Five absolutely outstanding 1990s albums people love to hate

Pearl Jam - Ten

Ten was the debut album from Pearl Jam and released in 1991. It has plenty of credentials as an outstanding album. Close to 16 million sales worldwide is a pretty big claim. Not to mention three hit singles in “Alive”, “Even Flow” and the multiple Grammy Award-nominated “Jeremy”. That latter song is a favourite with Pearl Jam fans and collected four MTV video awards in 1993. The album gets a regular mention in lists of greatest albums of the 1990s or for all-time.

In addition to being the band's best-selling album, it's also noted for its style and legacy. It’s heavily grunge-based but laced with classic rock-tinged. Despite that added rock extra Ten is regarded as a forerunner of grunge and alternative rock. A real influencer for bands and music that followed in its wake. 

Despite all that above in its CV Ten still has its critics. There are people who choose to include the band and this album in their overrated music lists. Some give that vote to the band overall, others point to this album in particular. 

Their criticisms include Ten being overproduced or full of very similar-sounding songs with little or no variation from track to track. Others rate the album as lop-sided based on the two separate sides of vinyl. Side one is often much more highly regarded than side two. Then there are those who attribute their negative album views on reckoning Pearl Jam’s importance to grunge and alt-rock are overstated. 

Looking objectively at this the critics just seem to be people who dislike grunge and the band's sound. Those aren't good enough reasons to hate the brilliance of Ten as an album. It’s undoubtedly a classic.