It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these – or re-done one of those I had posted on the old blog. So how about a “remix” of a great cover art post from back in the not-selfhosted days? Or as I wrote back then: How about a little cover art reverse engineering?
It is not at all unlikely that you know the following picture …
No, it is not a United Colors of Benetton ad. Pink Floyd fans, and not just them, will instantly recognise that it is indeed all Floyd covers painted on the backs of the six women here. More specifically, they are Pink Floyd covers done by the English graphic artist Storm Thorgerson. Even more specifically – as Thorgerson has done more than these five cover arts for Pink Floyd – they are (from left to right): Atom Heart Mother (1970), Relics (compilation – 1971), Dark Side Of The Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), The Wall (1979) and Animals (1977).
The body paint picture was commissioned by EMI back in 1997, to advertise their Pink Floyd back catalogue. Yes. Back catalogue. No one said that the word play was exceptionally clever, but that does not take anything away from the iconic status of the photograph. The picture was taken at a private indoor pool in Putney (London Borough of Wandsworth) by photographer Tony May, with the Pink Floyd cover art painted onto the bodies by artist Phyllis Cohen. And while this was never meant as a series, the concept has been taken up in recent years and five more, similar pictures have been produced, four of which have been released so far.
STORMBACK CATALOGUE …
… saw the work of Storm Thorgerson back on the, uhm, backs of six more women, sitting at another pool. This time the picture was taken on Lanzarote by photographer Rupert Truman. The covers this time around (from left to right): Technical Ecstasy by Black Sabbath (1976), The Widow by The Mars Volta (single – 2005), Wake Up And Smell The Coffee by The Cranberries (2001), Absolution by Muse (2003), Deceptive Bends by 10cc (1977) and the self-titled debut of the band Audioslave (2002).
DELUXE BACK CATALOGUE …
… was taken at yet another pool, this time the Pall Mall clubhouse of the Royal Automobile Club in London. The cover (from left to right): Gasoline by Catherine Wheel (single – 2000), Elegy by The Nice (1971), The Bottom Half by Umphrey’s McGee (2007), Difficult To Cure by Rainbow (1981), the first self-titles album by Peter Gabriel which is also known as Car (1977) and the cover of the Pink Floyd DVD P•U•L•S•E (2006).
OUTBACK CATALOGUE …
… was the first picture in the series not to be taken indoors. Despite the name, Outback was not shot in Australia but rather in South Africa. The covers (from left to right): Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis (1974), Bury The Hatchet by The Cranberries (1999), Televators by The Mars Volta (single – 2004), Tree Of Half Life by Pink Floyd (2003), Pieces Of Eight by Styx (1978) and Moroccan Roll by Brand X (1977).
BEACH BACK CATALOGUE …
… combined the water element of the first three pictures and the outdoor element of Outback Catalogue, bringing six Storm Thorgerson cover arts to the beach, also shot in South Africa. The covers (from left to right): one of the covers for Echoes by Pink Floyd (compilation – 2001), Slip Stitch and Pass by Phish (1997), On Air by Alan Parsons (1996), the self-titles Program The Dead album (2005), Chrome by Catherine Wheel (1993) and Lovedrive by Scorpions (1979).
However, the original Pink Floyd Back Catalogue picture is so iconic that if you show one of the other four pictures to someone who is a little interested in music and ask ‘hey, do you know that cover‘ (pointing at any of the six on the respective picture), the answer will almost invariably be: ‘Not sure, but it has to be Pink Floyd‘. Go ahead, try it. Six women sitting in a neat row with their backs painted equals Pink Floyd to most people, even if that is not even half the story.
A third back catalogue picture was taken in South Africa (making it no. 6 of the series) – the yet unreleased Black Catalogue. But if you want to compare, the back catalogue story so far looks, in terms of raw covers, like this …
Click to few full size
And, after a return to the pool of the Pall Mall clubhouse of the Royal Automobile Club, an extended version of the Pink Floyd Back Catalogue was created. I am not sure if the following – posted originally on the website of Storm Thorgerson – already is the finished picture or just a production behind the scenes kind of thingy. I’ll get back to you on that one – then with a list of all covers included in the extended Back Catalogue of course.
In case you have some cash to spare and are looking to decorate your living room, art prints of the Back Catalogue pictures can be found at the official shop of Stormstudios.
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(Listening to while finishing this blog entry: Sinister Kid by The Black Keys)
Imagine: comming home, open the bath door … ;-)
Great!!!
Imagine what? You open the bathroom door and have this scenery before you? I’d be like: “Who the hell put a massive swimming pool in my bathroom? Where has the toilet gone? And who are all these naked women?” And on top, try
explaining all this to your significant other.
;-))
Exceptionally Beautiful workmanship!
Hi i was looking at your collection of Pink Floyd Back Catalogue Pictures i had the original on a poster some years ago but i was wondering if you could e-mail me a copy of the first one about 3mb in size i want to print it off on a 15″x10″ skin to put on my laptop thank you
Dek M
Sorry, forgot to reply. I’m afraid I’m just in the business of giving you people the stories. Not in the business of distributing images. I don’t even have the imagine in the size you require. And if I did, I couldn’t really send it to you. If a web search doesn’t deliver what you need, stormsight.co.uk is your best chance.
Cheers for getting back to me bud i will have a look at the site you recommended have a nice day
Dek M