has anybody figured out who is who in the kid photos in the final pages of the Backspacer liner notes? i can't seem to find any info about it anywhere.
pretty stoked that the packaging of my copy of Backspacer (which i bought in an independent record store in San Francisco) is totally different to that which i've seen in the shops here in New Zealand. my copy is much like the Vitology hardcover book as opposed to a thinner cardboard slipcase which is the norm here.
******************
Toronto - 1996
Calgary - 2009
San Francisco - 2009
Melbourne - 2009
Auckland - 2009
Christchurch - 2009
I had the No Code LP out last night and thought of this thread. (I also seacrhed this thread for "No Code" and found nothing.) Anyway, I pulled out Backspacer and put the two LPs side by side. There were some interesting connections. Some of the No Code album cover images seemed to match with Backspacer images. Also, the folded out No Code seems to be a distant cousin of the Backspacer album. And, finally, the two albums evoke dream-like imagery. With No Code, it's odd details that look vaguely familiar. With Backspacer, it's big bright images that look familiar but strange.
The connections between the two album covers are not as clear as other hidden findings. But, if Backspacer were hanging next to No Code in an art gallery, you might say, "Oh, look, these two are related."
Specific matches: The old typewriter key image on the No Code cover. The No Code image of the man falling matches with the immaculate suicide image as they are two parts of the same act. The No Code nun looks very similar to the sirens on Backspacer. There is a head on No Code similar to the anatomy head on Backspacer. The "Jam" image on No Code is very similar to the Backspacer glowing stickers.
The view from afar: If you fold out No Code and move away, you can see the faint form of the eye in a triangle. The folded out No Code album also forms a 12-by-12 square, if you discount the album spine. That allows for nine stacked 4-by-4 squares, when you view the album from afar. So, I wonder if any of the No Code blocks match up with the Backspacer blocks.
Here, take a look at No Code folded out. Any other connections I missed? Oh wait, the eye on the folded out No Code is the brain on Backspacer. It could be "Unthought Known." Lyrics: "All the thoughts you never see, you’re always thinking. Brain is wired. Brain is deep. Oh, are you sinking?"
I had the No Code LP out last night and thought of this thread. (I also seacrhed this thread for "No Code" and found nothing.) Anyway, I pulled out Backspacer and put the two LPs side by side. There were some interesting connections. Some of the No Code album cover images seemed to match with Backspacer images. Also, the folded out No Code seems to be a distant cousin of the Backspacer album. And, finally, the two albums evoke dream-like imagery. With No Code, it's odd details that look vaguely familiar. With Backspacer, it's big bright images that look familiar but strange.
The connections between the two album covers are not as clear as other hidden findings. But, if Backspacer were hanging next to No Code in an art gallery, you might say, "Oh, look, these two are related."
Specific matches: The old typewriter key image on the No Code cover. The No Code image of the man falling matches with the immaculate suicide image as they are two parts of the same act. The No Code nun looks very similar to the sirens on Backspacer. There is a head on No Code similar to the anatomy head on Backspacer. The "Jam" image on No Code is very similar to the Backspacer glowing stickers.
The view from afar: If you fold out No Code and move away, you can see the faint form of the eye in a triangle. The folded out No Code album also forms a 12-by-12 square, if you discount the album spine. That allows for nine stacked 4-by-4 squares, when you view the album from afar. So, I wonder if any of the No Code blocks match up with the Backspacer blocks.
Here, take a look at No Code folded out. Any other connections I missed? Oh wait, the eye on the folded out No Code is the brain on Backspacer. It could be "Unthought Known." Lyrics: "All the thoughts you never see, you’re always thinking. Brain is wired. Brain is deep. Oh, are you sinking?"
Nice work in tracing Backspacer to No Code. Whether or not much of this interpretation was intended; I say who cares? These are still things worth pondering. Now you've got me thinking....
So before I start, for the record, I love No Code and if I could ever hear an entire album played live, start to finish, that would be the one. But in the history of this band, that album really represents a diverging point in their musical landscape. It's safe to say No Code consciously avoided the aspects of pearl jam's sound that manifests in the sort of energy they naturally find. So there it stands.
