In 1991, two releases changed the course of music: Nirvana 's Nevermind and Pearl Jam 's Ten . Together, the Seattle-based groups transcended the hard rock and hair metal of the 1980s and introduced grunge to the mainstream.
One of the bands had a short lifespan, despite revolutionizing music, fashion, and even social behavior. The other created an empire spanning over 30 years – and counting. Ten , released on August 27, 1991, marks the beginning of that story.
Pearl Jam, the group responsible for the hits "Even Flow" and "Jeremy," formed in the early 1990s when guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament joined forces in Mother Love Bone in 1988. While preparing the release of the group's debut album, Apple (1990), vocalist Andrew Wood died of a heroin overdose in March of that year. With the band's end, his colleagues sought musicians to embark on a new journey with them – and what a journey it was!
Then, they met Mike McCready , who was also grieving the breakup of his band, Shadow . Together, they formed Mookie Blaylock and recorded a demo hoping to find a vocalist and a drummer to complete the lineup. Meanwhile, frontman Chris Cornell , former roommate of the late Wood, invited the ex-Mother Love Bones to record some tracks he had written in tribute to his friend. Alongside Matt Cameron , drummer of Soundgarden , they created Temple of the Dog .
A few months later, in September, an artist, surfer, and musician from San Diego, California, known today as Eddie Vedder , heard the demo that Mookie Blaylock had recorded and became interested in the sound. The singer recorded his vocals over the demo and sent it back to Ament, Gossard, and McCready, who soon invited him to visit them in Seattle. When he arrived, Vedder saw Cornell and the rest of Temple of the Dog recording at London Bridge Studios and soon joined in to complete “Hunger Strike” with his vocals. When the sessions with Temple of the Dog ended, the new lineup of Mookie Blaylock entered that same studio with the same producer, Rick Parashar, and began working on what would become Ten .
Full of textures, powerful stadium-filling riffs, choruses that would be sung by millions around the world years later, and powerful lyrics about depression, suicide, loneliness, mental health, homelessness, and murder. The album produced major hits such as "Alive," which tells the story of a boy who discovers that his father is actually his stepfather – inspired by Vedder's life – "Even Flow," a track about a homeless man, and "Jeremy," a hit about a boy who commits suicide in front of his schoolmates.
However, Ten is much bigger than its hits. “Black”, “Release” and “Oceans” are examples of emotional stories combined with impeccable melodies, just a sample of what Pearl Jam would present to the world. A chart success from the moment of its release, Ten was one of the most important albums for the consecration of grunge and alternative rock in the mainstream, inspiring other great bands and albums to come.
With eleven studio albums, seven live albums, one EP, and dozens of singles later, Pearl Jam continues to impress fans with innovative and groundbreaking songs.
