, this was/is a seismic album and one of the defining classics of the era.

I am 2 tracks into this record, instant 5/5. No notes. Thank you, Pearl Jam.

AWESOME🤤

Great album.

Pearl Jam > Nirvana

Some of the best grunge you’ll ever hear

A una de ser perfecto…

Day 23 What the fuck was Seattle putting in their water in the 90s? Fav track: Black

I mean it’s great. It’s got the hits. I can’t listen to this without thinking of the Steezus Christ video. You know an album is good when the first six songs are songs you have heard on the radio dozens of times.

This is just a classic. I have listened to this countless times. One of my favorites of all time.

Amazing album; great bangers like Even Flow, Alive, Jeremy, and Black. I also liked how it begins and ends with the same instrumental section, which was pretty cool.

This one is a 5 for me all day every day

No brainer 5 stars , one of the best albums in the list if you would ask me. Risen from the ashes of Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam was born after Eddie Vedder wrote and sang his lyrics over the now famous songs like Alive and Once. It was a perfect match. Although it took awhile, Ten brought grunge to a bigger audience. I was 18 when this came out and I was immediately blown away by it and liked it more than Nevermind. Had more meaning, less punk, more (classic) rock and what a voice! I know every second of this album, have the cd since 92, the vinyl since I bought again record player in 2021 and is one of my favourite albums of all time (as of many people). Saw them live multiple times and PJ is in my top3-5 bands of all time. Ten is the greatest debut album of all time.

Knew this was gonna be at least a 4 going in cause I already loved half the album before going in. The tracks I never got around to listening to really complimented the entire experience and I left appreciating this album in a different way.

Great Album

One of my favorite albums of all time. One of those “perfect albums” with no bad tracks

Well, I keep running into no-brainers. This album meant a lot to me when it came out, I listened to it with no skips like the day before yesterday. It came out at a time in my life when I needed to listen to something that sounded like it was being sung in my ears just for me, and it made such an impression that I've never really been able to listen to any of their other albums. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

\ o / I /. \

When I first saw this album, I thought, well, 5 stars. I know it, I love it but I hadn’t listened to it completely in years. So I thought I’d listen but I’d only listen to the songs that weren’t the big hits. Then I see the track list and I’m like, ok, that idea is out the window. What I’m saying is, this is album is about as perfect as you can get for a debut album. That’s it. That’s all. My time has come to move on. Choice cut: Release

I remember buying this and wearing it out. There are some songs that seem to lag a little but even great albums will have that. This is certainly a great album as the band has great instrument play and were not afraid to sing about real issues.

One of the most influential albums in grunge and rock music

I remember when this came out-was such a great sound (not hair metal or bubble gum pop). Banging, in your face driving sounds, & lyrics. And lyrics that had depth & weren’t pretty. Yes, Vedder is a mumbler but he’s got great range & delivery.

Helped make me fall in love with rock music when I was a kid, still holds up. Diverse songs that work well together

Lots of my favorite Pearl Jam tracks on here. Lyrics to Alive were more messed up than I remembered. Even the deep cuts are outstanding — Once, Porch and Oceans stood out. 10/10

I’ve been listening to this album for years already and have no plans to ever stop

At least a four star album WITHOUT Alive, Even Flow, and Jeremy.

Solid classic of the grunge era. I wouldn't have predicted that PJ would be the band to emerge from the 90s with a core audience who continues to support new music and tours.

I loved it. I love the sound, and it lowk made me want to relisten to Chris Cornell’s stuff again. I’d def give this a relisten, in total album form or not

I understand the hate people have for grunge and by extension, Pearl Jam. That said, if you can understand just how fucking crazy 1991 was for rock and roll, you'd put more respect on Ten. Still listenable today. Lyrics touching on grief, loneliness, hope. You know, classic Seattle bullshit. Still an iconic album 35 years later. Feels crazy to type that out.

this might be the best debut album ever, and one of my favourites from the 90’s

10

9 - childhood classic

It is a bit embarrassing to admit I’d never heard this before. I obviously have heard the biggest songs - even Flow, Alive, Jeremy, and have enjoyed them separately but it never occurred to me to listen to a Pearl Jam album. Well regardless here I am a 39 year old man listening to Ten for the first time in 2026 and realising it’s amazing. The album has such a strong song to it - you know each song is Pearl Jam. For a debut it’s really surprising how polished their sound is. Want to spend more time catching up on what I’ve been missing.

One of the most iconic albums of grunge.

Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: I knew the big songs already, but hearing the whole album together makes it feel much heavier than I expected. It has that early-90s grunge weight, but there’s also a lot of melody and vulnerability underneath all the guitars. A couple moments feel very of their era, but when it hits, it really hits. Favorite Track: “Black.” That song just keeps building emotionally without feeling forced. The ending is brutal in the best way.