Now, thirteen (wow) years later, why bother singling out No Code in relation Backspacer. Well, it’s worth noting, the very function of a backspacer typewriter key is to go back and change something you have done. I don't believe the band is so self-referential to insist the album title primarily refers to the arc of their career. Exploring this notion, however, can uncover some interesting findings; Hidden Findings, if you will . To best describe what I am trying to get at, I'll let Stone take over: "I've been disappointed in some of our records," Gossard says. "It's been awhile since people said, 'I gotta go buy this new Pearl Jam.' But I think this record is what we could've done for the last five records in terms of re-engaging with the roots of why this band works."
So of course, if we go back five records, we are at that diverging point they unequivocally took with No Code. Is Backspacer their attempt to reach back to that point and reconnect to "the roots of why this band works"? I think it not only reconnects but also advances beyond into a new trajectory. In other words, going back to move forward. Did the band decide before the album’s inception that this would be their statement? Probably not. The thing about any art project is, as it develops, it tends to take on a life of its own. Even the methods pearl jam took to create No Code and Backspacer could not have been more different. No Code was made while on tour, developed mostly out of jams, written in the studio, and recorded in their earliest incarnation. Eddie was the main composer, and his vision most dominant. Whereas, the true impetus of Backspacer didn’t even include Eddie. A session or two with the other four members provided a host of instrumentals for the singer to work with. From there, they finished writing the songs together and arranging them before even entering the recording studio.
Perhaps Tom Tomorrow latched onto a certain reformation in pearl jam's songwriting, not to mention their attitude towards life, and interactions with the outside world. Alright, maybe he didn't grasp all of those concepts. Still, wasn’t it more than coincidence, upon first glance, the cover art for Backspacer, with its distinct grid pattern, called to mind No Code’s? If that's the case, what are the implications in doing so? Is it an act of homage or a statement of dismissal? Maybe instead, Mr. Tomorrow’s art acts as a corporeal depiction of how the album represents an alternate reality to that past era. Here are some blatant examples: No Code is designed with a white grid, while Backspacer’s is black. No Code uses Polaroid; Backspacer consists of cartoon images. Being actual photographs, No Code is taken from real life instead of the dreams and memories predominant in Backspacer (although, those illustrations are all referenced from photos or actual events.) The visual contrasts can help further other conceptual aspects, such as the opposing philosophies inferred from their respective album titles. No Code, as you may know, is medical jargon for ‘do not resuscitate’. A resignation of sorts, as in 'we have to let it die'. Backspacer, as I’ve already described, is all about looking back to what has been done and fixing your mistakes, indicating it is never too late.
In conclusion, No Code and Backspacer complement each other perfectly. As for where pearl jam goes from here, I think, will surprise many of us.
Whoa, did I just write an essay? I need to lie down now.
Wanted to bump this again now that the tour is over and Thanksgiving/Thankstaking is over with people back to work with Monday blues and give them something interesting to read!
I was surprised myself not to have found any posts saying they met the man who has brought so much fun on this artwork album and whether they have managed to get their posters signed by him in person. :P
JA: Why do I get the Ticketmaster question?
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
December 30th, 2009
Tom Tomorrow:
A personal year in review
posted by Tom Tomorrow at 2:19 PM
*************************************************************************************
For larger view, go to his blog - I resized here because it would not allow the size he has over here.
Thank you, TT, for the beautiful artwork on the new album... we all enjoyed it so much as it is evident in this thread, for one example. :-)
It's been a trying and difficult year for many people and it is really nice to see nice things happening to good people. :-)
Happy New Year to everyone!
JA: Why do I get the Ticketmaster question?
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
So. As far as I can figure out, No-one here has come up with the answer to the Red Dress.
I still think its from " The Who's song ' Pictures of Lilly '.
I assumed it was the woman from Johnny Guitar, kind of funny that so many people are trying to figure out who she is when the person in the song is doing the same. ("can't help but wonder where and who she is")
"on the left the girl in red so innocent...."
This is not for you...
Speaking as a child of the nineties
Feel free to roam this thread for further concepts concerning the 'Sirens', cosmic drummer, "brain in a jar theory", and the unfortunate fates of some of those portrayed below.
Back to the Original Post...
