Ten

Confession: this is one of my favourite albums. I can more or less sing it front to back. All killer no filler. As grunge-era records go, I prefer this to Nevermind. Don't @ me.

THIiiisiissssssss wasanalbumthatistartedtoenjoyatfirst Buuuuuuuuuuuut thiswayofsingingkindagotoldprettyquickandiendedupbeingprettyoverit HOOOOowwwwwever Theirpoliticsaregoodsotheygetanextrastarforthat

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.

Not my ... jam.

First CD I ever owned. Got it for Christmas 1991 - which was the same date that I got my first CD player / stereo. I was 13 years and this played in my room more or less constantly for well over a year. A seminal album in rock n' roll - along with Nirvana's Nevermind, probably THE defining album of the Seattle scene / grunge movement. And, amazingly, it has aged extremely well.

Best part of this album is when I accidentally searched for Pearl Ham

So. Many. Bangers. This album took me back to middle school so hard I broke out in pimples during the opening chords of "Even Flow." There are a few tracks that didn't age all that awesome but, overall, it's a freaking killer album.

This album is amazing from start to finish. Obviously, Pearl Jam have been copied to death and it's that aspect that I dislike in many copy cat acts. Noone can replicate their authentic sound, which is full ,heavy and gritty.

Many classics here, Black and Jeremy are 2 of the best songs of the 90s. It lulls a bit towards the end, but thats not necessarily a bad thing given its explosive middle.

Pearl Jam are the kind of band who eat cheese on the toilet. They smother cheese all over their filthy bodies and suck eachother off through cheesy glory holes. You know I'm right.

One of rocks greatest debut albums. Still sounds as good as it did the day I got it at makin tracks and sat on the bus home blown away. It has no weaknesses and it’s easy to say the big songs are out of the way early and it drops off. If anything it gets better especially once we get Alive out of the way. Give me Porch or Garden anytime over it. And then there’s Black - one of the finest “love” songs ever written in my mind. A stone cold classic album and testament as to why this band remains bigger than ever 30 years later.

I never liked the Seattle Grunge sound and I find Eddie Vedder’s voice annoying. I also found all of the songs on this album repetitive

I don’t even know where to start. I’ve been waiting on this review for one thousand and fifty-nine albums, and now that it’s here I have too much to say. I’m not going to argue that this is the best album on the list. Or that it is the album most demanding of being listened to before you die. But it is my favorite album on the list. It is formative for me. As a white male American born during the bridge between Gen X and Millenials, it was kind of required. Pearl Jam was my first favorite band. And they still are. Pearl Jam debuted with “Ten” four days before my 11th birthday, and they have been consistently going strong for 34 years now. It’s a run that few artists in history can claim, and I’ve grown up with them. I’ve seen them struggle with stardom, push back against it, fight their own industry, and then retreat, but still continue making amazing music. Because of that push back and retreat, I don’t think they get nearly the credit they deserve. They have outlasted all their contemporaries and created a legacy and longevity that is only rivaled by very few in the history of rock music. And because of all that, more than any stand I will take on the 1001 list, Pearl Jam should have more than one album of representation. In fact, while it is my favorite album on the list, it isn’t always my favorite Pearl Jam album. Depending on the year and my mood, it might be “Vs.” And just as worthy is “Vitalogy.” Pearl Jam has been consistently good for 34 years, but those first three albums are on another level. Not just on their individual merits, but also because they each bring a unique variation on the band’s sound. So many people just wanted them to repeat “Ten,” but they didn’t. (Repeating it might have made them more popular, but not repeating it made them better artists.) I don’t think any other song Pearl Jam has ever recorded sounds like it would fit on “Ten.” “Vs.” and “Vitalogy” are similarly unique. Some of the B-sides and other “Lost Dogs” (as the band later named them) come close, but none are quite right. Or maybe I have just listened to those three albums so much that they are ingrained in my brain and anything else feels out of place. Post-“Vitalogy,” PJ hits a groove in their matured sound that doesn’t waver a whole lot over the next two decades. But that isn’t to take anything away from those albums. “Yield,” “No Code,” and “Binaural” in particular are excellent, and there have even been moments when I wondered if the latter two were my favorites. And then there’s the aforementioned “Lost Dogs” - 30 B-sides, singles, and other assorted non-album tracks. There’s a few weird ones, but you could easily make two 10-song albums from that material that I think would rank up there with the band’s best. And that doesn’t even include “Breath” and “State of Love and Trust” from the “Singles” movie soundtrack, which at times are my favorite PJ tracks. All this to say - the depth and quality of their material is unmatched. Pearl Jam’s live shows bring another level to their legacy. Again, 34 years of never resting on their laurels, with worldwide tours filled with deep and never repeated set lists. Two-and-a-half hour plus shows, even now in their 60s, filled with deep cuts, lengthy encores, and mind-melting guitar solos by Mike McCready. As for “Ten” itself - absolutely incredible. What a way to make a debut. So much energy and passion. The hits get so much credit, but it's the depth of “Ten” that cements it as one of the best ever. “Jeremy” is actually my least favorite song on the album. Where it really hits another level is on the last four tracks - “Porch,” “Garden,” “Deep,” and “Release.” Twenty-one minutes of some of the best hard rock ever written. Vedder gets the attention, but it's a full group effort (with the same lineup for the last 27 years). Five against one. I’ll ride their wave, wherever they take me.

