It’s one of the privileges in the music business to meet and work with great people, but in general most of them are musicians. So there was always a special frisson to any opportunity to meet Storm Thorgerson, who was a creative brain in a different space. Suddenly money became no object and I did anything I could to make his vision happen with a genuine excitement.

I am proud of few things in life but I am proud of the fact that Storm singled me out as crazy enough to make this commercial:

I don’t know what possessed me to agree to it but I just loved the idea that if you actually spoke the original languages the script meant something to you. I can’t actually remember the whole script but I know the Japanese couple translated to something like “cheap western suits self combust with friction”. It fit the image perfectly:

I loved the “Flogging A dead Horse – middle period” line too, although I wondered what Gilmour and Waters would have made of it.

As part of this project I commissioned Storm to make a life size version of the the “Relics” space ship which turned this:

And I was proud to help him fulfill that ambition! It became his sleeve for the reissued package.

That day he bought in two other ideas – we filed one (an armchair with fabric woven with Floyd images:
 

which didn’t get done until later), but did the other. And that became this image:
 

Which is now as famous as anything Storm ever did. “They want back catalogue do they” he said with a twinkle in his eye’ “well let’s give them just that”. So we did! And to prove it here’s my copy of his original sketches for the idea that he kindly gave me as a memento. I think Storm got some shit for how well this image did later and was accused of selling out, but I can reassure everyone it was created as another part of his prolonged reluctance to do the “norm”. Not for Storm a 30 second montage of video clips!

I don’t treasure much in the record business but I will always keep these:
 

(please excuse the annoying frame/light glare on the pics but you can still see just how amazing these original sketches are! - ed)
 

Storm shot the image live in a swimming pool in Chelsea but he wouldn’t let me come to the shoot. “You’ll distract the girls” he said. I was a little bitter about that. He gave me a video of the session but it only showed the backs in steady cam. I’m sad to say I lost it somewhere along the way.

We worked on some other projects from new acts (Ragga & The Jack Magic Orchestra – not used)
 

Through to the extraordinary never stopping light of Pink Floyd’s “Pulse”

With batteries sourced from the US navy survival kits and the famous “lugless” box (Storm fought a long crusade against the horribleness of the CD), and it was always a pleasure and an inspiration, as well as a financial challenge.

I saw him last a few years ago after the stroke. He was amazing and on fire with ideas for merchandising his ideas. He gave me a copy of his book (which you have to see to understand the creative mind of a genius)

And signed it for me. I was proud. And felt truly honoured to have it.

RIP Storm. The record business just became considerably duller.

-Tony H

For a fully comprehensive look into the amazing album artwork of Storm Thorgerson, look no further than our new Cool Accidents Pinterest board, better late than never right?!