So Who Bought The New Remastered/Remixed Pearl Jam Ten CD Today?

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Today, I grabbed the 2CD/DVD version of Pearl Jam's classic album, Ten. I've listened to it most of today.

The remastering is wonderful. Everything is crystal clear. The drums especially. But a lot of the background instruments pop now, too. Eddie's voice rings out with incredible clarity.

The remixed version of Ten is vibrant. The songs have an ass-kicking punch to them.

This new edition of Ten is like hearing the album for the first time. And I was excited to hear it the first time back in '91.

PJ released, I think, three versions of Ten today:

1. 2CD (remastered plus remixed). Cost: About $12 at Best Buy.
2. 2CD/DVD (remastered plus remixed plus DVD of unplugged MTV appearance). Cost: About $28 at Best Buy.
3. A monster package containing vinyl, CDs, a DVD, a cassette tape and all sorts of memorabilia. Cost: $125 or so at Best Buy.

Did anyone else buy one of the versions? If so, what do you think?

 

[Harvester]

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mitchgx]

I picked up the version with the DVD....this is one of the great all-time unplugged performances and I can't wait to get home and throw it on the player. I haven't seen this thing in years. I think I'll probably cry during "Black".

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was a given.

Have you had a chance to bask in its glory yet?

And which version did you spring for? Let me guess -- the massive fan-boy package for just slightly north of a C-note, right?

 

[nailz]

I will definitely be picking this up with my birthday money!

 

[Infinite Void]

I bought the Super Deluxe version. There's nothing earth shattering in it, or anything like that, but it makes fanboys happy in the pants.

Some of the bonus content includes a remake of a composition notebook with notes, photos, tour passes, etc from the PJ collection during the 1990-92 tours. Cool to see early photos of the band, concert posters with Mookie Blaylock as a supporting artist.

There's also a DVD of PJ Unplugged that had not previously been commercially released / available, which I haven't gotten to watch yet.

Four vinyl LPs including the remaster, remix, and a recording of the Drop in the Park show the band did in Seattle.

There's a working reproduction of the audition cassette Eddie sent the guys. It says on it "For Stone + Jeff" and it's from "A friend in California."

Lastly there's a large, sealed, 12x12 envelope that is said to contain lithograph photo prints with hand-written liner notes, a poster, and proof sheet of photos by Jeff Ament during the recording of Ten, and more. I have not broken the seal on that envelope yet.

And yes, being the fanboy I am, I secretly wished that when I first opened the large package it would glow like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

 

[KaptainKrude]

Hoping to snag a copy of the 2CD/DVD version tomorrow...

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Heh. I remember when PJ was marketed as a "metal" band. Then the movie Singles came out and Alternative was born. Anyway, good album to listen to on the bus to University but didn't have the staying power of a 70's Priest opus. Might pick up the album for nostalgia.

 

[Pellaz]

I had no idea this was coming out...I'll be looking for one of the versions (but probably not the uber fan-boy one ).

 

[miel]

I secretly wished that when I first opened the large package it would glow like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

Very much looking forward to hearing this... Of all of their albums, Ten is def my fav.

~ Jen

 

[Cheiron]

Hmm. I imagine that it will sound terrible? Why remaster that album? Is there something wrong with it? I'll probably end up listening to it, as its on Rhapsody, but I don't really expect much.

I also think this is Pearl Jam's most overrated album, and only because I love Vs. so much more.

 

[AMBR]

Hmm. I imagine that it will sound terrible? Why remaster that album? Is there something wrong with it? I'll probably end up listening to it, as its on Rhapsody, but I don't really expect much.

I also think this is Pearl Jam's most overrated album, and only because I love Vs. so much more.

Mostly agree. I prefer Vs but will probably give this a listen to see if it's worth the price for another version. Keep the reviews coming.

 

[AngraRULES]

I also think this is Pearl Jam's most overrated album, and only because I love Vs. so much more.

