Pearl Jam's 'Ten' and How it Changed American Music

There were dozens of great albums in the early 1990s, but only a few actually changed music. Nirvana's "Nevermind" was one and Pearl Jam's "Ten" was undoubtedly another.

Now, 20 years after "Ten" was released, it's still easy to find music fans who will debate the album's significance. It's not up for debate--"Ten" was one of the albums that defined grunge music and gave American music listeners something to get excited about.

"Ten" had several tracks that broke into the mainstream, including the haunting suicide story "Jeremy," the elevating "Alive" and the incomparable "Evenflow." It wasn't as raw as some of their later albums, with a ton of reverb and the occasional poor production choice, but it didn't sound like anything else out there.

Modern music listeners might not find "Ten" so invigorating, but picture a music landscape in which hair metal bands have dominated the airwaves for the last decade. The Reagan era has just ended, Russia's falling apart, but all the band son the radio just want to sing about girls and partying.

"Ten" was a major hit, although it took time to build its audience, and it brought darker subject matter, brutally loud guitar lines and a complete lack of the squealing, super-distorted guitars that bands like Van Halen had popularized. It was strong, strong stuff.

The album was not without its detractors, most notably Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. Cobain felt that "Ten" was the work of sellouts, studio musicians-for-hire who would have played anything as long as there was a possibility of commercial gain.

It's certainly true that Pearl Jam's members had more time in the music industry than many indie bands, but their grunge pedigrees were already solid by the time "Ten" was released. Two of the band's members, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, had already been in a major grunge band called "Green River."

Nevertheless, Nirvana and Pearl Jam feuded, although they reconciled before Cobain's death. Eddie Vedder later paid tribute to Cobain on NBC' s "Saturday Night Live" by wearing a shirt with an embroidered "K" shortly after Cobain was found dead.

Twenty years later, "Ten" has had an undeniable impact on music, both in a positive and a negative sense. Along with a few other major grunge albums, "Ten" popularized the alt-rock genre and made it alright to write rock songs without wearing spandex or leather. They brought a certain realism to rock and roll music and many of the album's hits are still on the radio today, especially "Evenflow" and "Jeremy."

Pearl Jam's popularity has led to dozens of imitators, many of which steal Vedder's distinct vocal style. One could argue that we wouldn't have Nickelback, Creed or Puddle of Mudd without "Ten," and depending on the listener's perspective, a world without those bands might sound like an improvement.

However, there are always imitators to follow imitators. The Beatles launched a flurry of lightweight pop acts, Led Zeppelin inadvertently launched the hair metal genre and Michael Jackson's success might have even laid the groundwork for Justin Bieber. A band can't be judged on the acts that follow them, only by the music that they brought to the world.

Pearl Jam has had a long, important career, but it all started with "Ten." Twenty years later, it's still an exciting and visceral listening experience.

Sources:

"Eddie Vedder: 'Kurt Cobain Would Like Me If He Was Still Alive,'" NME.com.
"Saturday Night Live: Emilio Estevez / Pearl Jam Summary," TV.com.