Vs.

This was the first CD I bought, back when I was 12 and it was brand new. It wasn’t the first CD I had, but it was the first that wasn’t a gift and the first that I asked my parents take me to the mall to buy. My Aunt Pam gave me 20 bucks for Christmas in ‘93 and wrote in the card “buy yourself a CD, I hear the new Pearl Jam record is good”. So, that’s exactly what I did. My music taste at that point wasn’t really formed and even though I knew Pearl Jam and liked them, the thought of buying one of their CD’s (or any other artist’s albums) hadn’t really occurred to me. I wasn’t a music obsessive at 12 and was kind of content just to listen to the radio and whatever came out of the speakers there. That changed pretty quickly after I bought Vs. I started buying Import Pearl Jam CD singles, so I could have the b-sides and rarities and they were probably the first band where I felt a need to be a completist. That obsession soon followed to other bands and even today, there are a bunch of bands I am a bit an obsessive completist for: Guided By Voices, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth… The Pearl Jam obsession was pretty short-lived, as I kind of lost interest after Vitalogy, but they were the cornerstone for future behavior, I suppose. It’s kind of interesting to have taken that trip back through the past and kind of pinpoint the genesis of a piece of my personality. When listening today, I had a similar response to this record as I did with the Beastie Boys’ “Ill Communication”, where I started to think about how that era in America felt so promising, like it was the dawn of something new, but that promise has now completely evaporated. Ironic and infuriating that some of the songs here tackle the same issues that we are still struggling with today: Police Brutality (WMA), Gun Violence and Gun Control (Glorified G), Inequality (Rats, even if the metaphor is a little muddy). Nothing changes, we’ve been singing the same songs for 30 years and then some. And we’ll probably be singing them for another 30 years. Well, that’s bleak. Let’s see if I can turn this around and end on a more positive note… One thing that also hasn’t changed over the last 30 years is that I still think Rearview Mirror is Pearl Jam’s best song. Combine that with this being one of the most formative albums of my life and you’ve got an easy 5 from me, even if I still don’t like “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”.

A masterpiece.. My 3rd favorite Pearl Jam album behind Ten and Binaural. A no skip album. Favorite top 3 songs 1.Animal 2.W.M.A. 3.Rats To bad they didnt put Hold On to the album. And its stil the Go-Animal combo the best duo openers of all Pearl Jam albums. Love it

Another on that I need to flag as a personal favourite from my teenage years so my judgement is clouded by the importance of this record to my development as a music lover. Bought this the day it came out on cassette and listened to it in the car while my brother drove me and some friends to a high school dance. My copy was one of the ones with the Vs title on it. Front to back a great record. They avoided the temptation to just make Ten part two. The sounds push into different sonic territory and very throughout the record. Truly a masterpiece.

While Ten might have put Pearl Jam on the map, Vs. cemented their place in the pantheon of generational musicians whose work would shape entire lives. Granted, I'm a little biased, as this was an album that helped me get through some very dark times as a younger human.

Kinda torn on this one. Ten is one of the greatest albums of all time, and the first 3 PJ albums overall are all pretty good. But Vs is definitely the point where Eddie Vedder started to get annoying, and their songwriting started getting kinda iffy. They held it together for this album and most of Vitalogy, but after that they just started outright sucking. I think a lot of that is due to Vedder taking on a lot more songwriting. You can hear the beginning of it here. The Aerosmith-ish influence that made Ten (and Mother Love Bone) so cool is mostly gone. It's not that they turned to shit, it's that they were obviously trying to *mature* and you can hear the contempt for their greatest stuff in the sound here. I hate the production, basically. Thankfully there are still things in here that made Ten cool: that thick bass sound, a bit of a funky edge in places, guitar solos that haven't really left the 80s, etc. And rearviewmirror is one of rock's most underrated songs. Some of the songs wouldn't be THAT out of place on Ten if they'd been given the same arena rock production (which was categorically fucking BETTER). I dunno, this is either a 4 or 5, but I'll have to think about it until tomorrow.

