While working on the Temple of the Dog project, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament recorded a set of instrumental demos in August 1990 (known as the "Gossman Project"). Soundgarden's Matt Cameron contributed drums to ten of the tracks, and Shadow's Chris Friel contributed to two: "Times of Trouble" and "Black". Stone and Jeff shopped the tape around to various connections. This complete tape circulated with the working titles only. The complete track listing is matched up with the finished title listing below. One source they gave the complete tape to was the Wilder Brothers in Los Angeles. Also, they gave part of the recording (known as the "Stone Gossard Demo '91") to former Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Jack Irons. This tape consisted of the following songs: "Alive", "Once", "Footsteps", "Black", and "Alone". Irons gave this tape to his basketball buddy Eddie Vedder in late September. While surfing, Ed came up with the lyrics to the song "Dollar Short", which he later renamed "Alive." He recorded vocals over two more of the songs, "Once" and "Footsteps", packaged them as the "Mamasan" tape, and sent them back up to Seattle. Mike, Stone, and Jeff loved Vedder instantly and enlisted him in the band, Mookie Blaylock (named after a Mookie basketball card in the package). Later, they got Dave Krusen, who drummed on Ten and a few early shows...
 
 
 
 

The "Gossman Project" tape contains instrumental versions of:

• The King [early Even Flow]
• Dollar Short [Alive]
• Richard's 'E' [Alone]
• 'E' Ballad [Black]
• ? (not "The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald" as per the bootlegs)
• Weird 'A' [Animal]
• 7Up [Pushin' Forward Back]
• Doobie 'E' [Breath]
• Agytian Crave [Once]
• Times of Trouble [Footsteps]
• Evil 'E' [Girl]
• Folk 'D' [unreleased song]
  

  NOTE:  The Gossman tape was distributed as one complete recording. This does not imply, however, that all twelve songs were recorded in one sitting.

Pearl Jam were constantly in the studio before the recording of Ten. Multiple pre-Ten tapes exist but are not circulating at all. Moreover most of the Ten sessions tapes (demos) more than likely originated on DAT but were dubbed onto old R&B tapes. Some of the tapes might have non-PJ songs. That said...
 
 
 

Mookie Blaylock demo tape on October 13, 1990 only six days after becoming a band!

• Even Flow
• Once
• Breath
• Release
• Girl
• Alive
• Goat
• Alone
• Oceans
• Black
• Improv., Quick Jams, etc... (early Yellow Ledbetter, etc.)

The recording date of the "Mookie Blaylock demos" (those which surfaced on multiple bootleg cd's) is probably around October or November 1990. This tape consists of the following:

• Even Flow
• Once
• Breath
• Release
• Girl
• Alive
• Alone
  

  NOTE:  "Hold Your Head Up" and "Mystery" are tacked on to the end of this tape. "Hold Your Head Up" is an Argent song covered by Mother Love Bone. "Mystery" is a Blind Horse demo. Blind Horse was a short-lived band consiting of Bruce Fairweather and Doug Gilmore of Mother Love Bone among others.

The "pre-'Ten' demos" or "Early 'Ten' demos" consists of the following:

• Breath (from "Mookie Blaylock demos")
• Alone (from "Mookie Blaylock demos")
• Even Flow (from "Mookie Blaylock demos")
• Oceans (from "10-13-90"??)
• Daddy Could Swear, I Declare (Gladys Knight and the Pips cover) (from an unknown Eddie Vedder project, not Bad Radio)
• Alive (from 'Ten' "Rough Mixes")
• Dirty Frank (b-side, probably taken from an official release)
• Wash (from 'Ten' "Rough Mixes")
  

  NOTE:  This tape is a compilation of studio sessions, spanning from the early pre-'Ten' days to early 1992.

Another known Ten sesssion tape consists of the following:

• Jeremy (multiple takes)
• Black (multiple takes)
• other Ten songs (not known at this time)

Ten session tape - recorded at London Bridge Studios: Seattle, WA on January 29, 1991

• Alive
• Wash
• I've Got a Feeling
  

  NOTE:  The tracklist is possibly incomplete. It is uncertain whether this session and "Rough Mix 4-26-91" were recorded at the same time.

Ten "First Takes": London Bridge Studios, Seattle, WA - recorded March 27, 1991

• Black
• Girl
• Why Go
• Porch
• Alone
• Jeremy
• Once
• Why Go (2)
• Wash
• Release
• Oceans
• Garden
• Breath
• Yellow Letter
• Breath (2)
• Even Flow
  

  NOTE:  This tape is not circulating.  It has never circulated.  Only those close to the band have this tape.

Ten "Rough Mix" - Recorded between January 29 and April 26, 1991 and mastered April 26, 1991

• Once
• Why Go
• Even Flow
• Garden
• Black
• Oceans (Version I)
• Release
• Brother
• Porch
• Jeremy
• Breathe
• Deep
• Alone
  

  NOTE:  This tape is indeed a rough mix of Ten and was given to Epic big-wigs. Noticeable differences include a "click-track" to start "Jeremy" and the first version of "Oceans" (later renamed "Oceans (Remix)" on the "Even Flow" single).

Special thanks to:

• Andrew McDougall
• Carl Sylvester
• Dave George
• Goldmine
• Lillydale
• Lynn
• Melinda Thompson
• Randy
• Release
• ...to those I cannot mention...

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