In late 1990, five musicians took the stage at the Off Ramp Cafe in Seattle. They were led by a fiery lead singer named Eddie Vedder, and collectively, they were known as Pearl Jam. Oh to be one of the very few people who were in the room that night.
It was on that night in October 1990 that Pearl Jam played some of the songs that made this album I'm reviewing, Ten, their biggest hit, and most well-received album.
However, when you listen to this album 12 years after it was first released, and 11 years after any attention was given it, you realize this album isn't quite everything that it's cracked up to be.
The songs, as recorded on this album, sound dated, stale. They just don't do much for me. And as Pearl Jam's fans continue to trade live recordings (which give much more life to these songs), they will only get more stale and more dated.
Oh, sure, if you've never seen this band live, the songs probably sound pretty good to you still. But it is seeing this band live that makes you re-evaluate everything you ever thought about them, and that includes the way you felt about the songs.
What follows is a detailed description of each song on this record, complete with my interpretation, my opinion about it, and my rating. Here we go:
Once: It is here where you will first hear of the Mamasan Trilogy, a three song mini rock opera written by Vedder around guitarist Stone Gossard's demos. Once is the second song of the trilogy, detailing the murder that the main character commits in response to what is revealed in the song Alive. This song is very hard hitting and hard rocking. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in spirit and passion. Very nice. 4 stars
Even Flow:A song detailing the struggle of a homeless man. This version doesn't do the song justice as any live version (or even the re-recorded version that the radio plays) will show. This is a great song, but unfortunately, on this album, it's no better than 2.5 stars, and I think I'm being nice.
Alive:This is the opening song of the Mamasan Trilogy. But it is my personal belief that on a spring night in 1994, the meaning of the song changed forever. What once was a song about incest between a mother and a teenage son (and based loosely on events in Vedder's own life as a teen) became a rallying call for the state of being of the title. Pearl Jam was playing Boston Garden, and I was in the 2nd row. It was only 3 days after Kurt Cobain's body was found. I remember Eddie saying after the most anthemic playing of Alive that "we're still alive, this place (referring the old garden) is still alive" and to me that signaled the end of Alive being a song about incest. 5 stars
Why Go:Great bass playing and drumming dominate this rocking number that unfortunately now seems boring whereas 5 years ago it still sounded fresh. It's a song about a troubled young girl and this just doesn't seem to fit into who Pearl Jam is anymore, and perhaps that is why it sounds old and dated. 3 stars
Black:Two words describe this song:lyrical perfection. Perhaps not since John Lennon's Imagine has a song galvanized so many people who have heard it. It IS the greatest breakup song ever written. There is not a person in the world who cannot relate to the lines "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star, in somebody else's sky but why, why, can't it be, can't it be mine?" Lead guitarist Mike McCready's guitar seems to be singing along with Vedder at times, and this song is just heart wrenching. 5 stars
Jeremy:OK, so put the fact you've heard it on the radio five million times and seen the video 5 million other times aside. This song remains engraved in the minds of many people, and it remains Pearl Jam's biggest hit. (Spare me the Last Kiss stuff) This is a great song that unfortunately has been played to death. Look at what the song is, and not what it became. 4 stars
Oceans:A hauntingly beautiful and deep love song. The effects used to create the atmosphere of this song is excellent. The lyrics are excellent as usual, and the mix is done perfectly, which can't be said for anything else on this record. 4 stars
Porch:We're back into the anger now, as Porch is just an angry angry goodbye to a former lover. It rocks hard, but here, unfortunately, it is just too short at 3 minutes long and change. The seven minute live versions are to die for. Regardless, it's still a heavy song and the emotion just comes pouring out on this song. 3.5 stars
Deep:Another song that just sounds too dated. The music just sounds 1992, and that is not a good thing (and it very rarely is). It seems to focus on the same protagonist as Why Go, but with not as much success. (Note: it sounded BETTER THAN EVER on the recently completed 2003 tour) 2.5 stars
Garden:Another haunting goodbye, this time with an excellent mix of melody and a "wall of sound" so to speak that gives the song its atmosphere and its life. A highly charged and emotional song, it is by far one of the the highest lights on Ten and still sounds fresh today. 4.5 stars
Release:This, along with Baba O'Riley, is one of my two favorite songs of all time. The tinkling guitars, Vedder's moaning voice, it is just absolutely beautiful. It also is Vedder's most personal song, as he refuses to write the lyrics down at all. The highest of highs to close out an album. 5 stars
Sure, Ten stands up today as a great record. But it's production quality hinders it badly. In fact, in a recent interview, both Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament talked candidly about how the band wanted to remix and remaster this album to make it sound more like it should. But until that happens, the original mix will do nicely.
Pearl Jam released Ten on August 27, 1991. The album reached #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, sold over 12 million copies and became one of the cultural...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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