5. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by Pink Floyd, released in 1975. The album was so successful that record company EMI couldn't keep up with demand, and it's since been regarded as one the greatest albums of all time. For all its acclaim and success, however, it's a cover that most people tend to look at for a moment before shrugging and sticking on a song. The cover depicts what appears to be two very similar-looking men in business suits shaking hands. The only caveat? One of the men is on fire. The two are set against a pale blue sky, standing on what appears to be some sort of film lot. But that's not the strangest aspect of it all. Also designed by Storm Thorgerson (who did Muse's Absolution cover), Thorgerson was told by the band that the theme of the album was absence. Because The Beatles had already done a blank cover for The White Album, Thorgerson decided to obscure the surreal artwork by selling the album covered in dark shrink-wrap (thereby making the artwork absent). What the artwork actually means, however, is quite interesting. The cover was inspired by the notion that people often try to conceal how they really feel, in order to protect themselves from being hurt or getting burned. Thus, the cover depicts two men handshaking, one of whom is indeed (and very literally) getting burned. As with many of Thorgerson's album covers, the art used no special effects. The flaming stuntman in the photo was wearing a flame-resistant suit.
Brian Wilson
Contributor
Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.
See more from
Brian