I wonder sometimes why they're associated so closely with grunge. They're not nearly so muddy and dark. Their music is emotional and definitely coherent but almost impressionistic, not least because you sometimes have no idea what he's mumbling. Anyway, this is nearly an hour of great riffs and strong writing. The production's a little dated, but there's a remaster from a few years back that just about fixes everything. 4.5 rounded up.

The less cynical yet equally disillusioned counterpart to Nevermind, Ten is an undisputed pillar of grunge. At the end of the day, Eddie Vedder just wants to be Neil Young, but the times called for something with more of an edge, and on this record, Pearl Jam makes a hell of case for the music requiring it too, adding darker subject matter (it's pretty crazy to consider there were songs inspired by school shootings as early as '91) and breakneck performances to the kind of storytelling that's more commonly reserved for acoustic guitars and folk rock. The heavier stuff is what resonates with me most—the solo at the end of Alive easily trounces anything prior in the song—but even the record's slower, softer moments shine in large part due to Vedder's unique voice. There's not a lot of weak points here, with even the instrumentals serving well as bookends that don't feel particularly indulgent. It's simply a phenomenal record from top to bottom—okay, I don't like Oceans that much, but that one's not even three minutes long. Key Tracks: Once, Why Go, Deep

big numbers, mediocre music

I don't understand why people like Pearl Jam.

Every song is powerful, raw and hard hitting. Knowing it so well almost made me take the brilliance of this album for granted. Eddie is a force of nature.

The guitar riffs and amazing, the drums pounding, the vocals spectacular, and most of the lyrics are very good. I will certainly be adding this to my playlist!

Guitars sound great but this old man yelling really does not 💀💀💀 🦆🦆 I just wish this man could sing so I could actually enjoy this 😭 The actual music/instruments are really good though, just being ruined! Faves - Even Flow, Why Go, Porch No songs saved or added to playlists Overall - could be a solid rock album, if only someone else sang on it 😭 Would I check out their other music - no Rating 2/5 (the vocals COMPLETELY ruined this for me)

I know for a lot of people, Eddie Vedder's voice can be a sticking point. But when I hear the passion, the emotion and the energy in his voice, it's hard for me to not love this. No skips.

Pretty generic rock music, with a voice that is impossible to take seriously. Best song by far was Porch, which is the only song that really ratchets up the intensity. Can’t believe people get off to this band so hard.

Heard 8 trillion times. Easy 100/5

Unassailable. Just legendary.

I'm no zoomer but fuck this is boomer as fuck.

Bloody awful

Думаю, этот альбом для меня – светлое лицо 90-ых. Всякие Рванины, Оазисы, Радиохэды и Ню-митольная шляпа – дело, местами, хорошее, но или несёт в себе черты некоторого упадка или недостаточно сильная. А тут оригинальный оптимистичный яркий саунд. Скачал я его в универские годы не помню из-за чего, толи из-за наличия в топе 200 Metal Hammer, толи когда перебирал пятёрки на Allmusic. И прям сразу пропёрся, задавшись вопросом, а хули остальной гранж или ущербный, или кринжовый. Лан, по трекам: 1) Once – сильные гитарные и вокальные партии, мощный припев, тупо хит. 2) Even Flow – впервые наткнувшись в одной из GH, не пропёрся, подумал, очередная бесхребетная инди-поделка. Но в рамках альбома трек неплохо раскрывается, партии довольно интересные, подчёркивают вокальную, которая в куплетах хоть и кажется монотонной, но не надоедает. 3) Alive продолжает тенденцию к чилу. Делает это весьма ленивым образом, через менее внятные куплеты Led Zeppelin стайл и припев с повторяющейся строкой. Но в целом делает, почилить можно в кайф. 4) Why Go пытается вернуться к драйву, сохраняя формулу прошлого трека. Разве что гитарные партии яркие добавляя. Также не то, чтобы сильный трек, но атмосферу держит. 5) Black ну тупо шедевр. То, как я хотел бы REM слышать, и вроде бы слышу, но не часто. Яркие развивающиеся мотивы, лаконичные партии, дополняющие друг друга, пронимающий припев. Вокалёр тащит, и при этом не затеняет инструментал. Бэк-вокальные партии просто идеально вписываются, на уровне электрической версии Дурачка у Опизденевших. 6) Jeremy возвращается к предыдущей формуле. Но в её случае припев вышел более ярким, повторение строки не душит, а воспринимается за должное. Также условный минимализм разбавляется развитием всех партий, добавлением интересных бэков, в итоге складывая отличный трек. 7) Oceans тянет в лирику. И вполне кайфовую. Атмосферная весчь, прям веет какими-то океянами, полётами и мечтами всякими. Напрягли разве что странные смены тональности в моментах, но трек отличный. 8) Porch на контрасте драйву завозит мальца. Гитарные соло интересные, веют олдскулом таким, вокальные партии звёзд с неба не хватают, но атмосферу держат. 9) Garden вновь формулу возвращает, ситуация схожа с Jeremy, разве что контраст внутри трека ещё сильнее, куплеты ещё более аморфные и тихие, припев ещё более яркий, громкий и мощный. Второй куплет переходит в кайфовые бриджи и соло, потом припев, потом снова соло, в общем, прогрессивные нотки даже, одобряем. 10) Deep драйв довозит, но по стандартной формуле. Приятный трек в целом. 11) Release возвращается к атмосфере Oceans. В целом, атмосферу держит, но закрывашку хотелось бы по яркости сопоставимую с открывашкой. Или чтоб глубины залипательной завезли побольше. А так просто хороший трек с отличными вокальными партиями. Да, если по элементам разбирать, то картина слагается не то, чтобы уверенная, яркие моменты чередуются с более слабыми вещами. Но мы на альбом же смотрим. А альбом – это такая плотно набитая банка густой атмосферы и настроения, интересного звука. Которые, в более особо нигде и не встречаются. Даже в дискографии Pearl Jam, которую дальше вообще слушать не смог. Посему альбом стал важным опытом и может быть таковым для многих.

