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On this work, the original album cover art design was posterized and applied with accented edges. Some of the colours were replaced. The whole image was then pasted at centre. In order to fill the
remaining space of the 18 x 10 canvass, the left column of three blocks was added on the left and the right column was added on the right. The whole processed image was then used to fill
the letters of the words "Pearl", "Jam" and "Ten" which were then pasted on each half of the added blocks, starting from top left. The spaces allowed the band's name and album title to
be pasted four times. The whole idea was to give the impression that the whole image has been pasted three times on each side while partially hiding the calligraphy but without
losing the message of the band's body language of striking a unified pose. Ten is Pearl Jam's debut album.
remaining space of the 18 x 10 canvass, the left column of three blocks was added on the left and the right column was added on the right. The whole processed image was then used to fill
the letters of the words "Pearl", "Jam" and "Ten" which were then pasted on each half of the added blocks, starting from top left. The spaces allowed the band's name and album title to
be pasted four times. The whole idea was to give the impression that the whole image has been pasted three times on each side while partially hiding the calligraphy but without
losing the message of the band's body language of striking a unified pose. Ten is Pearl Jam's debut album.
This is the original album cover art design.
No. 27, Rate Your Music, The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time; No. 70, The Virgin All-Time Album Top 1000;
No. 89, Billboard, The 300 Best-Selling Albums of All Time; No. 209, Rolling Stone, The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Art direction by Jeff Ament, art design by Lisa Sparagano & Risa Zaitschek, photography by Lance Mercer.
Album produced by Rick Parashar & Pearl Jam. Epic 1991.
The album's cover art features the members of the band at the time of recording in a group pose and standing in front of a wood cut-out of the name "Pearl Jam". The wood cut-out was constructed
by (band bassist Jeff) Ament. Ament said, "The original concept was about really being together as a group and entering into the world of music as a true band. . . a sort of all for-one deal." He
stated, "There was a bit of headbutting going on with the Sony art department at that time. The version that everybody got to know as the Ten album cover was pink and it was originally
intended to be more of a burgundy colour and the picture of the band was supposed to be black and white." Pearl Jam's original name was taken from the NBA player Mookie Blaylock.
It was changed after the band signed to Epic Records, as record executives were concerned about intellectual property and naming rights following Blaylock's inking of an endorsement
deal with Nike. In commemoration of the band's original name, the band titled its first album Ten after Blaylock's jersey number. Full article
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, music critic David Fricke gave the album a favourable review, saying that Pearl Jam "hurtles into the mystic at warp speed." He also added that
Pearl Jam "wring a lot of drama out of a few declarative power chords swimming in echo." AllMusic staff writer Steve Huey called it a "flawlessly crafted hard rock masterpiece" and felt
that Vedder's "impressionistic lyrics" are more effective through his passionate vocal delivery rather than their "concrete meaning." Stereo Review said that "the band sounds larger than
life, producing a towering inferno of roaring guitars, monumental bass and drums, and from-the-gut vocals."
In a less enthusiastic review for Entertainment Weekly, David Browne found Pearl Jam to be derivative of "fellow Northwestern rockers like Soundgarden and Alice in Chains" and felt that
it "goes to show that just about anything can be harnessed and packaged." Nirvana's Kurt Cobain argued Ten was not a true alternative album because it had so many prominent guitar
leads. Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice, viewed it as another in a "slew of Seattle albums" that "modulate the same misguided ethos", which he said was "hippie"
rather than "punk". Christgau described it as "San Francisco ballroom music" whose "distinguishing characteristics" could only be discerned by listeners if they "take the right
drugs". He later gave Ten a two-star honourable mention, citing "Once" and "Even Flow" as highlights, and quipped, "in life, abuse justifies melodrama; in music, riffs work better". More
(A) Once - Even Flow - Alive - Why Go - Black - Jeremy
(B) Oceans - Porch - Garden - Deep - Release
"Jeremy" live from CadaverheadConcerts on YouTube.
