Album Covers that You Spent Hours Looking For Hidden Messages/Images/Meanings On.

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http://www.chez.com/jbergami/mes_disques/25_oclock.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006AW2M.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000062YAZ.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:14 (twenty years ago)

hours alex?

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

Well, maybe not hours.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

Maybe in increments of a few minutes at a time, compiled to equal hours.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

http://www.rockdetector.com/assets/img/covers/25143.jpg
and I deciphered it to! The inside reads like a love letter to Randy Rhoads!

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

goshdernit! here:http://www.headbanger.us/gallerie_o/bilder/ozzy_osbourne_speak_of_the_devil_front.jpg
yes, i spent hours.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/21/3c/ee7fa2c008a03fd5fe6d1010.L.jpg

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:48 (twenty years ago)

no longer a hippie, but phish's cover to "rift" is by far the most interesting/worthwhile cover i've come across. the album is supposed to be a journey through a night's worth of dreams, and the artwork on the front and back is a painting of a man sleeping in a room, each song/dream presented by some object in the room (there's a scale on the the bedside table for the song "weigh" the pattern on the carpet is a maze for the song "maze" but everything else gets much more subtle . . .) kind of a musical where's waldo . . . has anyone ever found every song?

― lester, Thursday, 14 April 2005 18:08 (twenty years ago)

I didn't really care enough to search, but the cover to "Be Here Now" by Oasis seems like it has hidden meanings

― Vestigial Appendages, Esq. (King Kobra), Thursday, 14 April 2005 18:18 (twenty years ago)

Incidentally, the album at the top that vanished -- irritatingly -- is 25 O'Clock by the Dukes of Stratosphear (i.e. XTC)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 19:24 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002UA2.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002U9Y.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg http://www.ccsi.com/~romy/IMAGES/thewall.GIF

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

http://music.porkrind.org/Killing%20Joke/Revelations/cover.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 19:43 (twenty years ago)

http://www.brainwashed.com/common/images/covers/rota1.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

After you've been taken to the other side, stare at the cover of the Genius Records LP version of this album.
http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/140/145756.jpg

― Marshall Stax (Marshall Stax), Thursday, 14 April 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

When I was 8 years old:

http://www.kissfaq.com/albumcovers/cover_hth_small.jpg

Especially the back cover, but I couldn't find an image of that online.

― darin (darin), Thursday, 14 April 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

http://members.aol.com/pgrsel/barrett/lpdivia.jpg

and for good reason! (that enigma shit... anyone remember?)

― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Thursday, 14 April 2005 19:57 (twenty years ago)

For Darrin....

http://www.kissfaq.com/albumcovers/cover_hth_small_rear.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 20:11 (twenty years ago)

Alex, this must've been when you were a kid looking for "Satanic" stuff, right?

― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Thursday, 14 April 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

Well, I think I started it with the whole Paul is Dead stuff before Satan got involved.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 20:34 (twenty years ago)

http://www.dropd.com/issue/84/CD/Oasis/cover.jpg

Was a complete waste of time, of course

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 14 April 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

http://gnr.dobrej.net/pics/covers/Guns_N_Roses_-_Use_Your_Illusion_2-front.jpg

http://gnr.dobrej.net/pics/covers/Guns_N_Roses_-_Use_Your_Illusion_1-front.jpg

― elgolfo (elgolfo), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000008LUM.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
http://discosantigos.com/Early%20Seventies/1970_LedZeppelinIII.jpg

― Davlo (Davlo), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

There's a "hidden map" in the artwork for Weezer's Pinkerton. By carefully removing the plastic part of the CD case that holds the CD you can see a map of Japan "Weezerfied", with references to the opera Madame Butterfly, on which many Pinkerton songs are based, as well as references to Weezer related people and things.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:46 (twenty years ago)

God, I have never seen that COIL album Alex posted upthread. What an awesome cover!

― Waking Up Onstage at Jumbo's (Bent Over at the Arclight), Friday, 15 April 2005 00:10 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000063DHL.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002U8G.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

and I'm fucked if I ever figured out the rotten equation embedded in the title:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000117J.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:11 (twenty years ago)

It means Girls + Money divided by Girls = Money and Girls.

― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:14 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002KET.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:21 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002JSN.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:22 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002J0B.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:23 (twenty years ago)

http://www.cottageviews.com/album%20covers/Beatles%20-%20Magical%20Mystery%20Tour.jpg

And the pictures in its accompany booklet (from the film)....

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/opd/mmtbooklet.jpg http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/opd/mmtb_page06.jpg http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/opd/mmtb_page04.jpg http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/opd/mmtb_page08.jpg http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/opd/mmtb_page05.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:26 (twenty years ago)

See the skull?

