The cast of characters, including the dog, numbers.....

SEVENTEEN!

Also, something I never really noticed until now, the waves from the sandbox ocean are moving away from the shore....

What's the story with the little dog? I think I read once that it was Prince's dog? Can someone fill me in?


[Edited 1/11/06 6:25am]

Anyone have any thoughts on the airplane in the top left corner?

i always thought the chick with the red hair and the ice cream was supposed to be sheila e....after all, that's an outfit sheila used to wear.

also, the character with the actual "raspberry beret" on her head...isn't that a real picture of clara bow collaged into the album cover art? or maybe it's supposed to be susannah? hmmm.

i don't think the characterizations in the "raspberry beret" video are necessarily direct parallels of who's supposed to be who on the album cover art, by the way. i think the whole thing was supposed to keep fans guessing.

Anxiety said:

Clara bow is the woman behind the "BobbyZ Prince" in the cloud outfit with the guitar. Compare that woman's face to the image of clara bow I have attached to a post a few posts up.

http://www.jimwarren.com/illus_04_around.html

This link may have been posted b4, but I figured it was appropriate to put it in this thread.

Notice that Jim Warren mentions a "fat man hugging a tiger". I wonder why it was asked to be initially included, & why it is not part of the final design.

apologies to 1nonly, I didn't notice that this info. was available once you click on the picture in your post.
[Edited 1/11/06 11:18am]

Uptown #37 Published March 31st 1999

A Study of the Around The World In A Day Album Cover Artwork

The Around The World In A Day album cover features a painting by Doug Henders, who described his artwork as "a combination of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine cartoon images and the surrealistic landscapes René Magritte [early twentieth century Belgian surrealist painter] used often in his work." Henders had developed some of the set designs for the Purple Rain film, including the Kid's room, and was along for the Purple Rain tour, filming concerts. David Magdziarz takes a closer look at the intriguing album cover art in this article.

anybody got it?

the womans body disguised as mountains.....temptation

Ok, just for funsies...

Decipher as many of the pictures from the album cover of ATWIAD.

For example, the big ladder in the middle of the spread coming from the pool to the sky is in reference to the title "The Ladder"

Your turn...

Remember, only for the final ATWIAD cover

1nonly said:

the jet plane in the top left is "around the world in a day", because that's what you would need fly to do it.?

And there's the monkey next to the girl in the raspberry beret, which refers to the "monkey cage" lyric of America. And it's not in a cage, so I guess that conveys freedom.

Aerogram said:

Monkey? No, that's a dog...I think that was a depiction of Prince's pet dog at the time, if I remember the story correctly.

Anxiety said:

This picture is very blurry and I long ago lost the cd cover it came in. It was some long carboard box. I think that was the first cd I ever bought.

And now that y'all have made me dig out my vinyl copy to get a better view I've noticed something I never saw before. The strings on the cloud guitar are rainbow-colored. I wonder what, if anything, that refers to? Homosexuality? Unity? The heavens? Technicolor psychedelia?

I swear, this thread is like reading "The DaVinci Code."
[Edited 1/11/06 15:06pm]
[Edited 1/11/06 15:08pm]

This is an awesome thread!

Looking at the painting for the original cover, the artist says Prince gave him a list of 13 things that had to be included. He specified two:

1) A man hugging a tiger (not on the released cover, and no apparent reference to any lyric on the album. But isn't that a common religious theme, particularly with Jehovah's Witnesses---even though Prince wasn't one at the time---of people in heaven petting or hugging animals that were ferocious killers on Earth? And what does the child pointing and laughing signify?)
2) Two men with hair shorter on one side playing the tamborine

What might've been the other eleven requests (based on similarities between the two covers):
3) A girl laughing on a see-saw
4) An old woman in a shawl crying
5) A field of daisies (notice the paisley shaped paths on the original cover...this field is Paisley Park)
6) A jet flying overhead
7) A clown juggling
8) A small naked African-American child with an American flag
9) A woman with a raspberry beret
10) A ladded reaching from the sea into the heavens
11) An ocean moving away from the shore
12) A girl/woman on a wall eating ice cream
13) An old man sitting and crying

And of course there are doves all over both covers.

And now that y'all have made me dig out my vinyl copy to get a better view I've noticed something I never saw before. The strings on the cloud guitar are rainbow-colored. I wonder what, if anything, that refers to? Homosexuality? Unity? The heavens? Technicolor psychedelia?

I swear, this thread is like reading "The DaVinci Code."
[Edited 1/11/06 15:06pm]
[Edited 1/11/06 15:08pm]

And I've got to add, I'm really surprised that so many people on this thread haven't noticed the womanly shape as the mountain's in the background!...ooops! got an email from the npgmc..gotta check it out
Nevermind, it's just that opening act at the viper room email....hardly important.

I've noticed something I never saw before. The strings on the cloud guitar are rainbow-colored.

renfield said:

BTW, I also email'd the artist of the original cover art asking for a list of 13 prerequisites...hopefully he can answer me. If possible, I would be more than happy to let you all know once I find out something.

We will break this code, dammit! We will!!!!