Nice rock album by Pearl Jam. It is certainly not their best, but songs like "Daughter", "Dissident" and "Rearviewmirror" make it 4 star worthy.

Just complete grunge perfection. Instant nostalgia. I still prefer the polish of Vitalogy, but this is pretty much just as good.

Fantastic album from the kings of 90s rock!

What can you say about a masterpiece! These early Pearl Jam albums are pieces of art.

This is PJ’s go to album for me. Raw. Energetic. Enveloping. Not a weak track among them. It’s telling that Better Man was recorded during the Vs. sessions and couldn’t make the album. I would sub it for Rats, but I’m nitpicking.

My second favorite Pearl Jam album!

The veder voice is so good, and I'm struggling to place what makes their instrumentation effortlessly awesome, but it is

Arguably superior to Ten so glad to see this get added.

Like reconnecting with an old friend — we have a physical copy of this and it was high rotation back in ye olde iPod days. Ten was on the OG list and I gave it a 4; this one gets a nostalgia bump to 5. Standout tracks: Go, Daughter, Glorified Pelican, W.M.A, Rearviewmirror, Leash, Indifference. Hmm, 7 of 15 — maybe it's a 5 on its own merit after all!

Gets 5 on nostalgia alone, bit mostly holds up. Some of their greatest songs, but maybe some of the political ones haven't aged that well.

On a Tuesday in 1993 I waited in line before midnight at Tower Records to buy this album (and Rush's Counterparts) on day-of-release. Yeah the good old days really was quite fun - a social gathering of young GenXers all congregating for a common interest while looking suspiciously at one another. I miss those days. This album delivered - kicks ass and with the highest highs even exceeded their debut. I think I like it even better today. The band were never the same for me after this one but that's ok [they were so much better than Nirvana - death does wonders for a reputation...], and even if this album didn't necessarily push the genre to different places it's still a most enjoyable throwback listen. And 2 all-time great albums to start a career is a rare feat indeed. Best track: Rearviewmirror. 10/10 5 stars. IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

An album that has lived in my DNA since 1993. I hadn't listened to the album, or much Pearl Jam, in the last few years, but I sang along to every lyric and guitar fill when I listened to this again. Definitely their creative peak, with such a great blend of the melodic and the raw. Each subsequent album from here on had less and less of that fire and fury. I'd have given this a 5 back in the '90's, but these days it's a 4.

Actually good Not what I expected from Pearl Jam 4

Excellent album by an excellent band. 4 stars.

I can only picture Eddie Vedder sitting on the toilet moaning "mmmehhh eeehhh"

Didn't think I'd like that but was good

Never a huge fan - I don’t dislike the band, but found them.always to be on the more dark/self-serious side of the grunge spectrum, while I preferred the funnier, more oddball product. But it can't be denied that the musicianship, writing and performance are all very high tier. I'll bump it a point above my strict preference for showing up early and sticking it out for the long haul.

Not really a Pearl Jam fan so this music doesn't do much for me. It's fine and slightly better than average. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Go, WMA, Rearviewmirror

Definitely plenty of pearl jam magic here. It becomes a bit more challenging than ten, but still a ton of really solid tracks.

Classical pearl jam sound

This was a left turn from 10 but also more modern to my ears. Been a while.

Nowadays I hear a lot of smack talk directed at Pearl Jam, which is unjustified because these guys rock! This and their debut are both great pieces of grunge

The ballads and folkier cuts hold up better than the rockers but what a delight to hear again a recrod that meant so much in '94. A band that seems to have retained its integrity and remains easy to enjoy/like and admire in the post-rockist era. Vedder's always been a proper rock frontman/demi-god.

Legends.

