"This time the team from Hipgnosis' design studio went a long way with their ideas for an album cover. Both literally and figuratively. After keyboardist Keith Emerson and the other band members of The Nice visited their offices in Soho, London, one drizzly day, the following idea came up at the drawing board. "How about a desert in which we put 120 balls?" It looked cool on paper. "Okay, I'll go after the balls," said Storm Thorgerson, the man with the wild ideas and one of Hipgnosis' three founders. "I'll arrange a trip to Morocco," added Peter Christopherson, the more introverted creative of the three. "Fine, I'll take care of cameras and film," said Aubrey 'Po' Powell, the master photographer. Mind you, we are talking 1971. The digital age did not exist, there was no Photoshop, no E-Bay, no airlineticket.com. To book a trip, you had to go to a special shop called travel agency. Storm returned the next day with 120 deflated red Hippity Hops, huge balloon size balls, and two bicycle pumps. Peter had booked a cheap flight and full of enthusiasm the threesome flew to Morocco, with suitcases packed with deflated balls. The three guys were still in their twenties at the time and perhaps a bit overconfident because of the success of their design studio. They had hired a van to drive the balls to the desert. The first problem was inflating the red balls with the bicycle pumps. After sixteen balls, arms were cramping up. 'Po' came up with the idea of going to a local auto repair shop. They should have something to inflate tires. And yes indeed, the friendly owner was somewhat surprised, but offered his assistance. He called in the local population and at the end of the day, with the help of a few locals, the balls were placed in the desert. The team used a broom to wipe out their footprints. The sun was setting slowly, but Powell just managed to take beautiful pictures. Every photographer knows that the best pictures are taken at the end of the day, due to the light. Which is pretty clear on this cover, too. A special effect on the album artwork are the long shadows from the balls due to the setting sun. This picture is pure nature. Nothing has been manipulated. Powell describes it as one of his best ever experiences in his career as a photographer. The peaceful desert, the clicking of the camera. The red balls in the sand. But yes, highs are sometimes quickly alternated with lows. Sometimes life really is not that simple. When they walked back to the car, it turned out that one of the locals had stolen a leather jacket, containing the hotel keys. The hotel owner was "not amused"; they had to pay 200 dollars. The young men did not have such a large sum of money. They called in the police, but - surprise - they backed the hotel owner. "You either pay or disappear in the desert", not altogether uncommon, the officers threatened. Storm wanted to call the English consulate, but you already guessed, all lines were cut. They were given one more day to settle the affair. After a sleepless night, they tried once again to reiterate their story at the desk. Just at that time, an American advertising campaign team stepped in, who were planning to take pictures for a certain car brand in the desert. They came to the rescue of the Brits and lent them USD 200. The three then sold the balls in Marrakesh and were able to at least eat something before getting back on the plane. The Hipgnosis crew had a motto: "You have to have balls to realize your ideals". It is almost impossible that this slogan was not inspired by the trip for The Nice to Morocco. Anyway, I have grown very fond of Hipgnosis' record sleeves. Little did I know this firm would have so much influence in the 1970s on the world of progrock. I have agreed with De Boerderij to continue producing this blog until we will once again have live shows. As much as I enjoy writing about album covers and their background, I especially hope that we will soon be able to experience live music again. In any case, I wish all readers a wonderful and musical 2021. Music has survived more than viruses. Hopefully I will see you all in person at the Boerderij soon. By Gerrit-Jan Vrielink Translation: Alex Driessen