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Kasabian reveal Rolling Stones inspiration behind new album sleeve

Story behind 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum' explained

April 28, 2009 | 7 Comments
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Kasabian have explained the meaning behind the sleeve for their third album, in an exclusive NME video interview which can be watched at the bottom of this page.

As revealed last week, the band have dressed up as Napoleon and a priest, among other costumes, for the cover of 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'.

"Well, it’s the fancy dress in the asylum, we’re sort of getting ready to go to the end-of-year ball or the work do at the asylum," guitarist Sergio Pizzorno told NME.COM.

"Ideas of grandeur, y’know, when kings go mad, power gets to them and they see themselves as other things…Tom [Meighan, singer]’s Napoleon and I'm a sort of Butcher Priest. Ian [Matthews, drums] is a sort of mad pagan monster of sorts and Chris [Edwards, bass] is a little pauper sort of losing his mind eating light bulbs, reading mad literature. It’s great, you can’t take your eyes off it and it’ll fuck people off."

Frontman Tom Meighan added that the sleeve had been inspired by The Rolling Stones' album 'Their Satanic Majesties Request'.

"We wanted to do, like you know the Stones dressed up as wizards, and all that kind of shit," he explained. "You see these psychedelic bands dressed up as kings and stuff, so that was the take on it."

Watch the full video interview now:

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Comments (7)

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Slip kid (2nd generation)

Apr 28, 2009

And here we go again (and again and again - repeat until ill). We've just had to put up with this kind of nonsense with Dig Out Your Soul (a misnomer of such huge proportions that it actually hurts). What is it with this bands who seem to counteract a creative block by plundering such laboured notions as the dull populist side of sickstees psychedelia. And like Mr G's tawdry offerings, those lovable rogues Tom and Serge are intent on reinventing the bloody wheel, despite seeming to be drawing hopelessly from the dogeared pages of the How To Do Psychedelia Properly handbook."Yeah, we turned to chapter 3 and it said put some backwards guitar on there, and then like it said give your album a stupid name and dress up on the sleeve. Then chapter 5 said, write odd lyrics that sound like you took loads and loads of acid when writing them even if you didn't". It's what? 40 years now since the so called golden age of psychedelia and still it seems to be used as a benchmark for artistry and unfathomed creativity - but, and this is the important bit - those original players had actually made vast artistic super-jumps in style from beat group to ORIGINAL experimentation - something today's lazy indie copyists are completely incapable of.I'd say its the reason punk rock was invented but what's punk rock today? A bunch of fey no-hopers trying to sound and dress like 30 year old bands."Yeah, well we got the How To Play Punk Properly manual and in chapter 2 it said, put loads of swear words in your songs and wear drainpipe jeans for at least four days!".I give up!

markiechops

Apr 29, 2009

Reasons why I want backward-looking, parochial, safe, lazy, knuckle-dragging, suedeheaded, anorak-wearing, myopic Britrock to die, number 132:- "We wanted to do, like you know the Stones dressed up as wizards, and all that kind of shit." Really, I ask you. There is only one thing I can bring myself to say after reading such utter nobwipe, and that is that these go up to eleven.

zoso_cult666

Apr 29, 2009

Get over it, if you think you can do better then do it....

Farse 89

Apr 29, 2009

Kasabian are amazing, great live, and great on record, and your comment won't change that, all it will be is a waste of your time.

D. Conka

Apr 29, 2009

Farse89 please don't talk shite, Kasabian were good on their first album which was a long time ago, the second album is utter pish and if Vlad the Impaler is anything to go by, then the third album will be horrendous, they had a lot of promise but couldn't cut the mustard.

flashrat

Apr 29, 2009

Why is it people seem to believe the sixties were original in pshychedelic ideas and therefore anyone else who does are 'so unoriginal'. People have been getting off their t**s since before roman times and making art out of it. The stones weren't the first and kasabian won't be the last. The artwork won't detract from whether the album is good or not and from the sound of 'vlad the impaler' and 'fire' I think that kasabian will be releasing another superb album that will no doubt sound even better live (Roll on Brighton & Wembley). On stage is where they show their true colours.