Now, I am intrigued as to the backstories on the other eight illustrations. Looks like the treasure hunt has just begun.
http://kottke.org/08/07/the-most-beautiful-suicide
The most beautiful suicide
On May 1, 1947, Evelyn McHale leapt to her death from the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Photographer Robert Wiles took a photo of McHale a few minutes after her death.
The photo ran a couple of weeks later in Life magazine accompanied by the following caption:
On May Day, just after leaving her fiancé, 23-year-old Evelyn McHale wrote a note. 'He is much better off without me ... I wouldn't make a good wife for anybody,' ... Then she crossed it out. She went to the observation platform of the Empire State Building. Through the mist she gazed at the street, 86 floors below. Then she jumped. In her desperate determination she leaped clear of the setbacks and hit a United Nations limousine parked at the curb. Across the street photography student Robert Wiles heard an explosive crash. Just four minutes after Evelyn McHale's death Wiles got this picture of death's violence and its composure.
From McHale's NY Times obituary, Empire State Ends Life of Girl, 20:
At 10:40 A. M., Patrolman John Morrissey of Traffic C, directing traffic at Thirty-fourth Street and Fifth Avenue, noticed a swirling white scarf floating down from the upper floors of the Empire State. A moment later he heard a crash that sounded like an explosion. He saw a crowd converge in Thirty-third Street.
Two hundred feet west of Fifth Avenue, Miss McHale's body landed atop the car. The impact stove in the metal roof and shattered the car's windows. The driver was in a near-by drug store, thereby escaping death or serious injury.
On the observation deck, Detective Frank Murray of the West Thirtieth Street station, found Miss McHale's gray cloth coat, her pocketbook with several dollars and the note, and a make-up kit filled with family pictures.
The serenity of McHale's body amidst the crumpled wreckage it caused is astounding. Years later, Andy Warhol appropriated Wiles' photography for a print called Suicide (Fallen Body).
bump for DOOM!
"This here's a REQUEST!"
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
This might be another one? If so, I am sensing a theme.
http://www.aversion.com/news/news_artic ... ws_id=4057
Bad Astronaut Drummer Commits Suicide
Mar 31, 2005
Bad Astronaut drummer Derrick Plourde was found dead yesterday (March 30), the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
I've been wondering a lot about this album cover, especially since I took apart the vinyl book and plastered all the large size images together on my wall.
The biggest mystery for me just at the moment was why the astronaut playing drums is the cover for the "Just Breathe" single.
"Just Breathe" could be about Bad Astronaut disbanding after Derrick Plourde's unexpected death. They could not continue Bad Astronaut because they needed him.
-Dave
Fan of singer songwriters who push musical boundaries?
You need to hear this new artist!
Visit www.daveshowmusic.com
"We all march to the cadence of this cosmic drummer—our planetary heartbeat, which
sets the tempo for health and well-being."
"This universal motion carries us all onwards to a future beyond our imagination; the first breath of babies pulsates because of the universal rhythm; so does the earth in its seasonal changes and successions. The sun also expands and contracts, i.e. "breathes," according to the latest scientific discovery reports, and no doubt our home galaxy or Milky Way flows outward and returns inward to a center in so large a sweep of time that it may seem motionless to us. But the tiniest subparticle making up an atom of our physical body also must move to the beat of the cosmic drummer, as do all of us together."
And finally
Did you come up with this about the cosmic drummer? I can't find anything except the videos on YouTube.
I really started taking this seriously when I read "breathes" in quotations, especially since your post was written in August and this is now the cover of the "Just Breathe" single.
Fan of singer songwriters who push musical boundaries?
You need to hear this new artist!
Visit www.daveshowmusic.com
"We all march to the cadence of this cosmic drummer—our planetary heartbeat, which
sets the tempo for health and well-being."
"This universal motion carries us all onwards to a future beyond our imagination; the first breath of babies pulsates because of the universal rhythm; so does the earth in its seasonal changes and successions. The sun also expands and contracts, i.e. "breathes," according to the latest scientific discovery reports, and no doubt our home galaxy or Milky Way flows outward and returns inward to a center in so large a sweep of time that it may seem motionless to us. But the tiniest subparticle making up an atom of our physical body also must move to the beat of the cosmic drummer, as do all of us together."
