(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