Hardformat

He would see faces in movies, on T.V., in magazines, and in books….
He thought that some of these faces might be right for him….And
through the years, by keeing an ideal facial structure fixed in his
mind….Or somewhere in the back of his mind….That he might, by
force of will, cause his face to approach those of his ideal….The
change would be very subtle….It might take ten years or so….
Gradually his face would change its’ shape….A more hooked nose…
Wider, thinner lips….Beady eyes….A larger forehead.

He imagined that this was an ability he shared with most other
people….They had also molded their faced according to some
ideal….Maybe they imagined that their new face would better
suit their personality….Or maybe they imagined that their
personality would be forced to change to fit the new appear-
ance….This is why first impressions are often correct…
Although some people might have made mistakes….They may have
arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them….
They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish
whim, or momentary impulse….Some may have gotten half-way
there, and then changed their minds.

He wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake.

Then there are the planes on the back cover and inside sleeve, glowing video red with green stars on their wings and fuselages, flying in perfect formation over snow-covered mountains, but they don’t quite look right, is the image a collage? Are the planes on the attack? It’s hard to tell. Nothing is certain and nothing’s quite right. There’s no space dividing the two words of the group’s name and the ‘A’s are inverted but read correctly at a glance; they’re the Talking Heads, but they’re just staring at us knowingly from behind their makeshift masks. The planes are American, but look non-Western. There are four planes, one for each of the four members.

Bold, graphic, stripped-down, memorable and strange: Remain In Light is a brilliant visual accompaniment to one of the greatest albums of the 1980s.