Imagery and Symbolism in "..Before The Beginning"
May 27, 2013 19:16:57 GMT -6
Ron G, kathyb, and 2 more like this
Post by Anthony Gomes on May 27, 2013 19:16:57 GMT -6
Some of you have written and asked to explain the meaning of the album and artwork. To shed some light on the artwork, I’ll need to discuss the concept of the album.
As many of you know, this past fall I survived a massive vehicle fire while I was on the road. I lost most of my possessions and was forced to rebuild from the ashes. This, along with other personal challenges made me evaluate my life path, mortality and destiny. This CD was my process of healing. I took a one album break from the blues rock sound that we are known for and looked within.
Essentially, “…Before The Beginning” is a concept album that deals with the cycle of life and death. The album is coming from a spiritual perspective rather than a particular religious one. I respect everyone’s freedom to believe in what they want when it comes to their faith and know this is a very personal matter.
The title of the album comes from a Biblical passage in which God knew us before we were born (Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 5). What a fascinating and powerful idea. Trying to wrap my head around the magnitude of this is just as difficult as understanding the concept of infinity.
As I mentioned, the fall of 2012 was a very trying time for me personally. There were a lot of things that came to an end. What was impressed upon me was with every death comes a rebirth. Just like spring following the winter. This became the motivation to create this album.
First off, I wanted to musically create a never ending cycle for the CD. The CD starts with “…Before The Beginning” and ends with “The End Comes…”. If you put them together you have “the end comes before the beginning.” And, the beginning of the CD actually starts at the end. Musically, tracks 12 and 1 are connected. If you have a CD player that repeats a CD, it’s like the album is in constant motion. The end of the CD is tied to the beginning and vice versa.
"...Before The Beginning" was designed to do a couple of things. It is both an introduction for what lies ahead and lets the listener know that the voice is the feature of this CD. Conceptually, the chains represent your spiritual form being chained to a physical body. It is the birth of the physical “YOU”.
"Blues Is Good" serves two purposes. Firstly, is to let the general public know that Blues isn’t a negative music, it is an uplifting and healing music. A lot of people who aren’t familiar with the Blues think it’s just about complaining and a soundtrack for Murphy’s Law. We’re here to let them know that this isn’t true. In the blues we are dealing in healing! I actually borrowed the title from the back of a Black Crowes concert T-Shirt from the first tour that said "Blues Is Good". Secondly, on a deeper level, the song is about growing pains. It is through hard times that we grow to be the beautiful people we were born to be. The blues can be tough, but, ultimately, it is necessary. Sort of like eating your vegetables. That's why it's good for you.
"Lady Soul" is an extension of “Blues Is Good”. The idea is that Aretha Franklin’s music helped me deal with the blues in my life. She helped with the growing pains. It speaks to the universal nature of mankind and how we are all connected. It is fascinating that Aretha and I are connected by her music even though we are different in terms of nationality, race, age and gender.
“Love Is Everything”. A simple song with the most profound message possible… this amazing thing called Love. It is what gets us through our journey, helps us shed our ego and is the path to enlightenment.
"Sinner’s Song". Guilty as charged your honor. They say the road to excess leads to enlightenment. Sometimes, it is through our mistakes that we learn the most on our journey. It is so unfortunate when our mistakes hurt others. We all need some forgiveness.
"Golden Wings". Well, this one is about my van fire. I wrote a lot of music about this to help in the healing process. Most of it was too dark and depressing. Then Golden Wings came along. The title comes from the visual idea of flames reflecting on an angel’s wings. Also, the song also represents a transition from death to rebirth. Musically, it alternates from the minor to relative major key to help signify this state of transition.
"Let’s Fall In Love". I thought that the album could use a light moment. Conceptually, it deals with marriage which is a big step in many people’s lives. For better or for worse. It also fits in with the rebirth and new beginnings.
"Rescue Me". Lyrically, this might be the darkest song on the album. The main character is actually in Hell. Well, more like “Hell On Earth”, but still in a place of suffering that feels like an eternity. I think we’ve all been in that place one time or another. I tried to use words to subtly hint to it. “Damned if you can’t see” and “Ocean of Misery” (represents a lake of fire). This is serious business. What is the one thing that can get our character out of Hell? Love and forgiveness. I am hopeful for our character.
"Beautiful Goodbye". This one is for Grandma. I’ve had it lying around for a while. We said goodbye on the telephone when her health took a quick turn for the worse and she passed away soon after. I was the last person she spoke to. The question I asked to myself while we were talking was, “when do I hang up the phone? I didn’t want to. When I said goodbye, it was goodbye. Or as they say in German, “until we meet again.” Although she’s not here, she’s not gone. She is my angel in Golden Wings.
