Pearl Jam: Ten- 1991

RMR · 02-16-2012, 10:05 AM

Pearl Jam Ten- 1991
RMR Album Rating- 9

To tag Pearl Jam’s debut album “Ten” as simply grunge or even just alternative rock is doing the album and the band a huge disservice.

But, I guess the grunge label is logical… Pearl Jam is from Seattle; “Ten” was released in 1991 in the wake of Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” and the band kind of fit the mold, so grunge must of seemed like a fitting tag for Epic Records to stamp on the album and the band, but the sound and scope of the album goes well beyond grunge and even traditional alternative rock. I would describe “Ten” as the first alternative art rock album. This might sound like a strange term, but I think it’s a fitting one.

The songs on “Ten” can really be broken down into two groups, which split the album in half pretty evenly. Group #1 consists of traditional alternative rock songs, and group #2 consists of what I’ll call “alternative art rock” songs. The songs in both groups are excellent, but there are clear differences between the two groups of songs.

Group #1: The traditional alternative rock songs are “Once,” “Even Flow,” “Alive,” “Why Go,” “Jeremy,” “Porch,” and “Deep”. All these songs are all fairly hard hitting and are great traditional alternative rock numbers. My favorite of these tracks is “Even Flow,” which is filled with plenty of distorted guitars, and great vocals from Vedder. I think the worst of this lot is “Jeremy,” but not uncommonly, my taste goes against the grain. “Jeremy” was definitely the most successful track from the album, and its video was in heavy rotation on MTV at the time.

Group #2: The alternative art rock songs are “Black,” “Oceans,” “Garden,” and “Release”. This is where the album gets interesting, and I think these are the best songs on the album. The songs in this group are still alternative rock songs, but they have a layer of complexity and emotional resonance that goes well beyond just traditional alternative rock. My favorite song from this group (which is also my favorite song from the album) is “Garden”. The song has a fairly slow pace, but the pace of the song builds as it enters each chorus. This creates a mini crescendo as Vedder sings “I will walk…with my hands bound/ I will walk…with my face blood/ I will walk…with my shadow flag/ into your garden/ garden of stone." These lyrics definitely strike a chord with me, and I think they are much deeper than the typical grunge or alternative rock lyrics of the era.

There are two other elements that push this album beyond traditional alternative rock. The first is the “Mamasan” trilogy of songs, and the second is the cycling effect of music that opens and closes the album.

The “Mamasan” trilogy is a series of three songs that form a story. The songs include “Once,” “Alive,” and “Footsteps” (“Footsteps” was not released on “Ten”; it appeared as a B-side to the “Jeremy” single). Eddie Vedder has said that the songs are semi-autobiographical, but they also have a loose connection to Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex,” and to my point, most alternative rock albums don’t have parallels to Athenian tragedies. Here’s a brief overview of the “Mamasan” story…

The trilogy starts with “Alive.” It tells the story of an older teenager who finds out that who he thought was his father is actually his stepfather, and his real father died when he was 13. Now that the character is basically a grown man, his mother becomes sexually attracted to him because he looks just like his biological father, and she makes sexual advances on him. This completely screws him up, and he goes on a killing spree targeting prostitutes, which is what “Once” is about. In “Footsteps,” he is ultimately locked up. He blames his mother for his actions, and he shows no remorse or regret for his actions… stating that he “did, what I had to do/ And if there was a reason/ Oh, there wasn’t no reason, no/ And if, there’s something you’d like to do/ Just let me continue, to blame you”

Pearl Jam could have easily put all three songs back to back on “Ten” in the correct order, but I like that they have “Once” and “Alive” separated on the album and in reverse order, which makes “Once” a prequel to “Alive.” I also like that they chose to leave “Footsteps” off the album, leaving it as a hidden gem for their true fans to explore and piece the trilogy together on their own.

The last element of this album that takes it beyond traditional alternative rock is the opening and closing music of the album, which is titled “Master/Slave”. This mellow music with mumbled lyrics creates a cycling effect in the album; so if the album is put on repeat, the last track (“Release”) flows seamlessly into the first track (“Once”). Pearl Jam certainly did not invent this type of cycling effect, but it is much more common in art/ prog rock bands like Pink Floyd or Jethro Tull, and it is certainly uncommon in alternative rock.

Let’s wrap this thing up. On “Ten,” you have songs with emotional resonance and complexity that take them well beyond you’re typical early 90’s alternative rock fare, you have the “Mamasan” trilogy, which makes parallels to the story of “Oedipus Rex,” and you have the cycling effect of the “Master/Slave” sequence that opens and closes the album. So, here’s my take home point. Pearl Jam’s “Ten” is much more than just a simple alternative rock album, it is an alternative art rock album, and it is the first alternative art rock album.

The "Mamasan" trilogy in the correct order...

