"FURK IS DEAD" - THE CLUES

Record Sleeves
Lyrics



Sleeve Clues

"La Mode"(1968)

  • Trynka is shown with her hands over her ears while "Furk" plays guitar showing that she can't hear the real Furk (who is dead) and that she won't listen to the fake Furk.

  • Both of her feet are turned inwards at the toes - a traditional Navajo sign of mourning.

  • The front cover is bordered in red - a reference to the Finnish practice of placing red ribbons around the windows of a house to indicate a death in the family.
  • On the back cover, the clock on the wall to the right of Trynka's face is set at 4:53 - the time at which Furk died in the accident.

  • The clock has a wooden border, representing the wood of Furk's coffin.



"No Time For Tears" (Single) (1968)

  • In the title of the song, Trynka is saying that she was never allowed time to properly mourn Furk and nor were his fans.

  • On the label, the serial number of the single reads "2109", a reference to the date of Furk's death, 21st September.



"Where Were You Tomorrow?" (EP) (1969)

  • On the front cover of this release, a "gostly face" can be seen looking down over Furk's left shoulder, showing that behind the fake Furk the real Furk is watching.



"Sunflower Memories" (EP) (1971)

  • Furk is sitting alone by a pool. But his reflection in the water is black and has no head.

  • A black crow - the symbol of a restless spirit - is flying out of the picture to the right.

  • There are 19 flowers growing around the pool: 19 was Furk's age when he died.



"To The Wind" (1972)

  • The "mystical" signs shown on the spiral are from the Mayan "Book of Passing" and describe the journey of the soul after leaving the body.

  • In New Guinea (where Trynka wrote the song "To The Wind"), an upside-down lizard is a symbol of sudden, violent death.

  • The deserted road stretching into the distance represents Furk's lonely journey from this world to the next.
  • On the back cover, on the shaker held by the "Iindian" on the left, an upside-down skull can be seen - a reversed skull representing in some cultures a life ended before its time.

  • In the track listing what is claimed to be a "skeletal finger" underlines the words "Never More", showing that Furk was no longer in the band/the world.



"Riptide" (1974)

  • The title is made up of "R.I.P" and "Tide" - the former referring to the wish that Furk should Rest In Peace and the latter to the tidal waters that were his final resting place.

  • The top half of the cover shows a stretch of water with the sun coming up over it - a reference to the fact that Furk disappeared into water just before dawn.

  • In the bottom right corner can be seen a "mutilated nude corpse"

  • The ghostly face with its eyes closed represents the dead Furk

  • Towards the bottom left corner half of the world (from space) can be seen. This is Trynka's message that "half of her world" has gone.



"20 Years In A Box" (1985)

  • The title of this collection refers to the 20 years that Furk has been dead (in a box/coffin)

  • The building shown on the cover represents a number of coffins stacked on top of each other.



"Un Petit Gouter" (2001)

  • In the front cover illustration, Furk is shown barefoot; most countries bury their dead barefoot.

  • Trynka is shown wearing platform shoes, showing that she is trying to raise herself above the deception. If she was not wearing raised shoes, their feet would be touching - she is saying that she is not willing to make such intimate contact with someone who is not really her brother.


Lyrical Clues

  • "I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do (1967)

    "I sat there all morning/but you never came home"

    -Trynka remembering how it was on the day of Furk's death

  • "Kiss Rock'n'Roll Goodbye" (1967)

    - an obvious reference to Furk's death

  • "I Don't Believe We've Met" (1968)

    "You look familiar/but I don't believe we've met"

    - Trynka speaking directly to Franz Zuber (the fake Furk)

  • "Foreign Tongue" (1968)

    "Never enough ways to say goodbye"

    -Trynka has never got over Furk's death

  • "Where Did We Go?" (1968)

    "You're moving too fast/down a slippery slope"

    - an obvious reference to Furk's fatal ski-ing accident.

  • "Don't Forget To Write" (1968)

    In the second verse just before the middle eight, when Trynka appears to be singing, "I can't see you/You're infantile", she is in fact not singing "infantile" but "un fantôme" - French for "a ghost".

  • "Time And Tide" (1971)

    "And all I remember/is the way you were before/I wake up in the morning/wondering who you are today"

    - Trynka speaking to Franz Zuber?

  • "Never Stop To Think" (1973)

    "It's so cold where I am"

    - a message from the real Furk who is beyond the grave/under the icy water

  • "In Over My Head" (1986)

    "Tryin' to reach the shore/but I'm in over my head"

    - an obvious reference to Furk's final resting place.

  • "Sky Men" (1968)

    The spoken "Children of Earth" section, when played backwards, clearly says, "Brother gone. He is beyond".

  • "La Mode" (1968)

    The run-out groove of this vinyl LP, when played backwards at 16 r.p.m., has a man's voice saying, "I am sinking, white ice"









©2001 Chris Butler/©2001 Future Fossil Music. All rights reserved.