Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers

Feature Photo: Lugnuts, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers list will look at a famous rock band from the 90s. Pearl Jam has outsold many of their competitors in music. They are one of the most influential rock bands in music. They have been picked to be one of the most popular bands in the 90s. Pearl Jam has sold over 85 million albums worldwide. Their debut album Ten was on the charts for five years. It is one of the highest-selling rock albums ever. Their second album Vs sold over 950,000 copies in its first week. It set the record for the most copies sold in a week at the time. Their third album Vitalogy was the second fastest-selling album in history at the time. The album sold 877,000 copies in its first week. Pearl Jam is one of the key bands in grunge music. The band wasn’t fans of publicity. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Pearl Jam was uncomfortable with their success. Since they were uncomfortable with their success, it is no surprise they didn’t appear on most of their album covers. There is one that they appear on, but we will get to that later. The photographers honored what the band wanted and came up with ways to promote their albums without featuring the band on the covers. The band even came up with ideas for their album covers so they had some say in how the covers looked. Their album covers aren’t your average covers. Some are simple while others are unique. Our Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers list will highlight their best album covers.

# 10 – Gigaton

The first pick on our Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers list is Gigaton. Gigaton is Pearl Jam’s 11th studio album. Pearl Jam had a six-year hiatus when they released this album. The album received positive reviews. It proved that their hiatus didn’t hinder their creativity. They showed that they could do grunge music as adults. The album cover features a picture of a melting glacier in Norway. You can see water coming from the glacier. The water that is falling from the glacier resembles a waterfall. There is a shot of water at the bottom of the cover. There are waves in the water. There are dark clouds looming above the glacier even though the sky is blue. There is a bird flying low in the picture. The band’s name is written in red letters. The letters look like a signal. The name of the album isn’t featured on the album cover.

Photographer Paul Nicklen wanted to capture a unique moment. He wanted to capture something that would never happen again. He felt like the melting glacier would never happen again. He likes to take pictures of nature and what’s going on with the planet. The band wanted a glacier to symbolize the changes in their music. They wanted the fans to know that it was going to be a concept album. If you are a fan of nature, this is the type of picture that will intrigue you. Paul Nicklen did a wonderful job capturing the glacier from this angle. He didn’t take a head-on shot of the glacier. He took it from an angle. He even managed to capture a picture of a bird, so his timing was impeccable. Paul Nicklen is an award-winning photographer who has taken pictures in magazines and books. Gigaton was released in March 2020. The album peaked at number five on Billboard 200 and number one on the rock charts. Gigaton features the singles “Dance of the Clairvoyants,” “Superblood Wolfmoon,” “Quick Escape” and “Retrograde.”

# 9 – Pearl Jam

The next pick on our Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers list is Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam is their eighth studio album. The band returned to their musical roots with this album. The songs on the album are about things that were going on at the time. The album cover features a picture of an avocado cut in half. The pit is inside of the avocado. The avocado is on the bottom right of the cover. It is in front of a blue background. The top half of the picture is dark blue and the bottom half fades to a lighter shade of blue. The band’s name is on the top left of the album cover in white letters.

The picture was taken by Brad Klausen. This picture describes how lead singer Eddie Vedder felt at the time. He decided to throw an avocado on the album cover. He was tired of the publicity, so he wanted to throw something random on their album cover. He suggested they use an avocado and Brad Klausen took care of business. The album became known as the “avocado” album. Brad Klausen is a skillful photographer because he was able to take the still photo of the avocado standing up.

The avocado was cut in half so it would have been impossible for it to stand up on its own. He did excellent job editing because there is nothing holding up the avocado. This album cover is simplistic, but it is a conversational piece. Brad Klausen is a graphic designer. He is best known for working with Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam was released in May 2006. The album peaked at number two on Billboard 200 and the rock charts. Pearl Jam features the singles “World Wide Suicide,” “Life Wasted” and “Gone.” The album sold over 500,000 copies.

# 8 – Lightning Bolt

The eighth pick on our Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers list is Lightning Bolt. Lightning Bolt is Pearl Jam’s 10th studio album. The band took a break because they were doing side projects. This album has a harder rock sound than their other albums. Eddie Vedder talks about aging and mortality. The album cover is an Art Deco design. It features a picture of a white eyeball. The iris is red with a lightning bolt going through the iris. It appears as if the eyeball is going through a tunnel. There is a radio antenna on top of the eyeball. There are signal waves on both sides of the antenna. There is a crescent moon on top of the antenna. The album cover has a white background. The band’s name is written in red letters. The album title is written in black letters.

There is an alternative album cover that has a black background. The tunnel is red. The inside of the eye is black instead of white. The lightning bolts are white instead of red. The crescent moon above the antenna is black instead of red. The band’s name is written in white letters while the title is written in red letters. Bassist Jeff Ament helped Don Pendleton with the album cover. Jeff Ament gave Don Pendleton ideas of what to do with the illustration.

