I've just been thinking about a recent conversation I had with Savvy Paul.
He showed me what he considered to be "One of the best album covers of all time." (He might have said THE BEST, but being hyperbolic is standard when you've just visited the Local.)
Two things come to mind:
Firstly, that we really did lose something when we moved to the "smaller formats," CD and cassette tapes to start with: not only did we lose that tactile experience of handling our vinyl, but the importance of the cover picture, the notes, sometimes the lyrics too, all became somehow less impactful.
And Secondly, a whole TYPE of art began to die. Where is the outlet for those gifted creatives who produced these covers?
Sure, new releases still have their cover art, but it seems far more like an afterthought nowadays. And it's much harder to be impressed by the 1cm square on a media screen that we get to interact with now.
In that vein, I thought it would be nice to have a thread of some great cover art of the past that we can all admire.
To start the ball rolling here's Santana's Abraxas. (1971)
The cover of Abraxas is the Mati Klawein painting "Annunciation" from 1961.
Klarwein's provocative image depicts the moment that the angel Gabriel tells the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child.
Enjoy
Greatest Album Art
- CycleCoach
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Greatest Album Art
- These users thanked the author CycleCoach for the post (total 2):
- Geoff.R.G (Tue Nov 15, 2022 10:47 am) • savvypaul (Tue Nov 15, 2022 11:40 am)
I think I might be in the HiFi trade.
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Re: Greatest Album Art
I rather like Santana and it was Abraxas that introduced them to me. Unfortunately my wife is not so keen.
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- CycleCoach (Tue Nov 15, 2022 1:05 pm) • Lindsayt (Tue Nov 15, 2022 8:34 pm)
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Re: Greatest Album Art
One ive always liked is the cover of elegy by the nice.
One of hipgnosis early ones
One of hipgnosis early ones
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- CycleCoach (Tue Nov 15, 2022 1:06 pm)
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- CycleCoach
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Re: Greatest Album Art
[
Good shout.
I think I might be in the HiFi trade.
I am not currently seeking treatment for this.
Current System: Linn LP12 Lingo Ekos Troika, NVA PHONO2 with BBPSU, NVA AP20 (White), Quad ESL 57s &/or NVA Cube3s (White)
I am not currently seeking treatment for this.
Current System: Linn LP12 Lingo Ekos Troika, NVA PHONO2 with BBPSU, NVA AP20 (White), Quad ESL 57s &/or NVA Cube3s (White)
- savvypaul
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Re: Greatest Album Art
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- CycleCoach (Tue Nov 15, 2022 4:20 pm) • Lindsayt (Tue Nov 15, 2022 8:34 pm)
- CN211276
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Re: Greatest Album Art
Album cover art work was was always an attraction to me but became somewhat insignificant when CD arrived. There was no way fine detail could be retained on the smaller canvas. Not to mention print being too small to read without a magnifying glass in many instances.
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- CycleCoach (Tue Nov 15, 2022 4:20 pm)
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NVA BMU, P90SA/A80s (latest spec), Cube 1s, TIS, TISC(LS7)
Sonore OpticalRendu, Chord Mscaler & Qutest, Sbooster PSs
Network Acoustics Eno, ifi iPurifier3, AQ JB FMJ, Cisco 2940 & 2960
DH Labs ethernet, BNC & USB cables, Lindy cat 6 US ethernet cable
Second System
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Sonore MicroRendu, Chord Mojo 2 MCRU PSs, AQ Carbon USB cable & JB FMJ
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- slinger
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Re: Greatest Album Art
Anything by Roger Dean
https://www.rogerdean.com/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/678284393857751168/
(Almost) anything by Hipgnosis.
https://browse.gallery/en/hipgnosis/
https://wimwords.com/the-hipgnosis-album-cover-gallery/
https://www.rogerdean.com/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/678284393857751168/
(Almost) anything by Hipgnosis.
https://browse.gallery/en/hipgnosis/
https://wimwords.com/the-hipgnosis-album-cover-gallery/
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- CycleCoach (Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:15 pm) • Lindsayt (Tue Nov 15, 2022 8:38 pm) • Andy-831 (Wed Nov 16, 2022 10:45 pm)
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- CycleCoach
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Re: Greatest Album Art
Rush: Moving pictures
It's all a bit obvious, but I love the way they wring as many possible connotations of "moving pictures" as they can from one photograph.
Not a bad album either.
It's all a bit obvious, but I love the way they wring as many possible connotations of "moving pictures" as they can from one photograph.
Not a bad album either.
- These users thanked the author CycleCoach for the post (total 3):
- CN211276 (Wed Nov 16, 2022 11:32 am) • Fretless (Wed Nov 16, 2022 1:00 pm) • slinger (Wed Nov 16, 2022 10:58 pm)
I think I might be in the HiFi trade.
I am not currently seeking treatment for this.
Current System: Linn LP12 Lingo Ekos Troika, NVA PHONO2 with BBPSU, NVA AP20 (White), Quad ESL 57s &/or NVA Cube3s (White)
I am not currently seeking treatment for this.
Current System: Linn LP12 Lingo Ekos Troika, NVA PHONO2 with BBPSU, NVA AP20 (White), Quad ESL 57s &/or NVA Cube3s (White)
- savvypaul
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Re: Greatest Album Art
Great album, great art...how many faces can you recognise on the cover of the Ruts' seminal debut album 'The Crack'?
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- karatestu
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Re: Greatest Album Art
I like this one. Can you guess what it is yet ?
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- CN211276 (Wed Nov 16, 2022 1:48 pm) • slinger (Wed Nov 16, 2022 2:03 pm) • CycleCoach (Wed Nov 16, 2022 4:26 pm)
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