In late summer of 1991, within a month of each other, two albums were released that arguably changed music for the rest of the decade. In August, Pearl Jam released Ten, and in September, Nirvana released Nevermind. However, the release of the albums also seperated fans into two distinct groups. Those who loved Nirvane and shunned Pearl Jam, and those who loved Pearl Jam, and shunned Nirvana. Even now, people I talk to are the same way, 17 years later. Amazing. So, based on those two albums, who really wins the war between Nirvana and Pearl Jam?
It seems to me that if you were a fan of heavy metal in the 80’s, you probably were a Pearl Jam fan. If, however, you were a fan of punk, post punk and 80’s underground, you most likely were a Nirvana fan. Which is kind of amazing to me, since a lot of the roots of Nirvana’s music trace directly back to Black Sabbath. Go figure.
So, listening to the lead off singles of the albums, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Even Flow, you can see why there was so much excitement. Both songs hold up to the years very well. Unfortunately, Smells Like teen Spirit might also be the most over played song in the past 20 years, so I don’t think it holds up as well. Plus, over the years, as I’ve listened to Even Flow more and more, I gotta admit, it’s a great song that kicks some major ass. Vedder’s at the top of his game in this song, that for damn sure. I love the intensity and rawness of Cobain, but damn, Eddie has some pipes!
Move down the album, and you get In Bloom and Jeremy. Again, both songs hold up very well over the years. But believe it or not, I always preferred Jeremy. Maybe because the video for it was just so…twisted. In Bloom is a good song, but Jeremy is a great song. Even all these years later, Jeremy I still consider Jeremy a better tune.
Black and Polly are pretty equal in my mind. Polly is great because it’s not everyone who can take a story of a brutal rape and turn it into a song this good. Black is great, just because of the pain and emotion that they wrap up in such a simple, beautiful song. Both songs stand the test of time, and both songs are great, but all these years later, Black is still one of my favorite tunes of all time.
The other songs on the list are pretty much equal, though Nirvana in my mind has the advantage, mainly because I’ve listened to Nevermind about a thousand times over, while I’ve managed to make it through Ten maybe a tenth of that.
So, obviously, I’m a Nirvana fan…always have been, and always will be. The raw pain in Cobain’s voice spoke volumes to me at a pretty shitty point in my life. I own everything they’ve put out, even the stuff that is just remixed, rehashed stuff off their three main albums. As for Pearl Jam, I can’t say I own much of their stuff. In the 90’s, Pearl Jam was NOT something I would waste my money on. 
Of course, I was an idiot then.
So, who wins? Who was the better band? Which was the better album? It’s hard to admit, but I think that while the impact of Nevermind has faded a bit, Ten still sounds fresh and vital. Nevermind was and is a great punk record, and will always be my favorite, Ten has moved up, and like a great bottle of wine, has gotten better over time, and is as fine as any album that was released then.
So, who is the winner? Hell, that’s an easy one. We are. The fans whose lives were impacted by those great albums. Ultimately, the mark of a great band, and a great album, is if they deliver equal or greater value to the fan than the price of the CD. Obviously, Nirvana and Pearl Jam delivered. So, who is/was your favorite of the two?
6 responses so far ↓
1 MissParker0106 // Jun 9, 2008 at 6:26 am
I never looked at it as a competition at the time. I was too busy trying to keep my life together. But, both groups brought something to the table that was important to me - they spoke to me in different ways and the angst they both expressed was priceless - still is.
My personal favorite is “Alive” - I have been known to wail along (my singing abilities are, well, just not up to par) like a cranked-up banshee whenver that song comes on….”I-I-I-I-I’m still *alive*!” There’s so much meaning in those three words.
Thanks for a great, as always, selection.
MissParker0106’s last blog post..80’s Music Rules ~ Even More from Canada - Chalk Circle
2 Infonistacrat // Jun 9, 2008 at 7:26 am
@MissParker0106:
Singing like a cranked up banshee…that pretty much describes my mournful wailing I call singing.
Of both albums, Black is probably my favorite. Sometimes, I get stuck in periods of emotional self flagellation, and there’s no better song to kick myself to for what might have been.
3 MissParker0106 // Jun 9, 2008 at 7:33 am
“Self-flagellation” - that goes very nicely with the description I used the other day to a friend about being in “emotional purgatory.” Why do we do this to ourselves? More importantly, how could we possibly live without the music as an outlet?
Rhetorical questions…there are no answers, only speculations. That’s what you get for putting up emotionally charged music, DJ Info. Be well and have a great day. Me, well, “I-I-I-I-I’m still alive!”
MissParker0106’s last blog post..80’s Music Rules ~ Even More from Canada - Chalk Circle
4 macnas // Jun 10, 2008 at 6:19 pm
A mate of mine played me some music many years ago, at the start of the grunge wave, for want of a better word. It was nirvana, some early thing, but I was too busy laughing along with old bands like Big Black to take much notice of it.
Which is a pity, as some of the music is special in the good sense of the word.
Nirvana were the most visible band on this side of the world, Pearl Jam never inspired the same fervour.
5 Robert Lindsey // Jul 30, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I always thought Ten was the best album of the “grunge grudge.” (have I coined a term?) I could only stand a couple songs on Nevermind, I hated most of that album. Taking the long picture, Ten is better than Nevermind, but as an entire body of work, Nirvana is better than Pearl Jam. Though as an entire body of work I prefer Alice in Chains.
Robert Lindsey’s last blog post..The Music Blog of the Infonistacrat!
6 John // Oct 23, 2008 at 5:00 pm
This is a great debate, if you limit the debate to their first two albums (respectively). Obviously, Pearl Jam put out several more teriffic albums. Vitalogy, released after Cobain’s death, is PJ at its zenith. Raw, hard, and cathartic rock music at its finest.
Of each band’s first two albums, Nirvana gets a slight edge. Every song on In Utero sounds completely different, yet is great. The drums are strong, and Cobain really honed his singing skills on In Utero. His songwriting ability is at its best on the album.
Overall, PJ is the better band due to the longevity factor.
Also, whoever wrote this needs to work on his/her writing. You begin four different paragraphs with the word “So.” Yikes!
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