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/opd/mmtb_08skull.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:27 (twenty years ago)

http://servercc.oakton.edu/~larry/miles/images/covers/columbia/darkmagus.jpeg

― 6335, Friday, 15 April 2005 01:32 (twenty years ago)

Wow....that's bizarre (the Miles one). What's going on there?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:34 (twenty years ago)

until the liner notes came out and explained things, this was a WTF? cover:

http://music.porkrind.org/Gary%20Numan/The%20Pleasure%20Principle/cover.jpg

this one was a head-scratcher, too:

http://www.musicmatic.de/B/BowieDa2a.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:37 (twenty years ago)

x-post to alex in NYC

you can probably see the main face, (man w/ sunglasses on, probably miles?) but if you look real closely, you can make out what appear to be a bunch of other faces. i've definitely spent a couple hours of my life staring at that cover..

― 6335, Friday, 15 April 2005 01:54 (twenty years ago)

What's that on the cover for This Heat - Deceit? I've never seen it up close.

― sleep (sleep), Friday, 15 April 2005 01:55 (twenty years ago)

(This one)
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000005BE6.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― sleep (sleep), Friday, 15 April 2005 02:05 (twenty years ago)

http://www.sanantoniorock.com/zachhammock/website%20items%208-1-01/mah1.jpg

― brianiac (briania), Friday, 15 April 2005 02:50 (twenty years ago)

http://ubl.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drc000/c000/c000479sbwb.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:13 (twenty years ago)

http://www.brainwashed.com/common/images/covers/rota1.jpg http://www.brainwashed.com/common/images/covers/rotacd1.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:15 (twenty years ago)

http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/graphics/sab1.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:17 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000001EL5.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I was always convinced there was something going on here -- the gatefold photo to both the "red" and "blue" Beatles compilations...there is just a bizarre otherness to the photo, don't you think?

http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pcsp717_b.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:22 (twenty years ago)

Something about the expressions on the childrens faces always sort've creeped me out.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:23 (twenty years ago)

http://www.thebeatles.com.hk/images/records/albums/sgt_peppers_lonely_hearts_club_band.jpg

To see who I could recognize.

http://altmusic.boom.ru/zappa/WE_ARE_ONLY_IN_IT_FOR_THE_MONEY_LUMPY_GRAVY.jpg

Ditto, plus to see if Zappa was making any specific comment on the Beatles’ characters.

And

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000002G7E.08.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

To see the skull and knife image, which is exaggerated on this image. For the actual cover you had to hold it so it reflected light, and I was never sure if what I thought looked like the skull & knife actually was.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:45 (twenty years ago)

It's actually some dude's tattoo. One of Warhol's Factory scenesters.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:46 (twenty years ago)

Actually, I might be wrong about that. I thought it was "Little Joe" Dallesandro's tattoo, but that might not be the case.

In any event, it always reminds me of Nick Cave's tattoo...

ihttp://h.8v6.com/intheeyesofacat/image/Tattoo.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:51 (twenty years ago)

I had a million different theories about what was going on on this cover....

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000025JR4.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

...until I saw the original photo (by Don McCullin) of a VX gas attack in Northern Ireland.

The gatefold of the original LP was quite bizarre as well (cryptic re-tweaking of this photo, also by McCulln)...

http://www.anirrationaldomain.net/images/memo/memo16.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 05:56 (twenty years ago)

...I've since become friendly with sleeve designer Mike Coles, who debunked all the myths and theories about the sleeves. I was saddened to learn that the graffitti in the original photo does not in fact read "killing joke," alas. As a footnote, the band were exceptionally pissed off at Coles for sneaking his name onto the sleeve (this was during their "total anonymity" phase). If you look on the back cover, directly below the first running figure on the left (like ANY of you care), you can see the word "colesy" subtley scrawled in a white space near the bottom.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 06:00 (twenty years ago)

The back cover of Never Say Die, the faces in the clouds (being zonked at the time didn't hurt the process).

― 57 7th (calstars), Friday, 15 April 2005 12:42 (twenty years ago)

http://www.thestoneroses.co.uk/discography/albums/images/secondcomingF.jpg

― blutroniq (blutroniq), Friday, 15 April 2005 14:43 (twenty years ago)

There's a picture of a penis just underneath the "OS" in Roses.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

...until I saw the original photo (by Don McCullin) of a VX gas attack in Northern Ireland.

i thought that it was a pic taken at the berlin wall?!?

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 15 April 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Scott Walkers "Tilt" LP. I have always been trying to figure out just what the hell it is? A close-up of a bird?

― kwhitehead (stephen schmidt), Friday, 15 April 2005 17:20 (twenty years ago)

i thought that it was a pic taken at the berlin wall?!?