Ha. I could do this with my eyes closed.... 5 "still golden after all these years" stars.

wow! I loved this. Guitarist is better than brilliant and the drummer was pretty damn good too. By the end I could actually decipher the lyrics. it was like I had my own Tardis translation matrix.

Easy 5. Absolutely great from start to finish. Despite being unintelligible, one of the best rock voices ever. It's part of the charm. Good times and memories attached. Ten out of Ten.

What a debut album. Have been a fan of it for years. Garden, Black and Release me are among my favourite songs of all time. Easy 5/5

Pure nostalgia growing up during the Grunge era. Pearl Jam is still one of my favorite bands and there’s not a bad song on this album.

You can hate this band/album all you want for "selling out" or whatnot - but it FREAKING rips!

Hermoso. El disco que me hizo entrar a Pearl Jam.

Most amazing band!!!

Wonderful album

I'm honestly not sure I'll ever get over this album

um iconic af best of theirs lwk

9/10

This album shaped my childhood and still one of my favourites. Not one bad track.

Perfect

Absolutely phenomenal album, front to back. Every song is worth a listen, and with the album having no song that made me want to skip listening to it, I truly think this deserves a 5 star rating. Overall vibes are immaculate, and I caught myself head banging multiple times throughout my initial listen. I'll definitely be re-visiting this project many times in the future.

A perfect album. Relentless onslaught of emotion. Vedder gives the performance of our lifetime.

GRUPAZO

10/5 stars. Favorite Track: "Black".

Once was a great way to start this album. I’m excited to listen to the rest as this is one of my dad’s favourite bands! I quite liked Even Flow and the steady beat of Alive was great! It also had an awesome guitar solo. Black is one of my favourite songs. I adore this track and it’s always a pleasure when it comes on shuffle. Jeremy is just a great track in general! Oceans was very melancholic, but I thought the way it built was quite fantastic! Porch had a very cool sound to it! I loved Garden. It had such a large sound to it in the chorus that I could help but gravitate to. Release was a gorgeous end. Again, it built so so well. 5/5 ⭐️ 207/1089

4.8/5 crazy bangers on this radio n sport staples

Pearl Jamin Ten on erinomainen debyyttilevy ja varmasti bändin paras. Tällä albumilla kuullaan kuta kuinkin yhtyeen kaikki suurimmat hitit, mutta myöskin syvemmät albumiraidat ansaitsevat kehuja. Pearl Jamin melodinen ja tunteellinen hard rock toimii, vaikka olenkin aina pitänyt enemmän muista Seattlen "isoista grunge-bändeistä".

I’m a huge grunge fan, so Ten was obviously very familiar territory for me. Pearl Jam did take a little while to grow on me over the years, but this album is the one that really made everything click. Listening to it front to back again was just incredible. I love the sound of this era. It has that early grunge heaviness, but there’s also so much melody, atmosphere, and emotion packed into it. The songs cover everything from deeply personal struggles to tragedy and politics, and they never feel like they’re reaching for seriousness just to seem important. There’s real weight behind them. Now, Eddie Vedder can occasionally sound like he’s singing through a mouthful of gravel, so knowing what the songs are actually about definitely helps. Once you get past that hurdle, though, there is so much to pull from this album. The guitar work, the tension, the emotion, and that unmistakable early-’90s sound all still hit just as hard. For me, this is Pearl Jam at their best. Ten helped announce what the ’90s were about to become, and after all these years, it still sounds fantastic.

one of the best albums ever

Siento que la mejor forma de disfrutar plenamente este álbum es escuchandolo a volumen máximo para hacerle honor al bajo. Jeremy tiene un inicio simplemente increíble que me hace alistar mi oído para escuchar el resto de la canción, siempre será mi número uno en este álbum. La crudeza de la letra es un plus, mucho se le habrá criticado a la banda por esta canción pero de verdad creo que es mejor tocar temas dificiles antes que hacer la vista gorda de ellos e invisibilizarlos. Tras escuchar el album nuevamente, Oceans también me gustó bastante, creo que no lo había oído con la atención que merecía. Mis padres son fans de corazón de este álbum y veo el porque, tal vez eso le quite un poco de objetividad a mi calificación al mezclarlo con la nostalgia de haber escuchado este álbum los sábados en las mañanas cuando mi mamá hacía la limpieza de la casa con Even Flow a todo volumen. Pero que más da, es genial. La voz de Eddie es tremenda. Black tiene un final hermoso, me gusta cuando la letra deja de ser palabras y pasan a ser ruidos. Alive muy buena igualmente, las demás canciones no son de mi agrado del todo por sonar algo similares a mi parecer, pero eso no quiere decir que sean malas, Porch tiene ese ritmo que me gusta. Es un album que puedo escuchar sin saltarme alguna canción, darle 4 estrellas por que una que otra canción no me guste igual que otras me parecería injusto porque realmente siento que Jeremy vale la pena.

