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I
remember the summer of 1974, California Jam was being broadcast
that night on ABC television. All of my favorite bands at
that time were at this event. DEEP PURPLE (with their then
new lead singer David Coverdale) BLACK SABBATH and that new
electronic band that everyone in my High School was talking
about EMERSON, LAKE and PALMER. I was blown away by their
performance. The next day I headed straight to my favorite
record store CUTLERS in NEW HAVEN CT. right in the heart of
YALE.
My
friend Bob went to the rack and returned with the LP in hand
“This is the one” he said, “It’s killer”.
He handed me a copy of BRAIN SALAD SURGERY. Wow! Obviously
the first thing that struck me was H.R. GIGER’S incredible
horrific, futuristic cover. It had a huge influence on me
right then and in later years, as I bought and have collected
books, prints and articles on GIGER. I even went through a
GIGER period in college where I painted what would become
THE SPECTRE WITHIN album cover for FATES WARNING.
The cover art features a skull in a metal vice with a woman’s
pouting lips before a shaft of light (in a die cut by designer
Fabio Nicoli) a metallic shaft at the bottom with the ELP
logo. Upon opening the die cut the full face of the woman
is revealed in the classic GIGER pale dead colors, her hair
and face adorned with patterns and her medusa like metallic
locks flowing. It was breathtaking artwork, and so photographic
in it’s rendering that at first I wasn’t sure
if it was a painting or some type of trick photography.
H.R. GIGER was born in 1940 in Chur, Switzerland the son of
the local pharmacist. He was trained early in drawing, painting
and architecture. GIGER talked about having all kinds of nightmares
when he was a child that gave him the inspiration for his
paintings. While living in Zurich in 1973 and listening to
the music of ELP, DAVID BOWIE, and MILES DAVIS he painted
a triptych entitled LANDSCAPE XIX-WORK 216.
ELP’s Swiss agent contacted GIGER and told him that
the band wanted him to do their next album cover that at the
time was entitled WHIP SOME SKULL ON YA. GIGER was surprised
on the accolades and flattery that KEITH EMERSON showered
him with, he had never before met a famous rock star. KEITH
had been forewarned that GIGER was strange to say the least,
however he was very impressed with his personality and work.
They immediately connected, GIGER showed him the painting
he was working on and KEITH felt that it was perfect for the
new album.
GIGER
painted a new piece approximately actual size for the album,
in about two days which is amazing considering the detail.
At this point I need to say something about GIGER's technique
for you serious art junkies. In my humble opinion GIGER is
the finest draftsman in the 21st century, here’s why,
he paints freeform. In other words what he does is tacks up
the canvas or paper to the wall, fills up his airbrush with
black acrylic, sometimes white (at the time he exclusively
painted in monochrome, thus the eerie look of his art) and
starts on one end of the canvas and doesn’t stop until
he gets to the other end of the canvas.
No
pre sketches, no guidelines, no layouts, nothing. He has said
sometimes he goes on marathons without eating or drinking
for days, almost as though he is possessed letting the art
flow through him. This is mind boggling when you see the sheer
scope, size (ELP was a rarity) and detail of his paintings.
The
art was completed to everyone’s satisfaction and was
handed in. Then the fun began! ELP changed the name to BRAIN
SALAD SURGERY (a line from a Dr. John song) GIGER was very
upset until it was pointed out to him that it meant the same
thing and referred to oral sex, which pleased him very much.
Then a woman at the pressing plant complained the art was
pornographic! The distributors balked. The record company
told GIGER to take the penis out. He refused to alter his
masterpiece, but succumbed when told that the band would then
have to look for another cover. So he airbrushed over it to
make it a shaft of light.
Now
I think he did an amazing job, making it subliminal. Once
someone tells you what the woman’s lips are about to
do and points it out, it becomes clearly visible. I know of
a woman friend of mine who had it framed and on her wall and
never really noticed it for many years. Once I pointed this
out to her she freaked, because that’s all she can see
and eventually had to take the cover down!
When
GIGER got the album he was very upset, it seems that no one
had checked the proofs and the album colors looked nothing
like his painting (he was right when you see a fine print
reproduction it’s amazing how much detail is lost and
how striking it is.) The colors actually fluctuated from country
to country!!
Regardless
it was a massive success both musically and artistically,
KEITH felt it was the zenith of ELP’s creative output
before the solo stuff started. The ELP logo GIGER created
has been used practically ever since. T-shirts, prints, posters,
backdrops, tons of reissues and one of the most frequent images
I have seen painted on the side of vans and motorcycles. GIGER’s
images have stood the test of times and in my opinion is one
of the greatest album covers of all time.
H.R.
GIGER went on to become a world famous artist and designer,
his paintings and prints worth hundreds of thousand of dollars.
He won an Oscar for his spectacular work for the movie ALIEN
and continues to do film work SPECIES, POLTERGEIST, and others.
GIGER also painted the cover for DEBBIE HARRY’s KOO-KOO
album and, more recently,designed a microphone stand for JONATHAN
DAVIS, the lead singer of KORN. You can see them in the MUSIC
section of Giger’s official website www.HRGiger.com.
Sadly
I was recently informed by Mr. Giger's representative that
during a recent exhibition in Prague the ELP art was stolen.
You can read the story on Mr. Giger's official website, HRGiger.com.
The page can be found through a link from his NEWSBOX on the
main page: Missing in Prague - ELP paintings. A reward has
been offered.
For
ELP the rumors persist that the boys may get together for
an anniversary tour this summer. You can visit their site
here.
For
me I’m getting back to work on another album project
and going out this weekend to
do what else, track down some more great art from my heroes.
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