Unknown Soldier · 02-16-2012, 10:13 AM

Cheers RMR and I'm now going to listen to Ten this evening and re-evaluate it based on your groupings and see if I agree. It an album I love and one of the best hard rock albums ever recorded. Strangley enough "Jeremy" is one of my favourite songs on the album and a song that I can never get out of my head after each time I play it.

RMR · 02-16-2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

Cheers RMR and I'm now going to listen to Ten this evening and re-evaluate it based on your groupings and see if I agree. It an album I love and one of the best hard rock albums ever recorded. Strangley enough "Jeremy" is one of my favourite songs on the album and a song that I can never get out of my head after each time I play it.

I still think "Jeremy" is a great song; it just doesn't rank as high as the others for me, and that might be partly due to over saturation-- as it was everywhere when it came out. But for me, the real winners are the alt-art rock songs: “Black,” “Oceans,” “Garden,” and “Release." There's so much more to those songs than anything else that the other bands in Pearl Jam's class were doing at the time, and those songs really set the stage for alt-art rock, which would be succeeded by other songs from bands like The Smashing Pumpkins.

duga · 02-16-2012, 01:57 PM

Great review...I had no idea those 3 songs were connected like that but now that I know it makes total sense. I had never heard Footsteps before you posted it there, either.

I'm a pretty big PJ fan, and I like most of their albums but Ten remains my personal favorite. It's the most hard hitting and there is just so much energy in the songs. I love the story of how the band came together, too. It just seems like fate (for those interested, check out Cameron Crowe's PJ20...it's a great documentary chronicling all of this). I love how the music is so serious and talent-filled, but they originally wanted to call themselves Mookie Blaylock (and still paid tribute to him with the album's name). It shows they still have a sense of humor.

**Janszoon** · 02-16-2012, 02:10 PM

Great review. I'm not really sold on the idea that this is the "first alternative art rock album" by a long shot, but I do like the album. I hardly ever listen to these days since I heard just so many times back when it was new but your review has inspired me to put it on again (listening to it right now). My personal favorite tracks would probably be "Once", "Black" and "Deep".

RMR · 02-16-2012, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Great review. I'm not really sold on the idea that this is the "first alternative art rock album" by a long shot, but I do like the album. I hardly ever listen to these days since I heard just so many times back when it was new but your review has inspired me to put it on again (listening to it right now). My personal favorite tracks would probably be "Once", "Black" and "Deep".

When I was writing the review, I kind of made up the term "alt-art rock" (although it might already exist; I hadn't heard it, but I just seemed like a logical tag). Who else before PJ would you put in that category? I really like those songs (Black,” “Oceans,” “Garden,” and “Release"), so any "alt-art rock" bands pre-dating Ten, I would want to check out.

**Janszoon** · 02-16-2012, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMR

When I was writing the review, I kind of made up the term "alt-art rock" (although it might already exist; I hadn't heard it, but I just seemed like a logical tag). Who else before PJ would you put in that category? I really like those songs (Black,” “Oceans,” “Garden,” and “Release"), so any "alt-art rock" bands pre-dating Ten, I would want to check out.

Oh, I don't know if that's a pre-existing term or not, I was just saying that I don't think PJ's sound that different from other alternative rock that preceded them. The comparison that comes immediately to mind is Jane's Addiction. In retrospect, PJ and JA have a fairly similar sound, but JA was a little older (and arguably a bit artsier too).

RMR · 02-16-2012, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Oh, I don't know if that's a pre-existing term or not, I was just saying that I don't think PJ's sound that different from other alternative rock that preceded them. The comparison that comes immediately to mind is Jane's Addiction. In retrospect, PJ and JA have a fairly similar sound, but JA was a little older (and arguably a bit artsier too).

Man, great call. I agree 100%. They completely slipped my mind, and I'm going to see JA in Richmond, VA where I live in March... can't wait for it!

Blarobbarg · 02-16-2012, 03:57 PM

I don't keep a lot of CD's in my car, but this one is in there. Love it. My favorite song is definitely "Black." I've always been a sucker for songs that build up slowly and turn into walls of noise, so I guess it's no surprise that I like it so much. I remember when I first heard it I played in on repeat.

But that's just a random anecdote. The rest of Ten is fantastic as well.

Unknown Soldier · 02-16-2012, 05:35 PM

The album is as good as I always remember it. The 4 stand out tracks for me have always been Once, Black, Jeremy and Porch, and the start of Garden is very special. The two weaker tracks for me have always been Even Flow and Alive, both good songs but if I had to choose the weaker tracks they would be my choices.