One of my favorite albums of all time. Just a phenomenal collection of beautiful songs. The emotion is raw in both the singing and playing. I’ve grown more accustomed to listening to PJ’s live shows, so it was fun to revisit the studio version.

Dang, this is still really good. This has aged very well. I never got into them back in the day, probably because for a couple years their songs seemed to be EVERYWHERE.

Been a long time since I heard this, it holds up well

10/10

Best Debut !!!!!

Ten stars

Hands. Hands in the air. 10 hands? Who’s to say. Why is he pointing. He’ll clean photography over distressed bg and lettering distressed me. Filled with rippers. A little top heavy but hey nuthin wrong with that. Ten is a 5.

hell yeah

zajebisci ludzie z seattl

Love this album.

If I were to be totally truthful with myself, if I'd somehow only heard this album for the first time today, I'd find it pretty preposterous - often in a good way, but preposterous nonetheless. As it is, this was 11-year-old me's favourite album, and thus just about the most foundational record I'll encounter in this project. It's going to be a five, folks, an absolute time machine back into the self experiencing an introduction to empathy through the most empassioned, earnest (OK, if a little on-the-nose) bangers 1991 had to offer. (And FYI: Vs. and Vitalogy hold up as fives without the caveats, a hill I'll happily die on.)

Loved it

This is one of the defining albums of my life. I am giving it a 5 but honestly it’s a 4 if I was not so attached to it

Έκανε 454 δίσκους για να φτάσει σε έναν από τους αγαπημένους μου και έναν από τους κορυφαίους δίσκους όλων των εποχών.

I know someday, you'll have a beatiful life I know you'll be a star in sombody else's sky But why, why, why can't it be Oh, can't it be mine? Powerful lyrics, sung so very emotionally. It brings a tear to my eye and i believe that is art. But the real reason I am writing this review is that i want to draw attention to the story of Christopher McCandless (aka. Alexander Supertramp). Jon Krakauer wrote the great book "Into the Wild" about him and his journey. If you are more of a movie type, there is one that goes by the same name. And it just so happens that the movie's score was (at least in parts) performed and composed by Edddie Vedder, Pearl Jam's lead vocalist.

It's actually crazy this is my first time listening to an entire album with this sorta sound. I really haven't branched from hip hop since 7th grade mane. Anyways this entire album is dope first listen I'm really loving it.

Solid grunge album

Pearl Jam og Eddie når det er bedst

EVENFLOOWWWW ON THE RED LIKE BUTTERFLIES (or somwthing idk)

Vs. is better, but this is a great album.

I knew it was gonna be great going in from my past experiences with this album. But yeah it’s quintessential 90’s grunge

est debut within grunge? Maybe only on par with Core. From the very first chord of Once it’s madness. It’s incredible, but the weakest point might be Jeremy

Such a poweful album, I knew it very well before starting this. The lyrics and the vocals are just incredible with the backing guitar riffs too. Very impressive that this is also a debut album!

Groundbreaking, intricate, angsty. Well written, well produced, well executed and the vibe is wonderful. Banger after banger, with only one hint of a dud (Oceans) to be found and that isn’t really too bad. A really good effort from a band with integrity whose work has stood the test of time. Well done to all involved.

Great

Love it. Love it love it love it. My face lit up when I saw that I'd be getting to listen to the sweet pipes of Eddie freakin Vedder on this June 16th. This is one of my favorite albums ever, banger after banger. I love Eddie's voice, I love every song. This is dad rock I can get behind.

it may not really be my thing but i just can’t undermine how fucking amazing it sounds

Listened while picking elderflower on the SVT Probably a very generous 5 - but this is such a nostalgic album. Great atmosphere and production, fretless bass makes a huge difference. Some interesting chord choices, guitar solos and meter changes are sparse enough for them to be really effective. Quite frontloaded and the last few songs are a bit more forgettable, but still good. On the whole, great album.

