LOVE POLAROID SLEEVAGE #1; PEARL JAM: NO CODE

Polaroid Sleevage #1: First in a new series of posts about using instant film creatively in music cover art. First up is my own personal favourite, the 1996 Pearl Jam album: No Code. The album package is something of a masterpiece. It consists of 144 Polaroid photos that unfold into a 2 x 2 square, and the pictures, when viewed afar, blend to form the No Code triangle/eyeball logo which is the theme throughout the album. Hidden allusions to the central packaging concept are a common trait among many of Pearl Jam albums. The Polaroids themselves were taken by Jeff Ament, the bassist for Pearl Jam and were all taken in different places on different tours. The CD and vinyl formats came with lyrics printed on the back of replica Polaroids. Only nine Polaroids came in a set, leaving one to have to obtain another set to accumulate all thirteen songs. Among the Polaroid images on the cover is the eyeball of Dennis Rodman, former Chicago Bulls player and friend of Pearl Jam, while another photo is of Eddie Vedder's foot after he had been stung by a stingray!