The June 2013 issue of the UK's Creative Review magazine, which arrives in selected stores across Britain today, should catch the eye of most Pink Floyd fans.
The image used on the cover introduces their interview with Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis, the legendary photo-design studio that created some of the most memorable album sleeves from the late 1960s to the early 80s. Following the untimely death of Hipgnosis co-founder Storm Thorgerson in April, Creative Review talked to Powell about the work the studio created from 1968 to 1983, and they were given a brief tour of the company archive which he is in the process of organising.
The sketch on the issue's cover is the "mechanical line drawn artwork" for The Dark Side of the Moon album, illustrated by George Hardie, and is what was sent to the printers of the gatefold design, complete with a series of hand-written notes that appear next to the artwork for the imagery of the back.
For Powell, the Dark Side sleeve changed everything for Hipgnosis. In fact, 1973, he says, became something of a classic year for the studio who went on to create the cover for Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy a few months later, and the magazine includes some exclusive images of that shoot. "It wasn't just that the design was unique," Powell recalls in their interview. "It's a very simple design, it's not very Hipgnosis, it's not photographic, but it was the combination of Pink Floyd at that time, plus the design [with] all the interior bits and pieces, a poster of the pyramids, the stickers. It was the combination of everything."
The interview is accompanied with exclusive images, and should be well worth tracking down an issue. It can be found in better retailers, being more of a specialist publication. However, you will shortly be able to order it online through this direct link. Our thanks to Steve Holt for letting us know about this magazine's feature.
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