Vs.

Vs. (pronounced versus) is the second studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released October 19, 1993 through Epic Records. After a relentless touring schedule in support of their 1991 debut album Ten, Pearl Jam headed into the studio in early 1993 facing the challenge of following up the commercial success of its debut. The resulting album, Vs., featured a rawer and more aggressive sound compared with the band's previous release. It was the band's first collaboration with producer Brendan O'Brien and its first album with drummer Dave Abbruzzese.

Pearl Jam decided to scale back its promotional efforts for Vs., including declining to produce music videos for any of the album's singles. Upon its release, Vs. set the record for most copies of an album sold during its first week, a record it held for five years. Vs. occupied the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks, the longest duration for a Pearl Jam album. The album has been certified seven times platinum by the RIAA in the United States.

Vs. debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart and stayed there for five weeks. Vs. sold 950,378 copies in its first five days of release, which set a record for the most copies of an album sold in its first week of release and outperformed all other entries in the Billboard top ten that week combined. Vs. held this record for five years before it was broken by Garth Brooks' 1998 album, Double Live. While Double Live officially beat Vs. in first week sales, Vs. still holds an unbreakable record in that SoundScan only counted the first five days of an album's release in its first week sales until 1998. Vs. has been certified seven times platinum by the RIAA, and, as of July 2013, has sold 7,400,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Rolling Stone staff writer Paul Evans gave Vs. a favorable review, saying, "Few American bands have arrived more clearly talented than this one did with Ten; and Vs. tops even that debut." He added, "Like Jim Morrison and Pete Townshend, Vedder makes a forte of his psychological-mythic explorations ... As guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready paint dense and slashing backdrops, he invites us into a drama of experiment and strife." Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated that "Pearl Jam uses its new album ... to broaden its music," and added that "most of the album ... projects individual misery as public catharsis." AllMusic staff writer Steve Huey gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Vs. may not reach the majestic heights of Ten, but at least half the record stands with Pearl Jam's best work."

This article uses material from the Wikipedia page dedicated to this album. No copyright infringement is intended.