Pearl Jam returns with its tenth studio album, “Lighting Bolt,” on Oct. 15, and based on what we”ve already heard, Eddie Vedder and Co. are yielding nothing to the ravages of time. People who dislike Pearl Jam don”t like their sense of self-importance (even though that has definitely waned over the years). Fans like me love that Pearl Jam knows that music matters, that it can reach those places in us that nothing else can and has the power to save us.
Here is my highly subjective countdown of Pearl Jam”s 10 best songs. Fans will notice a lack of songs here from the middle period of Pearl Jam”s career. I don”t know if they lost the thread a little or I lost interest-probably a bit of both-but “Binaural” and “Riot Act” are albums I seldom revisit. My No. 1 choice won”t be a surprise because there”s no denying this song”s potency and place in the heart of most Pearl Jam fans.