"Blues In Technicolor". I wanted to do one song from the back cataloge so the listener could hear how different this CD was musically. Sort of a yardstick. I am very proud of the message of this song and felt that sometimes that this message got lost with blaring guitars. Lyrically, it speaks to the universality of mankind. And, how we all go through this amazing journey regardless of who we are and the cards we are dealt. I felt this could lead well into the last main song.
"Old Ten Wheeler". Conceptually, this is the big daddy on the CD. It is sort of like you end an essay with a conclusion where you summarize everything that was proposed in your paper. This song does that. It is about a boy that leaves home to make his own way. But all he ever needed was back at home. The boy boards a train to discover the world. The suitcase represents all his desires and possessions. You can only put so much in a suitcase son. Then, he comes home and the song moves from a slow minor key movement to an up tempo double time major key gospel celebration. He has taken the train back home. On a deeper level, the song is about judgment day. This man is recalling his life and has taken the train to heaven. The double time gospel movement represents him entering into heaven. His cycle is complete. Or is it just beginning?
The artwork is also designed with the concept of the album in mind. It is purposefully dark. There is darkness before the beginning. The cover has my image to the left and the title to the right. This represents the how I was known before the beginning. The other panels represent the train from old ten wheeler, which conceptually is the centerpiece of the album. Just like the world is round and not flat, I like to think of our existence as circular. Thus, circles are a big theme conceptually. If you notice, the guitar fretboard represents the tracks of the train. The circular fretboard markers also look like the light on the train. The light guides us on this journey.
The lyric sheet has three symbols. The first is the cycle of life. The second is the alpha and the omega, which is the symbol for the beginning and the end. The last symbol is an infinite clock. The lyrics were also listed sideways so you would have to turn them 90 degrees clockwise in the same direction as the cycle of life symbol to read them… pretty sneaky.
The CD imagery contains the old ten wheeler set on top of the compass. The spiritual compass is what guides us on our journey. The train takes us there. The circular arrow points to before the beginning and hints at how tracks 12 and 1 are connected and the general theme of the album.
The panel under the CD is my favorite. When the CD covers it there is total darkness. When it is lifted there is light coming from the end of tunnel. Or is it the beginning? Out of the darkness comes the light. Also, it symbolizes the old ten wheeler’s path to the kingdom of heaven.
I hope this helps you better understand and enjoy the album. Of course, there are plenty of other secrets and meanings to the songs that I have left unsaid. Those are for you to discover if you like. Thank you for listening.
As many of you know, this past fall I survived a massive vehicle fire while I was on the road. I lost most of my possessions and was forced to rebuild from the ashes. This, along with other personal challenges made me evaluate my life path, mortality and destiny. This CD was my process of healing. I took a one album break from the blues rock sound that we are known for and looked within.
Essentially, “…Before The Beginning” is a concept album that deals with the cycle of life and death. The album is coming from a spiritual perspective rather than a particular religious one. I respect everyone’s freedom to believe in what they want when it comes to their faith and know this is a very personal matter.
The title of the album comes from a Biblical passage in which God knew us before we were born (Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 5). What a fascinating and powerful idea. Trying to wrap my head around the magnitude of this is just as difficult as understanding the concept of infinity.
As I mentioned, the fall of 2012 was a very trying time for me personally. There were a lot of things that came to an end. What was impressed upon me was with every death comes a rebirth. Just like spring following the winter. This became the motivation to create this album.
First off, I wanted to musically create a never ending cycle for the CD. The CD starts with “…Before The Beginning” and ends with “The End Comes…”. If you put them together you have “the end comes before the beginning.” And, the beginning of the CD actually starts at the end. Musically, tracks 12 and 1 are connected. If you have a CD player that repeats a CD, it’s like the album is in constant motion. The end of the CD is tied to the beginning and vice versa.
"...Before The Beginning" was designed to do a couple of things. It is both an introduction for what lies ahead and lets the listener know that the voice is the feature of this CD. Conceptually, the chains represent your spiritual form being chained to a physical body. It is the birth of the physical “YOU”.
"Blues Is Good" serves two purposes. Firstly, is to let the general public know that Blues isn’t a negative music, it is an uplifting and healing music. A lot of people who aren’t familiar with the Blues think it’s just about complaining and a soundtrack for Murphy’s Law. We’re here to let them know that this isn’t true. In the blues we are dealing in healing! I actually borrowed the title from the back of a Black Crowes concert T-Shirt from the first tour that said "Blues Is Good". Secondly, on a deeper level, the song is about growing pains. It is through hard times that we grow to be the beautiful people we were born to be. The blues can be tough, but, ultimately, it is necessary. Sort of like eating your vegetables. That's why it's good for you.
