David Bowie's 'Blackstar' album has more hidden secrets


David Bowie's final album Blackstar hasn't given up all its secrets.

Back in May, the Starman's grieving fans enjoyed an unexpected thrill when it emerged the packaging of the vinyl edition, under certain conditions, revealed an image of a galaxy.

In a new interview with BBC Radio 6, the LP's graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook says its hidden messages haven't all come to light.

"There are a number of black stars in the album as well... not just the five-pointed star on the front. And they do symbolize different things in life," he explains. "For instance, there's the rosette which looks a little bit like a price ticket. That's to say, well, this is still a commercial product. You still buy it. There's the guiding star, the idea of a person who you follow in your life or the idea of something spiritual which music gives you. So there are a lot of other things going on which aren't absolutely at the surface, but I do hope people see them. And not necessarily straight away, as well."

See photos of David Bowie throughout his life:

Barnbrook didn't give away any clues, but he did enough to invite thousands of Bowie followers to pour over their hard copies of Blackstar.

"There's actually a few other things (that haven't been discovered," he added. "This thing about keeping the meaning open, I think is better. Actually there's one big thing which people haven't discovered yet on the album. Let's just say if people find it, they find it, and if they don't, they don't. And remember what Bowie said about not explaining everything."

Blackstar, released Jan. 8, just two days before Bowie died at the age of 69, was a critical and commercial success around the globe. The album gave the late music legend his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and earned a nomination for the Mercury Prize in the U.K., where the set ruled the sales chart for three weeks. Bowie is No. 4 on the list of solo acts with the most No. 1s in the U.K. (11), led only by Elvis Presley (13), Robbie Williams (12) and Madonna (12).

Listen to a snippet of Barnbrook's interview here.


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