The application of geometric symbols was an important element of Barney Bubbles’ visual language. Detail from label, I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down, FBeat XX1, February 1980. As pointed out in Reasons To Be Cheerful , Barney’s use of symbolism throughout his career underlines his consistency of approach and undercuts notions of a clear division between his 60s/70s “hippie” work and that produced after joining Stiff Records in March 1977. The presence of symbols also effected a “signature” for this artist who opted for anonymity and avoided credits in his later years. A fine example are the three triangulated circles which surfaced in February 1980 as a tiny detail on the label for I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down , the hit single by Elvis Costello & The Attractions which inaugurated Jake Riviera’s FBeat Records. Next they appeared on the double A-side promo for the label’s second single, Splash (A Tear Comes Rolling Down) by Clive Langer & The Boxes, though were gone by the official release. B-side of From Head To Toe, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, FBeat, 1983. Thereafter, the circles crop up on releases by Costello and Nick Lowe up until Barney’s death in 1983. However, the symbol was not used in the label copy for releases by other acts on FBeat, including Lowe’s collaborative projects with Dave Edmunds in Rockpile such as Seconds of Pleasure or The Attractions’ “solo” effort Mad About The Wrong Boy . Triple gatefold cover, the Glastonbury Fayre, Revelation, 1972. Advert, Frendz 33, 1972. So what to make of this repeated, if selective, use
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The power of the pyramid and the mystery of the three circles
