sheep on the cover of Vs. is ironic?

broloco

Feel free to say "duh, no shit" but it just hit me today that the sheep on the cover of Vs. could be slightly ironic. Since day one I always just saw the sheep as simply a cool agressive image, with it's teeth snarling(agressive = versus). But now I'm wondering if this type of animal was specifically used on purpose.. of course, right? Because sheep = followers. And PJ is against following. They are "vs." that follower mentality. (amongst other things). such a great cover~

12345AGNST1

TBH, I never noticed that. Good find.

Cosmo

I always thought it was the singular sheep trying to break through the fence... to avoid being a 'follower'.
...
The title... I took it to be a play on words... 'vs.' being the abbreviation for Versus, as in opposed to... and Verses, as in poetry and song. Or songs (verses) of opposition.
...
Or it could just be a photo that they liked... I don't know.

Isaac

broloco wrote:

Feel free to say "duh, no shit" but it just hit me today that the sheep on the cover of Vs. could be slightly ironic. Since day one I always just saw the sheep as simply a cool agressive image, with it's teeth snarling(agressive = versus). But now I'm wondering if this type of animal was specifically used on purpose.. of course, right? Because sheep = followers. And PJ is against following. They are "vs." that follower mentality. (amongst other things). such a great cover~

Yeah maybe so... good thought.

If I am not mistaken Vs. was originally titled "5 Against 1". Perhaps the sheep photo has something to do with the original title. Jeff was intrigued with taking photos of animals at the time... think "Who Killed Rudolph", the cover for the X-mas single that year.

I remember pining over the art for that album cause there was so little insight (*no new press or videos) into the band's mentality at the time.

(*there was the Time cover story but it really didn't talk about or have interviews with PJ.)

LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun

probably thought it was a cool picture. and it is.

U R A Crazy Breed

and all this time i thought it was because Stone liked to molest farm animals.


(what...you thought it was just the cow guy??.......................i've said too much!) *runs away*

broloco

Isaac wrote:

broloco wrote:

Jeff was intrigued with taking photos of animals at the time... think "Who Killed Rudolph", the cover for the X-mas single that year.

oh yeah. and seeing he's from montana, and I believe that this is where the shot was taken, montana does have lots of sheep i believe? like the bighorns in the mountains, as well as domesticated ones in the farmlands.. so could be a nice coincidence.....or an inside thing, too with jeff. u never know.

broloco

Cosmo wrote:

I always thought it was the singular sheep trying to break through the fence... to avoid being a 'follower'..

nice

Cosmo wrote:

...
Or it could just be a photo that they liked... I don't know.

true

demetrios

U R A Crazy Breed wrote:

and all this time i thought it was because Stone liked to molest farm animals.

CantKeepMeHere

My vinyl cover is different than my cd cover - teeth pressed up against the "bent" squares of fencing trying to get out - biting its way out -

I believe that the inside of the jewel cd case, behind the cd when you take it out, was supposed to be the "cover" of 5 against 1 or a prototype thereof, but the sheep is bad ass, especially with the legs on the back cover just jumping up in the shit
Fuckit, if we have to be here and we can't break out, well we are still gonna rage on our way
I'd rather be with an animal - isn't that a stone quote??

Just kidding - mad love for Stoney

TunnelThroughDenial

From Wikipedia for what it's worth. This is how I always saw it:

The album's cover art, photographed by Ames, features a black and white picture of a sheep from a farm in Hamilton, Montana. According to Ament, the cover was a representation of how the band felt at the time, with Ament stating "we were slaves."[16] The album booklet contains additional drawings and writings by Vedder, including one page apparently doodled at a business meeting that says "I will never trust anybody again."[6] The lyric page for "W.M.A." features a portion of a news story concerning Malice Green, allegedly a victim of police brutality.

pickupyourwill

broloco wrote:

Feel free to say "duh, no shit" but it just hit me today that the sheep on the cover of Vs. could be slightly ironic. Since day one I always just saw the sheep as simply a cool agressive image, with it's teeth snarling(agressive = versus). But now I'm wondering if this type of animal was specifically used on purpose.. of course, right? Because sheep = followers. And PJ is against following. They are "vs." that follower mentality. (amongst other things). such a great cover~

that is a really cool, in-depth theory.

