Still Alive: Pearl Jam's "Ten"

One of my earliest memories in life is riding around with my dad jamming to Pearl Jam. My dad loves Pearl Jam...there was no chance I was escaping it. I grew up with all kinds of great music from all genres, but there was no question who reigned the household. "Ten" is one of the very first albums I remember.. That red cover with bold white letters and a group of guys who looked way cooler than my dad ever did. You can't match that cool. "Ten" has stuck with me all through my life, whether it was jamming to "Even Flow" in the car as a kid or crying to "Black" in my car after another long week of college, it's always been there.

The album starts out spacey and ominous in the first half of "Once," something reminiscent of "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. That vibe quickly changes with overdriven guitars and fat drum beats. Then of course, the iconic, gritty vocals of Eddie Vedder cut through. The energy in the opening section of the album is full blast until you get to "Alive," where you get a nice mellow, reflective Eddie paired with a powerful chorus.

The range within Pearl Jam songs really gets me every time. They can slow it down, they can speed it up, they can scream in the verse and make you cry in the bridge. They are so diverse, even on their first record. For me, "Black" is a highlight of the record, and one of my favorite songs of all time. The way Eddie uses his senses and perspective to navigate through the song is like he's taking you on a journey through his mind at the time. You're in his world and the pain in his words resonate deeply. It's something I've worked hard to do myself.

A couple of tracks later, the acoustic track "Oceans" keeps things chill. Eddie is once again displaying that beautiful vocal range here and Dave Krusen trades his kit for a timpani to add an incredible quality to the track and really open up the sound. Things pick up again with "Porch" and from there, you get classic Pearl Jam with things like the solo on "Garden," the tension in "Deep" and the beautiful closing track "Release."

Listening to "Ten" has been a journey for me. It started off like every other kid just liking what their parents do, it was fun and high energy and my dad was really good at singing it. Then middle school hit, and so did puberty, bullies, and a growing self-awareness. Middle school was not a great time for me. My parents were split, I moved to a small town full of country kids, but I wore skinny jeans and band t shirts everyday, so it wasn't exactly easy to find friends. That's when I first came back to "Ten." Honestly, it felt like the first time I truly heard the album. I remember hearing "Jeremy" around this time, and thinking how badass it was. I wasn't scared anymore. You wanna bully me? I'll hit you with a left just like Jeremy. "Ten" shaped me into a man in some ways. It made me feel like my dad, and I felt empowered belting the lyrics, stealing his t shirts and knowing this badass band. I was fully invested.

I was 12 years old when I saw my first concert. Pearl Jam was playing in St. Louis and my dad got tickets from someone at work. Boy was I in for a big surprise. We got to our seats and shortly after, the show started. Massive lightbulbs dropped from the ceiling and Eddie started swinging them around. Mike and Stone were playing chicken with them while staying perfectly in time and shredding each note. Eddie was running across the stage, yeling like a madman, dripping sweat. I was witnessing true rock and roll in person, for the first time. I never recovered from that night, it was the catalyst for my future.

I left that night with one thing on my mind: 'How do I do this every night of my life?'

Fast forward to recent life, and now when I listen to "Ten" it's like visiting an old friend. There's something significant about it that I can't quite explain. It helped me develop out of some very formative years, but it was also the soundtrack to many great memories with my dad. It's like the friend who was always there, and they knew how to get down and have fun but still kept things serious where it was needed. It was my blueprint to being cool, my anti bully anthem, my strength to stand up for myself.

"Ten" is much more than just an album to me. It's a piece of my history and who I am. It's a gift from my dad, that I now get to pass down to my son. It's undeniably one of the greatest albums ever. From a kid bouncing off the walls to "Why Go," to the angry 12 year old blasting "Jeremy," all the way until now, the 23 year old dad crying in his car to "Black."... "Ten" has always had a place in my life.

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A conversation with Dave Krusen Of Pearl Jam: The Drummer Behind "Ten"

Dave in his Pearl Jam days

 EH: When you first heard the demos that would become Ten, what was your first impression of the songs?

DK: “I was a huge Mother Love Bone fan so when I heard Stones demos, I loved those songs right off the bat.”

EH: You recorded Ten really quickly. Was there one song that came together fast and another that took a little longer to nail down?

DK: “We got the drums done in about two weeks. Most of the songs we had played live so they went pretty quickly. Even flow took a while mostly because we tried it with a click track but the verse and chorus have different tempos, so we eventually went back to no click track”

EH: Even Flow has such a strong groove, but the vibe still feels laid back. What was going through your mind when you were tracking it?

DK: “Stones guitar riff really sets the feel for Even Flow, so me and Jeff were able to just get in his pocket and groove.”

EH: Oceans has such a unique feel with the timpani parts. Do you remember how that idea came about in the studio?

DK: “Oceans had a drum part and then I added the timpani. I remember making a comment when we were just listening to the timpani part that it sounded better with just the timpani and no Drums. The more we listened to it the more that seemed fitting, especially since we had Black, which was such a strong slower song.”

EH: Ten is such an emotional record. Were you focused more on the playing itself or were you just letting your emotions guide you during those sessions?

DK: “We were all going through so much personally that I think when we were tracking that record it just all poured out.”

EH: Once and Alive sound like they were recorded live. Did you guys rehearse a lot before recording or did it just naturally click when you hit record?

DK: “Both Once and Alive are tracked live. Everything we did was, there were some overdubs done on about half the songs. Alive is completely live. It is off our demo that we did about two months before we went to record the album. We tried to beat that recording, but we all agreed it had such a great energy we put that on the record.”

EH: What is one moment you remember from the London Bridge sessions that really sums up the vibe of being there at that time?

DK: “I would say one song that really sums up the vibe from when we were at London Bridge would be Yellow Ledbetter. Mike just started playing the guitar and we all jumped in. We had never heard that riff. We just all played spontaneously and the feel the band had at the time was so much flying off of one another and really shaping and fine-tuning the sound.”

EH: In 2022 you got to play shows with Pearl Jam again. Did it feel natural stepping back behind the kit or was it a little surreal after so many years? Did you have to rehearse much prior or did it all naturally come flooding back?

DK: “Playing with the band in 2022 was amazing. Felt like I never left. We didn’t rehearse. I just jumped up with them and it fell into place. Super special moment for me and I think we all enjoyed it a lot.”

EH: Looking back is there a drum part on Ten that you’re proudest of because of what it adds to the song?

DK: “It's hard to narrow it down to one song, but I would have to say Alive. It's 100% emotional response to what I was hearing.”

EH: If you only had one album you could listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be?

“Miles Davis Kind of Blue.”

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Thank you so much Dave!

I'm so excited for how this turned out, even if I rambled a bit lol

Covering "Ten" is truly an honor and a full circle moment!

Keep an eye out for next weeks post

See ya then! -Ethan