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Jun 18, 2009 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

Pearl Jam’s debut, 1991’s Ten, stands today as one of the quintessential albums to define a generation and an era of music. Along with Nirvana’s Nevermind, it is one of the cornerstones of grunge and still packs as much pent-up energy and frustrated force as it did when it was first released. While the band has continued to thrive artistically, many view Ten as its unquestioned masterwork, the album which cemented its legacy and that to which everything they have done and will continue to do will, however unfairly, continues to be compared. Two years from the band’s twentieth anniversary, Sony Legacy has reissued Ten in a variety of packages for every type and degree of fan. The Legacy Edition consists of the remastered original album mix, along with an additional album remix by Brendan O’Brien, and six bonus tracks. The Deluxe Edition also includes a DVD of the band’s legendary MTV Unplugged performance, and a Super Deluxe Edition adds various extras such as LPs of the album and its remix, a live double-LP recorded in 1992, a replica of the band’s early demo cassette, and an “Eddie Vedder-style compositional notebook.”

The album itself is as immediately engaging as one remembers it, taking the listener back almost two decades at the simple strike of a guitar chord. Brendan O’Brien’s mix tweaks what you’re familiar with, amping up the guitars and making little details more apparent. It is an interesting companion to the original mix, but the point seems more collegiate than it is anything that would demand repeat listens. After you hear it once, it won’t really matter which version of Ten you pop into the CD player, the one you’re used to or the cleaner, more direct version—you could even make the argument that one would prefer the album exactly as he or she remembers it, unaltered. The real treat here, for those who aren’t able to shell out for the Super Deluxe package, is the DVD. One of the defining moments in the band’s early history, the MTV Unplugged performance is as raw and enthralling now as it was then (although seeing the band members 20 years younger is a bit of a shock). For those, like this reviewer, who had to borrow a home-taped VHS of the show in high school to watch and re-watch, the privilege of finally having it on DVD is a true blessing. (www.pearljam.com)

Author rating: 8/10