i have no clue
[Edited 6/1/09 19:39pm]

Well, there's Madonna, Michael Jackson and 2 of his brothers (Randy and Marlon, I do believe), and Emanuel Lewis. The others elude me...

Nikademus said:

r u serious!!!

Does anybody know who painted the cover, and where can I get a good scan of the whole gatefold. Been searching for ages.

You realize most of the people on there have to do with the characters mentioned in the songs, right? The old lady who is crying. The man in the park. The black child holding an AMERICAn flag. The girl wearing a raspberry colored beret. "The girl on the see saw is laughing....." There's two nods to a tambourine. There's also, of course, the ladder. There's also what could be daisies in the yard area.

As far as the people: Prince is obvious, as is the Doctor. I think Wendy is standing, girding her skirt around her. Lisa is playing the violin. I almost see Sheila E.'s face in the red headed girl eating an ice cream. She wore see-thru outfits like that with strategically placed sequin patches during the Purple Rain tour.

And you can plainly see the mountain region in the back to be a woman in a prone position with her legs propped up at the knee.

By the way, here's the original painting. All the same elements are there. I don't know who did the current cover, but this was the original painting an artist did based on Prince's ideas:

Thanks for posting the cover. Its shame its so small on Cd cases, it defintly deserves a good look.

You're right, thats Wendy wrapping the skirt round.


Also Jet plane and small planet in sky = atwiad

[Edited 5/31/09 23:55pm]
[Edited 5/31/09 23:56pm]

mostbeautifulboy said:

Noted, and probably right.

Both scans are from my Flickr stream. The regular cover was when I scanned YEARS ago, so there are a couple of alignment errors in it that I never corrected, and I just never rescanned the cover.

ernestsewell said:[quote]

You realize most of the people on there have to do with the characters mentioned in the songs, right? The old lady who is crying. The man in the park. The black child holding an AMERICAn flag. The girl wearing a raspberry colored beret. "The girl on the see saw is laughing....." There's two nods to a tambourine. There's also, of course, the ladder. There's also what could be daisies in the yard area.

As far as the people: Prince is obvious, as is the Doctor. I think Wendy is standing, girding her skirt around her. Lisa is playing the violin. I almost see Sheila E.'s face in the red headed girl eating an ice cream. She wore see-thru outfits like that with strategically placed sequin patches during the Purple Rain tour. [qoute]


I think this album cover is cool besides it evoking The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt Pepper, the main thing I've always dug about it is that there are no definite answers about who a few of the members are. I remember when the album first came out, some of my friends who were fans of P just like I was, we all picked certain characters to be members of the band. They were all different choices. Meaning the figure I picked to be Brown Mark, someone else said it was Prince, etc. My feeling all along was that P did not want it easy for anyone to spot him in the painting. IF there is a character that represents P at all. Some are obvious....Matt is right up front with the doctor coat and mask. To his upper left is Bobby in all black. Lisa is sitting on the ground playing a violin, although in the face, it looks NOTHING like Lisa. But I believe it's her. I believe Wendy is the little girl on the swing. Brown Mark is the figure who's sitting down playing P's guitar, wearing the cloud suit. Now MOST people believe THAT figure to be Prince. But the profile of the figure's face, AND the body shape is that of Mark Brown, NOT Prince. He's just wearing P's Rasberry Beret video outfit and he's playing P's guitar. But look into the face and the build, that is Brown Mark. I don't believe P would place himself wearing an outfit THAT obvious and doing what that figure is doing. It's TOO blatant, TOO obvious. I've always believed it was Brown Mark because it LOOKS like Brown Mark wearing Prince's clothes. The woman with the skirt and who's sticking her finger through a hole is Clara Bow. That's taken from a famous picture of the actress where she's striking that exact pose.
[Edited 6/1/09 0:20am]
[Edited 6/1/09 0:46am]

I always thought that was ME playing the guitar.

blackguitaristz said:[quote]

ernestsewell said:

I always thought that Michael Jackson is in this painting. Sticking with the theme of The Beatles Sgt Pepper album cover where they had famous people and where they had "Welcome The Rolling Stones" written on a little girl doll and The Stones returned the favor on their Satanic Majesties Request album cover, Staying with that, I think P did that with Michael. I always believed that the figure who's eating the ice cream is Michael. The figure is posed EXACTLY like Michael is on the cover of Thriller. And in the face, it actually looks like Michael with a mustache. The clothes is indeed an outfit that Sheila E wore on the PR tour and that is a dig at Michael known for being "feminine". (Like P himself should talk). But yeah, I always believed that figure represents Michael Jackson. Michael was P's known compettion and chief rival just like The Beatles were to The Stones. IF P is represented at ALL in the picture, I think it's the old black man with the tear in his eye. Which could represent P "feeling old" or that he has "aged" emotionally and spiritually. That "all of this" has taken a toll on him. "For The Tears In Your Eyes" mantra but in reverse. The tear could represent that he has been hurt by the bad press and from being misjudged by the We Are The World event. And that also he's an "old soul" weary from it all. He did have his manager tell the press that after the PR tour, P was "retiring" from music. And that he was going to look for the ladder. Just my take on it all. That's why I dig the album cover because it's open to interpretation.
[Edited 6/1/09 0:41am]
[Edited 6/1/09 0:49am]

Clara Bow

ernestsewell said:

I never noticed that before. Anyway the artist that painted the cover for ATWIAD,and "The Face" in the Purple Rain album insert is Doug Henders.

