BOC: SYIB and CMC

[John A Swartz]

>The minimalism of the Mirrors cover atleast had it's own
sense style and perhaps even mystery.

And maybe in 1979 that was reasonable.  I can't imagine it on an album
cover today.  Then again, in the Internet age, maybe a picture of a
computer screen and a title of "Terminals" would be a 90s equivalent.

The cover of Mirrors never did anything for me - especially when you
consider it came on the heels of Some Enchanted Evening, which I think
is still the coolest BOC cover of all.

>Secret Treaties certainly conveys
menace.

Oh, and I would think that Heaven Forbid's cover does that as well.

>Graphically there are so many other places
to take that title, Heaven Forbid your eye pops out???  Well, OK Heaven
forbid that.  But where is the style, the menace and the attitude?

Well, one can argue that the actual album TITLE is not the greatest, and
I would agree there.  I don't particularly care for the title, but haven't
tried to draw a connection between the album title and the album cover
artwork (certainly a number of BOC's albums do have such a tie).  But,
I think the horror imagery aspect DOES convey menace and attitude.

>There is no defined standard, but at
least the others showed better taste.

Might be a reflection of the times -- and if the cover helps to sell the
album to the people who are buying lots of CDs these days (I'm thinking of
people younger than me in general), then I'm all for it -- the concept of
buying an album based on cover artwork was something I personally never
got into, but if it affects others, then so be it.

>Based on the cover and the chosen single I'm afraid of the
new album

Heh heh, and FEAR it you should, cuz it will kick yer ass!  :-)

But, speaking as somewhat of an "old fart", I acknowlege that I have
little feel for what sells albums these days (especially since most of
what's popular these days I can't identify with), so I'm not going to
try and assume that the cover/single choices are bad - I'm thinking it
may just be what the culture today will want.  A new look for BOC
may not help, but at this stage in their careers, I think it can't hurt.

>but I'll be at the record store first thing on March 24th

My local Newbury Comics opens at 10 - I expect to have Heaven Forbid on
my portable CD player blasting through my car speakers at approximately
10:03.  :-)

>Also, I forgot to look, can anyone tell if the always present BOC symbol
is on this new cover?

A few theories on this - some think it may be either in the eye, or the
lightbulb.  Others think that the face itself has sort of the shape of
the symbol (think of the nose as the center, the beard on the right side
as the lower "sickle" portion -- I realize this is probably a stretch).

I saw the blood on your coffeecup,

John