Radiohead’s The King Of Limbs Artwork
Here is some information and a closer look at the album artwork for The King Of Limbs. This was originally posted on At Ease. Check it out by clicking here.
The cd is housed in a 4-page wallet, with the actual cd in a slit on the right side. On the left page you can see 8 illustrations accompanied by the following titles; Roots Of Roots, Ragnorok, Urpflanze, The King Of Limbs, Codex, Axis Mundi, Yggdrasil and Arbor Philosophica. The albums credits are below. The back has the word RADIOHEAD mirrored and the track list.
Remember the reference Aporia made about Arbor? Click here for more info on Aporia.
These are the album credits:
The music and sounds of The King Of Limbs were conjured up by Radiohead and Nigel Godrich. The imagery was summoned up by Zachariah Wildwood and Donald Twain. Engineered and mixed by Nigel Godrich. Additional engineering by Drew Brown. Additional assistance by Darrell Thorp and Bryan Cooke. Flugelhorn on Bloom and Codex performed by Noel Langley and Yazz Ahmed. Strings on Codex performed by The London Telefilmonic Orchestra, led by Levine Andrale and conducted by Robert Ziegler. Mastered by Robert C. Ludwig at Gateway Mastering & DVD. Also thanks to Peter Yozell, and Neil Whitcher. Studio equipment etc., kept going by Plank. Ourselves kept going by Kat and Tim. And our office! A big thank you very much indeed to Drew Barrymore. This one’s for new Henry, Zohar and all our little ones. Hello Guys
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Yggdrasil reminds me of something from Lovecraft…don’t know why. I know it’s Norse but the artwork is strange.
I think the album explicitly implies that they are “conjuring” and “summoning” therefore magic is being performed. the existence of the many images of mushrooms is a clue to the method. Magic practioners use drugs as a way to contact the spiritual realm. the artwork is very dark and haunting therefore I assume is the black arts are being used. Many musicians use these powers to create music, one only has to look at the most famous like the Stones or Zep for proof. Two songs, Give up the Ghost and Codex refer to suicide.
As one looks at the history of rock many musicians die very young a payment for their Faustian bargains of fame and fortune. Also many have channeled Crowley as does radio head here.
this is no doubt the darkest album radiohead has ever done in imagery and song. summoning the drugs via a lotus flower imagery to transform to a rebirth. I think there is a hope of rebirth though the darkness, scattered layering of songs and discontent indicates radiohead is facing the call on the bargain. Give up the Ghost refers to Thom and has succumbing to the time of being sucked into the abyss of dark forces, the “arms” of blackness.
Personally, i think the songs on this album are outtakes from In Rainbows. therefore, there is a constant struggle to produce fresh new music but one is faced by pushing a rock up a mountain eventually as the magic fades.
as the magic fades one has to induce ever more powerful forces to maintain the status quo. they are slowly slipping into the coma as evidenced by Thom’s possessed dancing on the Lotus song. the band is almost absent in the album, few instruments really played per se- fading out. the last album was a few years ago and now only 8 tracks produced as they hide in the netherworld
this part 2 biz is becoming sad/annoying.
Radiohead should just announce something more, or tell us fans to give it a rest.
radiohead is reversed on artwork, so maybe the last four tracks ( ending with separator) are really the first four.
I am also convinced there will be more forthcoming music that will give much pleasure to even the hardest to please fans. Another hint besides Jonny’s interview comments is that tour dates have not been announced. Yes, there is at least one more EP coming soon!
Here’s what I’ve been working with. I don’t have it completely nailed down, and I’m not sure about the order, but this supports the 8 EP theory being released in 4 “albums”. I’ve done more research into tree and plant mythology than I ever thought I would. Everything seems to tie together in some way, shape, or form. At the end of the day, I’m still skeptical, but hopeful…Enjoy!
Album One:
King of Limbs and Codex – Why? We have it already, it forms a tree (limbs and a trunk), and the artwork shares some similar properties (limbs of the “creatures”).
