The album artworks of Storm Thorgerson and the music of Pink Floyd are part and parcel of the same production. To understand the artwork, it is necessary to discuss where the movement came from, as this directly relates to the artwork as the visual metaphor.
             To understand this, it is important to discuss what happened in previous generations and how this affected the evolution of styles and culture. The key to this issue lies within the1950's; previous to this, youth "culture" did not exist. The school graduation age was fourteen and the vast majority of graduates went straight into employment. Further education was normally in the form of an apprenticeship if at all. There were universities, but this option was only open to the more affluent classes so that was the exception and the former being the rule. Post-war affluence and a baby boom created a generation of youths (totaling around 70 million worldwide) that were staying in full-time education longer and had more spending power. This coupled with growing commercialization; firstly it created a youth culture that was not apparent before and secondly a diversity that segmented this new market. Youths did not have to take a responsible approach to life at such an early age, thus experimentation was happening on all levels. The key characteristics of youth culture are; an emphasis on leisure rather than work and a greater affiliation within one's peer group rather than within the family.
             When discussing Pink Floyd or the 1970's in general drug culture is an issue of importance. The 1950s was the first era of recreational experimentation with illicit substances. Firstly marijuana, as a drug did not come into prevalence till the 1960s with the arrival of festivals and the hippy culture. Previous to the 1950s, the government stance was that it was an addictive substance with psychotic properties, and users were known as "dope fiends." We now know that this drug does not have any...