To be absolutely strict, cover designs after 1983 by people previously "employed" in Hipgnosis, are not Hipgnosis. But the creative outputs of especially Bo Powell and Storm Thorgerson are inevitably linked, so it makes completely sense to me to consider it a part of that catalog. Hipgnosis is basically just a tag put on a collective of artistic output and that does not change in a fundamental just because they decided to stop Hipgnosis as a business concept. Both of them carried on in various artistic forms, Storm mostly with album art and Bo mostly in film. But now and again Bo would help out his old friends with complete packages, like is the case with Gilmour's Rattle That Lock. Btw. I can recommend that you listen to the track "Five A.M." and then the rest of the album while reading this .. :-)
Now .. I haven't been able to find any first hand quotes from Aubrey Powell about his ideas for this art-concept, and furthermore it is much complicated, since he apparently mostly was an overall supervisor, rather than artist. How much he has his hands in the actual artistic expression I am not sure, but there are clear "Hipgnostic" tendencies, that I will explain, that leads me to think that Bo is responsible for the overall idea and connection between parts. Note that this is a "review" of the Deluxe Edition, so if there are additional art in other editions, they are not accounted for here.
It is all housed in a sturdy quality box including two small books, a poster, a dvd, a cd, an envelope with a postcard. According to the listings, there should have been a plector also. But either it has dropped out of mine somehow or never put in. I suppose it is of little importance anyway in the overall artistic expression. The inside of the lid shows darkened skies split by lightning. Everything is black and foreboding in some way.
The birds on the cover are escaping their cage after they have rattled the lock. This is an old cliché for setting free and directly linked to the lyrics in the title track ...
"Whatever it takes to break, got to do it, form the burning lake, or the easten gate, you'll getvthrough it, rattle that lock and lose those chains, and all the other travellers, become phantoms in your eyes..." The whole concept seem to be escaping from the darkness of your fears and selfinflicted limitations. Visiting your past or contacting your true self. Bring that along and escape to reality and let other people be other people.. They are mere phantoms if they do not see the key and the possibilities that lies before them all the time. They are just holding you back, because of their fear of living.
The album is inspired by Milton's Paradise Lost book II. I will not comment on that except to say, that the darkness of the whole concept is derived from that. The birds, the wings combined of bat and angelwings, are all references to dark and light, good and evil, false and true self. The flying birds ties perfectly with the 19th century woodcarve illustrations by Gustave Doré and the coverart of the dark and erie landscape.
The real Hipgnostic mystery in this package is the envelope with the postcard inside. It seems like a completely misplaced item in all of this dark and serious imagery. But my explanation is this. There is a track that stands out on the album and that is "The Girl In The Yellow Dress" with clear french references and looking at the postcard, you quickly realize that the girl dancing is wearing a yellow dress. This is the key. The lyrics are also quite different and lively compared to the other ones. This may be the "key" itself...
it has to be rattled, like it has to be worked on a bit and not just "click and open"... maybe rattling is enough :-) ... maybe it is an old flame from the old days or just a memory of a time of great joy and happiness...
There is no address on the envelope or writing on the card. You need to create life yourself. Nothing is handed to you except the time you exist !
The poster makes me think of the duality of the official musician David Gilmour and the private David. The way it is folded hints at that... the split is there. The official "Live" David Gilmour is just an artistic representation of the real person... never quite the same. Depends on the eyes that look .. the ones looking out at you is the real person that can never really be cought, not even by David.
