"100 Best Album Covers"
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In 1939 a young advertising designer working for Colombia named Alex Steinweiss went to his boss and asked if he could experiment with cover art on their 78 rpm records. Until this time only sheet music covers were illustrated. Records however, came in plain brown Kraft paper sleeves. Steinweiss is credited with starting this movement which has grown to be an artists’ market all its own, and of course through the years the art has served to glorify the music. Authors Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell do a through job of dissecting 100 of the top album covers of the late LP years. Mostly rock and roll, but not all, their main criteria for inclusion was that the musical artists were actively involved in the conceptualization or creation of the art. This could mean everything from choosing the cover artist to giving birth to the overall concept of the album. The book is introduced by artist Peter Blake, famous for his involvement in the making of one of the most famous album covers of all time, SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND by the Beatles. Blake states that twelve by twelve, one foot square was the perfect size to design for. Again something that has become lost with the advent of cassettes and later, the CD. The majority of these covers are from the ‘60s and ‘70s, the renaissance years for music graphics. Each cover includes a specifications box that lists the artist, title, design, photography or design credits, record company, and sometimes, a brief profile of the artist. Patty Smith’s 1975, Horses is here. At the time the Robert Mapplethorpe cover redefined female beauty in an new era of painted disco queens. Originally released in 1973, Led Zeppelin’s Houses Of The Holy was banned across America’s Bible Belt and in Franco’s Spain. A fine portrait is given on how the cover was made and what exactly the artists were trying to present. The album included a Japanese kimono sash that was meant to hide the children’s nudity from view. But, one had to break the sash to listen to the album. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album is one of a few of the bands albums catalogued with views of alternate title stamps the artist used. Supertramp’s Breakfast In America cover is a favorite of mine and various techniques and alternatives are delved into for this Mike Doud cover. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is, of course, given a two page spread; with additional content on the Rolling Stones and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention tributes. Another famous cover is the 1968, Two Virgins, by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and it is discussed in this book also. Storm Thorgerson’s own, The Division Bell, is here also with some great notes on content and history of the artwork. Among the more current covers are Prince’s 1988 Love Sexy and Nirvana’s 1991 Nevermind. Both albums have interesting stories on how they were made and what part the artists played in the covers. There aren’t many newer covers pointed out, probably because of the onset of the CD making for a smaller space and also due to more profitably concerns from the labels. There is a small section of the book that critiques some creative boxed sets also. All-in-all this is a great book. If you are interested in the history of the record cover there is also a great book below on the life of Alex Steinweiss. I would recommend this book if you are looking for some inspiration or if you are looking to find out more about the stories of how your favorite albums got made. |
Book Review