Posted late in the day May 31, 2024 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com
Greetings once again from sunny/rainy/sunny/rainy Chicagoland. It’s time once again for the monthly ACHOF newsletter, with this month’s edition simply bursting with things that I believe will be of great interest to fans of album cover/record packaging-related art and artistry. Since we last chatted, I did finally live up to my promise of delivering my interview with illustrator/fine artist Thomas Steyer in which we learned the story about how he came to paint the quite-beautiful back cover image for what would turn out to be the first CD to sell over 1 million copies at retail. If you haven’t yet read it, might I suggest that you do so now – https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2024/05/24/artist-thomas-steyer-on-the-making-of-the-painting-used-on-the-back-cover-of-brothers-in-arms-by-dire-straits/
I’ve also been updating some of the bios and resource pages on the site, some as the result of researching some other articles and realizing that it’d been years since some of the early entries were added, so that’s made me happier with things overall. As per usual, I did receive many new alerts for articles on album artist/art-related topics in every category that I cover and so, with that all being said, let’s begin this month’s summary of what’s new and exciting in our little corner of the art and music world, along with my ongoing Lastly But Not Leastly item, where this month I’ve shared a somewhat-less-than-brief paragraph on a trending topic that I’m finding to be dominating the discussions in the art/music worlds and, as always, was eager to share with you all.
Award Show-related News
a) First off, here’s a call for entries to the 2025 Clio Music Awards – yes, it’s that time again, with this year’s competition expanded to include examples of a broader range of music industry-related promo graphics talent. The various mediums are now grouped into three sections:
1. Music Marketing
2. Branded Content & Collaborations
3. Use of Music in Advertising
and, in addition to the mediums and categories from past programs, this year they’ve added six new mediums (per their descriptions):
Design Craft – Entries in this medium include technique and craft/skills used in the execution of design (Copywriting, Graphic Design, Typography, Illustration, Use of Photography).
Digital & Social Media Craft – Entries in this medium include technique and craft/skills used in the execution of digital, social, and or mobile content (Copywriting, Direction, Editing, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Sound Design).
Live Music – Entries in this medium include creative work that promotes live musical performances at music venues, festivals, concert series, events, stunts, or activations (IRL or virtual) and/or work promoting a live music organization or venue in a new, unique, or especially creative manner. (Venues, Festivals, Concerts, Brand or Company).
Merchandise & Premiums – Entries in this medium are for licensed or in-house-produced physical products or apparel that promote an artist, music product, or music service. (Apparel, Footwear, & Household Goods, Beauty, Fitness & Health, Collectibles, Food & Beverage, Technology).
Use of Music in Advertising Craft – Entries in this medium include songwriting technique and the craft/skills used in the execution of audio content in advertising or a trailer/teaser (Arrangement, Casting/Performance, Collaboration, Editing, Lyrics, Music Supervision, Score, Songwriting).
Use of Music in Advertising Innovation – Entries in this medium include brand work that utilizes music in advertising in a new, unique, or especially creative manner.
Since I know that many of my readers are also producers of music-related imagery, I’d invite you to learn more about this year’s awards and then download the entry kit at https://info.clios.com/clio-music-2025? With any luck (and a lot of skill), I’ll be reporting about YOUR winning entries later this year!
b) The first cut of the entries to the D&AD Awards has been made and, among the thousands of projects that made the cut (over 1400 of over 30,000 entries!) there was a record album-related entry from Apple – done by their in-house Marcom division, that I thought you might like to see (it’s very cute, quite believable and gives you a bit of insight into the creative process – and politics – of making an album cover image) – https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2024/237824/album-cover/
Also, there was an entry from Coca-Cola’s COKE STUDIO, in the Motion Design category that was quite intriguing – take a look at these animated vinyl LPs (what?) they call “Video Vinyl” that made the shortlist in two categories (Shortlist / Graphic Design / Motion Design / 2024 and Shortlist / Illustration / Collaboration) – https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2024/238391/video-vinyl/ put together by the Ogilvy Singapore creative studio (work by Illustrators Mathieu Labrecque, Rakhmat Jaka, Tee Ken Ng and Vanilla Chi).
Exhibitions and Gallery Show Info (new and upcoming soon)
a) From the 13th through the 16th of June, fans in the area should get ready to visit an all-Oasis show/event series that will be staged at the iconic Salford Lad’s Club venue near Manchester, U.K. (a venue also attached to another top local band, The Smiths) – as the promoter tells us, “OASIS: TOGETHER WE’LL FLY – From ‘Take Me’ to ‘Falling Down’. From ‘The Boardwalk’ to ‘Rock En Seine’. From a Manchester council estate to global fame…..the history of the biggest band since The Beatles. This unique Oasis experience covers every release, item, image, and story from 1992-2009 and then to current day. The display Including the largest collection of band-used instruments and stage equipment ever put together in one place.”
Also, according to the show’s organizers, the collection on display (set to be auctioned off this coming November) Includes 10 guitars previously owned and played by Noel Gallagher, together with awards, visual/audio and signed merchandise.