And finally
Did you come up with this about the cosmic drummer? I can't find anything except the videos on YouTube.
I really started taking this seriously when I read "breathes" in quotations, especially since your post was written in August and this is now the cover of the "Just Breathe" single.
So. As far as I can figure out, No-one here has come up with the answer to the Red Dress.
I still think its from " The Who's song ' Pictures of Lilly '.
you know....."pictures of Lilly " is in reference to young mens masturbation.......I know this maybe crass, but that is what I'm thinking in ref to never knowing the" warmth and lingering ". She never gets her gear off even for bedtime,.....I reckon it's a racey poster of some classy woman.
Comments
http://gizmodo.com/5381426/dental-train ... nage-years
Cool!!!!!!!!!
Closest thing I could up with is that monster off of Pan’s Labyrinth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjsmhmwEoSI
at 40 seconds in.. is that smitty? because whoever that silver fox is, it looks an awful lot like the dude in the tv...
pretty stoked that the packaging of my copy of Backspacer (which i bought in an independent record store in San Francisco) is totally different to that which i've seen in the shops here in New Zealand. my copy is much like the Vitology hardcover book as opposed to a thinner cardboard slipcase which is the norm here.
Toronto - 1996
Calgary - 2009
San Francisco - 2009
Melbourne - 2009
Auckland - 2009
Christchurch - 2009
Reading left to right,
1) Mike
2) Matt
3) Stone
4) Jeff
5) Ed
6) ??? can't be Boom.
And probably completely wrong :oops:
what a great thread. great artwork too. awesome!
The connections between the two album covers are not as clear as other hidden findings. But, if Backspacer were hanging next to No Code in an art gallery, you might say, "Oh, look, these two are related."
Specific matches: The old typewriter key image on the No Code cover. The No Code image of the man falling matches with the immaculate suicide image as they are two parts of the same act. The No Code nun looks very similar to the sirens on Backspacer. There is a head on No Code similar to the anatomy head on Backspacer. The "Jam" image on No Code is very similar to the Backspacer glowing stickers.
The view from afar: If you fold out No Code and move away, you can see the faint form of the eye in a triangle. The folded out No Code album also forms a 12-by-12 square, if you discount the album spine. That allows for nine stacked 4-by-4 squares, when you view the album from afar. So, I wonder if any of the No Code blocks match up with the Backspacer blocks.
Here, take a look at No Code folded out. Any other connections I missed? Oh wait, the eye on the folded out No Code is the brain on Backspacer. It could be "Unthought Known." Lyrics: "All the thoughts you never see, you’re always thinking. Brain is wired. Brain is deep. Oh, are you sinking?"
Good luck.
No Code folded out:
http://albumarchive.files.wordpress.com ... iangle.jpg
So before I start, for the record, I love No Code and if I could ever hear an entire album played live, start to finish, that would be the one. But in the history of this band, that album really represents a diverging point in their musical landscape. It's safe to say No Code consciously avoided the aspects of pearl jam's sound that manifests in the sort of energy they naturally find. So there it stands.
Now, thirteen (wow) years later, why bother singling out No Code in relation Backspacer. Well, it’s worth noting, the very function of a backspacer typewriter key is to go back and change something you have done. I don't believe the band is so self-referential to insist the album title primarily refers to the arc of their career. Exploring this notion, however, can uncover some interesting findings; Hidden Findings, if you will
So of course, if we go back five records, we are at that diverging point they unequivocally took with No Code. Is Backspacer their attempt to reach back to that point and reconnect to "the roots of why this band works"? I think it not only reconnects but also advances beyond into a new trajectory. In other words, going back to move forward. Did the band decide before the album’s inception that this would be their statement? Probably not. The thing about any art project is, as it develops, it tends to take on a life of its own. Even the methods pearl jam took to create No Code and Backspacer could not have been more different. No Code was made while on tour, developed mostly out of jams, written in the studio, and recorded in their earliest incarnation. Eddie was the main composer, and his vision most dominant. Whereas, the true impetus of Backspacer didn’t even include Eddie. A session or two with the other four members provided a host of instrumentals for the singer to work with. From there, they finished writing the songs together and arranging them before even entering the recording studio.