Once - 4 Even flow - 5 Alive - 5 Why go - 4 Black - 5 Jeremy - 5 Oceans - 4 Porch - 4 Garden - 4 Deep - 4 Release - 4

big fan of the lack of coherent vocalization personally

This is for sure one of the best 1000 albums of all time

I’m welcoming to getting flamed for this: this is the best “grunge” album and one of the best albums ever made. Nirvana has better hooks, soundgarden has better vocals, alice in chains is heavier, say what you want, this album is gold. Mike McCready is a force of nature on guitar and has some of the most memorable and hard hitting riffs ever on this thing: even flow, alive, once, porch, just insane. Eddie Vedder may be no Chris Cornell but he’s writing these absurdly complex and meaningful lyrics presented in a way where you can choose to be so sad or to crowd kill. And he’s a damn good vocalist on top of it. Black, lyrically, is one of the best songs ever written, truly a modern day poetic masterpiece. I don’t have many bands that I play the “I wish I could have seen them in their prime” game with but seeing Pearl Jam touring this album is one of the few. The energy and catharsis that is clearly evident on this album is so infectious and stands the test of time.

Not much to say about this album other than what's been said by generations - an album from a band formally named after an NBA player, and an album titled for Mookie Blaylock's Jersey also reflects the rating for any listen - a perfect 10!

Classic album. Great debut for a band that transcended grunge.

I LOVE THEM SO GOOD HAHAHAHA

Absolutely fantastic - loved it. The layering of the guitars and technical sounds were outstanding. Had never listened to the full album before and really enjoyed it … not as “grunge” as expected, much more reminiscent of traditional classic rock 5

Amazing album with a distinctive sound. I enjoyed this very much, most songs are incredibly evocative and capture their mood wonderfully. Vedder's voice sounds perfect and complements the instruments fittingly. The only weird thing is that last song, but I guess I am just not artsy enough.

Hell yeah

I might be being generous with this score and maybe that is reason enough to keep it lower but regardless, I am giving it a 5. My reasons are simple, most of the tracks have a guitar solo. All of these guitar solos are very good. The tracks themselves are also proper Dad rock energy that you could sing your heart out to. Realistically, it is a 4.7. It is not absolutely perfect in every way, but it is close. Simply put, it would feel wrong, for me, to round its score down given how many boxes it ticks for me.

5 de 5 Monumental debut que marcó el sonido y definió la era de el naciente grunge de los noventa. El disco destaca por su potente fusión entre el hard rock de estadio y la emotividad cruda, impulsado por la imponente voz de Eddie Vedder. Ten entrega un sonido más clásico, apoyado en guitarras gemelas y una base rítmica sumamente sólida. El álbum es una montaña rusa de emociones que aborda temas oscuros pero sumamente pegadizos desde la depresión, el suicidio y la alienación juvenil hasta relaciones complejas. Clásico inmediato.

Yeeeeeeeeeah I love this. Always have. Eddie Vedder's goofy and legendary voice, banger after banger after banger, thoughtful storytelling and lyricism, hard AF and anthemic. Is grunge my favorite genre?? Maybe???

Undeniably one of the best rock albums of the 90s. Feels epic. Each song a triumphant, soaring journey. Vedder’s voice is earthy and powerful, perfectly evocative. The riffs are iconic and catchy. Literally what more could you want in an album!?

Stone cold classic album. Almost every song is great. I can live without garden. Really enjoyed listening again

All time classic, front to back. Grunge’s finest.

You have to be in the right mood and then it clicks

A grunge classic- ideally a 4.5 star in my opinion but just enough songs I go back to warrant the 5.

One of the bands I always was adjacent to in my tastes, but never gave them that much of a try. Glad I did with this. Wow. Best Song: Black Rating: 8.5/10 Stars: 5

Best grunge album?

I mean, it's in the name of the record for a reason. If anything else, Adam Sandler's impression of Eddie is spot-on (10/10, 5/5 on this scale)

Seattle Seattle Seattle and all its bands <3

Killer album. Great to play on the loud speakers. Dad and I would crank up Even Flow. Have just discovered. Loving Even flow - alive - jeremy - black - garden

11 Songs, and 5 of them are absolute classics, with a few others that are damn near close to them. Maybe not the best Grunge album but the best "Grunge" album. I'm ready to read all the comments about Eddie Vedder's voice. Ten is a perfect name for this album. 10/10

Important album. I recall it changed everything along with Nevermind. And was such a breath of fresh air from the overdone hair metal and pop heavy on synth

Why yes I am a divorced dad, thanks for asking. I was 21 when this hit so it feels very much like college and youth, music of "our generation". Nothing else they ever did was nearly as good imho. Every song on here is exquisitely crafted in arrangement, lyric, melody, production, and vibe. If they could have written more songs like "Oceans" I would have liked them more later. A perfect 10 of an album (see what I did there). They should have called the next album Nine and the next one Eight as they subsequently get worse and worse. I M H O. But we'll always have 10.

i've already listened to this album love it 5 stars

I have never listened to a full Pearl Jam record before. I had no idea how many great songs came off their debut album. It is just too iconic and good to not give full marks.

