 The release of a single was soon deemed a " stupid idea " by Cornell and dropped in favor of an EP or album . The album was recorded in only 15 days , produced by the band themselves . Gossard described the recording process as a " non @-@ pressure @-@ filled " situation , as there were no expectations or pressure coming from the record company . Eddie Vedder , who had flown from San Diego , California to Seattle , Washington to audition to be the singer of Mookie Blaylock ( which eventually became Pearl Jam ) , ended up providing backing vocals . " Hunger Strike " ( sample ) became a duet between Cornell and Vedder . Cornell was having trouble with the vocals at practice , when Vedder stepped in . Cornell later said , " He sang half of that song not even knowing that I 'd wanted the part to be there and he sang it exactly the way I was thinking about doing it , just instinctively . " 
