This album has the unique distinction of having been in my collection as both a cassette and compact disc. When the grunge era hit in the early 1990s, a lot of teens were flocking to the smelly spirit of Nirvana, but I liked me the gruff vocals of Mr. Edward Louis Severson III, better known as Eddie Vedder. Little did I know that the rest of the world loved those vocals, too, which spawned at least a decade of copycats and posers (Scott Stapp, I’m looking at you).

I listened to the cassette on repeat as I rode the bus to and from school. I loved the guitar solos, especially on Alive. I loved the raw emotional climax of Black, and the harsh reality of Jeremy. Beyond the radio singles, there are some great deep cuts like Garden.

It’s just an all around solid album that stands the test of time. A lot of albums of the grunge era came with the thunder, but faded like a polaroid in a dusty closet. This is not one of them. The depth of the songwriting manages to sustain many of the thematic elements. I would argue that a song like Jeremy is every bit as important today as it was 30 years ago.

While I don’t find myself listening to Ten a lot anymore, I do like that it is still enjoyable after all these years.

Listen here: Pearl Jam – Ten