Customer Reviews
great album 
2008-04-20
this is my favorite pj album. eddie's voice is great, and the band is just awsome. buy it!
Vedder's Vocals Shine, Making the Album Great 2008-04-16
Coming out around the same time Nirvana exploded "Ten" established Pearl Jam as one of the most popular Northwest (Seattle) "grunge" bands. Many put them in that music category, even though, in my opinion, there isn't much "grunge" about them. Singer Eddie Vedder has impassioned vocals and excellent songwriting abilities.
It did take sometime for the album to take off, but it ended up becoming one of the '90's best. "Even Flow" is arguably the band's most arena radio hit with it's singable chorus, while "Alive" contains ever-so-depressing lyrics on top of up-lifting music ending with a blistering Mike McCready guitar solo.
"Black" is more on the dark side in the form of a moody ballad. Vedder's vocals shine throughout the whole album and make each song great. The album is named after the number of the band's favorite basketball player Mookie Blaylock and I believe they played at small clubs before their big success under that name. This is my favorite Pearl Jam album.
Clairvoyance 2008-03-27
The great things about this album have already been said by the other 728 reviewers. What I'd like to add is the relevance of this album almost 17 years later. Go and listen to "Evenflow", "Alive", "Jeremy", and "Why Go". It's as if Pearl Jam foresaw the world as it is now. Columbine, Virginia Tech, and many other school shootings happened well after "Jeremy" was released. That song long foretold of the consequences of alienating your children and classmates. "Why Go" and "Evenflow" - teenage mental illness is on the rise in epidemic proportions, and it's often not discussed openly. "Alive" - families splintered by violence and divorce are certainly just as relevant today as they were in 1991. Ten's thematic elements blend together beautifully to illustrate the world we live in now. The message is even more relevant today - when we don't listen to our youth and alienate them, we are the ones that pay price.
not a pearl, and no jams 
2008-03-03
Remember what happened when Pearl Jam hit the music scene in the early 90's? At first, we all liked the new sound and style. Alternative rock that was melodic enough for adults, and rocked convincingly enough for kids and teens. A rather large age group was able to appreciate this new influential sound and we all quickly became fans and thanked our lucky stars the hair metal movement was finally coming to an end.
What happened after a few years went by? Bands like Creed starting appearing, and then other bands with a similar sound would appear after them, and more and more. Even to this day, over 15 years later, we are *still* hearing the influence of this Pearl Jam album from other bands. I say- *enough is enough*. This style was good when Pearl Jam did it, because they were the first, or one of the first, to do so. Also, this album contains enough good songs for me to give it a fair rating.
But the negative influence these guys had on the music scene is something that's hard for me to forgive. I can't forgive them for all those boring, copycat bands that never came close to matching the enjoyment I got from Pearl Jam. Unfortunately those bands also are making it very hard to come back and appreciate the band and album that did it first. That explains my average rating for this album.
Pearl Jam's First Album 2008-01-20
This is one of my favorite top three albums of ALL TIME. It is hard to follow up to the success of the first one, Pearl Jam has now gotten back to their roots of what got them where they started. It sounds great and makes me remember the times that I had in the late 80's and early 90's. I thoroughly enjoyed EVERY SONG on this disk.
An album that will stand the test of time. 2008-07-19
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.
Pearl Jam remains one of the best live bands ever 
2008-07-19
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!
TEN!!! 2008-06-11
This album is exactly that. There's not a lousy song on here, although I do get a bit tired of hearing the radio-staples. If you haven't heard it yet, you definitely should. What else can I say? It's all great. Moody, atmospheric, big, edgy, dark, light, mysterious! Well produced, better played. kthxbye.
A Classic of Grunge -- and of Rock More Generally 2008-05-23
While many albums cannot stand the test of time, this is one of the few that has -- and with flying colors. Every time "Even Flow", "Once", "Alive", "Black", or "Jeremy" comes on the radio, I ALWAYS turn the volume up. If anyone in the car objects to one of these songs (or any other Pearl Jam songs) remaining playing, I make it known that I would be very displeased if the station were to be changed.
There is indeed a good deal of filler on this album (I don't consider Oceans filler, however, as do some people; I think it stands on its own as a good, if subdued, song), but it is not bad filler.
"Ten" is a truly enjoyable, very re-listenable album, and a good debut. However, I must make it known that it is not Pearl Jam's best album. Most of their subsequent (and often lesser-known) efforts are more mature and more thought-out than "Ten". Yet, "Ten" remains a watershed moment in the rock genre, and was the start of what would become one of the most prodigious bands of the 1990s and 2000s (and hopefully past that).
One of the best records ever recorded by a long shot 2008-05-20
If you've never heard 'Ten' before, I don't care what style of music you like, whether it be classical or tween pop, you must listen to Pearl Jam's 1991 debut and masterpiece 'Ten.'
This was the record that skyrocketed PJ to fame. Sure many classics would follow, like 'Binaural' and 'Vs.' But this was the record that jumpstarted Pearl Jam.
And with songs this perfect, it's not hard to see why. 'Even Flow,' 'Jeremy,' 'Porch,' and 'Alive' are some of the greatest songs ever written, and Eddie Vedder's flawless voice helped make 'Ten' the ideal grunge record.
And it sounds just as fresh today as it sounded 17 years ago. This record is by far Pearl Jam's best record, although every record they put out was superb, but it's not only PJ's best record, it's one of the best records PERIOD.
If you've never checked out 'Ten,' than you are really missing out. Highly recommended for any music lover. A masterpiece.
ENJOY!!!