Amazing discovery!! Thank you so much!!!

Was never a big fan of this band or this record. I like the chorus of even flow. Something about the production, even though it seems impressive, it didn’t seem to marry with the music for me.

A fantastic hard rock journey. It's easy to see why this album but Pearl Jam on the map. Haven't listened to Even Flow since I played it on Guitar Hero when I was a kid, but the song is still magical.

Pull out Skate 3 and put on your white robe, Jesus. It’s time Pearl Jam time. I remember the first time I listened to Pearl Jam intentionally. I was roughly 15 at the time. My mom had just gotten a new car, and we had satellite radio free for 2 weeks. One of the channels offered just played Pearl Jam. Only Pearl Jam, all the time. As I listened, I would ask myself questions like, “How much can you love Pearl Jam that you would become a radio DJ for a station that only plays Pearl Jam and nothing else? Is there really enough Pearl Jam to give enough listening variety? Is the DJ secretly just a member of Pearl Jam?” I couldn’t get into it then, and I can’t get into it now. I’ve definitely listened to worse albums, but I will always choose other albums to listen to. Even the songs I do like, I prefer other band’s covers of.

cop pop

06/29 Classic album. Not a bad song on it

Decades later, Pearl Jam's debut album is still their most iconic and well-known. A lot of people credit Nirvana's "Nevermind" with starting the grunge movement, but "Ten" was actually released a month prior. Ten stands out even among Pearl Jam's large discography, because it is clearly the most emotional and cohesive album they've ever made. It's great from beginning to end, not a weak track to be found. You can feel Vedder's growling vocals carrying so much weight in every song, and McCready's wailing guitar conveys feelings when words can't do them justice. A cathartic journey that takes you back to the genesis of grunge.

Along with Nevermind, the album that most defined an era. It’s terrific

Should have been called 10/10

Love this album, was really nice to listen to it again

Better than Coldplay

Who needs intelligible lyrics? Overrated.

never really sat down and listened to this before although it was on in the background constantly through 1992 it seemed. Alive and Black carry this through the 3* barrier, the rest sounds like Guns'n'Roses playing Neil Young at times (appropriately enough). I think they got better, I remember quite liking the avocado one

Me during "Alive:" Pearl Jam must have been the most incredible band of the 90s, neatly segueing stadium rock and grunge, this track is amazing, this album has got to be a 5/5. Me towards the end of "10:" Pearl Jam must have been the worst band of the 90s, awkwardly straddling boring and indulgent, this album has got to be a 1/5.

Enjoyed it but too miserable for me in general.

why does he sing like that

Listening to this mediocrity raises the question: Why aren't I just listening to Soundgarden?

- I'm sticking with my original assessment of this band: Most Overrated Band of the 1990's. -

Tedious slog. Maybe you had to be there.

Depressing. Not for me

Boring classic rock/grunge. I dislike Eddie Vedder’s voice with a passion. I just don’t get the praise.

