A Brief History of Album Covers Free

FREE A BRIEF HISTORY OF ALBUM COVERS PDF

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Paul Du Noyer. Cover art can be an influential factor in a record's success, and some designs are so memorable that they go down in design and music history - who doesn't instantly recognize the covers for the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon? Now celebrate some of the greatest covers of the last 50 years alongside entertaining and Cover art can be an influential factor in a record's success, and some designs are so memorable that they go down A Brief History of Album Covers design and music history - who doesn't instantly recognize the covers A Brief History of Album Covers the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon? Now celebrate some of the greatest covers of the last 50 years alongside entertaining and informative text, in this great little A Brief History of Album Covers that will make an ideal gift for any music aficionado or art and design enthusiast. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. More Details Original Title. Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Jul 05, Zane rated it it was amazing Shelves: musicnon-fiction. This book shows some of the influential, ground-breaking or A Brief History of Album Covers thought- provoking album covers throughout the 50s to early 00s. This book packs in a lot of album covers and keeps each analysis of the art concise but informative. It was fun seeing the covers throughout the years and how they developed. Also, being able to see iconic album covers in the context of its time was fun. He also touches on interesting packaging for LPs which is something I never really considered much. I learnt quite a bit from this book, not just from the album art but from music history in general. May 12, Andy Hickman A Brief History of Album Covers it really liked it. Editing mistake: Two albums must have been omitted just prior to final publication because some of the references are four pages out of sync. For example, on page about a Talking Heads album there is a reference to 'Remain In Light' on page [but it is actually p]. Same issue occurs on p Jan 01, Kerry O'Reilly rated it really liked it. I really enjoyed the book and the stories behind the making of the covers. Apr 14, Simon Sweetman rated it liked it. Fairly trivial writing but a great collection of covers nonetheless. Jun 08, Rudy Gutierrez rated it it was amazing. I've read a few of these books but I love that this one starts in the 50s and goes into the new millennium. I would have liked a little more info about the albums but it was a quick enjoyable read. Aug 27, SouthWestZippy rated it it was ok Shelves: own-trade-or-give- awayartmusicnonfictionhistory-nonfiction. Starts A Brief History of Album Covers album covers from the fifties and ends in The collections of the covers are ok. The write up on each one of them is short but has some interesting facts. Jan 02, Mark rated it it was ok. Not so much a "brief history" as a scattered collection of album covers across the decades. There isn't a clear sense of how these artwoks made the cut. While I learnt some tidbits about the music artists and perhaps some interesting quotes with no references from them about their intentions for going with a certain image or style, a lot of this information can be garnered from wikipedia today. So what's the value really of this book? There is generally not a lot of information out there about Not so much a "brief history" as a scattered collection of album covers across the decades. There A Brief History of Album Covers generally not a lot of information out there about the graphic artists who worked on album artwork, and it would have been nice to read a well researched book shedding light into this area. Jan 24, Stephanie Harchar rated it really liked it. I was given this for a New Years A Brief History of Album Covers. It took about an hour to go through. Have to say that I do miss album covers on the whole. Artwork and the music made it all magically. Feb 28, Julie rated it liked it Shelves: music. Jan 21, Nigel Wilson rated it it was amazing. All you wanted to know and see about the unspoken side of music And it's all going to die because of crappy invention of mp I hate them with a passion!! Jimmy rated it it was amazing Sep 02, A Brief History of Album Covers Elizabeth rated it really liked it Jun 10, Derek rated it it was amazing Apr 28, Aidan Halpin rated it really liked it Jun 30, Jean Salvas rated it really liked it Oct 16, Ashley rated it it was ok Mar 12, Darryl Lundy rated it it was ok Jun 15, Klaus rated it liked it Dec 28, Ecem Simsek rated it really liked it Jan 03, Lynn rated it liked it Sep 30, Sebastian rated it really liked it May 17, Steve rated it really liked it Aug 05, Timothy M. Watson rated it it was amazing Dec 25, Sarah rated it it was amazing Dec 29, Jeff rated it really liked it May 26, Ken Mcintyre rated it really liked it Feb 17, Steve rated it really liked it Aug 17, Tom rated it liked it Dec 29, There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Readers also enjoyed. About Jason Draper. Jason Draper. Books by Jason Draper. Related Articles. Read more Trivia About A Brief History o No trivia or quizzes yet. Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Cover Story: A History Of Album Artwork | uDiscover Music

