15 Things Only Pearl Jam Fans Will Understand

5. A Perfect Ten

Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten, did a lot to help popularise alternative rock/grunge in the mainstream. For better or worse, this is the album that made people aware of a sound or a movement that had, until then, been kept underground (almost intentionally). The album has sold tens of millions of records and is still, after almost twenty five years, Pearl Jam's biggest-selling record.

It is their calling card and the record that most people associate with them. It is also really, really f***ing good, chock full of fist-pumping anthems that deal with complex themes ranging from depression and suicide to homelessness and broken families. Despite how heavy the subject matter may get, the strength and passion in Vedder's voice means that Ten never feels anything less than uplifting.

The standout, and possibly the bands signature song, Alive, is one of the most life-affirming grunge/rock tracks you're ever likely to hear, with its belting chorus of 'Hey I, I, I, I'm still alive'. In a 2013 Rolling Stone reader's poll, Ten was voted the best debut album of all-time. More than that, Ten is, to many Peal Jam fans, the album of the nineties and one of the greatest of all-time.