Back to ten

Twenty years since Pearl Jam released their most famous – and by far,most musically significant – album,the band has released the work that shot it to instant fame and redefined the concept of ‘alternative rock’. The Ten Legacy Edition is every fan’s dream come true. The cardboard sleeves play host to not one,but two CDs – the first one has digitally re-mastered versions of the original hits from Ten,like Once,Black and Jeremy. The second CD,titled Redux,has all the original tracks remixed by Brendan O’Brien,plus six previously unreleased tracks. Talk about a bonanza.

The newly re-mastered tracks sound fantastic – if such a thing were indeed possible with what was already a near-perfect album to begin with. There is a much rawer quality to the music,although it doesn’t sound very different from the original. The sound is just a bit bigger and Eddie Vedder seems to have a new edge to his voice. Listen to him sing Alive on this new one and you’ll be able to spot the difference. The Redux CD throws up quite a few surprises. For starters,the remixes sound so close to the original tracks that they’re almost not remixes. That is a good thing since it is always fatal to tamper with classics. All O’Brien has done is bringing the sound up-to-date. He’s toned down the very ‘90s sound that the album had – the reverb is barely noticeable and the bass is stronger. The producer,who’s been involved with the band since Ten,has indeed done a masterly job.

The new tracks – Brother,Just a Girl,State of Love and Trust,Breath and a Scream,2000 Miles Blues and Evil Little Goat – are more reminiscent of early Pearl Jam. They have a bluesy edge to them,with a little less of the rawness that made the world sit up and take notice of the band. Just a Girl and Brother are especially enjoyable,with a strong sound. In fact the only disappointment in the extras is Evil Little Goat – a short track,with a very Elvis Presley-vibe,which sounds like an experiment gone wrong.