ABSTRACT
Pearl Jam’s debut album is a special and important record in the context of both the alternative music grunge phenomenon of the 1990s and the band’s own growth as important rock musicians and artists in the subsequent 20 years. Indeed for many, Pearl Jam’s debut album, together with Nirvana’s Nevermind, is synonymous with the word grunge itself. The album is a seminal work that marked the mainstream breakthrough of guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, the founding members of grunge pioneers Green River and so has an important place in the genealogy of Seattle rock. It remains a commercial and critical success, selling QHDUO\WHQPLOOLRQFRSLHVDQGEHLQJFHUWL¿HGSODWLQXPWKLUWHHQWLPHV,WUHJXODUO\ features in “best of” lists in the music press and popular journalism1.