"Lady Soul" is an extension of “Blues Is Good”. The idea is that Aretha Franklin’s music helped me deal with the blues in my life. She helped with the growing pains. It speaks to the universal nature of mankind and how we are all connected. It is fascinating that Aretha and I are connected by her music even though we are different in terms of nationality, race, age and gender.
“Love Is Everything”. A simple song with the most profound message possible… this amazing thing called Love. It is what gets us through our journey, helps us shed our ego and is the path to enlightenment.
"Sinner’s Song". Guilty as charged your honor. They say the road to excess leads to enlightenment. Sometimes, it is through our mistakes that we learn the most on our journey. It is so unfortunate when our mistakes hurt others. We all need some forgiveness.
"Golden Wings". Well, this one is about my van fire. I wrote a lot of music about this to help in the healing process. Most of it was too dark and depressing. Then Golden Wings came along. The title comes from the visual idea of flames reflecting on an angel’s wings. Also, the song also represents a transition from death to rebirth. Musically, it alternates from the minor to relative major key to help signify this state of transition.
"Let’s Fall In Love". I thought that the album could use a light moment. Conceptually, it deals with marriage which is a big step in many people’s lives. For better or for worse. It also fits in with the rebirth and new beginnings.
"Rescue Me". Lyrically, this might be the darkest song on the album. The main character is actually in Hell. Well, more like “Hell On Earth”, but still in a place of suffering that feels like an eternity. I think we’ve all been in that place one time or another. I tried to use words to subtly hint to it. “Damned if you can’t see” and “Ocean of Misery” (represents a lake of fire). This is serious business. What is the one thing that can get our character out of Hell? Love and forgiveness. I am hopeful for our character.
"Beautiful Goodbye". This one is for Grandma. I’ve had it lying around for a while. We said goodbye on the telephone when her health took a quick turn for the worse and she passed away soon after. I was the last person she spoke to. The question I asked to myself while we were talking was, “when do I hang up the phone? I didn’t want to. When I said goodbye, it was goodbye. Or as they say in German, “until we meet again.” Although she’s not here, she’s not gone. She is my angel in Golden Wings.
"Blues In Technicolor". I wanted to do one song from the back cataloge so the listener could hear how different this CD was musically. Sort of a yardstick. I am very proud of the message of this song and felt that sometimes that this message got lost with blaring guitars. Lyrically, it speaks to the universality of mankind. And, how we all go through this amazing journey regardless of who we are and the cards we are dealt. I felt this could lead well into the last main song.
"Old Ten Wheeler". Conceptually, this is the big daddy on the CD. It is sort of like you end an essay with a conclusion where you summarize everything that was proposed in your paper. This song does that. It is about a boy that leaves home to make his own way. But all he ever needed was back at home. The boy boards a train to discover the world. The suitcase represents all his desires and possessions. You can only put so much in a suitcase son. Then, he comes home and the song moves from a slow minor key movement to an up tempo double time major key gospel celebration. He has taken the train back home. On a deeper level, the song is about judgment day. This man is recalling his life and has taken the train to heaven. The double time gospel movement represents him entering into heaven. His cycle is complete. Or is it just beginning?
The artwork is also designed with the concept of the album in mind. It is purposefully dark. There is darkness before the beginning. The cover has my image to the left and the title to the right. This represents the how I was known before the beginning. The other panels represent the train from old ten wheeler, which conceptually is the centerpiece of the album. Just like the world is round and not flat, I like to think of our existence as circular. Thus, circles are a big theme conceptually. If you notice, the guitar fretboard represents the tracks of the train. The circular fretboard markers also look like the light on the train. The light guides us on this journey.
The lyric sheet has three symbols. The first is the cycle of life. The second is the alpha and the omega, which is the symbol for the beginning and the end. The last symbol is an infinite clock. The lyrics were also listed sideways so you would have to turn them 90 degrees clockwise in the same direction as the cycle of life symbol to read them… pretty sneaky.
The CD imagery contains the old ten wheeler set on top of the compass. The spiritual compass is what guides us on our journey. The train takes us there. The circular arrow points to before the beginning and hints at how tracks 12 and 1 are connected and the general theme of the album.
The panel under the CD is my favorite. When the CD covers it there is total darkness. When it is lifted there is light coming from the end of tunnel. Or is it the beginning? Out of the darkness comes the light. Also, it symbolizes the old ten wheeler’s path to the kingdom of heaven.
I hope this helps you better understand and enjoy the album. Of course, there are plenty of other secrets and meanings to the songs that I have left unsaid. Those are for you to discover if you like. Thank you for listening.
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