Now I'm not sure I agree with the groupings and have never really seen Pearl Jam as arty, experimental yes but not arty. In fact Ten is probably their most straight forward album and their least experimental, the album plays in a somewhat predictable fashion and follows a standard pattern of combining slow start/powerful ending songs, to more subdued efforts, but all are highlighted and given life to by Eddie Vedder' s voice and outstanding backing by the rest of the band. I agree with what Janszoon said earlier, that if there was an alt rock band around at that time that were arty, it was probably Jane's Addiction. Pearl Jam were really just heirs to the classic hard rock bands of the 1970's such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and UFO etc.

What's so great about Ten, is that they offered nothing new to the hard rock genre, but did it as great as any of the classic hard rock bands that I mentioned above and Pearl Jam rank right up in there with the cream of hard rock, because they have the credentials, which are great albums, classic songs, a touch of variety, great musicians, fantastic vocalist and they can make your temperature rise with their power when they turn it up.

Eddie Vedder follows in the tradition of one of the true great vocalists in the history of hard rock and ranks right up there with Chris Cornell and Ian Astbury as probably the best hard rock vocalist of his generation. Eddie Vedder is so distinctive and along with the likes of Bobby Kimball and Steve Perry for example, I can spot his distinctive voice in a second.

Pearl Jam are basically what hard rock are all about, but do things their way.

02-16-2012, 10:05 AM	#1 (permalink)
RMR Front to Back Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Richmond, Virginia Posts: 360	Pearl Jam: Ten- 1991 Pearl Jam Ten- 1991 RMR Album Rating- 9 To tag Pearl Jam’s debut album “Ten” as simply grunge or even just alternative rock is doing the album and the band a huge disservice. But, I guess the grunge label is logical… Pearl Jam is from Seattle; “Ten” was released in 1991 in the wake of Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” and the band kind of fit the mold, so grunge must of seemed like a fitting tag for Epic Records to stamp on the album and the band, but the sound and scope of the album goes well beyond grunge and even traditional alternative rock. I would describe “Ten” as the first alternative art rock album. This might sound like a strange term, but I think it’s a fitting one. The songs on “Ten” can really be broken down into two groups, which split the album in half pretty evenly. Group #1 consists of traditional alternative rock songs, and group #2 consists of what I’ll call “alternative art rock” songs. The songs in both groups are excellent, but there are clear differences between the two groups of songs. Group #1: The traditional alternative rock songs are “Once,” “Even Flow,” “Alive,” “Why Go,” “Jeremy,” “Porch,” and “Deep”. All these songs are all fairly hard hitting and are great traditional alternative rock numbers. My favorite of these tracks is “Even Flow,” which is filled with plenty of distorted guitars, and great vocals from Vedder. I think the worst of this lot is “Jeremy,” but not uncommonly, my taste goes against the grain. “Jeremy” was definitely the most successful track from the album, and its video was in heavy rotation on MTV at the time. Group #2: The alternative art rock songs are “Black,” “Oceans,” “Garden,” and “Release”. This is where the album gets interesting, and I think these are the best songs on the album. The songs in this group are still alternative rock songs, but they have a layer of complexity and emotional resonance that goes well beyond just traditional alternative rock. My favorite song from this group (which is also my favorite song from the album) is “Garden”. The song has a fairly slow pace, but the pace of the song builds as it enters each chorus. This creates a mini crescendo as Vedder sings “I will walk…with my hands bound/ I will walk…with my face blood/ I will walk…with my shadow flag/ into your garden/ garden of stone." These lyrics definitely strike a chord with me, and I think they are much deeper than the typical grunge or alternative rock lyrics of the era. There are two other elements that push this album beyond traditional alternative rock. The first is the “Mamasan” trilogy of songs, and the second is the cycling effect of music that opens and closes the album. The “Mamasan” trilogy is a series of three songs that form a story. The songs include “Once,” “Alive,” and “Footsteps” (“Footsteps” was not released on “Ten”; it appeared as a B-side to the “Jeremy” single). Eddie Vedder has said that the songs are semi-autobiographical, but they also have a loose connection to Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex,” and to my point, most alternative rock albums don’t have parallels to Athenian tragedies. Here’s a brief overview of the “Mamasan” story… The trilogy starts with “Alive.” It tells the story of an older teenager who finds out that who he thought was his father is actually his stepfather, and his real father died when he was 13. Now that the character is basically a grown man, his mother becomes sexually attracted to him because he looks just like his biological father, and she makes sexual advances on him. This completely screws him up, and he goes on a killing spree targeting prostitutes, which is what “Once” is about. In “Footsteps,” he is ultimately locked up. He blames his mother for his actions, and he shows no remorse or regret for his actions… stating that he “did, what I had to do/ And if there was a reason/ Oh, there wasn’t no reason, no/ And if, there’s something you’d like to do/ Just let me continue, to blame you” Pearl Jam could have easily put all three songs back to back on “Ten” in the correct order, but I like that they have “Once” and “Alive” separated on the album and in reverse order, which makes “Once” a prequel to “Alive.” I also like that they chose to leave “Footsteps” off the album, leaving it as a hidden gem for their true fans to explore and piece the trilogy together on their own. The last element of this album that takes it beyond traditional alternative rock is the opening and closing music of the album, which is titled “Master/Slave”. This mellow music with mumbled lyrics creates a cycling effect in the album; so if the album is put on repeat, the last track (“Release”) flows seamlessly into the first track (“Once”). Pearl Jam certainly did not invent this type of cycling effect, but it is much more common in art/ prog rock bands like Pink Floyd or Jethro Tull, and it is certainly uncommon in alternative rock. Let’s wrap this thing up. On “Ten,” you have songs with emotional resonance and complexity that take them well beyond you’re typical early 90’s alternative rock fare, you have the “Mamasan” trilogy, which makes parallels to the story of “Oedipus Rex,” and you have the cycling effect of the “Master/Slave” sequence that opens and closes the album. So, here’s my take home point. Pearl Jam’s “Ten” is much more than just a simple alternative rock album, it is an alternative art rock album, and it is the first alternative art rock album. The "Mamasan" trilogy in the correct order... __________________ RMR My music reivew site: RMR Music Reviews

