After a few weeks of buzz building up to their release, expanded editions of Pearl Jam‘s debut album, Ten, arrived in stores on Tuesday.
Ten was originally released on August 27, 1991, though a month or two would pass before I purchased it. Headed home on break from college, I made a detour specifically to pick up the CD, which I then played non-stop (surely to the frustration of any family members and friends within earshot). But from first listen, Ten was an instant classic, one best listened to loudly.
Nearly 18 years later, there are now four different versions of Ten to choose from (ten would have made a better thematic tie, though total overkill). Each is designed to appeal to a specific set of Pearl Jam devotees, so whether you’re a casual fan or completist, there’s a perfect Ten for you.
The Legacy Version includes a remastered version of the original album, plus a newly remixed take from Brendan O’Brien, the band’s longtime producer who didn’t come aboard until Pearl Jam’s sophomore album. This set features six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just A Girl,”, “State Of Love and Trust,” “Breath And A Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat.” The Vinyl Version includes both takes on Ten, but skips the sextet of additional tunes.
The Deluxe Version adds a DVD with Pearl Jam’s appearance on MTV Unplugged. Never before available (well, officially anyway), this September 1992 performance is presented here in a polished 5.1 surround sound mix, with the addition of “Oceans,” which didn’t make the cut of the original broadcast.
Finally, there’s the Collector’s Edition, which for musicheads like me is something approaching nirvana (Seattle-inspired pun intended). This super-duper box set really goes all out, boys and girls, as you can see from the photo at right.
Not only are the remastered and remixed versions of Ten included (with those six bonus tunes), you get ’em on both CD and vinyl. Two more wax slabs capture the band’s 1992 “Drop In The Park” concert, recorded in Seattle’s Magnuson Park and newly remixed by O’Brien. But the real geek showpiece here is a replica cassette of the original Pearl Jam demos. Eddie Vedder had put vocals to three instrumental tracks from his future bandmates (“Alive,” “Once,” and “Footsteps”), prior to them ever meeting.
But wait, there’s more. The box set boasts a ton of Ten-era ephemera, various reproductions of items from band members’ personal collections. So how much is this whiz-bang peek into the past? The Collector’s Edition lists for $199, but you can find it for around $124.99 this week.
Thinking back again to my college days, I was pretty amped to see Pearl Jam at Lollapalooza in the summer of 1992. It seems wrong now, but as a new band they had an early slot in the lineup, playing not long after the gates opened (Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ministry were the big headliners in 1992). Having committed Ten to memory, I knew most of the words and recall pleading with others to pay attention to their set.
My nostalgia for those early days of discovery is why I ponied up for the Collector’s Edition of Ten. While I anxiously wait for the box set to arrive (I ordered it online), I’m gonna give the original release a spin so I can better enjoy the sonic revelations (or subtleties) the reissue promises to deliver. Most of all, I’m looking forward to hearing the album on vinyl for the first time.
To put this moment in music history in better context, be sure to catch Pearl Jam Ten Revisited, a look back at the now-classic album, currently airing on VH1 Classic.
Purchase the expanded editions of Pearl Jam’s Ten via iTunes or Amazon.