September 25, 2025 HL: "Go", "Daughter", "W.M.A.", "Rearviewmirror" Pearl Jam? More like SQUIRREL Jam, because, uh- these songs are so good it's nuts -_- Once again, Pearl Jam pops up on this website and I have nothing really to say. The last PJ I listened to in full wasn't Ten, but Vitalogy, which had a lot more bells and whistles to mention- not that it made it a superior album. "W.M.A" and "Glorified G" do demonstrate a righteous fury I forgot this band was capable of, so that's pretty noteworthy!

Like all 90s rock, it wildly overstays its welcome, but honestly way better than I was expecting from them

The sopranos guys have based politics. Who knew?

This is a really great album. Overshadowed only by the one that preceded it. The songwriting, lyrics, instrumentation, and vocals are all fantastic. Lot of good hits on here. Not much to complain about. The energy we know they have isn’t as large, but it’s still there. The album is possibly more cohesive than Ten, but maybe that’s negated by the messier lyrics. Still great, just not sure it’s worth a five out of five. Real close, though. 4/5

While it didn’t reach the rare-air heights of their debut album, this was by no means a sophomore slump. I have very fond memories of hours of Castle Wolfenstein (3D!) accompanied by the soundtrack of this really grungy disc. I love the nostalgia and I’m only knocking off a star to allow for Ten’s superlative glow.

I never really gave Pearl Jam the time of day when I was younger because I was a huge Nirvana fan, and I didn't understand the concept that I could like more than one thing. Anyway, this album is wall to wall great songs, most of which were huge hits. Nice work Pearl Jam 4/5

A fascinating follow-up to Pearl Jam's Ten for a few reasons. First, it was forced to compete with Nirvana's In Utero, released just a month prior, which has left a far more long-lasting legacy. The recording of Vs. also represented a tortuous process for frontman Eddie Vedder, who reportedly hated the small Californian town where the studio was located. Then, in total defiance of the music press, they eschewed many promotional efforts in favor of letting the album speak for itself. The result was nearly a million units sold in the first week, which allowed it to attain platinum certification in no time. Clearly, the band felt that Vs. was an acceptable followup to Ten. And what a followup it is! While there's only one clear hit single this time around with Daughter, Vs. is loaded with way more energy, piss, and vinegar compared to Ten. It certainly still sounds like a Pearl Jam (complete with Vedder's yarling), but this grunge noise is seemingly more focused and captivating. I also appreciate how the closing track Indifference provides a quiet meditation that gives the album space for meaningful reflection. Consider me impressed. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Despite Vs. selling well and topping the charts, it's legacy still lives in the shadow of the more fondly-remembered Ten. It's hard to justify this album's inclusion then the one that came before it is the one everybody knows the band for.

I have more nostalgia for "Ten" so this doesn't land quite as hard for me. It's solid, though. Fave tracks - "Dissident", "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town"

Ohh, I've always missed this one. This and Vitalogy. I knew of people and friends who listened tot his record a lot, but I jumped from Ten directly to Yield and kind of never looked back. I do like it now, though.

Banger

A side of Pearl Jam I hadn't heard before, reminded me of Primus in a few spots with the typical Vedder twang. Did run a bit long for my liking, but it was nice to hear some solid 90s hard rock for a change here.

[Eddie Vedder voice]

Grunge, alternative rock, hard rock. Ni fu ni fa.

Ten is a hard album to follow up on. Between the great songwriting and hard rock it’s one of the best grunge albums made. In Vs Pearl Jam went in a little different direction. Their best song on the album is a much softer song that still rocks. Pearl Jam had a wider range of ability and in Vs they show that off even if it isn’t the hard grunge style everyone fell in love with. 7.2/10

I enjoy Pearl Jam when I listen to them, but I don’t ever want to listen to them voluntarily.

Ok this was put on but a big Pearl Jam fan who feels there should be more of theirs on the list. I respect that although they aren't one of my favourites. It's functional and represents the genre perfectly.

