Review of Ten by Pearl Jam. *****

One of the 10 Best of the 90s in Pop Rock

I love this album now every bit as much as I did when it came out in 8^th grade.  I love every song on it.  And, I won’t let it bother me that Pearl Jam got as popular as they did.  The songs on this album identified with the pauper, and not so much the rich man.  Before Ten was released it was unknown how good it would sell, so it’s not as Eddie is singing down to the poor folk.  When the album was written, in all probability Pearl Jam would end up that way.  In music, popularity is very comparable to a roll of the dice.  The odds are not in your favor.  So, Eddie became an advocate for the success of the underdog in life, and his band turned out to be a success.  I can’t think of many instances where that has happened.  Most of time pop music is about and for rich kids that get everything handed to them.  Sure, there are tons of songs out there about drugs and junk, but this album is not about that, it is more about trying to promote justice on earth.  I don’t believe Pearl Jam was ever able to rock as hard after this album.  The secret of this album is that not only is it instantly recognizable, but the lyrics, and song delivery come across as if Pearl Jam is out to play more than a song.  They have a message.  It is a priestly message, and they took a huge risk that people wouldn’t want to hear about, poor folk, abused folk, people with personality disorders etc., in an empathetic way.  As far as rock that charted, I would definitely put Ten in my top 10 albums of the 1990s.