My Amazon Reviews: Pearl Jam "Ten"

[blackleatherbookshelf]

Once Upon a Ten
5 Out of 5 Stars

Pearl Jam's debut album, "Ten," helped to upend the state of American Rock and Roll. Coming off the remnants of several other noteworthy bands (most of all, Mother Love Bone) and recruited San Diegian singer Eddie Vedder, "Ten" stripped the fluff and posturing away from late 80's hair-metal and scraped it down to primal guitar and deep angst. Vedder gave this perfect voice, and guitarist Mike McCready stayed more inside the classic rock manual when it came time for guitar leads.

The result was an a album that resonated both the current rock lovers and the grunge crowd that was lusting for anything that gave of something that resembled Nirvana's grunge vibe. "Evenflow," "Alive," "Jeremy" and "Black" soon became established on radio and MTV, and the rest,as is often said, is history. That established, the most exciting thing about this deluxe remaster is the obvious care the band, producer Rick Parashar, bonus disc remixer Brendan O'Brien and other contributors put into this edition. The original album sounds as blistering as it always did, and the second disc rethinks the original while losing none of the impact. O'Brien reins in the echo/reverb, pushes Vedder more to the fore and makes things a bit cleaner. Disc one is like getting caught in a ravaging sandstorm, the remix is like getting a sand blaster applied in a precise location. Either way, you're getting pounded and laid bare.

The DVD is the MTV Unplugged performance of March 1992 (roughly when "Ten" was beginning to peak), and captures the band in all its anti-swagger glory. The DVD is also devoid of clutter and scraps, making it a more valuable watch. The scraps are in the main packaging, with articles about Mookie Blaylock (Pearl Jam's original name), lots of pictures, posters, passes, and plenty of Vedder's surprisingly good sketches. The deluxe version of "Ten" is exactly how a re-issue should be done; no waste and plenty of value, respectful to both fan and band.



 

Comments

[maxauburn.livejournal.com]

I started seriously buying cd's back in 2000.

I asked a friend what the best Pearl Jam cd that I could buy was. He said "Ten."

I bought it. Love it!

It's my favorite Pearl Jam cd.

[master-dave.livejournal.com]

Their next two albums, "Vs.", and "Vitalogy", are good, too.

"Vs." is the unlabeled one with the goat shoving its nose through the fence. There is a collector-sought version of Vs., because the original cover was a mis-print, but I have forgotten the difference---Mine is the usual one, of course. (Of course! Duh!)

"Bleach", Nirvana's first, is a very hard listen, the first few times, but it is very good, too! I bought this on a recommendation, (Vs. was a recommendation, also.) and was unhappy at first. I definitely like it now!

On the subject of grunge and 90's music...

[maxauburn.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the recommendations, Dave!

I love Nirvana!

And:

Pearl Jam
Alice In Chains
Rob Zombie
Stone Temple Pilots
Monster Magnet
Type-O-Negative
Megadeth
Bush
Soundgarden

With that said, I'm listening to "Close To the Edge", by Yes as I type this.

Have a great day!

[tbrough.livejournal.com]

Some of VS were issued with the original title "5 VS 1" printed on them. The original inner sleeve had a hand with that printed on it as well.