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On this work the original album cover art design has been pared. With it went the artist's name and the album title.
What remained of the original image was pasted at left and the image was extended to the right with the addition
of a combination of mirrored images and some misplaced and altered elements.
What remained of the original image was pasted at left and the image was extended to the right with the addition
of a combination of mirrored images and some misplaced and altered elements.
Thus, the snake charmer's double, while trying to stimulate the "reclining octopus," instead causes the cobra to
respond to his crooked charms which, in turn, alarms him, and gets him ready to flee with an expanded right wing.
And not only that. The letters "P-A-B-L-O" on the holes of the five creatures that look like zippers handing over his
head now spell "O-L-B-A-P." Luckily enough, the snake charmer is able to control the "reclining octopus" by stepping
his platformed left foot on her last tentacle which doesn't look naughty at all because Barney Bubbles called her
"reclining octopus" instead of something else.
respond to his crooked charms which, in turn, alarms him, and gets him ready to flee with an expanded right wing.
And not only that. The letters "P-A-B-L-O" on the holes of the five creatures that look like zippers handing over his
head now spell "O-L-B-A-P." Luckily enough, the snake charmer is able to control the "reclining octopus" by stepping
his platformed left foot on her last tentacle which doesn't look naughty at all because Barney Bubbles called her
"reclining octopus" instead of something else.
No. 166, Rolling Stone, The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time; No. 321, The Virgin All-Time Album Top 1000
Cover art design by Barney Bubbles, album produced by Geoff Emerick
from an original idea by Elvis Costello. F-Beat (UK), Columbia (US)
1982.
from an original idea by Elvis Costello. F-Beat (UK), Columbia (US)
1982.
The name of the album "Imperial Bedroom" appears on the sleeve as
IbMePdErRoIoAmL. The cover painting, titled "Snakecharmer &
Reclining Octopus" by Barney Bubbles (but credited to "Sal Forlenza")
is a pastiche of "Three Musicians" by Pablo Picasso, and letters on
the zipper-like creatures in the upper right spell "PABLO SI". wikipedia
IbMePdErRoIoAmL. The cover painting, titled "Snakecharmer &
Reclining Octopus" by Barney Bubbles (but credited to "Sal Forlenza")
is a pastiche of "Three Musicians" by Pablo Picasso, and letters on
the zipper-like creatures in the upper right spell "PABLO SI". wikipedia
Having gotten country out of his system with Almost Blue, Elvis Costello returned to pop music with Imperial Bedroom -
and it was pop in the classic, Tin Pan Alley sense. Costello chose to hire Geoff Emerick, who engineered all of the
Beatles' most ambitious records, to produce Imperial Bedroom, which indicates what it sounds like - it's traditional pop
with a post-Sgt. Pepper production.
Essentially, the songs on Imperial Bedroom are an extension of Costello's jazz and pop infatuations on Trust. Costello's
music is complex and intricate, yet it flows so smoothly, it's easy to miss the bitter, brutal lyrics. The interweaving
layers of "Beyond Belief" and the whirlwind intro are the most overtly dark sounds on the record, with most of the
album given over to the orchestrated, melancholy torch songs and pop singles. Never once do Costello & the Attractions
deliver a rock & roll song - the album is all about sonic detail, from the accordion on "The Long Honeymoon" to the
lilting strings on "Town Cryer."
Of course, the detail and the ornate arrangements immediately peg Imperial Bedroom as Costello's most ambitious
album, but that doesn't mean it's his absolute masterpiece. Imperial Bedroom remains one of Costello's essential records
because it is the culmination of his ambitions and desires - it's where he proves that he can play with the big boys, both
as a songwriter and a record-maker. It may not have been a commercial blockbuster, but it certainly earned the respect
of legions of musicians and critics who would have previously disdained such a punk rocker.
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
(A) Beyond Belief - Tears Before Bedtime - Shabby Doll - The Long Honeymoon - Man Out of Time - Almost Blue - . . . And in Every Home
(B) The Loved Ones - Human Hands - Kid About It - Little Savage - Boy with a Problem - Pidgin English - You Little Fool - Town Cryer
"You Little Fool" music video from ElvisCostelloVEVO on YouTube.
www.elviscostello.com
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