Album Two:
Yggdrasil and Root of Roots – Why? Yggdrasil is the name of the “world tree” in Norse mythology. Yggdrasil also has dualistic roots (good vs. evil…and others). This time, a tree with roots. Again, the artwork shares similar properties (I focus on the whispy lines of the hair and roots).
Album Three:
Urpflanze and Ragnorak – Why? Again, art is similar to me. One is a “zoomed-in” version of another. Urpflanze is the primordial plant, or the beginning of all plant life. Ragnorak is the end of the world (or of an era) in Norse mythology. Coincidentally (or not?) Yggdrasil is supposed to be the “re-birth” place of humanity after Ragnorak. So, a beginning and an end…birth and death.
Album Four:
Axis Mundi and Arbor Philosophica – Why? Well, this one does not make as much sense to me. Axis Mundi is the connection b/w heaven and Earth. Arbor Philosophica is the tree that produces the philosopher’s stone (among other elements), which gives the owner magical/godly powers. Sorta similar. Once again, the artwork shares similar elements.
So, what do you all think? Does anyone know what the words are on the Axis Mundi drawing?
Also, check out this essay…to me, it screams Radiohead. I found it on a google search with several of the picture titles.
http://lmta.lt/web/pdf/lt_muzikologija/2010/Lietuvos_muzikologija_XI_Rzepczynska_75-86.pdf
Could this be the cover of Arbor Philosophica?
http://thekingoflimbspart2.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/friday_woods.jpg
It has some similarities … With all those ghosts side by side … I do not know …
you sound like such a nerd
Yep… maybe… im using google translate, so I do not know if what I write … is really what I mean…
http://www.fifty24sf.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/In-the-Shed1.jpg
Maybe Here, there is some paint that has some resemblance to the artwork
Guys, I think we’re talking nonsense, really. The King Of Limbs is an excellent album, well structured and complete within itself. I don’t think it’s “short”. It has the right amount of songs and I really believe Radiohead have assembled it in the best way they could. There are a lot of great album out there which are under 40 minutes long: almost all the Beatles’ and Stones masterpieces, for example, and many more. So, I really don’t understand what’s wrong with you people… I don’t think there will be a “The King Of Limbs Part 2″. It wouldn’t be essential and it wouldn’t make so much sense.
I think they’ve got lot of new material to be released yet too, but i think they’re still wondering the way to make it released. Jonny Greenwood said that clearly in a recent interview and it seems they’re still working on some of that stuff.
I think everything about “Seasonal Theory” or a secopnd part to TKOL is starting to sound a little pathetic.
This is a great website indeed but its meaning is getting lost and drifted little by little.
by the way, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone already posted this, but I just looked up Codex on wikipedia and this is what I found:
A codex (Latin caudex for “trunk of a tree” or block of wood, book; plural codices) is a book in the format used for modern books, with multiple signatures (two, four, or eight sheets which are folded, stitched, and bound), then typically bound together and given a cover.
That would make A LOT of sense if Codex was the beginning of TKOL’s second half. TKOL is a bunch of groups of songs stitched together but then bound together (in one album) and given a cover (the same album artwork and such).
Definitely siding on the 8 EP theory. I know it’s ambitious, but it makes the most sense to me at the moment. It goes with the symbol, and these new pictures.
Mate- come on, 8tracks!!
You’re making as much of a guess as I am there bud.
And why would the pictures represent tracks when one of them is called called “The King of Limbs”???
See, “Codex” could be the title of an EP under the 8 EP theory, but it would make absolutely no sense for “The King of Limbs” picture to represent one song. My logic > yours.
the question is, now we have 8 pictures, will we end up with 625 even more esoteric mythological trees.
8 pictures, 8 limbs, 8 names of EP.
oh damn,it’s so great!
this is dumb as hell.
you are wack
NO U
u mad?
it’s just tough love for the fans. what have we ever done for them? and who are we to be asking so many questions?
