Pearl Jam - Ten

Part of the '90s Seattle grunge triumvirate completed by Nirvana and Soundgarden, Pearl Jam debuted with Ten, their most accessible, least self-conscious album. Over time, PJ's rep as a politically correct band just a little too above it all to prostitute its music on MTV has nearly superseded the music. But before that, they were a simply an in-your-face, in-your-head, loud, melodic rock band. And lead singer Eddie Vedder was known for his possessed stage presence and a primal growl that sounded like it required three vocal chords. The personal, narrative singles "Alive," "Jeremy," and "Even Flow" catapulted the reluctant band into the 10-million-plus-sales division. Subsequent albums are more intricate, subtle, thematically complex, and, in many ways, better than Ten. But the band may never repeat the stampede caused by this debut. --Beth Bessmer Amazon.com essential recording

Pearl Jam, Enough Said

Although, I am up to date with the ipod/mp3 era, I wanted to go back and buy some of the classic cd's I once owned. This is one of the best albums in my opinion. October 3, 2008

A great album

Containing many of Pearl Jam's early hits and some less famous gems, Ten ranks among one of the best albums of all time and is probably the best to emerge from the decade of the 1990s. August 20, 2008

Great Debut

Ten is a landmark not only in rock history but in music in general. The album has been certified as 12x platnium, thats above Nirvana Nevermind album. First of all, there is a lot of great songs on here. Alive is a song that is totally misunderstood, most people think its an ispirational anthem, it is part autobiographical and part fiction. The kids mom tells him that he thinks is his father is his stepdad and his real dad was dead and the mom turns to sexually embrace her son. JEREMY is about a kid who was real quiet and goes in front of his classroom and shoots himself. RELEASE is a song about his father. OCEANAS is a song about eddie that had love for his surfboard. PORCH is a song about if you love someone, tell them August 7, 2008

An album that will stand the test of time.

Ten by Pearl Jam is an album that deserves every bit of praise it gets. It's loud, angry, anthemic, and smart. Eddie Vedder's growling baritone voice expresses the concerns of a generation with his powerful lyrics, while guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready create flooring guitar riffs and melodies. Every song on Ten can stand on it's own, while still demonstrating the quality of the album. July 19, 2008

Pearl Jam remains one of the best live bands ever

I am a long time Pearl Jam fan, from the 1991 "Ten" debut album on, and I have been on the roller coaster ride ever since. I will admit upfront that I am not a big fan of the self-titled 2006 studio album. Just not enough songs on there that will catch and keep my attention, and for me arguably the weakest studio album of the band to date. Live, though, Pearl Jam remains a force to be given its proper due. I was at Bonnaroo last month, and their headliner set was fabulous. I bought the CD collection from that evening through the Ten fan club.

"June 14, 2008 Manchester, TN" (3 CDs, 29 tracks, 154 min.) is an amazing live album. While seeing the band, it was clear that the band was in peak form, but it't not until I heard this collection that I heard really how sharp they were that night. The set list is just fabulous, starting with the rarely live played "Hard to Imagine" (from the "Lost Dogs" compilation), moving into a scorching "Curderoy", and so on. Eddie Vedder kept the banter to a minimum throughout the evening, but he couldn't help himself to comment that "the time has come for change" and "how beautiful an evening this is", but that's what makes Eddie Eddie. Tellingly, the band plays only one track from the 2006 album, namely "Life Wasted" (surprisingly, not playing "Worldwide Suicide"). Other highlights are, among the many for me, "Love Reign O'er Me" (terrific Who cover that they've played many times over the years), "Rearviewmirror", a scorching 8 min. "Black", and the closer "All Along the Watchtower". What a great evening of music that was.

I've got a number of other Pearl Jam live CDs from their concerts (thank you guys for releasing all of your shows digitally and/or in CD format), but this one is for me the best one yet. And it brings back a lot of good memories from attending Bonnaroo last month. You don't have to be an "official" Ten member club to get this. Just go to the website and it's your for the taking. And well worth it! July 19, 2008

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