Corporate Rock Sucks

I couldn’t decide whether to just write indecipherable grunts for this review or to actually articulate my thoughts as to why this is the worst, most poisonous band to ever (dis) grace the mainstream rock world. I think it’s a lazy internet meme to be like “uhhh I can’t understand him lolz xD.” So I would like to express - at every given opportunity - the hatred that pours from me when forced to listen to this garbage. To give you an idea of how much I think this group sucks, I was unable to play them on Spotify. Thinking I’d have to go YouTube and endure Eddie Vedder’s disingenuous caterwauling mixed in with ads for DoorDash, I realized that I have them blocked on Spotify. If there was ever a time to congratulate my former self, it is now. A large bravo to my keen sense of taste from years ago. Anyway. A temporary unblocking is in order. Just long enough to endure this pile of waste. Once - The amount of times I’ll listen to this record. You’re not Black Sabbath and unfortunately this isn’t planet caravan. This is planet earth, where we praise and exalt hollow, empty tripe in order to avoid I don’t even know man. Enjoyable art? “Ohhhhh wanna backseat lover and a” I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS. If you read this review, you may end up watching a man die in real time. Fuck You, Eddie Vedder I. Even Flow - I accidentally added “Buddy Holly” by Weezer to my Queue. Wondered why a good song started playing. That would be a smart plan for the next Pearl Jam album. Play songs from different, better artists. This song sucks. It’s Lynyrd Skynyrd for girls. Let me rephrase that. It’s Lynyrd Skynyrd for guys who base their whole personality around appealing to girls, instead of just, you know, being yourself and not being a weird predator. Fuck you, Eddie Vedder II. Alive - See lyrics. Read “unfortunately.” The worst vocalist in music history is in his most pure form here. Fuck You, Eddie Vedder III Why Go - Why do anything? Why get up? Why love? Why live? Ah yes “she was diagnosed, by some stupid fuck.” What a beautiful lyric from a mature poetic musician worthy of extensive praise. Black - She’s an empty canvas. Why is every song about a nameless girl that Eddie Vedder is presumably assaulting or manipulating into some sort of relationship. Honestly? The women who would be wooed by this probably deserve Eddie. For their most popular song, this is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. A melody that makes me feel like I’m being interrogated. I am under duress. If there was a white flag I would wave it. Jeremy - JEREMY SPOKE IN IGHHHURRRRGHHH. What a beautiful tale about the child you bullied. Oceans - I laughed at this one. That’s pretty funny. He really thinks he’s slaying it. Oh man. That was good. Porch - I’d hit you. I’ve certainly struck the power button of my radio once or twice during non-consensual Pearl Jam time. Garden - I knew this album would be bad, but I didn’t expect to also be this bored. Angry and bored is a losing combination, albeit at least normal for Monday. Deep - More bad songs that are actually too inconsequential to even speak about. Release - It is almost time for freedom. I will not take my freedom for granted. I will inhale a little deeper. Hold my loved ones a little tighter. While I’m fairly certain there is no deity who patrols our isolated little planet, I will project thanks from my very being for never having to listen to this again. Except on the radio, in trains, in malls, on TV, at the dentist, in other people’s cars, in car commercials. Fuck. I can’t stand this. I’ve run out of fervour. I am weak with despondency. From the album cover with paid actors pretending they’re enjoying a Pearl Jam show to literally the worst vocals in the history of rock music, this is a trainwreck with about 15 million monthly casualties. Fortunately, the Pearl Jam fan base can’t read, or otherwise they might get extremely upset at this. I kid those folks. I heard a few of them are getting promoted to lead gas pumper. Some of them even have weekend custody of their kids! It’s a strong group, and 15 million geniuses of that calibre can’t be wrong. Listen, I’m a pro wrestling fan who frequently misuses words, so I am no stranger to idiocy but come on guys. You’re somewhat better than this. You see, I must be mad because I’m lashing out at innocent simpletons due to the pain I just battled through. They don’t deserve that. You may enjoy your terrible rock band in peace. Just please, please, pretty please stop including this band in the same breath as Nirvana. That’s like saying Celine Dion and Gorguts are the same genre because they’re both from Quebec. Lunacy. Oh and Fuck Eddie Vedder times infinity. 0 HIGHLIGHTS: Ground Zero for every stinky, instagram singer with yet to be uncovered allegations.

Never could connect with this band and especially this album.

Nice!

The bridge in Alive 🙂‍↕️ I gave this album a try a few months back in the midst of my Alice In Chains phase, and while I enjoyed it, they really didn't scratch that itch for me. Pearl Jam is not standard *grunge* just because they came up in the scene. Eddie Vedder joined the group from Temple of Dog when Cornell needed some help hitting a harmony. One of the only ones left too. Previously I only added Alive (still awesome) and Black to my Spotify. Once is great, a very, very strong opener. Black is still incredible, a great song that maybe I should have listened to way closer when I was all sad and shit over the Winter. Or maybe not... Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay were laid spread out before me as her body once did. Fuck man Jeremy is on here?? I've heard this song and story WAY too many times (thanks Matthew). Honestly? A fan of the story, not of the lyrics. "Seemed a harmless little fuck, ooh", "Gnashed his teeth and bit the recess lady's breast", although I guess if you think about the *perspective* of what kind of kid is saying that about Jeremy, it makes a lot of sense. The outro is INSANE. "It came from a small paragraph in a paper which means you kill yourself and you make a big old sacrifice and try to get your revenge. That all you're gonna end up with is a paragraph in a newspaper. Sixty-four degrees and cloudy in a suburban neighborhood. That's the beginning of the video and that's the same thing in the end; it does nothing ... nothing changes. The world goes on and you're gone. The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself. Be stronger than those people. And then you can come back" Also the guitarists are fucking crazy. Oh duh it was McCready I already know he's crazy Garden dropped and I had to like stop working and look over. God damn Eddie. Reminds me of Mad Season a lot in its melody. People seem to be indifferent on his voice and I definitely understand that, he taps into this super dramatic 80's singer mode here and there, but I think the way the tone aligns with the instrumentation is way more crucial. Release is fun, although long... oh it has a secret track. I LOVE the cheesy early 90's stock samples that started and ended the album. So out of place, yet so fitting at the same time. Reminds me of Mad Season almost.. funny. "Master/Slave" it's called, so that the album feels like a loop. There's also some cheesy synth-esque noises layered with the guitars starting off Jeremy...? Very odd choice (and it took me 4 listens to notice them). The harmonizing on "King Jeremy, the wicked" is goooood. I'll need to listen closer to the production when I get home; saw a lot of people talking about it and that reverb is STROOONG! Why Go is a fucking banger. Porch is very dramatic and epic. The initial low riff for Deep reminds of of Sludge Factory I quite like this album. I'm excited to get home and give it a little more focus. I really need to find my airpods. Alive has such a killer outro Oceans is a little boring, 4th time through and I'm just now noticing it. Very cool sounds but a little slow. Ok somehow I looped straight back into it and I like the clean guitar tone. Porch probably least favorite, although the hook is really good... Garden still cool You know what I'm gonna be bold and give it the 5, this album rocks dude. The music is beautifully written and played, Eddie has a great voice and knows how to write a song, it's pretty damn consistent (if maybe to a fault..); fuck it. Favorite: Alive Least: Oceans Shoutout: Black, Once, Garden