Nope.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.niagara.edu/neworder/graphics/fac103.jpg

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Friday, 15 April 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.niagara.edu/neworder/graphics/fac103.jpg

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Friday, 15 April 2005 21:48 (twenty years ago)

http://www.niagara.edu/neworder/graphics/fac103small.gif

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Friday, 15 April 2005 21:52 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.niagara.edu/neworder/graphics/murder.jpg

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Friday, 15 April 2005 21:53 (twenty years ago)

http://home.dialix.com/~u3336/factory/images/bn022.gif

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Friday, 15 April 2005 21:55 (twenty years ago)

and this one to see if it was real

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00002DE4E.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

and it is:

http://www.enkiri.com/joy/pics/genova_closer2.jpg

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Friday, 15 April 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

Wow, Neil...nice work. I've been trying to find a pic of that actual sculpture for some time. Cheers.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 23:19 (twenty years ago)

There's a great passage in Bill Drummond's book 45 about seeing "the Bunny God" on this cover....can you see him?

ihttp://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/Tips/EchoCrocodiles.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 23:21 (twenty years ago)

Can you see the reflection of the goat's head (!!!!!) in the water on this, the back cover of Styx's Grand Illusion (FWIW, Styx is the river that runs through Hell....or so I'm told).

http://www.styxnet.com/styxlyrics/images/gib.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 April 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)

I had the worst childhood, it would seem, as I NEVER did this.
I did once stare at the Bitches Brew cover for like ten minutes while listening to the album though. Though not looking for anything hidden.
I'm the kind of bastard that designers probably hate, who hasn't even taken out and opened the booklet of 50% of the CDs I own.

― Øystein (Øystein), Friday, 15 April 2005 23:30 (twenty years ago)

http://www.timoz.ca/artwork/santana/santana.jpg

― Stupornaut (natepatrin), Friday, 15 April 2005 23:44 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002KYF.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005MAG8.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 16 April 2005 03:36 (twenty years ago)

http://www.garment-district.com/store/music/kimchee/chrisb1d.jpg

― Aja (aja), Saturday, 16 April 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)

gah, neilFC beat me to it with thieves like us/murder. saville has since said, of course, that there's no hidden meaning whatsoever ... but can we believe him?

er, yes, probably.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 16 April 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

i used to spend ages looking at the coloured squares on the blue monday 12" wondering if they were a code - it was years before someone pointed out the back of power corruption & lies gave you the alphabet & numbers to decode it!

― zappi (joni), Saturday, 16 April 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

http://www.rockdetector.com/assets/img/covers/14218.jpg
there is the devil face on the canvas, and whilst high I thought it said "ozzy sucks" in blood somewhere too.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Sunday, 17 April 2005 03:34 (twenty years ago)

It does (down at the bottom)...if we're talking about Mob Rules (the image vanished).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 17 April 2005 16:19 (twenty years ago)

Someone spelled it out on a fan-site here ("Kill Ozzy," arguably)....

http://www.black-sabbath.com/images/covers/killozzy.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 17 April 2005 17:20 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

http://www.brainwashed.com/common/images/covers/torso181.jpg

I know I'm going overboard on the COIL mentions these days, but I just picked up this album fairly recently. There's actually quite a lot going on with this cover (beyond the ejaculating penis in the dead center -- which, strangely, a lot of folks seem to miss). i just read something recently that i'd never realized about it....it's supposedly a lion's face....do you see it (the shield is his large flat nose, and the ribbon with Coil written on it is his lower jaw). See? There's other stuff hidden within as well.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 6 May 2005 04:35 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

I'm not an Stone Temple Pilots fan, but I had a friend who liked them a lot. I went over to his house once and saw the cover of "Tiny Music from the Vatican Gift Shop" or whatever the hell that album was called. It seemed really weird and cryptic-- perhaps nonsensical-- and I gawked at it for several minutes trying to find the secret message. I found nothing.

http://i4.tinypic.com/10gwm6g.jpg

― punis (punis), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd600/d684/d6844637ha9.jpg
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf100/f133/f13326krp6x.jpg

― dave's good arm (facsimile) (dave225.3), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 18:19 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.nealsmith.com/coverart/pretties-frt.jpg

as a kid, I had always thought that the implication here was that the guy was drinking the woman's pee...was I right or was I wrong?

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 19:58 (nineteen years ago)

25 older messages are hidden.

― Black Arkestra (Black Arkestra), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 20:45 (nineteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00026WU9Q.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000BB18BS.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000025XKM.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005HKMJ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00009NOF4.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

oh and yes well okay:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002X4L.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― The Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 05:34 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/oldtimers/images/frgears.jpg http://www.angelfire.com/ca/oldtimers/images/bagears.jpg

― kjhkjhkhj (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 16:18 (nineteen years ago)

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/470/473054.jpg
http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/100/108242.jpg

― The Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 18:26 (nineteen years ago)

I used to take the inner sleeve of LA Woman by the doors and turn it around so the b/w photo of the naked woman getting crucified could be seen through the acetate on which the photo of the band appears, the idea being that the juxtaposition of the band image and the photo beneath would reveal a secret message.

If it did, surely the message would read....

MR. MOJO RISIN'

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 18:33 (nineteen years ago)

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