There is an unfortunate trend I have noticed these days: Uninspired artwork (and I use the term loosely) on newly released music CDs. These digitally manipulated, boring (for the most part) and insipid covers shrunk to mere square inches in area cannot compare with the grandeur of the imaginative artwork of album covers in the 1960s and 1970s.
What brought this subject to mind was hearing "We Will Rock You" by Queen tonight. This cut was from their News of the World album. It was one of the first new albums I received as a youngster, and when I hear a song from it, I always think back to the first time I ever saw the great album cover art by Frank Kelly Freas. It was on Christmas morning, 1977, if memory serves correct. My parents bought me that album, and smartly did not wrap it, but rather laid it propped up against the Christmas tree. I don't really remember anything else I got that Christmas, but I recall seeing that album and not really seeing anything else. The cover was amazing, and I scoped out every detail for the next week. I just could not get enough. Interestingly, years later, I discovered that the cover art was inspired by an image of a robot from the novel, "The Gulf Between", by Tom Godwin, a science fiction author. Queen guitarist Brian May (a GOD of rock who also holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics, but that is a whole other blog), being a fan of science fiction, asked that the robot be incorporated into News of the World, and the rest is album cover history.
The 1960s were a rich period for music, with supergroup Cream leading the pack of imported psychedelia. Their definitive Disraeli Gears album had probably one of the most striking covers of the era, courtesy of artist Martin Sharp. The day-glo pop colors gave life to Disraeli Gears and signified the times as no other cover did. Try this: listen to SWLABR while staring at the album cover under a black light with some incense burning ("so many fantastic colors, I feel in a wonderland...."). I promise you will be transported to another time and another place. Of course, The Beatles, giants of pop music, were not to be outdone. The Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover is easily one of the most recognizable of the decade, and one of the most imitated. The photographic collage was ably put together by Rober Fraser, and still fascinates today.
To usher in the 1970s, the Moody Blues commissioned artist Phil Travers (not to be confused with PAT Travers.....I kid, I kid!) to create cover art for their album, A Question of Balance. This elaborate artwork spanned two covers, opening up and down, rather than the usual side to side. The swirling colors and ethereal feel to this cover reflected the poetry of the songs to be found inside.
Which brings us to a most prolific artist, Storm Thorgerson. Alone, and with the art group Hipgnosis, Thorgerson created some of the most amazing album cover art in history. Examples include the iconic prism cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon lp, as well as their Wish You Were Here cover. I have always loved those covers, as well as Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door. The unique thing about the Zeppelin album, I found out many years later, was the inside album sleeve. It was actually a "paint by water" picture. I boldly took a paintbrush, a cup of water, and lo and behold, a painted picture began to form. What a discovery, and what sheer genius. Just take a look at the covers to the left (there are several of them) and you'll see what I mean.
What are YOUR favorite album covers, from any decade?
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Mike - thanx for sharing your memories. If it weren't for you, I would never know the back story of Ken Featherston. That is indeed sad. I almost mentioned Jethro Tull's Aqualung album, not so much for the artwork on it, but the TEXTURE of the cover itself always seemed different to me. Not just regular cardboard, or paperboard. The album I have seems to be almost made of linen, or some sort of material woven into the paper. You can actually feel the ridges and this seems to give the cover a whole new dimension. Also worthy of noting is the Lynyrd Skynyrd album, Street Survivors, and I know you will know what I am talking about here. The one that was released just as the tragic plane crash occurred....It was originally done as a picture of the band with flames behind them, and as soon as the plane crash happened, they pulled the album (covers) from shipment, and sent covers with just a picture of the band, minus fire. Those original albums are hard to come by, and I am lucky enough to possess one of those, it is truly a prized possession, as there are not many to be had. It also saddens me deeply when I look at it, and remember the band being fragmented, never quite the same after, and the Rossington-Collins band that arose from the ashes, and a certain someone who really loved them, and........okay, I need to stop now. I am glad you "get" what these covers mean.....I knew you would, my friend.
April 21, 2008 at 9:54 p.m.I draw a blank on most at the moment......but a some that stand out(or up in one case) for me are, Jethro Tull's circa '69-'70 "Stand Up" LP with the pop-up figure of a standing on one leg, Ian Anderson in the center. A couple others, simply for originality, are Supertramp's "Crime of the Century, and the beautiful cowboy art of the rider on the bucking bronco, in space, on The Marshall Tucker Band's "Searchin' For A Rainbow" LP, done by the late and talented Armadillo World Headquarters resident artist Ken Featherston. Damn shame, about Kenny.....killed by a drunken patron, working security in the 'Dillo parking lot during a show..........
April 21, 2008 at 10:51 a.m.