I was strolling through my favorite local used record store this weekend when I stumbled across this gem to the left. Now, when I say record, I mean a good old 33 1/3 LP vinyl record. Excellent condition, gatefold cover, lyric sheet intact - sweet!!I've been looking for this for years now so was really surprised to have finally found it. It's sort of an oddity in that it's rare but not really all that valuable. I guess I'm the only one that still wanted it.
There really is nothing like browsing through the record bins. I used to spend hours and hours flipping through the albums, looking at the classic cover art in a format where you can actually see it. I don't have anything against the CD but the great album cover seems to be a lost art, one of the casualties of the rise of the single song download. Even if the design is good, the small format is lousy.
I have a fairly substantial collection of vinyl records that I have acquired over the years and while I like to think that I bought all of them for their musical value, I'll admit that an interesting cover has probably swayed a purchasing decision.
If I were a good blogger I would probably turn this into a top 10 list or something but I imagine that it's been done already. You certainly don't need me throw yet another picture of Wish You Were Here up on the already crowded internets. I could write about the stellar design careers of Roger Dean, or Hipgnosis, or even Phil Hartman (yes, that Phil Hartman) but you can just follow the links, someone else has that all covered pretty well.
What always appealed to me is when the cover is somehow indicative of the music inside - when it is part of the overall presentation. A cool graphic or logo is nice, but the album jacket is yet another canvas for the artist to use to let the listener know what to expect once they get to the inside.
Here are some of my favorite examples: Continue reading "The Art Of Music" »