Lone Wolf

broloco wrote:

Feel free to say "duh, no shit" but it just hit me today that the sheep on the cover of Vs. could be slightly ironic. Since day one I always just saw the sheep as simply a cool agressive image, with it's teeth snarling(agressive = versus). But now I'm wondering if this type of animal was specifically used on purpose.. of course, right? Because sheep = followers. And PJ is against following. They are "vs." that follower mentality. (amongst other things). such a great cover~

Interesting!

dimitrispearljam

U R A Crazy Breed wrote:

and all this time i thought it was because Stone liked to molest farm animals.


(what...you thought it was just the cow guy??.......................i've said too much!) *runs away*

U R A Crazy Breed

dimitrispearljam wrote:

U R A Crazy Breed wrote:

and all this time i thought it was because Stone liked to molest farm animals.


(what...you thought it was just the cow guy??.......................i've said too much!) *runs away*

that's why i like you D....you're twisted like me! :twisted: :twisted:

dimitrispearljam

U R A Crazy Breed wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

U R A Crazy Breed wrote:

and all this time i thought it was because Stone liked to molest farm animals.


(what...you thought it was just the cow guy??.......................i've said too much!) *runs away*

that's why i like you D....you're twisted like me! :twisted: :twisted:

:thumbup: :wave:

JimMacLeod

This is great. Pages and pages were spent breaking down the meaning behind the Backspacer cover. And now, there's some discussion over a CD cover that we've been looking at for 16 years. Initially it's a simple cover (a photograph of a sheep) but there can be so many additional layers to it. I haven't really put that much thought towards it, but it is interesting to see the different interpretations of it.

PJ Fan est. 1990

i always thought it was just because of the song Animal, and i always thought it was a llama...6 of 1 half a dozen of another i suppose.

seeing these other theories and explanations does make a lot of sense though, i think i like your explanations

eeriepadave

PJ Fan est. 1990 wrote:

i always thought it was just because of the song Animal, and i always thought it was a llama...6 of 1 half a dozen of another i suppose.

I always thought it was a llama too for a long time.

satansbed

yeah i thought it was a lama till just now

Drop The Leash 10

U R A Crazy Breed wrote:

and all this time i thought it was because Stone liked to molest farm animals.


(what...you thought it was just the cow guy??.......................i've said too much!) *runs away*

ill never forget stone doing that... never will leave my head

Hugh Freaking Dillon

I always thought "5 against 1" was an inventive way of describing the act of a male "self-molesting".

broloco

certainly when you look at the cover of the vinyl version...it makes one go hmmm...



^^not a very aggressive, rebellious looking sheep!

Belgiancropduster

I see one sheep. And a male sheep, a ram behind it. 

Lost In Ohio

Isaac said:

broloco wrote:

Feel free to say "duh, no shit" but it just hit me today that the sheep on the cover of Vs. could be slightly ironic. Since day one I always just saw the sheep as simply a cool agressive image, with it's teeth snarling(agressive = versus). But now I'm wondering if this type of animal was specifically used on purpose.. of course, right? Because sheep = followers. And PJ is against following. They are "vs." that follower mentality. (amongst other things). such a great cover~

Yeah maybe so... good thought.

If I am not mistaken Vs. was originally titled "5 Against 1". Perhaps the sheep photo has something to do with the original title. Jeff was intrigued with taking photos of animals at the time... think "Who Killed Rudolph", the cover for the X-mas single that year.

I remember pining over the art for that album cause there was so little insight (*no new press or videos) into the band's mentality at the time.

(*there was the Time cover story but it really didn't talk about or have interviews with PJ.)

They also had the roadkill dog poster around that same time.

CO278952

Grok says:  The cover art for Pearl Jam's *Vs.* (1993) features a black-and-white photograph of a sheep pressing against a fence, taken by Danny Clinch. The image is often interpreted as symbolizing themes of confinement, struggle, and rebellion, which resonate with the album's raw, intense exploration of societal pressures, personal conflict, and resistance against authority. Tracks like "Animal," "Go," and "Porch" reflect this energy, with lyrics challenging conformity and oppression. The band has not explicitly defined the cover's meaning, but Eddie Vedder has suggested it represents an animal's fight for freedom, mirroring human desires to break free from constraints. Some fans also see it as a critique of exploitation, possibly tying to the band's vegetarian leanings or commentary on being "trapped" in fame after *Ten*. The stark, gritty aesthetic aligns with the album's rejection of polished commercialism.

CO278952

guess grok thinks Porch is on Vs. 

demetrios

https://www.reddit.com/r/pearljam/comments/1jyzrpd/photo_i_took_at_the_petting_zoo/