"introduction..." cover.... a critique?

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nosaj
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by nosaj »

Yes, the new cover for the Syd album is pretty bad.

Now, what is nice about the one below, is that the album that follows it is black with a few scratch marks that reveal a bit of the album below - but you have to have both to appreciate it...I have both because I inherited them (I still have them, but probably haven't heard them since maybe 1983? - I keep them because I like how the second cover references the first one). Here is a photo on Amazon, except my album is only black with the scratches not what appears to be a sticker on the upper right: http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Night-Flas ... 151&sr=1-3
Idisaffect wrote:The cover definitely has a retro look. Are we sure it's not a leftover from the 70's? Storm and co. are capable of creating some real stinkers. Here's one from Hipgnosis from 1979. It's even more meaningless and dumb.
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by danielcaux »

henno wrote:yeah, ive no idea what the connection with the teddy bears and the airplanes are either...??? and im not that fussed to explore either as the reward isnt worth it... :(
Well, the airplanes COULD represent the involvement of Dave Gilmour in the whole project. As you may know he is an english musician whose major claim to fame as a solo artist was an 80s hit single named "Learning To Fly", a song with a heavy aviation theme ;)
ddebil wrote:'Suspended animation, a state of bliss' -> Syd-> Learning To Fly -> Toy planes? Fucked if I know. :lol:
Ooops! ddebil beat me to it. Guess I should always read the entire thread before impulsively post a reply!
zag wrote:Storm´s cover art is just another cliché. Apples and Oranges. Bike. See Emily Play. I mean really?
I don't think that it was a bad idea per-se to portray imagery from Syd's songs in the cover. It's just that it was done very sloppily an with VERY bad taste, specially the personification of Syd with that dumb opera mask. It is really tasteless, just imagine a Waters comp with some tall and thin model dressed in black trying to pass as Waters younger version, or some chunky bald old guy with a mask pretending to be Gilmour! They chose to represent Syd with one of his most outlandish outfits, the purple velvet dress, coupled with top hat (?) and a pair of not very nice looking Converse shoes (?), and in doing that they were basically caricaturizing him (guess Storm wasn't familiar with "Vegetable Man", or didn't get the point of the song). And yes, the composition leaves a lot to be desired, nothing much is happening, it just feels like they threw away some ideas and took a photo of the results. And like I said before I don't think that "Floyderizing" (Hipgnotizing?) the visual conterpart of Syd's music is a good idea; his output has his own identity, there's no good trying to make his albums look like "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" companion pieces.
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by Wolfpack »

henno wrote:yeah, ive no idea what the connection with the teddy bears and the airplanes are either...??? and im not that fussed to explore either as the reward isnt worth it... :(
Teddy bears. No idea.

Planes. In 'It is obvious' and 'Birdy Hop', the word "plane" is used. The phrases are: "found on another plane" and "hectochrome(??) plane". In 'Terrapin', Syd sings: "I fly above you". In an outtake for the Madcap-cover, printed in the 'Crazy Diamond'-box, Syd has a small toy-plane on the floor.

I think the cover is weak. Why Syd with a mask and a top hat? I've never seen him as such. Maybe the mask has a connection with the Pink Floyd masks for the live 2CD of 'The Wall'?

Where's an "effervescing elephant"? Where's "Matilda Mother"? (Or is she the woman with the bike?) Where's "the gnome", "the scarecrow"?
henno wrote:I do not think the cover captures any of syds playfulness at all.. .the first 6 songs on the listing evoke a wonderful world of syd images.... "a mouse called gerald"... "scribbly black and everything shines"... "Across the stream with wooden shoes
With bells to tell the king the news"..... "moonshine washing line".... etc.....
............and even his solo stuff has moment of pure genius...... "effervescing elephant with tiny eyes and great big smile"..... "with a honey plough of yellow prickly seeds, clover honey pots and mystic shining feed..."I'm only a person with Eskimo chain, I tattooed my brain all the way..."....

to me theres a myriad of opportunity within these lyrics to produce a completely fantastic image that evokes the best of storms work.... what about an elephant fizzing...... or a "scarlet eagle showering silver on the people"......
Agreed. To me, the cover seems as unintelligible as the tracklist.

edit:
I'd rather have seen a cover using Syd's own art. His paintings and also the hippotamus doorknob in his house. (I hope that doorknob still exists.) This hippotamus could have referred to the one in 'Effervescing elephant'. Just imagine the mirror having such a doorknob, as if it's a door.
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by sanpaku »

It's not a great cover, but as the album title says: it's just an "introduction" maybe the best of Syd is yet to come (hope...)

My two cents on the "meaning", if there is some intended...

The top hat is a reference to "Arnold Layne" promo video.
The "All Star Converse" maybe is a sort of expiation for throwing away his old shoes... anyway, Syd was well known for being careless about shoes...
The teddy bears is Storm's poetic license... "A resonant if not controversial image, I think, teddy bears meaning something to a lot of different people. To me this was firstly an incongruous idea, a bizarre image of lost childhood"
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Oh, and the mirror... maybe it's a reference to "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Caroll, childhood, imagination, distorted view of reality, wonderland, etc. Syd himself being a sort of Alice, childish (as many people refer to him) and yet so wise...
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by oldperfume »

Isn't the "Apples & Oranges" motif a bit stale? Henno has it right about the first 6 songs on the album create wonderful visions, even in my head. It's a bland cover that looks like it was thrown together at the last minute. Being a Syd freak, he deserves much better...especially from guys that KNEW him!!!
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by Felix Atagong »

Wasn't there a big teddy bear in the High Hopes vid as well?

And reading Palacios' Dark Globe I found that Stash de Rola once saw Syd Barrett with a teddy bear head and costume during an LSD trip (perhaps Storm was also there that same night, tripping with the others).
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by danielcaux »

Felix Atagong wrote:Wasn't there a big teddy bear in the High Hopes vid as well?
Yes there was! Maybe Storm is starting to mix all the Barrett and Pink Floyd iconography in his head :D

Next Pink Floyd anthology may feature a clock coming out from a washing machine as the album cover, and he will think it is a reference to DSoTM's Time! :lol:
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Re: "introduction..." cover.... a critique?

Post by my breakfast. »

Wolfpack wrote:
henno wrote:yeah, ive no idea what the connection with the teddy bears and the airplanes are either...??? and im not that fussed to explore either as the reward isnt worth it... :(
Teddy bears. No idea.
Sort of goes in the same place as the "Dolls House, Darkness, Old Perfume". Reminds me of a museum of childhood I once went to, and that looks like an old Teddy right? Ok I'm clutching at straws here.