The visual impact of album covers is not to be underestimated: their images are forever imprinted into our memories and associated with the emotions and sensations that the song or album gives to us. For such unique eye-catchers, graphic designers, advertising agencies and even the musicians themselves pour a lot of their creative energy. For many artists, album art decisions are more difficult to make than musical ones. Easy to understand. After all, it is about sales-promoting artwork in a square format, which has nothing to do with composing music. Here are 10 examples of album covers that have made it to legendary status…. The Beatles were not only groundbreaking musically, but also in the design of their covers. Bychoosing an album cover that took album sales into consideration was no longer of interest to the band, they had a feeling that they would sell millions of copies anyway. A picture with a total of 70 personalities was created for Sgt. What resulted was a message of diversityearthly contrasts and common ground. The album from the early days of A Brief History of Album Covers Reed and his bandmates at Velvet Underground was almost entirely produceddesigned and marketed by Warhol. It was to become one of the pioneering milestones of underground music and later independent and punk music. Because of the striking motif, the album is often referred to as the banana albumwhich is by no means derogatory. Some say the album cover is a commentary about the dark side of modern consumer society. The cover of Deep Purple in Rock should not be missing from this list. The album cover shows the portraits of the band members as gigantic stone sculptures. The depiction is based on the Mount National Memoriala monument completed in with monumental portrait heads of the four most symbolic American presidents of the time. The rock legends simply swapped their heads for those of the presidents. This year the album looks back on 50 years of history. The cover itself shows Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, who stand together quite well. So far so good. Ever tried to look at it this way? A few years later, another design idea by Andy Warhol was a big success. The main motif shows the lower body of actor Joe Dallesandro in tight jeans from the front and back, with his genitals clearly showing. A working zipper was incorporated into the first editionbehind which was a picture of white underpants. The logo should reflect the anti-authoritarian attitude of the Stones with deliberate sexual provocation. At the beginning of the s, the band members of Pink Floyd were annoyed by the fact that their music provided almost exclusively an atmospheric background mood for the drunk. They were in a deadlocked image dead end. Founding member Syd Barrett had to leave the band in because of mental deterioration due to his excessive drug use. A white light beam hits the prism, whereupon the light diffracts into the spectral colours of the rainbow. The A Brief History of Album Covers colours fanned out to form the rainbow are part of the cover and thus illustrate the heartbeat, which is heard at the beginning as well as at the end of the album. As explosive as provocative, The Policearound bandleader Stingput their finger into a tabooed sore. And the cover showed their drummer, Stewart Copelandhanging from a noose above a melting block of ice. The BBC banned the single from their airwaves until an alternate cover was arranged. Being blacklisted by the BBC generated a lot of high-profile publicity. Also the band had managed to bring the taboo topic of suicide more closely to the public eye, a much needed move in society. One of the most famous covers in music history is the album Breakfast in America from Supertramp. The British band, at their zenith, had been alive and well for a few years already in the USA. Although the reference to the partly curious American way of life by members of the band, one does not quite get the suspicion of irony: The cover shows the view through an airplane window on Manhattan. In the foreground a hysterically cheerful waitress with a glass of orange juice in her right hand and a menu — a very different Statue of Liberty. A parodic allusion to the American dream? To this day this can only be assumed, albeit with a smirk. A four-month-old infant dives towards a dollar bill and is completely naked. Already the design of the Nirvana cover for Nevermind caused heated discussions. After all, the penis of the A Brief History of Album Covers is clearly visible. The record company feared a