10 Best Grunge Albums You Need To Hear
3. Vs. - Pearl Jam
Once Pearl Jam released their landmark debut Ten, casual rock fans had finally found their token alternative band to fall for. After the band came off of touring, they regrouped outside of Seattle to starting working out a follow-up to their massive first outing. Upon release, Pearl Jam decided not to play the media game and did little promotion for Vs. aside from a few singles.
Even with the PR problems, Vs. is still an untouchable record in the Pearl Jam discography. Instead of blowing out the speakers with a pure rock classic, Eddie Vedder wanted to make sure that the band's sound didn't stray too far from their roots. As a result, the album sounds like a fresh update to the Ten formula, with songs that are much more abrasive like the caustic "Animal" or the all-out punk thrasher "Blood." When the band slows things down on this outing, the subject matter is still dark, with "Daughter" being about a girl disowning her family based on their apathy.
While Pearl Jam may not have wanted to blow up as much as they did, Vs.'s fantastic explorations and familiar classic rock tendencies firmly cemented the band as one of the greatest bands of their era.