Absolutely deserves its place on the list. A pivotal album that defined rock for the decade.

Iconic for the mega singles and very solid for the tracks I was unaware of. There's grunge here but not as much as many others in the list and I think the heavier side of rock was the right call to make in terms of style. The songs feel like they define the genre of the 90's and Eddie's voice is so distinctive with a great range to complete the really tight instruments. A great album from front to back.

One of my favourite albums of all time...

I've listened to this album many, many, many times. I was also lucky enough to be at the "Ten" show in Philadelphia several years ago when they played the whole album live. Not much to say about this album other than it's one of my absolute favorite albums. Not one song on this one that I don't love. In fact, I think some of the songs that weren't "radio hits" - "Release" in particular - are some of the best songs on the album. The album is just fantastic front to back and when you take into consideration that it was their debut album, it's even more amazing. I've had a pretty good week of albums this week, and this was the perfect way to top it off.

One of the finest albums of the 90s, and therefore one of the best from any era. Featuring the mighty Even Flow, Alive and Jeremy, you'd have to go a long way to screw it up from there. Every track is loaded with foreboding and dark thoughts, which gives it an energy that few can match. Gad dang it sirs, have 5 stars.

9.5/10 Was tempted to let this be my first 10/10 (522 albums in), but really it should've just been called Nineandahalf No doubt Eddie Vedders singing style is an invitation for parody, but there's no denying the power of his voice, for example on a track like Why Go (I love the effect on the line "*SHE* seems to be stronger") and it really fits the music well. As others have mentioned the lyrical themes may be dark, but there is a certain warmth about the album, despite the bleak stories being told. It's not as cynical as Nirvana. Pearl Jam isn't too cool to add musical flourishes or write beautiful melodies (Black, Porch and Jeremy stand out in that regard). The album is dense and super tight. Every track is worth listening, even if the energy fades away a bit near the end. It's a near perfect heavy rock album. Highlights: Jeremy Why Go Black Alive Porch Once Even Flow Garden

This album is so good that I was confused when this came up because I thought I had already given it a 5 If i was being hypercritical, the last few songs are a bit of a drop off in quality compared to the earlier songs (especially that first 5 song run) but that is party down to how good the earlier songs are

Loved it when it came out and love it now. Every track is great. Can’t see myself ever tiring of this. I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t love this.

I'm getting my flannel and doc martens out. Absolute fucking banger of an album 🙋🏼‍♂️

Love this album so much. Immediately transported back to my teenage years. Hit play and just rocked out, and horribly sang along since to this day I don’t fully understand everything Eddie Vedder sings

Great album, takes me back

Amazing. Pure brilliance from start to end.

Classic

Easy 5/5

It's one of my favourite albums of the grunge era, it's unrefined, yet refined at the same time. The trackseven flow, alive, black and jeremey are punchy, raw and explosive. While the back half of the album (Oceans, Garden and Deep) become more mellow and almost melt away. Porch is the notable exception here as it really is a jolt after Oceans. Maybe it belongs in the first half, but maybe not? Later Pearl Jam albums (vitalogy on) became more refined but Ten really captures the sentiment of the era.

This was a good reminder for me that “grunge” was a genre defined more by its aesthetics than by a common sound. Just like Elton John and Slade were both “glam” rock but sonically had absolutely nothing in common. That’s how Nirvana and Pearl Jam feel. Sure, they came from the same scene but, did they really? One of my recent metrics for classifying music is “does this music acknowledge the existence of punk rock?”, and I think that’s helpful for this comparison. Nirvana very clearly knew about punk rock, but Pearl Jam… doesn’t? This record sounds like the evolution of glam and hard rock of the 70s, mixed with some metal from the 80s (glam 2.0), but I don’t hear anything identifiably punk or post-punk. Before you try to argue with me about the metal thing, go listen to the guitar solo in “Porch” and then delete whatever you were about to say. I didn’t think I’d get here, but it’s hard for me to argue this isn’t a 5 star album. There are so many hits here, and I can hear the echoes of this record in so much of the post-grunge rock n roll. This record is like the 1991 version of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.