sales-damaging scandal and wanted to avoid public displeasure. Kurt Cobain was prepared to make a value-conscious compromise and suggested: A concealing sticker should have been placed on the cover, which should name as pedophile those who take offence at the natural naked truth of a baby. In the end the cover was released without a sticker. Always ahead of his time was David Bowiea man of many faceswho revolutionised the music scene in terms of not only music but also design and photography. He himself has repeatedly reinvented himself and this can be seen on most of his album covers. According to cover designer Jonathan Barnbrookthe special feature of The Next Day album cover is that it uses the idea of alienation to alienate Bowie from an already very-well-known cover, that of the album Heroeswhich was probably the most revered cover of the chameleon-like artist. The alienation A Brief History of Album Covers a change as striking as Wall-Era Berlin becoming the Berlin of today. You probably also have your own favourite covers which have a special meaning for you. We would be happy to read about them! Leave us a comment. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Inside Gear Learn Inspire Entertain. Joe on Here are 10 examples of album covers that have made it to legendary status… The Beatles — Sgt. Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon At the beginning of the s, the band members of Pink Floyd were annoyed by the fact that their music provided almost exclusively an atmospheric background mood for the drunk. Supertramp — Breakfast in America One of the most famous covers in music history is the album Breakfast in America from Supertramp. Nirvana A Brief History of Album Covers Nevermind A four-month-old infant dives towards a dollar bill and is completely naked. David Bowie A Brief History of Album Covers The Next Day Always ahead A Brief History of Album Covers his time was David Bowiea man of many faceswho revolutionised the music scene in terms of not only music but also design and photography. Joe has been singing since he can remember and started playing guitar when he was He's been using it as a songwriting tool ever since. He is passionate about melody and harmony and A Brief History of Album Covers musicians who create these A Brief History of Album Covers unique ways. Show all blog posts by Joe. Fate Beaten. Quiz — What kind of band are you in? One comment. Lorenzo says: on pm Reply. Back in my glorius youth the covers were very importan. They look much better in vinil LPs. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The thomann. If you continue browsing, you agree A Brief History of Album Covers the use of cookies. A Brief History Of Album Art | Solopress

Indeed, artwork can be as much a part of the identity of a record as the sound. Billions of music fans over the past century have taken pleasure from looking again and again at old album covers. Sometimes the discs were contained in a leather book, similar to a photographic album. The first signs of change came in the 30s, from pioneering designers such as Alex Steinweiss, whose illustrated covers — for singers such as Paul Robeson, or the classical records of Beethoven — led to huge increases in sales. The heavy paper used for 78s damaged the delicate grooves on LPs, and record companies started using a folded-over board format sleeve. The four 78rpm records housed inside made history, topping the first Billboard Best Selling Popular Record Albums chart, on 24 March The King Cole Trio spent most of the rest of the year on the bestseller list, with many of its singles reaching No. There was no turning back. Nat King Cole showed that cover design was going to be a massive cultural influence; it was one of the few mediums which reached millions of people in the golden age A Brief History of Album Covers radio and before television had become king. Moreover, the music sales industry had a global impact, because it provided designers with a way to express their creativity and originality to the whole world. A host of renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Roger Dean and Burt Goldblatt, kick-started amazing careers by designing album A Brief History of Album Covers. Capitol Records have a proud history A Brief History of Album Covers album art, utilising talented individuals such as painter Thomas B Allen and costume designer Donfeld Donald Lee Feldwhose first job, after graduating from college, was as a designer and art director at the company. Many of the greatest covers of all time are associated with the post-war jazz and bebop era. His celebrated portrayals included Louis Armstrong and Shorty Rogers. As a jazz fan, Flora adored working closely with the musicians. Art was closely intertwined with jazz in this era, something that pleased not only designers and customers but the musicians themselves, as Tony Bennett noted. Records were little cultural artefacts. Many of the best-known Impulse! One of the most renowned