Adding item to the basket... 15 January 2023
Sunday Reads
Alex Parker
15th January 2023
Stealth art exposure
If you think about it, one of the most accessible places the general public is exposed to art is album covers. Whether you have any interest in photography or not, it’s highly likely you’re listening to something. Album art perhaps doesn’t have the impact it used to in the heyday of vinyl, with huge picture books and satisfyingly sizeable colour prints as standard, but cover art is still front and centre online, and blown up on billboards and buses for all to see.
Through the years the UK charts have featured some of the most prolific photographers, designers and artists, though they rarely get the attention they deserve. Here then, we’ll shine a light on some of the most influential albums in recent history, along with a little about the people behind the imagery.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles – Peter Blake and Jann Haworth
Speaking to Mojo in 2002, Peter Blake said "I offered the idea that if they had just played a concert in the park, the cover could be a photograph of the group just after the concert with the crowd who had just watched the concert, watching them. If we did this by using cardboard cut-outs, it could be a magical crowd of whomever they wanted." Born in Dartford, Kent in 1932, Blake attended Gravesend Technical College, then the Royal College of Art, and had been exhibiting his pop art since the 1950s.
Jann Haworth was an absolute trailblazer and one of the only female pop artists in the world. Her first exhibit was at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1963. The same year she married Peter Blake, and within a few years the pair would be responsible for one of the most famous album covers in the history of music.
Peter Blake went on to create album covers for The Who, Paul Weller, Oasis, and was even responsible for the original Band Aid single artwork for ‘Do they Know it’s Christmas?’.
Aladdin Sane, David Bowie – Brian Duffy
Famed for far more than album covers, Brian Duffy was a prolific fashion photographer who plied his trade at publications like Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Alongside names like David Bailey, Duffy was in part responsible for the vibrant photography of the swingin’ 60s, alongside his work for countless newspapers and magazines.
In 1973, it was Duffy’s interpretation of David Bowie’s original album title ‘A Lad Insane’ that resulted in the imagery and name change to ‘Aladdin Sane’. The flash on Bowie’s face, drawn in lipstick, was taken from the logo of a nearby Panasonic Rice Cooker.
Duffy’s impact on Bowie and the Ziggy Stardust character cannot be underestimated - you can read all about it in a book co-authored by Duffy’s son titled ‘Duffy Bowie: Five Sessions’.
Definitely Maybe, Oasis – Michael Spencer Jones and Brian Cannon
Brian Cannon ran a microdot graphic design company responsible for designing the Definitely Maybe album cover, using Michael Spencer Jones’ photograph taken in guitarist Bonehead’s house.
In an interview with The Guardian, Jones explained that he asked Liam Gallagher to lie on the floor because in his words “I had to whack in a wide-angle lens just to get everyone in. But Bonehead had stripped floorboards – and with that lens, it looked like an advert for Ronseal varnish.”
Other fun trivia includes the fact that the wine in shot is Ribena, though the idea the band couldn’t afford a nice Rioja is a myth. Jones explained “When I was at art college, I learned that when you photograph “red wine”, you always use diluted Ribena, because wine just comes out black.”
Brian Cannon used tracing paper to gradually build up the composition for Definitely Maybe after the pair took countless test shots. Whilst natural-looking, the photo is posed to the millimetre to make best use of every single bit of space. Cannon would go on to design dozens of album covers, including more Oasis records and LPs by Suede, Inspiral Carpets and Ash.
Closer, Joy Division – Peter Saville and Bernard Pierre Wolff
As a graphic designer for Factory Records, Peter Saville was responsible for a vast array of cool cover designs in the 80s with multiple Joy Division pieces under his belt, as well as New Order, David Byrne and Roxy Music.
For Closer, Saville stumbled upon some black and white photos taken in a cemetery in Genoa by Bernard Pierre Wolff, and was struck by how real the statues looked, conning the viewer into thinking they might actually be alive. Saville showed the pictures to the band who fell in love with them, picking this image for Closer, and another for the cover art of Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Peter Saville went on to be a prolific designer, taking the role of creative director for the City of Manchester in 2004, designing the 2010 England football kit, and redesigning the Burberry logo in 2018.
Home, Rudimental – Ollie Grove and Ray Walker
Rudimental’s debut album might not be considered in the same critical spheres as Bowie or The Beatles, but the album launched their career, and the artwork is no less exciting. The subject in the artwork is the Hackney Peace Carnival Mural, designed by prolific street artist Ray Walker in 1983. Shortly after completing the design, Walker passed away, but his close friends and widow painted the work for him two years later.
The photograph was shot by Ollie Grove, an exciting photographer with a penchant for stark, vibrant flash lit portraits. It’s not just the mural that is compelling here; the way the building is framed and backlit, the harsh sun causing lens flare and the complete lack of people and traffic means there’s something new to discover every time you look at this album cover.
More on Peter Blake: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/peter-blake-763
More on Jann Haworth: http://jannhaworth.com/
More on Brian Duffy: https://www.duffyarchive.com/
Duffy Bowie: Five Sessions book: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/20675042-duffy-bowie
More on Michael Spencer Jones: https://www.spellboundgalleries.com/
More on Brian Cannon: https://www.microdotboutique.com/
More on Peter Saville: https://petersaville.info/
More on Bernard Pierre Wolff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Pierre_Wolff
More on Ray Walker: https://www.forwallswithtongues.org.uk/artists/ray-walker/
More on Ollie Grove: https://www.olliegrove.com/
All images used under creative commons, rights attributed to original owners.