This album is so great. Not a bad song on it really. Although "Release" is not a good album closer. Like it isn't like the album and it just goes on and on. This style is so fun and proves you don't need to understand vocals. So great. The guitar work is fantastic. "Even Flow" and "Jeremy" are works of art. Actual rating...4.75 Liked Songs: The entire album except for "Release"

Vanvittig flot debut. Men jeg er selvfølgelig også farvet af, at det her album indeholder en stor del af min ungdoms lyd.

i love this album, what can i say

no notes!

I need to say this at the outset: I am a Pearl Jam fan. I love and respect every era of this band and believe I can understand, as well as a fan ever really can, why their sound and songwriting approach have evolved the way they have over the nearly 40 years of their existence. They have enriched my life immeasurably; they owe me nothing. But *God* do I wish they still made music like this. Kurt Cobain was deeply insecure about Eddie Vedder's songwriting prowess, taking every opportunity to slag on him in the music press for the supposed crime of sounding insufficiently punk. Listening back now, he had half a point - sonically, this is as much classic rock as anything else, to the point of being hair metal-adjacent at times. There's a gorgeous romantic power ballad ("Oceans") and a moody self-determination power ballad ("Garden") and a "standing on the beach in transcendent contemplation" power ballad ("Release"). And Mike McCready's leads and solos wouldn't sound out of place on Aerosmith album; in fact, "Jeremy" is basically what you get if you write "Janie's Got a Gun" but you actually mean it. And that's the secret sauce: Vedder really, really fucking *means* it. There's no winking at the audience, no disappearing up his own ass in irony here. When he breaks down into his bluesy yarl at the end of "Porch" (one of a couple dozen stand-your-hair-on-end moments here) there's no doubt that the loss he's singing about is one hundred percent real. You've heard of Method actors; he's a Method singer. In his hands, and with his vocals, these songs take on archetypal significance; he's Townshend with more empathy, Springsteen with more righteous anger, Morrison with more determination to fight the devil rather than give in. And Lord, what *songs*! Almost alone in mainstream American music, Vedder is a rock Tolstoy, the great chronicler of families - parents, children, wives, husbands, lovers, how they all see each other and how they see themselves reflected in the others' perception of them. These are the people left behind by Springsteen's protagonists - the wives too beaten down to keep fighting for their families, the kids who woke up one morning to realize their father's hungry heart had led him to desert them. And they end up in all the places such people end up - on the street ("Even Flow"), institutionalized ("Why Go"), in the throes of addiction ("Deep"). The problem child on "Why Go" is particularly incensed because the betrayal leading to her loss of freedom has come from inside her home; "and Mommy agrees," Vedder sneers, practically frothing at the mouth himself. "Deep" is even more vicious, starting inside the head of a self-absorbed junkie (but I repeat myself) before zooming out to capture the horror of the girl he's about to semi-consensually impregnate. The cycle of hurt continues. Nowhere is this raw, generational, familial storytelling clearer than on "Alive," in which a teenage Vedder learns the story of his biological father for the first time and struggles to make sense of it, imagining the memories his father must have had before dying, wishing he were still alive somehow. And then comes "Black," which I have always heard as the other side of the coin - the father's actual perspective, prompted by the sight of "some kids at play" to feel the horrible weight of the love he lost, the family he never had. "I know some day you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky," Vedder howls, begging "why, why, why can't it be mine?" with a force that threatens to physically overwhelm him. Father and son, united in grief. No wonder this album became a touchstone for millions of aching kids - it tells the absolute truth. And yet that truth is not just trauma and despair; the hands on the cover are pointing heavenward together, after all. That's what the power ballads are for; Vedder prays for closure on "Release" and he *gets* it, or at least something like it. He yearns for his beloved on "Oceans" because he genuinely loves her and will find his way back to her. He walks with his head held high on "Garden" because, no matter who may have left him, he refuses to betray himself. Like all great leaders, Vedder ultimately did not want to lead; the chord he struck in a nation of young acolytes overwhelmed him, leading him to change his band's approach for the sake of preserving his own sanity. He didn't choose the burden of speaking for us; it was thrust upon him, and he bore the responsibility the best he could for a while before gracefully abdicating. And yet he was, and is, unimpeachable - like this masterpiece, one of the greatest collections of popular music ever made.