02-16-2012, 01:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	Great review...I had no idea those 3 songs were connected like that but now that I know it makes total sense. I had never heard Footsteps before you posted it there, either. I'm a pretty big PJ fan, and I like most of their albums but Ten remains my personal favorite. It's the most hard hitting and there is just so much energy in the songs. I love the story of how the band came together, too. It just seems like fate (for those interested, check out Cameron Crowe's PJ20...it's a great documentary chronicling all of this). I love how the music is so serious and talent-filled, but they originally wanted to call themselves Mookie Blaylock (and still paid tribute to him with the album's name). It shows they still have a sense of humor. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...

02-16-2012, 02:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	Great review. I'm not really sold on the idea that this is the "first alternative art rock album" by a long shot, but I do like the album. I hardly ever listen to these days since I heard just so many times back when it was new but your review has inspired me to put it on again (listening to it right now). My personal favorite tracks would probably be "Once", "Black" and "Deep". __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

02-16-2012, 05:35 PM	#10 (permalink)
Unknown Soldier Horribly Creative Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London, The Big Smoke Posts: 8,265	The album is as good as I always remember it. The 4 stand out tracks for me have always been Once, Black, Jeremy and Porch, and the start of Garden is very special. The two weaker tracks for me have always been Even Flow and Alive, both good songs but if I had to choose the weaker tracks they would be my choices. Now I'm not sure I agree with the groupings and have never really seen Pearl Jam as arty, experimental yes but not arty. In fact Ten is probably their most straight forward album and their least experimental, the album plays in a somewhat predictable fashion and follows a standard pattern of combining slow start/powerful ending songs, to more subdued efforts, but all are highlighted and given life to by Eddie Vedder' s voice and outstanding backing by the rest of the band. I agree with what Janszoon said earlier, that if there was an alt rock band around at that time that were arty, it was probably Jane's Addiction. Pearl Jam were really just heirs to the classic hard rock bands of the 1970's such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and UFO etc. What's so great about Ten, is that they offered nothing new to the hard rock genre, but did it as great as any of the classic hard rock bands that I mentioned above and Pearl Jam rank right up in there with the cream of hard rock, because they have the credentials, which are great albums, classic songs, a touch of variety, great musicians, fantastic vocalist and they can make your temperature rise with their power when they turn it up. Eddie Vedder follows in the tradition of one of the true great vocalists in the history of hard rock and ranks right up there with Chris Cornell and Ian Astbury as probably the best hard rock vocalist of his generation. Eddie Vedder is so distinctive and along with the likes of Bobby Kimball and Steve Perry for example, I can spot his distinctive voice in a second. Pearl Jam are basically what hard rock are all about, but do things their way. Last edited by Unknown Soldier; 02-17-2012 at 03:59 AM.

02-16-2012, 10:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
Unknown Soldier Horribly Creative Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London, The Big Smoke Posts: 8,265	Cheers RMR and I'm now going to listen to Ten this evening and re-evaluate it based on your groupings and see if I agree. It an album I love and one of the best hard rock albums ever recorded. Strangley enough "Jeremy" is one of my favourite songs on the album and a song that I can never get out of my head after each time I play it.

02-16-2012, 03:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
Blarobbarg Do good. Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Posts: 2,065	I don't keep a lot of CD's in my car, but this one is in there. Love it. My favorite song is definitely "Black." I've always been a sucker for songs that build up slowly and turn into walls of noise, so I guess it's no surprise that I like it so much. I remember when I first heard it I played in on repeat. But that's just a random anecdote. The rest of Ten is fantastic as well.