George Hardie, Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell
Framed: H. 97 cm. x W. 77 cm. D. 2 cm.
This limited edition print was one of the very first selection of Pink Flovd album cover designs to be revisited and re-envisaged as an art print by Storm Thorgerson at the very beginning of this century.
It is a beautiful silkscreen reworking of the Wish You Were Here image that truly deserves to be seen on this scale. "Speaking non-egocentrically, I still think the design for Wish You Were Here is great." The album itself is a sad and wistful indictment of insecurity. Thorgerson recalls that one theme, indeed one word, prevailed during the recording of the album at Abbey Road - absence.
Nothing more poignantly, or powerfullv illustrated this than the unexpected arrival of Svd Barrett at the studio during the vocal takes for Shine On You Crazy Diamond, having been absent for seven years. Storm told us, "The handshake from the burning man is as empty or absent a gesture as you can get. The man is really on fire. He wore an asbestos suit under the cloth suit, which extends over the head, where a wig was attached. The first attempts at setting him alight were in the wrong wind direction. The flames were blown back and ignited his moustache for an instant. A close shave, one might say. The diver in the lake makes no splash, so is he there really? Or is he absent? The The man in the desert is faceless, no features, no scruples or rather absent morality, so on and so forth.
The whole album desian was then hidden from public view bv an opaque black shrink-wrap.
In effect, this cover too was absent." The album itself is a favourite of David Gilmour's, with its haunting central theme of Shine On You Crazv Diamond is never far out of consciousness.