I actually happen to think Pearl Jam is one of the most overrated bands in history, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Harvester]

Hmm. I imagine that it will sound terrible? Why remaster that album? Is there something wrong with it? I'll probably end up listening to it, as its on Rhapsody, but I don't really expect much.

I also think this is Pearl Jam's most overrated album, and only because I love Vs. so much more.

All you have to do is compare the three remixes on the greatest hits that was already released to the original version as they are from the same O'Brien sessions. There is a MONSTER difference as everything is just jumps out of the spearkers at you. It's awesome.


And I love Vs as well...but one day you will realize that crack is truly bad for you. :Smug:

 

[Infinite Void]

Just watched the MTV Unplugged DVD, and I must say, it's great. It's a quick, 7 song set, but it's awesome. I was a big fan of the Unplugged series, especially Nirvana and Alice in Chains. But this one was like the regular songs being sung, but with acoustic instruments. Eddie sang each and every song with as much intensity as he does at every single show - it's quite cool.

Set list:
Oceans (which Eddie calls "a love song for his surfboard")
State of Love and Trust
Alive
Black (awesome, balls-out version)
Jeremy
Even Flow
Porch

Any PJ fan will love this show

 

[Rev. Clayton]

I'll be playing it on rock band shortly...

 

[DrkLrdViper666]

Just watched the MTV Unplugged DVD, and I must say, it's great. It's a quick, 7 song set, but it's awesome. I was a big fan of the Unplugged series, especially Nirvana and Alice in Chains. But this one was like the regular songs being sung, but with acoustic instruments. Eddie sang each and every song with as much intensity as he does at every single show - it's quite cool.

Set list:
Oceans (which Eddie calls "a love song for his surfboard")
State of Love and Trust
Alive
Black (awesome, balls-out version)
Jeremy
Even Flow
Porch

Any PJ fan will love this show

Most definitely LOVE PJ & Ten! I absolutely still LOVE Black! It's probably one of my all time fave songs next to "Evenflow" & "Alive"!!! Incidentally, before I got w/ my band, I'd go up to the Karaoke bar & sing "Black" just about every night I was there!!! But yeah definitely wanna get this myself! I always LOVED The AIC, Nirvana & PJ's unplugged shows!!!

 

[Cheiron]

Alright. I don't know. It sounds pretty good. You can hear things on the remastered version that are really hard to hear on the original. So in that, its great. And it doesn't overly suffer from the loudness wars. However, it also feels cleaned up. Not quite as raw/dirty as the original. Also, I think that the original's sound had more subtelty with some of the sounds (its tough. I like being able to hear things I couldn't hear before, but I prefer certain other parts that were more sunk in the mix).

Been a while since I heard the original though, and its great to hear some of these songs again, such as Porch. I think that at least 7 of these songs made the radio. I don't recall if Porch, Garden, or Deep ever did.

The O'Brien mixes are next.

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

The O'Brien mixes are next.

This is the area in which the new edition really shines. The remixes are punchy as hell. Especially in the bottom end. The variations aren't overt. But, in total, they're noticeable.

So if you aren't sure you dig the remastering (which, you're right, doesn't succumb to the Loudness Wars malady) because you can now hear subtle differences, you may not dig the remixes. As I wrote, the differences are clearly noticeable.

However, I like the fact that the band didn't just remix stuff and call it Ten. From what I recall, The Who did that with a few albums. Just issued remastered/remixed versions. I may be wrong because I'm only recalling vague memories of pawing through the CD racks and reading the stickers on a few Who albums.

So, I'm glad PJ offers a remastered edition that's otherwise untouched (for purists like myself) and a remixed version for those unafraid to hear classics in a different way.

Overall, I really like the new versions of Ten. I can't wait to see what PJ does with the rest of their catalog in the years ahead.

Cheers,

Bill

 

[Cheiron]

I don't mind differences. I'm just saying that I prefered when certain things were quiet (deep in the mix) on the original, compared to the remastered which brightened things a lot (but not enough that I felt like everything was maxed so that there was no variation from soft to loud).