💿 favourite tracks -Even Flow -Alive -Deep it's just a damn good hard rock album. had a whole lot of air guitar moments throughout

9/10

It had been decades since I listened to the rest of this album - you know, the songs that aren't Jeremy or Even Flow. I'd forgotten how great Pearl Jam used to be. 5 nostalgic stars.

Once - 4/5 Even flow - 5/5 Alive - 5/5 Why go - 4/5 Black - 5/5 Jeremy - 5/5 Oceans - 3/5 Porch - 4/5 Garden - 5/5 Deep - 3/5 Release - 5/5

This is my third favorite Pearl Jam album behind Vitalogy and Vs. (it's hard for me to decide the order of those two). However, I still think Ten is 4.5 stars (rounding up to 5), as it is a very strong rock album with great writing, singing, lyrics, and it was a landmark album in so many ways. It still holds up, as far as I'm concerned, as there really is nothing else like this album and its contemporaries before or after, as it doesn't sound like a copy of anything else and just has pioneer spirit, as it was obvious they were trying to create something new.

Actually looking forward to this. Another album I was late to the party on. Like Nirvana generally. It was too “mainstream.” Doesn’t mean I didn’t basically know it front to back. Like Nevermind, I couldn’t go anywhere with anyone in high school where this wasn’t playing in the foreground or background. As the years have piled up, I have found that I have returned to it periodically and regularly. I think it’s aged incredibly well. Front to back. What a debut. 5 Boolean: True

Perfect album, could listen to on repeat for just about forever.

This is rock, classic rock and reminds me a lot of audioslave and different like sounding bands just like the album name this is a ten.

A while back, I was sitting on my front porch on a beautiful spring day when a guy drove by, windows down, smoking a cigarette, blaring Even Flow. I will never be as free as that man. Anyway, great album, no notes.

5/5

The single best grunge album of all time, and my favorite album ever

11 songs This gets 3 stars just for Black alone, a 4th one for skating Jesus, and the 5th for the album being called ten but actually having eleven songs.

One of my most listened to albums of all time. Whilst I like their later work, they never came close to topping this masterpiece. Not one duff track on this album and it seems wrong to give an album called Ten 5 stars, but I'll give the 5, knowing in my heart it's a 10/10 album.

so so so good, no skips, all bangers. makes me think about my dad (pearl jam is his fav band) and all the time throughout my childhood spent listening to them. rating: 9.5/10 fav track: garden

Day 2 of my 1,000 albums challenge and I've struck lucky with another classic! The debut offering from one of my favourite bands. Once is a perfectly serviceable opener but gives no indication of what is to follow with Evenflow, Alive and later Jeremy and Black which delivers four great standouts hard to match among any rock album, let alone the grunge era. These are dark and morbid tales of relationship breakdown, homelessness, child suicide and the father Eddie Vedder never met, yet are so powerful and heartfelt they have translated to become stadium classics. There may even be more well rounded Pearl Jam albums to follow as they aged gracefully, but the high points of this simply get better with age and 30+ years on holds up in a way a lot of their peers do not. Most of the album tracks became anthems too, with Release a personal fave. Classic. Listen loud. Best bit: Tough one. I'll go with the outstanding layered vocals and moans as Jeremy builds to a crescendo and then finally fades out. Worst bit: Why Go feels a bit 'by the numbers' and maybe more in keeping with Vs. than Ten

Biased from my generation, but it is iconic.

Even Flow, Black and Alive were standouts on first listen, so I'm not surprised they're the most popular on Spotify right now. I really liked Deep too. Great Album.

Love it. I'm not an Eddy Vedder fan, but this album was pretty important to me for some reason. I got to see Pearl Jam at Red Rocks back in the day. Thanks Chadwick.

Eddie Vedder really popped off when he said [indecipherable]

Such a good album. It still feels like a force hitting you in the face in 2025. For a debut album, this is top notch. Eddie vedder is insane with his vocals. The instrumentals are so tight and crisp. One of the best albums of the 90's and all time. I wish I was alive when this album dropped. Speaking of that "alive" is such a damn good song. Amazing songs front to back. Big Pearl Jam fan.

Even all these years later this album is amazing. If you aren’t compelled by the powers of rock and roll to belt out the poetry like a possessed crooner then check your pulse, you’re not alive, you’re not living! Amazing guitar licks (kids might call them boomer nowadays), hard hitting lyrics, emotional singing, groovy swinging driving drums, I love this album, it brings me ecstasy.