A 90s grunge classic. Vedder's voice is towering, the guitars are incredible, and the songs stick in your head for days. Amazing that this was their debut. Standouts: Even Flow, Alive, Jeremy, Porch

It's just as beautiful as the first time I heard it... three years ago. Ten's an absolutely phenomenal debut album - basically no duds, a confidently unique yet coherent sound, and a bombastic rock/grunge energy in every track. This one's been on regular rotation and never disappoints. What's always so shocking about this album is that Eddie Vedder's Doors-esque warbly vocal delivery works so well. It's unique and fits right into the musical space the rest of the album sits in. The whole production is just so tightly-written that it's this fun, sleazy (affectionate) celebration from front to back. Black in particular has this rich anthem-ic quality to it that's practically unparalleled amongst its ilk; it's a spectacular showing for a new band. And Even Flow is just Even Flow, a rock-radio staple jam for very a good reason. Praise Steezus. Fav tracks: Even Flow, Alive, Why Go, Black, Deep

Pearl Jam’s greatest album. Raw, emotional and pure. Vedder’s voice gives the music incredible depth and in my view, his vocals elevate this music from excellent to otherworldly. The band is so powerful. The record does not have a weak point. One of my favorite albums in my college years.

Masterpiece

4.7

This is a great album. It rocks hard and yet is completely emotional at the same time. Somehow its so hard and yet draws you in and connects with deep feelings and emotions. This is a rare one on the list that I truly think should be. While Pearl Jam and Vedder are just one of the bands that came out of the 90's grunge era they really helped define it and this album is a great example of why.

Great album! Fabulous guitar and drums. I was really into this album my freshman year of college. I haven't listened to it in decades and it still sounds great! I especially enjoyed hearing the "non-hits" again like Why Go, Oceans, & Porch.

In today's installment of "Fuck Yeah Friday"... I've heard this album so many times and it's difficult to separate it from my cousin, who was so obsessed with Pearl Jam in the 90s that I think they were literally part of the air he breathed. Lots of great memories driving randomly around town in my college years listening to them in his car. Their music felt like such a part of the cultural zeitgeist of the decade. And they were my first Alpine show in 1998! The start of many beautiful memories there too. But I did always love this album on my own as well, and I've got nothing but love for it still. I know he's comically hard to understand sometimes, and this might be the more "mainstream" version of what Nirvana and others were setting out to do, but this is undoubtedly one of the classic albums of that era. Every song is a total banger, and the nostalgia here is next level. So much fun to rock out to today. Very easy 5.

4.6 4x love this debut with a few all time classics.

AMÉM!!!!! Eu AMO esse álbum e ver que era o que tinha que escutar foi o MAIOR PRAZER, meu dia ficou mais feliz juro!! Fiquei muito feliz de ver o disco que foi a porta de entrada pro Grunge, que me fazer relembrar novamente nessa outra escuta sua importância e influência no mundinho do rock. O álbum era pra ser referenciado a um jogador de basquete, mas apenas ficou como título o número da camisa dele mesmo. Tinham uma postura muito anti comercial que entendo pois, o álbum foi um estouro e a pressão da fama foi algo que eles rejeitaram o máximo que puderam. As músicas tem um som rico em guitarras e texturas o que me lembrou um pouco do Jimi Hendrix em sua habilidade de fazer isso com maestria. A história do disco é muito bem contada, de forma que nos faz escutar e ficar “uau” com toda a atmosfera que é criada tanto pra compor a letra e vice versa. Minhas favoritas foram “Even Flow”, “Alive”, “Black” e “Jeremy”, faço um adendo aqui sobre como todas as citadas e as não citadas tem uma letra e história muito interessante por trás além da do álbum, então é algo de se apreciar por completo. Ten de Pearl Jam é um álbum rico em tudo que se possa imaginar, abriu caminhos para uma cena e artistas que viriam logo após isso, destacando o peso das histórias junto a um ritmo implacável e direto. Em momentos da música onde sempre utilizavam muitas metáforas, Eddie Vedder destrinchava de forma direta e clara histórias pesada e doídas de se escutar e que, com sua voz adicionava o tempero final. Além do som que PUTA QUE PARIU! Não há nada melhor do que escutar um álbum de rock/ grunge fazer jus ao que é proposto a fazer!!! SONS É SOLOS FODAS! Sujos, rebeldes e ousados, esse álbum gigante como já dito, faz isso e muito mais, sendo um dos meus álbum favoritos em vários aspectos deixando uma marca importantíssima pra música e pra minha pessoa.

Foundational album for an entire genre. I miss being young.

Side one all bangers, with a stoner doom sludge vibe but side two keeps on giving and you go to a deeper place of existential abyss

I mean its pearl jams 10. More like 10 outta 10 baby. Its a sick record. Filled with all time greats. Jeremy, alive, black, even flow. It just goes on and on and on. In the rare cases where a song comes up that wasn't a radio hits for the last 30 years, its still great. Oceans kills, so does the closer. I do wish that in the streaming era they would cut up secret songs on these 90s and 2000s records. It would just be nice to like a song I like and not have a hanger on I dont as much. No biggie though. This record is so damn good. Its undeniable. Even if im not looking to listen to it every day like I did in middle school. Its still one of the greats

Ten. 10/10, well 9/10, but higher than 8/10,so it's gotta be a 5.

