You'd think an instantly popular young band would fear a backlash when it came time to make its second album. Pearl Jam seemed to welcome one. With 1993's Vs., they pitted themselves against the grunge masses they helped create, crafting a dozen punked-out songs that left behind the Jumbotron ambition of their debut, Ten. Eddie Vedder, a dedicated surfer, jettisoned everything Zen in favor of a primal take on human disconnection. "Animal," "Blood" and "Leash" obliquely reference rape and drug addiction; "Rats" creams a surprisingly funky beat with pummeling guitar while comparing the title critters to people — favorably. On this newly remastered version (which tosses in three nonessential bonus tracks, including a sweet, stripped-down version of "Hold On"), the songs sound steelier than ever. But despite his rage, Vedder was also more willing than his peers to dip into folky beauty. Kurt Cobain never wrote a tune like the acoustic heartbreaker "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," which, for all its gloominess about life's long ebb, loyally marks an unforgettable moment in an anonymous existence.

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On 1994's Vitalogy (also remastered; both albums are available together in a deluxe package that adds in an especially muscular live show from '94), Vedder vented more frustrations — with fans, heroin's reach, even popular music itself. Look past the oddities — the wheezing-accordion weird-out "Bugs" - and the loathsome "Not for You," a fuck-you to album and ticket buyers, and you'll find classics like the frenzied adrenaline shot "Spin the Black Circle" and the effervescent ballad "Better Man." Vitalogy highlights a key element of Vedder's anger: It's always directed outward, not in. That can make him hard to love. But his anguish fueled an intensity Pearl Jam haven't matched since.

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Video: The Vs./Vitalogy Box Set Trailer

“The Pretender”

This song wasn't part of the planned track listing for 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and was put together in a day. "It happened after we recorded a lot of stuff," said Dave Grohl. Yet it ended up as the album opener and the lead single. Grohl called it "a stomping Foo Fighters uptempo song with a little bit of Chuck Berry in it." The singer hinted at the lyrics' political overtones: "Everyone's been f---ed over before and I think a lot of people feel f---ed over right now and they're not getting what they were promised."