 |
Classic Album Covers of the 60s:
Over 200 of the Best Covers of
the Decade - Storm Thorgerson |
Published June 2005, Hardback, by Collins & Brown (part of Chrysalis Books).
Political and social change in
the 1960s, developing from the post-war austerity and rebuilding of the
1950s, resulted in a melting pot of ideas and influences. Nowhere was
this more apparent than in the world of pop art, and the trickle-down
effect on album covers.
In the 1960s, album cover art was
a major avenue for many of the young, popular artists of the time, and
it became the vogue for covers to have ever more impressive designs by
the biggest names one could get. This is exemplified with the Velvet
Underground using Andy Warhol for one of their covers.
It is worth remembering that
(with the exception of a few concert posters) efforts were devoted to
album covers. Unlike today's multimedia world, there was no need for
multiple, subtley different artworks, all tying in to one theme, and
presented in a myriad of ways. The album cover was the ONLY way to make
an impression on a fickle public...
For nearly 40 years Storm
Thorgerson has been gainfully employed (at some points more gainfully
employed than others) in the realm of cover design. So, who better to
cast a critical eye over the period?
In "Classic Album Covers of the
60s", Storm picks over two hundred examples of the best, worst, most
notable, and also personal favourite covers from the decade, running
the gamut of styles from barbershop quartet to the most extravagant
psychedelic creations.
First published in 1989 but long
out of print, until now, the book is a handsome beast. Approximately
album-sized pages give plenty of space for many of the covers to
display their detail. Less intricate covers, with less importance in
the story, get clustered four to a page.
In a lengthly intro, Storm talks
of psychedelics and psychedelia, and sets out the social and political
contexts. Storm also talks of the changes to the music scene, with the
fairly rigid sounds of the 50s making way for the varied artists of the
60s, and how this resulted in change for album covers.
Even the most kitsch and dated
covers are used as good illustration of "what enormous changes were to
come about, and how the psychedelic experience blew away the cobwebs,
and broke down the barriers of normal thinking." And they are great fun
to look at, too!
Storm warms to the theme well in
the second chapter, which has some seminal jazz covers, talking about
what made them good or bad - from typefaces used through to colour
choices. It is Storm's insider view of these things that elevates the
book from simply a selection of covers, with his experience and
knowledge giving good insights into how to design.
Naturally, some Pink Floyd covers
are included as good examples of the genre, but this is not a Floyd
book - it is a celebration of the most accessable, and commonplace,
artworks, that can be found in most homes.
A fascinating journey through the
years, covering every aspect of the discipline, and illuminating those
who potentially had never really thought about the design work behind
album covers before...
The book can currently be ordered through these special links: Amazon UK, Canada, France, and Germany.
|