Don Pendleton wanted to create the total package for the band. Don Pendleton created the image from a logo he wanted to do for himself. He decided to create the eyeball and lightning bolt logo for the album cover. He painted the picture for the album cover. It is the perfect image for T-shirts and it looks like a logo. Don Pendleton does logos so he was right at home with this album cover. The album cover fits with a couple of songs that are on the album. Don Pendleton is best known for doing skateboard graphics and working with Pearl Jam. Lightning Bolt was released in October 2013. The album peaked at number one on Billboard 200 and the rock charts. Lightning Bolt features the singles “Mind Your Manners,” “Sirens” and “Lightning Bolt.” The album sold over 411,000 copies.

# 7 – Binaural

Binaural is Pearl Jam’s sixth studio album. The band experimented with their sound with this album. The songs on the album dealt with social issues. The songs on the album led to the album cover. The album cover features a picture of a nebula. The band put their spin on the Hourglass Nebula. The picture has two orange rings of smoke around an eyeball. The eyeball is blue. There are shades of green within the orange rings. The album cover has a black background. The album title is featured at the bottom of the cover in white letters. The band’s name isn’t featured on the cover.

Pearl Jam went to Tchad Blake because he knows how to capture the right pictures for songs. Pearl Jam wanted the fans to know that there are bigger things going on in the world. They consider their music to be minuscule in comparison to what is happening on the planet. The picture on the album cover tells you that there is so much going on in the future. Tchad Blake picked the right picture to use for the album cover. He was in tune with what the band wanted for the album. The picture doesn’t fit for the album title, but it works for the theme of the album.

It is an unusual album cover but it fits with the band’s image. Tchad Blake has worked with Pearl Jam, Ike & Tina Turner, Hiroshima, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel, Mel C, The Bangles, Neal Fin, Tom Waits, Kent, as well as others. Binaural was released in May 2000. The album peaked at number two on Billboard 200. Binaural features the singles “Nothing as It Seems” and “Light Years.” The album sold over 500,000 copies.

# 6 – Backspacer

Backspacer is Pearl Jam’s ninth studio album. This album was different from their other albums. The material on this album was more optimistic and less political. The album cover features nine panels of drawings. Each panel has something different in them. The pictures are animated. The first panel features a train on fire with a boy in front of it. The second panel is the inside of a man’s body. There is a shadow going towards the body. The third panel is a picture of a magician. He is holding a skull with three angels as well as other images coming out of the eye. There are two devils on his shoulders. The fourth panel features a woman in a body suit kicking her leg in the air. There is an image of a kid’s face on the left. There are buildings behind her.

The fifth panel features a picture of a brain in a vat. The sixth panel is a drummer in outer space. The seventh panel features a man standing in front of a robot and UFOs. There is a firebomb in the middle of the picture. The eighth picture features a man on a tricycle with three women in front of him. The ninth panel features a picture of a woman sitting in purple water. She looks as if she is about to drown. The band’s name and album title are featured at the top in circles.

Dan Perkins took six months to create this album cover. The pictures are different versions of bizarre dreams. He created pictures that were like pop culture. He left hidden meanings in the pictures. Dan Perkins drew pictures from movies, TV shows and album covers. Every panel gives you something to think about while you are listening to the music. It is fun to figure out where he got the inspiration for each picture. Pearl Jam was thrilled with the picture and wanted to use it for the cover. Dan Perkins is a cartoonist. He has worked on magazines. He is best known for working with Pearl Jam. Backspacer was released in September 2009. The album peaked at number one on Billboard 200 and the rock charts. Backspacer features the singles “The Fixer,” “Got Some,” “Just Breathe” and “Amongst the Waves.” The album sold over 500,000 copies.

# 5 – Riot Act

The next pick on our Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers list is Riot Act. Riot Act is Pearl Jam’s seventh studio album. The music on this album was more diverse than on their other albums. They did folk songs on the album. The songs on the album were about mortality and political climate. The album cover has two skeletons wearing crowns. They represent a king and a queen. They are standing in a dark room with broken rocks. There is an orange glow in the background of the picture. The orange glow represents smoke. The album cover has a black background. The band’s name and album title are written on the bottom of the cover in white letters.

The album cover represents an attack on their territory. The smoke represents pollution. The skeletons represent the aftermath of the attack. Jeff Ament took this mysterious photo. He wanted the fans to see the death and destruction caused by the Terrorists attacks. Jeff Ament proved that he was more than a musician. He has a gift for designing. The album cover is more than just a couple of skeletons on a cover. It is a cerebral picture that makes you think about death and mortality. It coincides with the theme of the album. The dark color fits with the theme of the dark album. Riot Act was released in November 2002. The album peaked at number five on Billboard 200. Riot Act features the singles “I Am Mine,” “Save You” and “Love Boat Captain.” The album sold more than 500,000 copies.

