Search - Pearl Jam :: Ten

From a Collector

Paul McBrearty | Newtown, PA United States | 09/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I thought this cd would be hard to find, and was suprised to see it on Amazon. It's the Japan version of the album. (SONY SRCS5634). The #12 bonus track is the Beatles "I Got a Feeling". The #13 hidden track is the same hidden track on the US release: an instrumental version of "Once".This does not have the 3 extra tracks (Wash, Dirty Frank, Alive(live)) that is on the other imports."

(4.5 stars) Pearl Jam's first, and by far their best

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this album. It's not terribly original, but who says all great music needs to be original? It really is a triumph of craftsmanship over innovation - sure, they're essentially reinventing the wheel (you can tell the band listened to a LOT of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Who, and AC/DC), but they reinvent it well, so no reason to complain.

Featured on this album are four large hits that have gone on to be just alternative radio staples. The massive hit "Jermey", a song about teen suicide, is probably the biggest, and while it's the weakest of the four, I will not deny the song has staying power, or a climactic, moving refrain. "Jermey spoke in... class today!" and all that. Eddie's vocals on the song in general are some of the best in rock history, ranging from all-out screams to pseudo-scatting to some subdued, melodic singing. That's why so many bands today take it upon themselves to blatantly steal from this group's book (Creed, Puddle of Mudd, Nickleback). Eddie Vedder. Stone Gossard and Mike McCready aren't exceptional guitarists, but they play cool riffs, and really step up to the plate on another pair of the classics, "Evenflow" and "Alive". The former is pure Hendrixian guitar wankery, but WHAT guitar wankery! That solo just screams to be BLASTED. Anyway, nothing wrong with stealing from Hendrix. Hendrix is awesome. And the latter features a superb guitar solo as well, this one slower than the last. Heavily inspired by Led Zeppelin, but I like Zeppelin (can't say I love 'em, but I like 'em). It sure helps that they're about meaningful topics: homelessness and child molestation, respectively. I love Nirvana (they're better than Pearl Jam in virtually every respect, in fact), but I think sometimes their lyrics are a bit self-centered. I never get that feeling from Pearl Jam. Anyway, the fourth hit is my personal favorite: the chilling "Black", which builds from quiet unplugged electric guitar playing to a huge, emotional climax - something a lot of other Pearl Jam songs do (see also "Alive"; "Jermey"; "Betterman"). I love the ending, where Eddie just screams his head off and the rest of the band does that cool, "Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo" stuff. Fantastic song! "Once" and "Why Go" get bashed a lot for being dated, but I like both: "Once" is pretty funky; and "Why Go" is a nice little rocker, though I'll admit Vedder overscreams, a trap he REALYL fell into on the next album, Vs. Both are better than anything by Creed, at any rate. And while it took a while for me to realize it, "Oceans" is another highlight of the album. this one's got a surprise influence: The Velvet Underground, one of my favorite bands. I think the structure and drumming owe a lot to "Heroin", one of my favorite songs. So I'm perfectly fine with it.

After "Oceans", the album gets weaker. While "Garden" and "Release" have damn fine choruses ("I will waaaaaaaaaaaaalk in your gaaaaardeen..." and "RELEASE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!", respectively - much like U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam construct perfect refrains, which are often more memorable than the verses), neither rank among the best; and I can't remember an ounce of "Porch" or "Deep", but I don't recall being annoyed by either. But the beautiful b-side "Yellow Ledbetter" (you can find it on the "Jermey" single, I think), my favorite Pearl Jam song other than "Black", should've been included in their place.

From here on out, it was all downhill for Pearl Jam. Even the next album (Vs.) had a lot of amateur screaming and a few poorly written tunes. These guys never equalled their debut album, a milestone in the grunge movement."

Better than the U.S. Release

Bradley J Miller | Trenton, Ohio United States | 07/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you thought the US version was good, the Beatles song will blow you away. If you aren't familiar with it, its from the Let it Be album (also great). However this should only be for Pearl Jam hardcores or those willing to spend a little extra money. Seems like double the price is too steep for one song, but I think it was worth it."