The term timeless, when it pertains to albums, always seems like such a hyperbolic thing to say; as if when the album in questioned was released, it broke every barrier imaginable at that specific time and was so far ahead of its contemporaries, that it would still hold its ground 15 years or so down the road. This seems like an impossible description for a recorded piece of music because the "timeless" album can't change, can't adapt to the evolving times, as music gets more and more complex and varying. And
Ten shouldn't be timeless; it's by all means not groundbreaking, not anything that is so original and unheard of that it stays fresh and new forever. I mean it was incredible when it was released; a refreshing grunge album that really didn't sound like grunge at all that produced hit after hit with the moving ballad "Black" and recollection of a young boy's serious trouble in the grandiose "Jeremy"; it was far too clear and uplifting which opposed grunge's normal depressed, murky characteristics. Where albums like Nirvana's
In Utero were messy and destructive,
Ten was beautiful and soaring.
And somehow, even if it doesn't show itself to be an innovative, influencing signature point in music history,
Ten to this day is still as rewarding as ever. The biggest reason for this is Eddie Vedder's now nigh-legendary voice that carries the album through track after track of genius rock songwriting and dynamic music that walks the line between grunge and beauty.
Ten is a complete experience; most listeners will pick out the singles and leave it at that but you're only doing yourself a disfavor as the rest of the album is just as brilliant, if not stronger than the tracks that helped define the 90's on radio stations everywhere. And that's mostly why
Ten is eternally amazing; it's one of those albums where you remember where you were the first time you heard "Alive" on your father's pickup truck's beaten down radio, in all of its power and life, in between news breaks about another Yankees World Series and Bill Clinton's spiral into controversy. Eddie Vedder seemed to have a voice that could raise the earth, not only because it took a front seat to the music, but because Vedder knew how to strike an emotional chord with seemingly everlasting shouts and hit notes that sent waves of shivers down you spine. It's a truly powerful display of range and passion, as Vedder explained the multitude of life's trials and tribulations through an array of hard-hitting tunes; the tight, haunting density of "Oceans", the spastic and incredibly fun finale of "Porch", the climactic chorus of "Garden". Unfortunately, there were times where
Ten seemed to rock out to the point of pointlessness, like on "Deep" where Pearl Jam seemed determined to just fit another loud tune on the album for no rhyme or reason. It's there that
Ten slightly falters from being a classic; the small portion of the middle of the album doesn't differentiate enough or take the foot off the pedal to allow breath.
Thankfully,
Ten seemingly comes to a sudden halt on its epic closing track "Release", where the quiet, brooding dynamic and Vedder's ultimate "release" of
"I'll ride the wave / where it takes me / I'll hold the pain / release me" not only fits perfectly with the song's title and ending of the album, it's arguably a high point of any closing track recorded in the last 20 years. It brings
Ten around full circle making it a complete journey, and one that astonishingly stands the test of time.
