10 Hard Rock Bands Never Better Than Their First Album
4. Pearl Jam
Ever since Pearl Jam's start, they were poised to become one of the biggest bands on the planet. Starting in the rainy city of Seattle, the band's blend of classic rock hooks with an alternative presentation made them instant superstars once the grunge explosion took off.
When compared to the debut releases from their peers like Soundgarden and Nirvana, the band's first outing Ten is one of the greatest rock albums to ever grace the '90's. The album shows everything the band has to offer and more, with raucous songs on "Once," sing alongs on "Alive," and even more narrative driven tracks on "Jeremy." These tracks are so well-composed that you don't necessarily need to be a rock fan to know these songs kick ass.
It's a testament to how great this record is when frontman Eddie Vedder intentionally tried to make the band's next albums less commercial so that their star power would wane a bit. There have been many highlights in the Pearl Jam catalog from Vitalogy to even this year's Gigaton, but it all comes back to this one little record. There's probably only a few rock records that have ever reached perfection, but Pearl Jam's outing did come pretty damn close.