Thread by @penfriendrocks

It feels like a decent time to listen to Pearl Jam's "Ten" for the first time ever. Could I BE more late to the party?

Before you all explode in surprise - early on I decided EV's voice just wasn't to my taste, so focused my energies on Nirvana, Soundgarden, Hole, Smashing Pumpkins etc and the other day I thought, maybe I'll give that band another try with my more sophisticated ears and here I am

I always thought "Evenflow" and "Alive" were great tunes but, again, just wasn't into the general vibe very much. Interested to see what these aged ears say to me after this little listening sesh.

PS I still hate Bob Dylan's voice and have no interest in rectifying that as yet SO THERE!

Hmmm, it's a bit wangy, isn't it. Not sure how far I'll get if the "epic solos" continue.

I keep thinking I'd rather be listening to Soundgarden, but that's true for a lot of my listening time tbh.

It's a magical part of a really magical art form that we can all have such different responses to different bands. There's a lot of music I don't like, but I don't think anyone else is wrong for liking it. To each their own. If "Ten" isn't for me, I think we'll all cope.

I could be a dick about it, and tweet my sarcastic response to every bit I don't like, BUT I respect the people for whom this album means a lot. And my general policy of not being a dick gets in the way of such silliness anyway.

Gotta say, spending time with you all like this is very nice. I don't think I could handle the "blistering guitar work" else, plus I'm printing email receipts as PDFs for my tax return and feeling sad remembering how I used to go places to play music.

I have to ask - what do YOU think of the album "Ten" by the American music combo Pearl Jam?

I've almost reached the end. The bits I didn't like are normally the things that would make me turn something off, but I'd committed to listening to the album as a whole. It's not for me to give any sort of verdict on someone else's highly successful and beloved work, obviously.

BUT I've been tweeting, haven't I, and you're all waiting for me to give some sort of conclusion. Aren't you?

All I can say, friends, is that earlier today I could call myself a person who had never listened to "Ten" by Pearl Jam, and that is no longer the case. But that's ok. There's plenty of other stuff I've never head, and maybe one day I'll listen to some of that too.

If you're someone who loves the album "Ten" by Pearl Jam, I'm really happy you found something that speaks to you, that you can love. If you're someone who doesn't like it, I hope you found something else to love instead.

There is no right and wrong when it comes to your response to the music someone else has made. If you love something, be proud. In my opinion there are no guilty pleasures! Love the things you love, and don't waste energy on the things you don't. The end.

PS obviously that poll I put up is completely silly, I'm just hoping the result is dead even on the first three categories to prove my point...but we'll see.

This is what I'm listening to now, a record that massively speaks to and moves me. @JescaHoop you are fantastic jescahoop.bandcamp.com/album/memories…