(01-23-2011 05:51 PM)Lady Floydian Wrote:  Wow, talk about over-thinking things. That's not what the album title or artwork is about at all. Also, the artwork for the album is not just what's on the cover. There's also the back cover, and then the sleeve design as well. Back to the cover for a moment, though:

The cover is picturing two businessmen shaking hands. One is calm and composed, looking confident that the deal being made is to his benefit; the other looking submissively downwards, almost groveling. Also, he's on fire. It's not that subtle. The album is all about the anger and unease the band felt about the music business at the time, and the pressure they were under from their label to basically produce The Dark Side of the Moon pt. 2. While Shine On and the title track are about Syd.....the rest of it ain't. It's basically a barb fired directly at the heart of greedy music industry executives, something they knew a bit about.

The rest of the album's art design is about things that are missing, which ties into the other theme of the album -- absence. A diver without a splash, a businessman without a soul, a swimmer without water, a woman without form......like I said, the symbolism was very, very well done by Storm & Co.

I heard (and I think it makes sense) that the symbolism of the calm and confident man meeting the other man who is equally calm and confident but on fire is representing the mask that business men put on to look professional when really inside they are nervous and 'on fire'. I heard it was a representation of internalizing fears and emotions because society or your situation makes it so you need to hide them. I also agree with you that the other comment were overthought. And it has nothing to do with Syd. R.I.P. syd barret

I never understood Meddle's cover. I read about it, but I can't see any ears nor can I see a baboon's ass hole.

(02-03-2011 02:52 AM)Joe Wrote:  I never understood Meddle's cover. I read about it, but I can't see any ears nor can I see a baboon's ass hole.

I do see it... It's a person's right ear, with the camera tilted ninety degrees clockwise. It's a very close-up shot of the ear, so the outline of the ear is completely left out of the picture. The black spot at the top-center of the picture is the entrance to the external auditory canal.

That's the best I can do to explain it, really...

(02-03-2011 02:52 AM)Joe Wrote:  I never understood Meddle's cover. I read about it, but I can't see any ears nor can I see a baboon's ass hole.

There is no Baboons anus (Anus, Joe, this is a PG forum) to be seen on the cover of Meddle. Although it was an idea that was disscussed but never used. If you have the L.P, open up the gate fold and you can make out a human ear with ripples of water superimposed to represent sound waves.

I apologize.

I had read somewhere that it's a pig's ear, not a human ear, but either way it's supposed to be the representation of an ear collecting waves of sound (the ripples in the water). Personally, I don't care for it...and funnily enough, neither did Hipgnosis.

I can see the ear now. It's hairy.

Hahaha. The funny thing is that some people suddenly are severely offended when they realize it's an ear, while never having cared or minded beforehand.

(02-03-2011 10:23 AM)Joe Wrote:  I can see the ear now. It's hairy.

That's normal, BTW. I don't have the Wikipedia article in front of me, and you can read it on your own time, but the hair in one's ear has a similar function to the hair in your nose.

Dark Side Of The Moon, surely. And I really love the picture on Meddle's album booklet, pg. 4. Classic.