MIKE McCREADY ON TEN
Pearl Jam are not exactly a band prone to nostalgia. That said, when lead guitarist Mike McCready is asked about the origins of the band’s debut album, Ten – which, given the speed at which they moved in the early days also dovetails with the origin of Pearl Jam itself – acknowledges that he looks back at that time and marvels at how it all went down.
“I go: ‘How did that all happen? And why did it happen?’” he tells us. “And I still don’t have answers for that, other than, you know, fate or time or luck or talent.”
It’s likely to be a combination of all those things. But however Ten came together, the fact remains that the album, released August 27, 1991 was not only an unequivocal smash but is also one of the defining pillars of 90s rock, with a reach and influence that has loomed large for decades.
Given that Eddie Vedder came into the band a bit later, it was you, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard who more or. And while the songs on it are certainly rooted in a classic rock sensibility, you each brought your own individual style and taste to the mix. Where did the band members differ and where did you intersect?