photographers was Charles Stewart, A Brief History of Album Covers for cover shots on more than 2, albums, including his wonderful portraits of Armstrong, Count BasieJohn Coltrane and Miles Davis. He was introduced to the record industry by his college friend Herman Leonard and never looked back. Sometimes companies chose an iconic symbol or look that would define their output — as Impulse! This A Brief History of Album Covers World War era was when the edgy modernism of bebop began to guide the innovative output of Blue Note. The practice of using powerful photographs of the musicians has survived, and can be seen in the simple yet arresting photograph of Norah Jones on the album Come Away with Me. The pair were so famous by then that they did not even have their names on the album cover, just the gorgeous image taken by Vogue photographer Phil Stern, known for his iconic studies of Marlon Brando, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. The image-cementing photograph of rock stars would later play a major part in some of the great 60s and 70s album covers. David Stone Martin sometimes drew his covers with a crow quill pen, something he did for the iconic Verve album Charlie Parker With Strings. Martin, whose work has been on show at the Smithsonian and the Museum Of Modern Art, did so many great album portraits for the Jazz At The Philharmonic albums in his distinctive solid black-ink lines including likenesses of Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgeraldand Count Basie. He developed a serious and sensual image of jazz. But the first album to carry the sole name Reid K Miles was far from modern — a Sidney Bechet release a few months later. Miles, who would later create covers for Bob Dylan and Neil Diamondwent on to make celebrated television commercials. John DeVries would have been celebrated if he did nothing other than the one stunning illustration of Billie Holiday for a Commodore Record in DeVries had a real affinity for the music he was representing visually. Before moving into the album world, he designed a famous flyer for a Fats Waller concert and was also a noted song composer. He encapsulates why so many A Brief History of Album Covers album covers were special: the people making A Brief History of Album Covers had a sense of integrity to the music and dedication to the performers. DeVries moved with the times, too. He was working on illustrations up to his death in — aged 76 — including covers for CDs by Clark Terry and Teddy Wilson. At the start of the decade, most rock music was sold as cash cow 45rpm singles; albums were primarily used to collect hits together in one package. The marketing was usually tied to cinema releases, and the imagery for many albums — especially soundtrack ones — came from film posters, such as Jailhouse Rock. There were innovative people at work in the popular music industry in that decade. Topical concerns also sometimes featured, as in the mushroom cloud photograph on the cover of The Atomic Mr Basie. In the 60s it became fashionable for bands to commission covers from artists and art school friends. In London, rock music intermingled with the worlds of fashion and fine art. That cover truly broke the mould, not least for being an album where music and visuals began to meld as one creative entity. One musician who has taken a keener interest than most when it comes to album covers is John Mayall, who left a career as a graphic artist to form The Bluesbreakers. They now run hand in hand, really. Mayall A Brief History of Album Covers to use that shot. Colin Fulcher better known by his legally adopted name Barney Bubbles cut his teeth on the satirical magazine OZand, later, his designs for Hawkwind, Brinsley Schwarz and Nick Lowe were hugely influential. He was a genuine original and adroit at blending imaginative typography with art. The windows of record shops were like a street-level art gallery, constantly delivering new surprises. The Rolling Stones broke ground with their covers in the 60s. And I liked the idea that they dressed like people on the street. The stark, in-your-face approach, continued with Out of Our Heads — shot by Gered Mankowitz because Bailey was unavailable — and did not really change until a couple of years later with the 3D artwork for Their Satanic Majesties Requestwhen psychedelic poses and quirky costumes were all the rage in the year of Sgt Pepper. A 50th-anniversary deluxe box set reissue brings that original artwork back to life. The West Coast scene was having its own creative flowering, and Grateful Dead albums began to reflect the artworks they were housed in. Mouse, who had made his name in hot-rod art and painting T-shirts at custom car shows, played a key role. Miller, a born iconoclast, copied a block print image on a poem he found in the San Francisco Public Library. Art and imagery were powerful tools for the Grateful Dead, and Mickey Hart even had custom-painted drum kits. The 60s was also an era when