Pearl Jam Ten Reissue's For Completists

Brendan O'Brien's visionary remix of Ten breathes new life into Pearl Jam's classic debut, and reinvents it for the 21st century...

Just kidding, it basically sounds the same.

Kurt Cobain once called Pearl Jam "sellouts" because he thought they were jumping on the grunge bandwagon just to make money. If Cobain were still alive, would he repeat that accusation because of this reissue? The band have supposedly been advocating a remix since 2001, but the new version sounds so similar to the original that the phrase "cash grab" can't help but spring to mind.

Musicians have a way of making strange decisions as they get older, start families and take on mortgages. (Remember Rock Star: INXS?) But crassly financial moves seem so out of character for Pearl Jam, so you have to take them at their word that they just didn't like the original mix of their debut.

O'Brien — who produced four other PJ records — made only minor tweaks to the original mix; a little less reverb here, soften a guitar solo there, play with the levels everywhere. While the changes are subtle, the result sounds clearer and is definitely superior to the original. Anybody who still has Ten and doesn't feel like they need another copy should ignore this remix. But anybody who's still a Pearl Jam fan won't be able to resist it.

Eddie Vedder and the gang long ago walked down the road to cult status. After Ten's amazing popularity, the band basically turned their back on their own fame by refusing to make music videos and feuding with Ticketmaster. It took effort to be a Pearl Jam fan from 1993's Vs. onward.

After more than a decade of that, there are no casual fans left. While devotees will eagerly snap up the "new" Ten in one of its various collectable formats, the rest of the world will only squint in confusion, assuming they notice at all.

Cobain also raged that Ten wasn't really an alternative album because it had too many guitar solos. It's hard to argue with him there. Although Pearl Jam became the most famous grunge band in the world — with Ten outselling Nevermind by early 1993 — their debut wasn't as simplistically heavy as standard Seattle rock, nor was it faithful to the famous loud/quiet/loud formula.

While "not grunge" might have been the worst kind of mud you could sling in the early 90s, it's now a compliment and the saving grace for Ten's continued value as a remixed reissue. Who's laughing now, Kurt?

The fact is, you don't exactly need a remix for Ten, but neither is it unwelcome. It holds up surprisingly well to the test of time, especially when compared to most other early '90s alt.rock. Thanks to my local hard rock radio station, the big hits like "Even Flow," "Alive," and, of course, "Jeremy" still feel overplayed, 18 years after the album's original release.

Those tunes still have nostalgia value, but the best thing about this reissue is the opportunity it provides to rediscover lost classics. That sudden blare of guitar at the beginning of "Once" is still an exciting way to kick off the album. Remember "Oceans," the brief cool-down song that came after "Jeremy?" The jangling guitar, rolling drums and Vedder falsetto are completely different from what most people think of when they nostalgically recollect this album. The grinding guitar solo in "Deep" still makes me clench my fist and nod my head.

In addition to the remixed album, the Ten reissue also includes six bonus tracks, which are other recordings from the Ten era. These early versions of "Brother," "Just A Girl," "State Of Love And Trust," "Breath And A Scream," "2,000 Mile Blues" and "Evil Little Goat" are interesting to hear once, but generally sound like what they are: incomplete demos.

Ultimately, the remix isn't different enough, nor are the bonus tracks good enough for the new Ten to be a must-have. Nonetheless, it's hardly a waste of money for members of the Ten Club and anybody who bought, but didn't hate, Riot Act.

Furthermore, on the off chance anybody out there discovered Pearl Jam late enough that they haven't heard Ten, now is your chance. Don't pass it up, because the classic debut is still an outstanding hard rock album worthy of the band whose career it launched.