Pearl Jam - Ten [Redux] (1991/2009/2013) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

"Ten" was Pearl Jam's first studio album and is their most successful record to date, selling more than 10 million copies in the US as of 2013. The album was not an immediate success, but by late 1992 it had reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart and has sold well ever since. In 2009, Ten was reissued as the first of a planned re-release of Pearl Jam's entire catalogue that would lead up to the band's 20th anniversary in 2011. The re-release features six bonus tracks and a remastered remix of the entire album by producer Brendan O'Brien.

Chart History/Awards
- Reached #2 on the US Billboard 200 and Canadian Albums charts.
- #14 on the US Billboard 200 decade-end chart for 1990-1999.
- Certified diamond by the RIAA in 2013.
- Certified 13x Platinum in the US.

Many of the songs on Ten started out as instrumental jams before Eddie Vedder even joined the band. Vedder added lyrics to the songs after he joined the group. The expansive sound of the record is reminiscent of artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, but the core of the album's sound is rooted in grunge. Vedder's distinctive voice perfectly fits the album's rich sound, allowing his often intense lyrics to be tempered by the band's sound, making the record that much more appealing. Because Ten was recorded over such a long period of time (two months), allowing Pearl Jam to hone the material into tight, focused forms. The resulting album is nothing less than a masterpiece of '90s grunge rock.

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Pearl Jam - Ten [Redux] (1991/2009/2013) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

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Nirvana's Nevermind may have been the album that broke grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream, but there's no underestimating the role that Pearl Jam's Ten played in keeping them there. Nirvana's appeal may have been huge, but it wasn't universal; rock radio still viewed them as too raw and punky, and some hard rock fans dismissed them as weird misfits. In retrospect, it's easy to see why Pearl Jam clicked with a mass audience – they weren't as metallic as Alice in Chains or Soundgarden, and of Seattle's Big Four, their sound owed the greatest debt to classic rock. With its intricately arranged guitar textures and expansive harmonic vocabulary, Ten especially recalled Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. But those touchstones might not have been immediately apparent, since – aside from Mike McCready's Clapton/Hendrix-style leads – every trace of blues influence has been completely stripped from the band's sound. Though they rock hard, Pearl Jam is too anti-star to swagger, too self-aware to puncture the album's air of gravity. Pearl Jam tackles weighty topics – abortion, homelessness, childhood traumas, gun violence, rigorous introspection – with an earnest zeal unmatched since mid-'80s U2, whose anthemic sound they frequently strive for. Similarly, Eddie Vedder's impressionistic lyrics often make their greatest impact through the passionate commitment of his delivery rather than concrete meaning. His voice had a highly distinctive timbre that perfectly fit the album's warm, rich sound, and that's part of the key – no matter how cathartic Ten's tersely titled songs got, they were never abrasive enough to affect the album's accessibility. Ten also benefited from a long gestation period, during which the band honed the material into this tightly focused form; the result is a flawlessly crafted hard rock masterpiece.

Tracklist:

01 - Once
02 - Even Flow
03 - Alive
04 - Why Go
05 - Black
06 - Jeremy
07 - Oceans
08 - Porch
09 - Garden
10 - Deep
11 - Release; Master / Slave
12 - Brother
13 - Just a Girl
14 - Breath and a Scream
15 - State of Love and Trust
16 - 2,000 Mile Blues
17 - Evil Little Goat


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