Love it!

*breathes in* EEEVEN FLOOOOOOW— Seriously though, amazing album. Mentioning only Even Flow would be disrespectful to it. The whole thing is a no skip.

My all time favourite album drops on the same day I upgrade my AirPods - serendipity. This is still a part of my regular rotation and hasn’t lost an ounce of shine for me. The first half of the album is where the hits lie, but it’s the back half that is truly great.

This is an amazing album. So many bangers on this one. I have listened to it countless times and I’m sure I’ll listen to it many more times in the future.

This is good. Very good. The only question is it a 4 or a 5? 4.5, round up or down? I'm going 5, bonus for something this good as a debut album.

In the early 90s a bunch of bands from the PNW burst on the scene - Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden being the biggest in life. Nirvana was sort of the breakthrough that grew to exist everywhere. Soundgarden had Chris Cornell’s incredible voice - in my personal top 3 between MJK and SPM. But of these, Pearl Jam was the one that, for me, had the best overall package and sound. And I played the hell out of this CD for a solid 5 years. Many good records would come but this to me was their best. Jeremy was immediately iconic. Alive heartbreaking. And once an incredible, driving opener. I loved this album then and that love remains to this day. 5/5

Excellent. 4 or 5 songs that are quintessential to the genre. I actually have Pearl Jam bottom of the Seattle big 4 personally, but this album is top notch. I dont think they've released anything as good as this debut.

Pearl Jam – Ten (1991) On Day 128, I was blown away by an absolute masterclass of a project. This album is perfect from start to finish it’s full of bangers with absolutely no fillers. Eddie Vedder’s performance is outstanding; his range is impeccable, with "Even Flow" and "Black" being perfect examples of his vocal triumph and the band's slick chemistry. While the hits like "Jeremy" were great, I found that the deeper tracks like "Porch," "Garden," and "Deep" are total sleepers that deserve just as much praise. Finishing with the beautiful and levitating closer, "Release," made for a triumphant listening experience. This is a definitive 5/5.

Wonderful album. I actually prefer some of PJ's other albums, but this one is iconic and the songs are great front to back.

All time all time.

A long-time fav! Raw and rage-filled with beautiful memories woven between the notes.

The fact that this is their debut, is kinda mind-boggling. They really paved their own way, great record from start to finsh.

On my grunge mount rushmore. One of the greatest vinyl A-sides of all time.

Goated

Grunge G.O.A.T.

It's arguably the greatest debut album of all time. It's also not just a grunge era staple but maybe the most important grunge album (even though Nevermind gets more love). It's hard to put into words the impact this album has had on my life and frankly a generation of 90s rock fans. Even though PJ has gone through drummers like butter everyone who plays on this album is an all star. My least favorite song on the album is Jeremy but that's really only because it's been overplayed. There are no bad songs on this album. Also it has Black. You could give Ten 5 stars just based on that. It's not just one of my favorite albums of all time it's a damn masterpiece...

Even flow et black are my favorite 🤟

All round fantastic album. The hits are big and the rest of the album stands up well.

Fantastic debut

I enjoyed this a lot. Will 100% listen again, probably many times. The (very) few times a song came on that I didn’t like as much, I was loving it by the second half.

What can you say about PJ? A classic and so accomplished for a debut from these guys. Stone and Mike had such a great sound and all just clicked once they got their front man. These songs still sound great today and the album is near flawless front to back. It is only due to sheer over familiarity that I struggle to find much novelty in a repeat listen. Five.

A classic, every song is a delight.

DISCAZO

Ten es un álbum monumental donde el 90% de las canciones son obras de arte. La columna vertebral del disco es, sin duda, la voz de Eddie Vedder; su fuerza, vibrato y calidez elevan cada composición, convirtiendo el dolor en algo estéticamente sublime. Es un trabajo que suena más agresivo y moderno, con una potencia en las guitarras que se siente eléctrica y actual incluso décadas después de su lanzamiento. El contenido lírico es conmovedor, crudo y real, abordando temáticas de salud mental y trauma social que, por su honestidad, pueden llegar a ser demasiado pesados para el oyente. Piezas como "Jeremy" impactan por su crudeza, mientras que "Even Flow" destaca por su impecable ritmo. Sin embargo, es "Black" la que se corona como la joya del álbum, transmitiendo un desgarro emocional inigualable. Más que un disco con un concepto lineal, Ten se percibe como una colección de grandes éxitos.

It caught me off guard immediately by the first song till the last , I expected some chill 70’s album but it was really something unique.

