Ten - Pearl Jam

While both albums were massive commercial successes, Nirvana's 'Nevermind' actually sold more copies and achieved diamond certification faster. However, 'Ten' was an absolute juggernaut on the Billboard 200 chart, spending weeks at the number two position. Both records played a massive role in pushing grunge music into the mainstream global consciousness.

Eddie Vedder's lyrics on 'Ten' heavily explore dark themes such as depression, homelessness, gun violence, and social alienation. Songs like 'Jeremy' deal directly with tragic school violence based on real news events. This focus on socially conscious and deeply personal subject matter helped set Pearl Jam apart from the lighter rock of the 1980s.

The music video for 'Jeremy' was controversial because it depicted a troubled young boy committing suicide in front of his classmates, an event inspired by a real 1991 news story. The explicit imagery, directed by Mark Pellington, led to heavy censorship and editing by MTV. The video still went on to win multiple MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year.

The drums on 'Ten' were performed by Dave Krusen, who was the band's drummer during the initial recording sessions at Ridge Farm Studios. Krusen left the band shortly after the album was recorded to check into a rehabilitation facility. The band's longest-running drummer, Matt Cameron of Soundgarden, did not join Pearl Jam until the late 1990s.