Someone at work once asked me if I was stuck on a desert island with an ipod with only one artist loaded, who would it be? It would have to be someone with a deep catalog and a sound that varies so I can listen to it in any mood. Pearl Jam is the only band I can think of that fits that bill and it all begins here, with Ten. Ten is arguably one of the strongest debut albums ever with no bad tracks. Jeremy might be my least favorite track on Ten and it's one of their most popular. Eddie Vedder's growl as he starts Once gets me pumped and by the time I get to him screaming why in Black, I am emotionally exhausted. The guitars of Stone Gossard and Mike McCready are more classic rock/Led Zepplin than the punk/heavy metal sound of some of the other standard bearers of grunge like Nirvana or Soundgarden. Even though Once and Black are great tracks, the back half of the album is actually my favorite with Porch through Release being an incredible stretch of 4 tracks and a tiny microcosm of the band's varying levels. Hearing a whole stadium of the most dedicated fans sing along to Release is powerful and I would be remiss not to mention how in awe I am of PJ's live shows and the incredible fan base they have built over 35 years. I have seen PJ shows in 3 separate decades now and of the 6 shows I have been to across 3 decades, PJ has never played less than 25 songs. Thanks to industrious and dedicated fans, there is an app that tracks setlists so I know I have only seen 9 songs repeated at more than half the shows I attended. I have never seen less than 6 new songs that I have never heard played live (and that is only because I went to two show on the same tour, but even then less than 1/2 of the songs were the same). The memory and energy PJ has (at 60 years old!) to play for 2.5+ hours and vary the set-lists as much as they do is just unbelievable. I know I sound like some kind of a super fan but believe me, I got nothing on some of PJs long time fans like my husband. All this to say, 5 stars: great album, great band, great people, great shows, great fans.

Oh man. What can I write about this album? I’ll start by stating that this has to be the most influential album I’ve ever owned. It changed everything for me about where my future music journey would take me. I knew nothing about them when a mate I worked with leant me a cassette of this. I was blown away by it and every subsequent listen just cemented my love of it. It was only later on that I started to understand their backgrounds, and the journey that brought them together and an obsession started. Following them around live in the last 15 years or so has elevated my love of the band to a different level. No other live act can match them. Their studio work comes alive with the energy they create on stage. Listening to it through my 2024 ears, it hasn’t aged. But I’ve listened to it a lot in every year from 1991 until now so why should it have done I guess. It’s full of incredible songs and songwriting. Mike McCready’s guitar solos are epic. Jeff Ament’s bass rumbles throughout. Stone Gossard’s guitar adds the texture, and Dave Abbruzzee’s drumming is wild. (By the way, Matt Cameron is the only current band member not on this record and is an upgrade compared to Dave). These songs have matured and evolved, and the live versions of all of these songs take on a whole new life. Eddie Vedder is a force of nature. An incredible human who has survived this industry and remained true to his values. His song writing has always spoken to me and even today he throws out the right words at the right time that resonate. I guess I have grown up from a young man to a married father at the same time….clearly very different lives but he always manages to sum up my feelings. Back to this album. It’s not the most polished. It’s not their best work. But it’s raw, angry, passionate, emotional,….the songs flow seamlessly into each other. Even Flow is still one of my favourite songs ever. Black is an incredible love song. Release gives me goosebumps. Porch is relentless. But there’s no bad track. All 5 stars. To summarise…I hope everybody has found their Pearl Jam. It doesn’t have to be Pearl Jam, but finding a musician or a band who gives you as much as these gentlemen still give me is possibly the nicest wish I could grant for anyone.

5 estrellas inmediatas en este. Este es uno de mis álbumes favoritos de todos los tiempos y uno que moldeó mis gustos musicales a una edad tan temprana. Eddie es uno de mis vocalistas favoritos y este álbum todavía es difícil.

Immediate 5-star on this one. This is one of my favorite albums of all time and one that shaped my music tastes at such a young age. Eddie is one of my favorite vocalists ever and this album still goes hard.

Another stellar debut. Great songs and music. With Nevermind, the 1 2 punch that lead to “Grunge” taking over and the proliferation of alternative music to radio darlings from the realm of critical/cult favorite obscurity. Dark subject matter that still resonates today.

I hadn't heard this album before, but was aware of many of the tracks. It's got to be once of the best grudge albums ever, I enjoyed it all the way through and happily re-listened this morning on the drive to work.

