10 Perfect Rock Albums Of The '90s
3. Ten - Pearl Jam
The beginnings of the alternative wave didn't just happen overnight. While the arrival of Smells Like Teen Spirit pretty much knocked all of hair metal off the face of the Earth, no real trend in rock music happens that quickly. It needed some time to brew, and Pearl Jam were in the best place when that slow burn reached its maximum potential.
As opposed to Nirvana's Nevermind from the same year, Ten is probably the most true to roots grunge album there is. If you had to ask anyone to think of what constitutes the genre, every song on here fits the bill, from the heart on its sleeve powerhouse vocals behind Black to the arena sized rock and roll behind Alive. It's even got the weird tangent songs of the early '90s sprinkled in for good measure, with Why Go and Even Flow being almost funky in their presentation.
That's just the music though. Unlike most rock bands, Eddie Vedder's vocals and lyrics were a lot more introspective than many were expecting, with Jeremy pulling from current events to depict a graphic tale of a child killing himself in front of his classmates. Granted, there's probably a dozen or so butt rock bands that tried to make their own version of this record, oftentimes with heinous results. Then again, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Ten has managed to hold onto its power despite how many copycats there have been.