THEMELESS MONDAY: [ ACROSS LITE][ PDF]
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PROGRAM: [Java]
While opening up Spotify last week, the program cheerfully told me that there was a new Sloan album called “Commonwealth.” Now, I like powerpop as much as the next guy, and Sloan’s all right. I’d even say their album “One Chord To Another” is a lost classic. Regardless, there’s just so much music out there and it’s hard to get around to listening to everything. So I was aware of it, but not like, totally aware of it. But wait just a moment. Back up, back up, back up. Is that a crossword puzzle on the cover. Yes, yes it is. Closer examination of it appears that it was in the Toronto Globe and Mail from March 15th of this year. Now, that’s odd because that paper runs a stellar block cryptic by Fraser Simpson on Saturdays, but no matter. They run an American-style crossword too. Too bad I can’t find any attribution anywhere in the picture or online. Cuz that’d be pretty sweet. Well, a crossword plus a David Bowie 7″ on the cover of an album is going to catch my eye every time and make me push play. And I’m glad I did, “Comonwealth” is all right.
I’d love to make a puzzle for an album cover, call it a bucket list entry. I’ve made puzzles for The Decemberists and Phish, but those were for concert programs. Not album covers. And for a band like Sloan, I would have done it for a modest fee, next to nothing really. Now, if U2 wanted to secretly put a puzzle by BEQ on everybody’s iPhone alongside their latest album, that would have cost them. I’m thinking of a figure that would change my tax bracket. Cuz, you know, Tabby needs new shoes.
Share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
I know of at least a couple other instances where actual puzzles were incorporated into the album art.
This 1980 album cover was, I’m told, created by none other than Eugene Maleska:
http://www.audiophileusa.com/covers400/85891.jpg
And Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields, had a side project in 1997 where the entire booklet was a puzzle suite that, when solved, provided the name of the band and album title, as well as the lyrics to all of the songs.
http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0000/139/MI0000139385.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
Any others out there?
I should have mentioned that the clues to the Blotto puzzle were on the back:
http://www.recordsbymail.com/uploads/09-25-12-LPs-1/690974-001.JPG
Dammit – after actually LOOKING at the album art, I realized I misremembered that the Blotto cover was created by John Samson, not Eugene Maleska.
I challenge the great BEQ to create a hard puzzle with no proper nouns, names or foreign words. Looking forward to it.
My favourite puzzle in a while. I especially loved the Flesh displayer and meal/question clues.
Classic sharp and clever BEQ.
Well, do it for the new upcoming RUSH album that’s due next year…. Rush was the Mortimer Adler of the Rock ‘n’ Roll world, so that’d make sense.