album covers were becoming more defiant and raunchier. The cover for The Velvet Underground And Nico featured a bright yellow banana print from Warhol, contrasted against a clean white background. If you did this, a suggestive flesh-coloured banana was revealed. But creating the artwork was too time-consuming and expensive — each sticker had to be hand placed — so the sticker ideas were abandoned for later pressings. Album art as a concept was the new thing, and British designers Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell were at the forefront with the firm Hipgnosis. Hipgnosis used photography to powerful effect and seemed to have a constant stream of ideas. They suited an era when prog rock musicians were keen on overblown and fantastical album covers. With their ability to mix sex, surrealism and suburban alienation, Hipgnosis became key artistic inspirations in that era. So did artist, publisher and designer Roger Dean. A Brief History of Album Covers becoming to Yes what Hipgnosis were to Pink Floyd, Dean provided artwork for the band for nearly five decades, including for their live set Like It Is. Part of what made his work so exciting was that the bands gave him a completely free hand to design. Along with Factory Records, another label that enjoyed a symbiotic relationship A Brief History of Album Covers a designer was 4AD with Vaughan Oliver, via his two design studios, 23 Envelope and v However, his most lasting design relationship was with Pixies. I enjoy the collaboration with the music kind of working in tandem with it. Showing that jazz labels still know how to push the envelope, the German independent record company ECM Edition Of Contemporary Music has received widespread acclaim for its unique cover designs. Among the best are those for Eberhard Weber and Keith Jarrett. Sometimes a musician is directly involved in the look of the album. As we have seen with Mayall, many creative musicians like to have a big say over their own album covers, either by providing the artwork or by helping with the concept and guiding it through. In between, he won an Oscar for designing the famous creature in the movie Alien. The elegant aerobics of Island Life — a photograph that was made into a collage in a pre-digital era — helped transform Jones into an international superstar. Music as fashion shoot is usually good for business. Though beautiful album covers are desirable for their own sake, memorable ones do help commercially. In the 70s and 80s, bands began to realise how to make themselves highly marketable. The rise of merchandising — and the special logos groups adopted — helped turn bands into brands. In addition, heavy metal bands place a huge emphasis A Brief History of Album Covers imagery and mascots help to define a band. As the music business changes — with customers no longer going into record shops and lingering over the visuals before they buy and album — the cover is just one element of a larger branding and marketing campaign, often involving a promotional photo-shoot, videos and merchandise. Some musicians have a positive attitude about music design in the digital age. One example of innovative thinking was Beckwho helped devise the interactive nature of The Information in — which was issued with a blank A Brief History of Album Covers of graph paper for a booklet, and one of four different sheets of stickers for fans to make their own album art. Music fans are also often avid collectors, and one interesting development in album art and presentation has been a growing market for the deluxe box set market. The artwork and packaging in this field has grown more inventive, sometimes tipping a nod to the original creative process. All these innovations are breathing new life into the album artwork scene, while advances are also being made in motion graphics and kinetic typography. A whole new world of music new-media awaits. And, of course, the renewed popularity of A Brief History of Album Covers means a return of album art design in its original form. Modern superstars such as Kendrick LamarLorde, Stormzy and Evanescence are among 21st-century musicians whose albums showcase interesting album art. Music and art will always go hand in hand. Search uDiscover Music. Features Latest News. Share Tweet. Early A Brief History of Album Covers The first signs of change came in the 30s, from pioneering designers such as Alex Steinweiss, whose illustrated covers — for singers such as Paul Robeson, or the classical records of A Brief History of Album Covers — led to huge increases in sales. Jazz-era designs Many of the greatest covers of all time are associated with the post-war jazz and bebop era. Breaking the mould In the 60s it became fashionable for bands to commission covers from artists and art school friends. Album art as concept Album art as a concept was the new thing, and British designers Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell were at the forefront with the firm Hipgnosis.