This cover and many others were the work of Storm Thorgerson who died last week at the age of 69. Thorgerson’s classic work with Pink Floyd was done with his partner in crime Aubrey Po Powell under the nomme du guerre Hipgnosis. They also created this swell logo:
Here’s the haunting title track of the LP:
Yup, I love this cover. (The music’s rather awesome too.) I especially love how the four images (front and back cover, and both sides of the inner sleeve) invoke the four Aristotelian elements, including having them “break the fourth wall”– the flames from the burning man appear to make the edge of the frame char, etc.
I also remember seeing the tour to promote this album, and they ran some animations where a faceless man has to confront every one of the elements, and loses every encounter. For instance, he’s shown walking through a desert, when a sandstorm arises, stops the figure in his tracks, and slowly erodes him away– very creepy. Is this footage available anywhere, on line or otherwise?
It’s my favorite Pink Floyd disc edging out Dark Side by an inch.