As Atease says, I think Zachariah Wildwood and Donald Twain are Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke’s new pseudonyms. It doesn’t actually mention Stanley Donwood (nor Tchock), and we know that he’s been workng on the artwork, so this makes sense to me. I don’t think there’s anything more to it than that.
SO 2 different EP’s The King of Limbs and Codex? Makes sense since the first 4 songs and the last 4 songs seem to be their own entities.
I think the 8 EPs could really be the answer to this whole puzzle. And that would be great that would be another 24 or so songs. WOW that would be outstanding.
So indeed The King of Limbs would be a part of this so called “the world’s first* Newspaper Album” and not the actually Newspaper album all by itself.
Most of those reference Norse mythology or alchemy… all the more evidence for a “Burn the Witch” song being released! Also, in TKOL there are several references to magic like in Little By Little “the last one out of the box… the one who broke the spell” (reminds me of Pandora’s box legend, and also the lyric from Super Collider, “to put the shadows back into the boxes”) and in Morning Mr. Magpie “took all my magic, stole my melody”…
Most of those refer to Norse mythology… very interesting!
Amazing, so the 4 pictures found in the artwork all appear in the booklet. Can’t believe no one was able to read those names from the thumbnail…
A banal question: is there anyone who ordered more than one copy of digital version of TKOL? I really think the number ’1′ is referred to the items’ quantity, and it’s a shame I only start to think about that now…
Then if someone ordered three copies of digital TKOL he would have seen on his order tracking screen TKOL1, TKOL2 and TKOL3. Anyone???
I think this is the ANSWER. And it would be hilarious and embarassing at the same time…!!!
why hilarious? why embarasinging?
There was a glitch with my original order and I “ordered” and was charged for two digital copies. This order was quickly cancelled though and I re-ordered just the one, and all of the w.a.s.t.e. customer service etc. was great but nothing special happened, just an overcharge :]
I did order it twice and both began with TKOL1
because they needed 5 digits?
why drew barrymore anyway?
@jo – I think they recorded the songs at her house in LA. I know some big celebs in LA have several houses(even in LA), so maybe she let them use it. Its probably a lot easier to record away from a recording studio for a band like Radiohead. Would not have to worry about it getting leaked or anyone to record a snippet, etc.
Maybe weve had the eps TKOL and CODEX…..?
The other trees are only going to fuel the rumours.
This is the first thing that makes sense to me that actually supports the 8 EP theory. WE already have Codex and the King of Limbs.
on the back of the cd cover it lists the first 4 songs then the word RADIOHEAD is separating the last four, which of course includes the song codex. So maybe the first 4 songs is the king of limbs EP, and the next four is the Codex EP? I have no clue i’m probably sounding really dumb right about now. It’s most likely nothing and for aesthetic reasons.
I agree. I think that is more substantial evidence then the picture of eight arms. I think the eight arms picture just represents the eight tracks. I’m thinking “Ragnorok” would be their last EP of the bunch, because it is a battle for the earth. Maybe Axis Mundi fits on the last EP as well, because that term alludes to where we live in the planes of earth, between heaven and hell, that sort of thing. It also is a philosophical term that deals with your brain. Your brain is the axis mundi and it is thrown off by outside events. Which could be their other EPs. But who knows, all speculation.
Im starting to loose all hope of a TKOL 2….. surely we will get more than the 8 (great) songs….
Anyone noticed that there are 8 pictures and 8 ‘trees’?, The King of Limbs is 1 of them and the pictures looks exactly the same as the Cd cover. Does that makes sense with the 8 EP theory ? and are the other pictures the cover of the other EP’s ? it could be possible if you aks me…
Every one of those titles on the inside sleeve are terms related to trees except one… Ragnorok ..and it’s misspelled! It should be spelled: Ragnarök. Very strange.
You can read up on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6k
Shouldnt you close this blog now then? There clearly isn’t going to be any other material relating to TKOL. Im not doubting that there could be an Amnesiac style quick follow up but certainly no TKOL part 2.
there’s still something else a comin’