# 4 – Yield

Yield is Pearl Jam’s fifth studio album. The band returned to their rock sound on this album. The band was more involved with writing on the album. The album cover features a picture of a red and white yield sign on the right side of the road. It is a deserted road. There are no cars on the highway. There are clouds in the blue sky. You can see mountains in the distance of the picture. There are two black strips on the album cover. The band’s name is on the top black strip in white letters. The album title is on the sign. The album title is written in red letters.

The picture is taken from a highway in Montana. The sign is supposed to be a symbol for the band. The sign means they didn’t have to yield to anything. They wanted to keep going on their road to success. Jeff Ament took an awe-inspiring picture of the road. It looks peaceful and soothing. It is amazing how he was able to take the picture in the middle of the day and there are no cars on the road. When you first look at the picture, it looks as if it is just a street sign, but there is more to it than that. The picture is the start of our journey to success. There is nothing in your way to achieving what you want. Jeff Ament has an eye for detail when it comes to taking photos for their album covers. Yield was released in February 1998. The album peaked at number two on Billboard 200. Yield features the singles “Given to Fly,” “Wishlist,” “Do the Evolution” and “In Hiding.” The album sold over one million copies.

# 3 – No Code

Coming in at number three on our list is No Code. No Code is Pearl Jam’s fourth studio album. The band didn’t want this album to sound like their first three albums, so they switched up the genre. They chose garage rock and worldbeat music. The album cover features a variety of pictures. There are pictures of an outlet, an apple, a dartboard, a guitar, a number five in a circle, teeth, eyes, faces, animals, as well as other images. There are a variety of colors in each of the pictures. The pictures are on a white background. The band’s name and album title blend in the pictures in the second row. The letters are written in red. There is a picture in the middle of the fifth row that features the album title.

The band took random polaroid pictures and used them for the album cover. None of the pictures are related to each other. They put them all together to make a statement. The concept of the album cover is intriguing. You get to look at different pictures while you are admiring the album cover. Pearl Jam came up with a creative idea for this album cover. If you look at the full picture of the album cover, you will see an eye within the pictures. It is the band’s eyeball logo. No Code was released in August 1996. The album peaked at number one on Billboard 200. No Code features the singles “Who You Are,” “Hail, Hail,” “Off He Goes,” “Red Mosquito,” “Smile” and “Habit.” The album sold over one million copies.

# 2 – Vs

Vs is Pearl Jam’s second studio album. This album had a more aggressive sound than their debut album. This is one of the band’s best debuting albums. The album cover is black and white. It features a picture of a white angora goat. The face looks as if it is in a fence. It looks as if it is caught or trying to break free from the fence. You can see a picture of the wood from the fence. The goat is on a farm. You can see a white bucket beside the goat. There is snow and trees in the background. It looks like a cloudy day. The band’s name is written in red letters on the top right of the album. The album title isn’t featured on the album cover.

The picture was taken on a farm in Montana. Jeff Ament took the picture to represent how the band was feeling when they recorded the album. The band felt like slaves to the label. Jeff Ament chose an unusual way to depict how they were feeling like slaves, but they got their message across. Jeff Ament likes to use metaphors for his pictures. It may look like one thing, but they have different meanings. Vs was released in October 1993. The album peaked at number one on Billboard 200. Vs features the singles “Go,” “Daughter,” “Animal” and “Dissident.” The album sold over seven million copies.

# 1 – Ten

The number one pick on our Top 10 Pearl Jam Album Covers list is Ten. Ten is Pearl Jam’s debut album. The album has an anthemic sound. It has a classic rock sound. This is one of the best-selling rock albums of all time. The album cover features a picture of the band. They have their hands in the air. They are holding hands. The band’s faces are away from the camera. They are standing in front of a red and purple brick wall. The brick wall spells out the band’s name. The band’s name is also featured on the top with white letters. The album cover doesn’t feature the album title. The picture is mostly dark. The band’s name is the only brightness in the picture.

This is the type of picture the band wanted for their album cover because they didn’t want publicity. Jeff Ament designed the album cover. He also created the cutout for their name. They wanted to show the world that they were together. They wanted fans to know that they were an all-for-one type of band. Lance Mercer did a magnificent job taking their picture. He managed not to get their faces in the shot. This is one of the rare album covers that feature the band members. Lance Mercer made an effort to shoot them in the dark so their faces wouldn’t be shown. They look like a group of guys who are joining together. Lance Mercer is a photographer who has worked with Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Crisis Party, Mother Love Bone, Sweet Water, Supersoakers, Heart, Teen Angels, Fastbacks, as well as others. Ten was released in August 1991. The album peaked at number two on Billboard 200. Ten features the singles “Alive,” “Even Flow,” “Jeremy” and “Oceans.” The album sold over 13 million