Whatever, just not my thing

This is a really good album, one that really doesn't immediately come to mind when I think of this era, but is absolutely worth consideration. Starts out heavy as a hammer and maintains a pretty consistent energy throughout. Most of the best songs are loaded on the front half, which does make the middle part feel a bit dull by comparison. The lyrics are a bit simplistic and repetitive for my taste, but musically the band is on point, sometimes viscerally so. Eddie Vedder is in his prime as a vocalist here as well. I gave a 4 to Ten, so I'm going to have to go high 3 with this one. Fave Songs: Daughter, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Go, Animal, Dissident, Rearviewmirror, Indifference

Pretty good

This is a good album, stand alone I’d have it on the list, but it really isn’t in the same league as ten, so when I’m in the mood for pearl jam, that’s the album I’ll be going for.

I kinda forgot this album existed, and when I listened to it I could see why. Pretty dull, almost like outtakes from the Ten sessions.

For better or for worse, this is exactly how you'd expect a second Pearl Jam album to sound like. Rawer, heavier and edgier than "Ten", mirroring Nirvana's evolution from "Nevermind" to "In Utero". Not as consistent as their debut, but "Rearviewmirror" might genuinely be the best song they've ever done. Strong 3/5.

Grunge, alternative rock, hard rock. Pearl Jam puro y duro. La canción Daughter es la primera que conocí de él. No soy su fan.

Grunge, alternative rock, hard rock. Ni fu ni fa.

I grew up in the 90s with grunge in my bloodstream. Ten was one of the great pillars of that era for almost everyone, so coming back to Vs. should have felt like home. It never really has for me. This is a heavier and edgier record than Ten, but it doesn’t feel like a band naturally getting heavier or edgier. It feels like weight they were carrying. The anger is there, but it isn’t the wild, feral anger of the first record. It’s clenched. It’s directed inward. It’s pressure rather than release. You can hear a band that suddenly found itself massive. A band that was all of a sudden classed as one of the official stewards of “grunge," trying to live up to everything the world expected from them. There’s still plenty to enjoy here. WMA and Rats hold up well, and Rearviewmirror remains the best song Pearl Jam have ever recorded. But most of the album sounds like a group who lost their fun and their looseness in the rush of becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet but also not repeat Ten. In later years, Pearl Jam learned how to relax into themselves again. Vs. is the uncomfortable moment in between: important historically, but emotionally strained.

Tiis is more for hard core grunge fans than the casual listener, but it does what it does well.

It's always a pleasure to listen to Pearl Jam, and while not all their tracks are "collector's items," they're always a guarantee of good music and great vocals from Eddie Vedder. My all-time favorite from this album is Dissident.

basic 90s grunge

Pearl Jam were never really my thing, but I did like Ten and gave it 4/5 when we had it. Vs isn't as good but has its moments, I really liked Rearviewmirror, that song goes fucking hard, but otherwise it's a little bit samey and grungey for my preferences, like the bass work is stellar but too dominant imo, a good albu, but not a very good one, higher 3/5.

Alkoi lupaavan raskaana mutta sitten tulikin kevyttä rockia. 3/5

This deserves a full listen. Solid lyrics and music that draws you in.

Tycker nästan att det räcker med Ten på listan. Plattan är inte dålig men inte riktigt i min smak.

I think I liked it better than Ten. Still a very overrated band, IMO.

I don't know why I haven't really listened to a lot of Pearl Jam. I feel like it's the type of music I would have the potential to get into. This was a good point for me to get their fame. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but I would like to give more chances. It is classic, and understandable.

Gen X culture is so aggressively lazy and dull and boring and Jesus Christ I already had to live through this once why are you making me do it again

AI generated grunge

Bog standard rock album without any stand out tracks. More stuff to play loudly 20 years ago in USA dorm rooms by men.

When pearl jam landed in the early '90s, my head was in a very different space musically and I thought they were derivative and a bit dull. Never really changed that view, it just doesn't excite me - it's fine but I can't see that I would ever choose to listen to it

For me this is 1 star album. I'm sure they invite folk and rock into their music but for me, this isn't necessarily working as a genre of music.