Well, 10 is pretty much as I remembered it. If I replace “Black” with “Porch”, then what was side 1 on the final doesn’t have any real weak spots, which would all be on side 2. But I said “pretty much” because the one song that made an impact on me that had t before was the closer “Release”, which is really two closers with that funky vintage early 80s King Crimson bit during its second half. I didn’t cotton to it in the many times I’ve heard it previously but liked it much better this time. It probably helped that I was listening driving down Franklin Street in San Francisco, the Blue Angels roared overhead going near vertical over the bay, which was pretty cool (they do an annual air show here every October and they’re practicing).
@RobMCFC stole a lot of my thunder in that it’s very hard to separate this from Nevermind and Superunknown in context. That’s what I was going to do, though I like Nevermind top to bottom fat more than Rob but agree 100% on the 2/3rds of SU that are nuclear vs. the 1/3 that is t. It’s also not fair not to try to see 10 on its own. On its own merits this is hard rock played competently if not periodically spectacularly. It also has flaws, or sins, like the repeated bass riff between Even Flow and Why Go, and the echoey snare and slushy cymbals which rob some songs of power. Eddie’s got his own intonation which is at least unique and all his, but sometimes the Stipean mushmouth is irritating. Jeremy continues to have a set of lyrics that really, really move me in addition to being the song that sounds the most energetic and the angriest. It’s still IMO the best thing here, but I found some of the other songs more pleasing than I expected despite my overfamiliarity — Even Flow, Once and Alive especially, and as noted, Porch — which makes me wish they’d played at more tempo more often on this record.
Prior to this week I probably would have said the record is a 6, but on balance the old familiarity of some tunes and listening to Release and Porch with fresh ears makes me think differently today. Add that Jeremy is over 30 years old and I’m still willing to turn it up any time it plays, that kind of staying power makes 10 a 7.
PS. In case anyone cares, Superunknown is an 8 and Nevermind is a 10.