Alex Parker 15th January 2023
Stealth art exposure
If you think about it, one of the most accessible places the general public is exposed to art is album covers. Whether you have any interest in photography or not, it’s highly likely you’re listening to something. Album art perhaps doesn’t have the impact it used to in the heyday of vinyl, with huge picture books and satisfyingly sizeable colour prints as standard, but cover art is still front and centre online, and blown up on billboards and buses for all to see.
Through the years the UK charts have featured some of the most prolific photographers, designers and artists, though they rarely get the attention they deserve. Here then, we’ll shine a light on some of the most influential albums in recent history, along with a little about the people behind the imagery.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles – Peter Blake and Jann Haworth
Speaking to Mojo in 2002, Peter Blake said "I offered the idea that if they had just played a concert in the park, the cover could be a photograph of the group just after the concert with the crowd who had just watched the concert, watching them. If we did this by using cardboard cut-outs, it could be a magical crowd of whomever they wanted." Born in Dartford, Kent in 1932, Blake attended Gravesend Technical College, then the Royal College of Art, and had been exhibiting his pop art since the 1950s.
Jann Haworth was an absolute trailblazer and one of the only female pop artists in the world. Her first exhibit was at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1963. The same year she married Peter Blake, and within a few years the pair would be responsible for one of the most famous album covers in the history of music.
Peter Blake went on to create album covers for The Who, Paul Weller, Oasis, and was even responsible for the original Band Aid single artwork for ‘Do they Know it’s Christmas?’.
Aladdin Sane, David Bowie – Brian Duffy
Famed for far more than album covers, Brian Duffy was a prolific fashion photographer who plied his trade at publications like Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Alongside names like David Bailey, Duffy was in part responsible for the vibrant photography of the swingin’ 60s, alongside his work for countless newspapers and magazines.
In 1973, it was Duffy’s interpretation of David Bowie’s original album title ‘A Lad Insane’ that resulted in the imagery and name change to ‘Aladdin Sane’. The flash on Bowie’s face, drawn in lipstick, was taken from the logo of a nearby Panasonic Rice Cooker.
Duffy’s impact on Bowie and the Ziggy Stardust character cannot be underestimated - you can read all about it in a book co-authored by Duffy’s son titled ‘Duffy Bowie: Five Sessions’.
Definitely Maybe, Oasis – Michael Spencer Jones and Brian Cannon
Brian Cannon ran a microdot graphic design company responsible for designing the Definitely Maybe album cover, using Michael Spencer Jones’ photograph taken in guitarist Bonehead’s house.
In an interview with The Guardian, Jones explained that he asked Liam Gallagher to lie on the floor because in his words “I had to whack in a wide-angle lens just to get everyone in. But Bonehead had stripped floorboards – and with that lens, it looked like an advert for Ronseal varnish.”
Other fun trivia includes the fact that the wine in shot is Ribena, though the idea the band couldn’t afford a nice Rioja is a myth. Jones explained “When I was at art college, I learned that when you photograph “red wine”, you always use diluted Ribena, because wine just comes out black.”
Brian Cannon used tracing paper to gradually build up the composition for Definitely Maybe after the pair took countless test shots. Whilst natural-looking, the photo is posed to the millimetre to make best use of every single bit of space. Cannon would go on to design dozens of album covers, including more Oasis records and LPs by Suede, Inspiral Carpets and Ash.
Closer, Joy Division – Peter Saville and Bernard Pierre Wolff
As a graphic designer for Factory Records, Peter Saville was responsible for a vast array of cool cover designs in the 80s with multiple Joy Division pieces under his belt, as well as New Order, David Byrne and Roxy Music.
For Closer, Saville stumbled upon some black and white photos taken in a cemetery in Genoa by Bernard Pierre Wolff, and was struck by how real the statues looked, conning the viewer into thinking they might actually be alive. Saville showed the pictures to the band who fell in love with them, picking this image for Closer, and another for the cover art of Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Peter Saville went on to be a prolific designer, taking the role of creative director for the City of Manchester in 2004, designing the 2010 England football kit, and redesigning the Burberry logo in 2018.
Home, Rudimental – Ollie Grove and Ray Walker
Rudimental’s debut album might not be considered in the same critical spheres as Bowie or The Beatles, but the album launched their career, and the artwork is no less exciting. The subject in the artwork is the Hackney Peace Carnival Mural, designed by prolific street artist Ray Walker in 1983. Shortly after completing the design, Walker passed away, but his close friends and widow painted the work for him two years later.
The photograph was shot by Ollie Grove, an exciting photographer with a penchant for stark, vibrant flash lit portraits. It’s not just the mural that is compelling here; the way the building is framed and backlit, the harsh sun causing lens flare and the complete lack of people and traffic means there’s something new to discover every time you look at this album cover.
More on Peter Blake: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/peter-blake-763
More on Jann Haworth: http://jannhaworth.com/
More on Brian Duffy: https://www.duffyarchive.com/
Duffy Bowie: Five Sessions book: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/20675042-duffy-bowie
More on Michael Spencer Jones: https://www.spellboundgalleries.com/
More on Brian Cannon: https://www.microdotboutique.com/
More on Peter Saville: https://petersaville.info/
More on Bernard Pierre Wolff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Pierre_Wolff
More on Ray Walker: https://www.forwallswithtongues.org.uk/artists/ray-walker/
More on Ollie Grove: https://www.olliegrove.com/
All images used under creative commons, rights attributed to original owners.
Alex Parker 15th January 2023
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