10 Artists Who Never Managed To Top Their First Album
8. Pearl Jam
Other than Nirvana, perhaps no other band had a greater impact in the shift in popularity from hair metal to grunge than Pearl Jam. Rising from the ashes of a group called Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam released Ten within a month of Nirvana's Nevermind hitting shelves. The two records delivered a 1-2 punch to the struggling LA glam scene and turned the eyes of the music industry and its fans north toward Seattle. Ten is a brilliant album, much more melodic and focused than many of the releases coming from their grunge peers. Pearl Jam didn't make an immediate impact with their debut, but eventually climbed all the way to #2 on Billboard's Top 200, selling over 10 million copies in the process. The band would never again reach the same level of success, partially due to their own efforts. The grunge forefathers have never embraced stardom - prioritising their artistic integrity above all else - and have spent the better part of their more recent years being politically active; Eddie Vedder even played a prominent role in bringing attention to the case of the West Memphis Three. The quality of their music since has fluctuated, and only the most ardent of fans have stayed along for the ride. But whether through their own intentions or just the inability to bottle the formula that created such a memorable debut, they've never put out anything close to the quality of Ten.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