Another 5 star album! Things are turning around as I approach the end of the list. The timing of this album was spot on. Early 90’s, aids epidemic in full swing, losing friends, making babies. Drifting away from hardcore Punk, fully embracing Grunge, whatever the fuck that was, and Seattle was ground zero! Great bands from this era. I ran into a chick from my 70’s high school days who gushed with the comment, “You were Grunge before Grunge was cool!” Ok… so I looked like a slob in high school. Got it.

Ten is just the perfect album. There is not one bad song. Black may just be the most powerful song of all time in terms of lyrics and emotion. Incredible stuff, and this was a debut album. Crazy

Pearl Jam might be my least liked out of the Big Four of grunge, but this album is great.

Once - 4/5 Even Flow - 5/5 Alive - 5/5 Why Go - 4.5/5 Black - 5/5 Jeremy - 5/5 Oceans - 4/5 Porch - 4.5/5 Garden - 4.5/5 Deep - 4.5/5 Release - 4/5 One of the atypical grunge bands whose first outing definitely leans more into the Led Zeppelin-type of rock rather than the punk or metal of their Seattle counterparts. Arguably one of the best grunge albums with no filler songs whatsoever and all the singles rip. The Even Flow-Jeremy sequence is one of my favorites and solidifies this as an easy 5*. Overall: 5/5 Favorites: Even Flow, Alive, Jeremy, Black

Possibly one of the best debut albums ever made. This album perfectly encapsulates the raw emotions of the 90s grunge era. Eddie Vedder was a force to be reckoned with his hard hitting lyrics, unique vocal range, and stage presence. Mike McCready brought his A game by both composing uplifting guitar solos and face-melting riffs. This album is why I have such a soft spot for 90s hard rock.

From Vedder’s unique vocals and guitar riffs they just don’t stop. This is a great debut album and it’s one that I totally enjoyed.

Es una joya a la que hay que volver...

Increíble álbum debut de una de las mejores bandas de los 90 4.5 de 5

I am frustrated by the fact that this his more than ten songs. Anyway 5/5

no. notes.

Awesome!

*distant Even Flow plays on the Guitar Hero 2 main menu* Yeah this album is super awesome. Every hit is on there and they're all great, and the non-hits are just as awesome and thematic despite not having the "hits bias". Everything just fits together so well - the songs don't melt together into a blob and instead they're all defined and interesting and keep you engaged the whole time. Once into Even Flow is a sick intro into the album. Master/Slave is a cool little cooldown and the looping back into Once is 🔥 as well. The drums are sick, the bass is sick, Vedder bless his heart I can't understand the fella half the time but he brings the energy and is awesome as well. Really just checks my boxes of "defined + creative + varied songs" and "album has a clear creative vision" 9.4/10

This makes me wanna get up and run a marathon. Not a single miss in the entire album.

Well I mean, ratings in the title

Escuché esto mientras tomaba dos cervezas y me fumada medio atado de puchos. Música de machos.

type of shit my dad listens to

fun

Bizar dat je dit als debuutalbum de wereld in slingert. Ten is van begin tot eind waanzinnig, met misschien wel 3 van de beste nummers van de jaren 90 op 1 plaat. En dan heb ik het nog niet eens gehad over de nostalgie die voor mij persoonlijk aan het album kleeft. Damn.

This was really cool. It had some great energetic guitar. Eddie has a great voice and made some amazing hooks. I really like The way the album was laid out. The first couple tracks been super energetic then some more mellow/baldy tracks it really made the album immersive. I think I'll need to listen to it paying more attention to lyrics but the songs that I was able to really comprehend the lyrics had great storytelling. This album was great and I think it'll just grow on me over time. I'll give it a Strong 7 to a light 8

BANGER enough said. Jeremy has spoken about EVEN FLOW

Great to listen to from start to finish a few times for the first time in years. The hit songs have been so overplayed, it’s hard to actually remember how incredible this album was when released. Top tier debut.

if i could give it 10 i would. iconic.

One of the great albums of the 20th century. So many hits you forget that the "other" songs are incredbily powerful in their own right. Truly a masterpiece. Yes, I am a 40-year-old father of two.

Era defining album

You'd be hard pressed to find a stronger debut album. Game changer in this genre.

once again, one of my first entry points to an artist was Evenflow - and this album continues to be a great survey of what Pearl Jam can be. Loved it.

Top 10 all time for me

Masterpiece

Many albums are considered the "poster child" for a genre later mocked. This is literally grunge rock personified. And many of the albums from those days are kinda forgotten. But goodness this holds up incredibly well.

All time classic. Likely my favourite grunge rock album of all time