Perhaps Tom Tomorrow latched onto a certain reformation in pearl jam's songwriting, not to mention their attitude towards life, and interactions with the outside world. Alright, maybe he didn't grasp all of those concepts. Still, wasn’t it more than coincidence, upon first glance, the cover art for Backspacer, with its distinct grid pattern, called to mind No Code’s? If that's the case, what are the implications in doing so? Is it an act of homage or a statement of dismissal? Maybe instead, Mr. Tomorrow’s art acts as a corporeal depiction of how the album represents an alternate reality to that past era. Here are some blatant examples: No Code is designed with a white grid, while Backspacer’s is black. No Code uses Polaroid; Backspacer consists of cartoon images. Being actual photographs, No Code is taken from real life instead of the dreams and memories predominant in Backspacer (although, those illustrations are all referenced from photos or actual events.) The visual contrasts can help further other conceptual aspects, such as the opposing philosophies inferred from their respective album titles. No Code, as you may know, is medical jargon for ‘do not resuscitate’. A resignation of sorts, as in 'we have to let it die'. Backspacer, as I’ve already described, is all about looking back to what has been done and fixing your mistakes, indicating it is never too late.
In conclusion, No Code and Backspacer complement each other perfectly. As for where pearl jam goes from here, I think, will surprise many of us.
Whoa, did I just write an essay? I need to lie down now.
Wanted to bump this again now that the tour is over and Thanksgiving/Thankstaking is over with people back to work with Monday blues and give them something interesting to read!
I also wanted to know if anyone had the chance of meeting Tom Tomorrow in Philly? He did post some pictures of the show he attended - the last show - here at http://thismodernworld.com/4967 and http://thismodernworld.com/4966
I was surprised myself not to have found any posts saying they met the man who has brought so much fun on this artwork album and whether they have managed to get their posters signed by him in person. :P
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
http://thismodernworld.com/5007
December 30th, 2009
Tom Tomorrow:
A personal year in review
posted by Tom Tomorrow at 2:19 PM
*************************************************************************************
For larger view, go to his blog - I resized here because it would not allow the size he has over here.
Thank you, TT, for the beautiful artwork on the new album... we all enjoyed it so much as it is evident in this thread, for one example. :-)
It's been a trying and difficult year for many people and it is really nice to see nice things happening to good people. :-)
Happy New Year to everyone!
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
So. As far as I can figure out, No-one here has come up with the answer to the Red Dress.
I still think its from " The Who's song ' Pictures of Lilly '.
What is the connection between the red dress and Pictures of Lily?
I assumed it was the woman from Johnny Guitar, kind of funny that so many people are trying to figure out who she is when the person in the song is doing the same. ("can't help but wonder where and who she is")
"on the left the girl in red so innocent...."
Speaking as a child of the nineties
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
I've been wondering a lot about this album cover, especially since I took apart the vinyl book and plastered all the large size images together on my wall.
The biggest mystery for me just at the moment was why the astronaut playing drums is the cover for the "Just Breathe" single.
"Just Breathe" could be about Bad Astronaut disbanding after Derrick Plourde's unexpected death. They could not continue Bad Astronaut because they needed him.
-Dave
You need to hear this new artist!
Visit www.daveshowmusic.com
Did you come up with this about the cosmic drummer? I can't find anything except the videos on YouTube.
I really started taking this seriously when I read "breathes" in quotations, especially since your post was written in August and this is now the cover of the "Just Breathe" single.
You need to hear this new artist!
Visit www.daveshowmusic.com
These are the links where those quotes were taken from.
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/world/med/my-imo7.htm
http://www.thomas-riccio.net/articles/Rhythm%20Reality%20Poland.pdf
Hope you find what you are looking for. I drove myself nuts until I finally uncovered the postcard reference Tom Tomorrow used to illustrate the astronaut. Ahh memories... Still my favorite of the nine illustrations. Got the T-shirt, too!!!
You need to hear this new artist!
Visit www.daveshowmusic.com
you know....."pictures of Lilly " is in reference to young mens masturbation.......I know this maybe crass, but that is what I'm thinking in ref to never knowing the" warmth and lingering ". She never gets her gear off even for bedtime,.....I reckon it's a racey poster of some classy woman.
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
Is this rare?