That guy behind the doctor looks like Edward Scissorhands.

ernestsewell said:[quote]By the way, here's the original painting. All the same elements are there. I don't know who did the current cover, but this was the original painting an artist did based on Prince's ideas[quote]

the artist for 'both' covers is the same man - can't recall his name now.....ahh....doug henders
[Edited 6/1/09 1:25am]

The figure that is eating the ice cream is actually Miko as he joined the Revolution in 1985. Take a real close look at the face. Prince is in the white robe and everyone else is easy to spot. But thats Miko eating the ice cream looking a little freaky!

joyinrepetition said:

Miko is a guy. The figure is a girl. Miko wasn't in the band when this was even recorded (ie: during the Purple Rain tour). Not even close.

blackguitaristz said:

Not. Even.

ernestsewell said:

Check your Prince books i.e. Uptown. Miko was with Prince during the Purple Rain tour and was part of the camp and played with Prince, Sheila E. and with the Family and all those albums were recorded in late 1983 to 1984. I got you on this one partner.
[Edited 6/1/09 8:48am]

joyinrepetition said:

He wasn't in the band, partner, until 1986. Regardless, that's not Miko on the album cover. It's plainly a girl.

Prince is in Dr. Fink's outfit.

Sheila E. is eating the ice cream. I can't remember why she has a moustache though.

It is actually Susannah holding the violin. She mentioned to a friend of mine that she had to hold that pose for something like 3 hours...

ernestsewell said:

Not to beat a dead horse and no fighting words but Miko was in Prince's band during the PR Tour and in 85. Maybe Boris can give you some insight.

joyinrepetition said:

You mean during the encores when Sheila's band was out there? Yeah, then he played WITH the band. So did Pete, Eddie, etc etc. The point of the thread is if people think that's Miko in the pic. Miko ain't a girl, and that chicky clearly has some titties.

ItsOnlyMountains said:

I always thought it was cat whiskers.

joyinrepetition said:

Sheila E's band toured with Prince & the Revolution on the PR tour(opening act) Mico was the guitarist for Sheila E along with Susie(keyboards), Eddie M(sax)

Miko wasn't an official band member for Prince until SOTT
he was a touring/recording guitarist 4 Sheila E and the Family
he was pulled in at the disbanding of the Family the way:Jerome,Eric Leeds & Susannah were pulled in, for the tour. He played guitar on Mountains.
But he was a part of Sheila's band officially for the Sheila E album

He was definately a part of the Prince camp early on like 83 but via Sheila E. (they were high school friends) and became friends with Prince then, through an interview he said he was hanging out at Prince's house when Prince let him get a peak at the ATWIAD album.



Eddie M. Jill Jones, engineer Susan Rogers & Miko Weaver
this is like 83/84


[Edited 6/1/09 10:50am]

blackguitaristz said:

wow I always thought that.

where is the little girl being carried away by the balloon

I loved getting this album with all the imagery inside and out

OldFriends4Sale said:

I have that pic of the 4 of them.

Okay "part of the Prince camp" and "in the band" are different. that's my point.

And yes he was on Mountains, but that was released in 1986, and recorded in late 85 at some point. So we're talking the difference of a couple of months. In 1985 The Revolution released a video while filming UTCM. Miko and the other 5 members weren't in the band YET, officially - not in public.

We're on the same page.

ernestsewell said:

Yeah my message was in agreement with yours, not with the person who said Mico was in Prince's band.

Sheila E was a part of the Prince camp too but not an official band member until SOTT, even though she played/sang on ATWIAD Parade & Dream Factory
same with Jill Jones

I'm not even saying Mico was a part of the band for the Parade tour, I'm saying he wasn't official until SOTT(tour)

Mico was a touring guitarist from 84Glamorous Life/Purple Rain Romance 1600/the Family Parade Sign of the Times,

Mico was a studio guitarist for Romance 1600 the Family Mountains (don't know what he contributed via Jill Jones or the Dream Factory or SOTT)

most likely recorded on the Black album and definately on Lovesexy
Batman & Graffiti Bridge

ernestsewell said:

A girl in a moustache? You're saying that it's Sheila when joy is saying it's Miko. Who it does also look like Miko. I believe it's Michael Jackson. But it DOES also look like Miko, who I have thought that in the past as well. I just know that P was always looking to do something "sick" so the pose is dead on Michael from Thirller. Like I stated earlier, I dig it because it's open for many different things. You also SWORE that Wendy was the figure in the skirt, which you were wrong about. Because that's obvioulsy Clara Bow. My point is is that you act like you know for a FACT who is who when you obviously don't. I stated right away that people like myself, who were into Prince from the jumpstreet all had different opinions on who was who. And that's all fine. Because it is all opinions. There is no debate on Bobby, Matt etc. I think it's cool that people think the members are different people. But when you're coming back at everyone like "No! It's NOT them...Hmmmphh, It's THAT person!" when you already was dead wrong about where Wendy was, just shows that you don't have the knowledge to be attempting to shoot down everybody's opinion. NONE of us were there when P was telling the artist, "I want this and this" and so on.

blackguitaristz said:

Great point BGZ! I respect that.