I was 21 and working in a record store when this record came out. One of our regulars, Beth, was absolutely smitten with this record, and recommended it to me. I dug the classic rock sound and bought a copy fairly early on and played it a lot. There was a lot of debate at the time as to whether they were really "authentic" or bandwagon jumpers. I was aware of their pedigree in Green River and links with other Seattle bands, so never bought into that criticism. The arrival of the second wave of grunge, and the generic mainstream 'alternative rock' that followed across the 90s made it clear that Pearl Jam were, in fact, the real deal. That said, their rise to ubiquity was uncomfortable (for the band as much as the listener), and their subsequent albums didn't really do it for me. Possibly because they moved away from their strength, which to me, was their ability to powerfully channel classic rock (riff heavy, lots of hooks, stadium ready), without the macho posturing that went with the form. You don't have to scratch the surface much to reveal the DNA of this record (Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Grand Funk Railroad, et hoc genus omnes). The playing is powerful and forceful, but loose enough to swing a little bit. The guitars have a great 70s swagger, a welcome change from the shredders who had dominated hard rock and heavy metal for the previous decade. Jeff Ament is the MVP, playing the most terrific moment on the record; the fretless harmonic bass slide at the beginning of Even Flow. The band didn't like the original mix -- too reverb heavy -- but it is what it is. I've listened to the Brendan O'Brien mix from 2009, but it isn't different enough to make me re-think my take on the original version. Are the lyrics and vocal delivery a bit melodramatic? Possibly, but you have to admire the way that Vedder leaves it all out of the floor. You can't doubt his sincerity, and I'll take a credible and passionate (if idiosyncratic) performance over a technically perfect performance any day. Pearl Jam was not my favourite band of the Seattle scene and I never saw them live. By the time they toured Australia, they were playing stadiums -- there was no way I was going to pay to see them at the Eastern Creek International Speedway (I've seen Gimme Shelter) -- and eventually they descended into purveyors of boring dad rock. But I played this album a lot in the early 90s and liked it a lot. I preferred Temple of the Dog which I regard as a sibling album to Ten. But every now and then, I give Ten a spin, and it always surprises me how well the album stands up. The songs are strong and moving, and the performances are powerful. I always find it easy to listen to all the way through. 4.5 stars.

One of the best. I love this album.

The definitive all killer no filler album. Realistically any of these songs could have been a single; the ones they did pick were the best ones though. This album has so many great riffs and vocal melodies, it's hard not to song along to. One of the few albums I think may be perfect.

Not a bad song. Stylistically the same. This makes it all very similar, but because the songs are good it does not feel too repetitive.

This is a perfect album, start to finish. It holds a special place for me, because most of my life I've been listening to decades-old music and this was probably one of the few times in my life I was listening to the most popular music of the day at the time it was popular. Everything about it is great. I remember Even Flow was the first song I heard off the album and was just blown away by the power and groove of the song. Alive is an anthem. Jeremy was overplayed but still holds up as a classic. The non-singles are all classics in their own right. The music and lyrics are powerful throughout and the band members are all outstanding. McCready and Gossard provide an amazing one-two guitar punch. Always loved Jeff Ament's bass style (especially the fretless aspect - I just learned that he was a fan of Japan's Mick Karn) and the drums drive the album along. Of course, a million people tried to sound like Eddie Vedder afterwards, but he remains an original. I find it interesting that the band members feel the album was over-produced - I still think it sounds great - just the right mix of polished and edgy. This will always remain my favorite album of the grunge explosion.

One of the greatest debuts of all time. You must hear that all the time, don't you? Well, typically people say that you an amazing album that just so happens to be a band's debut. But no, here we have the greatest introduction of the band that would shape rock n roll in the 90s. No other band of the era had such a consistent discography with each release just as solid as the last. Whereas Guns n Roses shaped hard rock from the late 80s, Pearl Jam took the genre into an entirely new direction, making way for the more alternative music to come. In fact, I don't think the rest of the grunge movement or even Nirvana would have picked up if not for radio and Mtv support for this album. I'm too young to know for sure, but older rock fans are always raving about Pearl Jam concerts more than any other, how they could extend songs and solos for like 10 minutes, and it's pretty clear by their music videos and audience that they were a leader in live performances. Their influence cannot be understated. Second only to Nirvana in the popularization of grunge culture. And it makes sense when you listen to their songs. The vocals are crisp and clear, with appropriately poetic lyrics to sing along to. Hell, even when I was 11 I knew Jeremy was about a boy killing someone in front of his class for revenge (although I didn't know it was himself until years later), and that just came from me listening to the song on the radio. Pearl Jam has the perfect mix of everything you could want out of rock songs: impactful vocal delivery, lyrics you can sing to, epic solos, incredible production (although I hear some complain about its rawness), and harmony between band members knowing exactly what to do and when. Album is full of hit after hit. Of course, the four signature songs are perfect in every way. But Pearl Jam isn't sticking by any formulas. The rest of the songs are amazing too. It's just such a shame they all come after the hits because many people won't give them much of a chance, thinking the best is over. "Oceans" is one of the more alternative songs, mellower yet like no other. Creates a dynamic contrast between the two sides of the album to lead back into the action of "Porch." The song "Garden" has this great solo that reminds me of 70s jam bands. I swear the more I listen to the second side, the more I fall in love with them. Even the supposedly weakest track "Deep" is an amazing blend between alternative and their harder grungier material about addiction. I love it when albums get the closing track right, so you can imagine my satisfaction "Release," followed by a bonus track continuation of the first part of the opening track.

More fretless bass than I remember, but the power of that album! Still sounds fresh (bass parts aside) today

Really liked this one, from Eddie's voice, to the classic/stadium rock elements, the riffs, just a great overall rock album

Favourite songs: - Garden - Jeremy - Once

Near perfect album

One of my favorite albums ever, Pearl Jam at its very best--they were young and inspiration was fresh. I go back to this album every now and then and never get tired of it.

I wasn't big on Pearl Jam in my youth, but age has wizened me to its subtle complexities and the gripping narrative it shares. Also, Jeremy is a banger.

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.