Pearl Jam: Ranking Their Albums From Worst To Best

3. Vs.

Generally remembered as a mainstream-skirting, rebellion album thanks to ultra-aggressive fare like "Animal" and "Blood" (and a purposeful lack of marketing) Vs. might actually be more significant for expanding on the band's mellower side. Whereas "Oceans" and "Release" had only hinted at a softness under that brooding, muscular aesthetic, they went deep into the catacombs of acoustic balladry with "Daughter" and "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," both of which they pulled off wonderfully. Still, the rest of the album is an unflinching, passionate follow-up that sheds the shiny production of its predecessor (with an almost gleeful lack of reverb in the biggest hooks), while Eddie is at his most incisive, going after the jugular with an almost sinister gusto this time around. True, none of the guitar riffs ascend to the monster heights of "Alive," but what this album lacks in theatrics, it makes up for with raw energy and a keen ear for effortless craftsmanship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RTz0JNxNEU