What’s more, the man behind much of the band’s visuals – Microdot’s Brian Cannon – will be offering signed merch for sale and will participate in a Q&A session (now sold out – sorry!) about all of the classic Oasis artwork he created, with the show-closing event presented by legendary music writer John Robb (Robb will also be interviewing producer Nick Brine that night, and tix are still available for that session as of this writing). Organized by Bittersweet Home, the event is raising funds for Salford Lads Club and is sponsored by Propstore, Madchester & Gio Goi.
General admission is £20 per person, with a special VIP package available at £125 per ticket, with VIP guests treated to a merchandise package including hand-signed drum skin, drum sticks from Tony McCarroll and a signed plectrum from Bonehead and Andy Bell (approx £250 worth of signed genuine merch, I’m told). Learn more and purchase tickets at https://bittersweethome.co.uk/our-events/
In advance of the show, you can watch an interview video featuring show organizer Kyle Dale and John Robb in a discussion about how this collection/show came together on the YouTubes at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsUPJ0g4JuA
Thanks to Kyle Dale for sharing this information and photos with us.
b) As I was getting ready to publish this month’s news, I received a notice about a new solo show that’s going to launch June 15th (running through August 12th) in Las Vegas that will be a must-see for fans of punk rock art and attitude. At the venue – The Punk Rock Museum – you’ll be treated to a solo show titled “Been Wrong So Long It Looks Like Right to Me – The Surreal and Satirical Collage of Winston Smith” that is built around a retrospective collection of the artist’s colorful and impactful collage work (see more about some of his newest releases in the “Items For Sale” section, below).
There’s an opening party will be on Saturday, June 15th from 8pm to 10pm, so if you’d like to reserve a spot and learn more about the museum and its collection, please visit https://www.thepunkrockmuseum.com/
More than four decades since his collaborations with some of punk music’s most-notorious music/style makers (producing covers for labels such as Alternative Tentacles, Reprise, Virgin and a host of other indies, Winston’s style continues to have political punch, but has also developed an almost classical surrealism. According to Smith – “We have entered the twenty first century. It’s time to call off the art police.” Through his ongoing work, exhibitions, featured interviews (including segments in the 2012 film Vinylmania and in Vice magazine) and an ever-growing portfolio of merchandise bearing his punk aesthetic, the insight and impact of mischievous “art-criminal” Winston Smith continues to impress art and music fans of all stripes. In 2023, Smith and several collaborators launched a studio/gallery space in the North Beach section of San Francisco, CA, called Studio Fallout where he curates and contributes to shows that put counter-culture art, clothing and programming front and center. See more of this artist’s work at his website – www.winstonsmith.com
c) Following the successful staging of the photo show at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas late last year that was built around the portfolio of the famously talented shooter Annie Leibovitz, I’m pleased to announce that the exhibition recently re-launched at the Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, Kansas, where it’ll run through the first of September.
A description of this particular staging – organized by the Crystal Bridges Museum team and featuring over 130 shots from the photographer’s deep catalog – can be found on the local Aol/Wichita Eagle news page at https://www.aol.com/news/photos-iconic-photographer-annie-leibovitz-112300081.html. As I previously described it, the show, titled Annie Leibovitz at Work, is “a new exhibition of portraits by the famed photographer. In addition to her iconic and daring pictures for magazines like Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, the show includes a set of new works made just for Crystal Bridges—Leibovitz’s first museum commission.”
Album art fans will most certainly know Ms. Leibovitz’s work via the cover images she’s produced for top acts including Peter Tosh (Mystic Man); Cyndi Lauper (True Colors); Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A. and Tunnel of Love); Patti Smith (Gone Again); Laurie Anderson (In Our Sleep); Tony Bennett (The Art of Excellence); Judy Collins (Portrait of an American Girl); J. Geils Band (Best of the J. Geils Band); Lucinda Williams (West) and Paul Anka (Duets), among others.
If you find yourself in the area later this summer – specifically on Friday, August 16th – mark your calendars for a 6:30 p.m. free exhibition-related talk by Tom Hossler, chair of the visual communication design department at The University of Kansas, who worked as Leibovitz’s in-house art director from the late 1990s to early 2000s.
d) To coincide with Dead & Company’s now-30-show residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas that launched mid-May, a local gallery (the Animazing Gallery) has put together a companion show/sale featuring works by some of the Grateful Dead’s best-known image-makers, including artist Stanley Mouse and photographer Jay Blakesberg, as well as those produced by several other artists.
On display at the gallery’s location in The Palazzo Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort off the Las Vegas strip, “Visions of the Dead: A Grateful Dead Art and Photography Exhibition will feature iconic photography; limited edition graphics; original, one-of-a-kind sketches; and paintings created over the last five decades of the Grateful Dead experience. The exhibition will run from May 14 to August 10 with Stanley Mouse, Jay Blakesberg and Chloe Weir making personal appearances on Saturday, June 1. The art will be available for preview via the Animazing Gallery website” – https://www.animazing.com
Originally a gallery specializing in animation art, the gallery’s offering has expanded to include the works of many talented illustrators and other image-makers. Owner Nicholas Leone works with and represents a number of notable rock musicians to showcase their art in the galleries, where you’ll also find a significant collection of autographed guitars and rock and roll treasures.
e) Janette Beckman photo show at FOAM in Amsterdam, NL – the show, which opened this past May the 10th (sorry, just found out about it!) – includes many memorable shots from the renowned photographer’s portfolio that covers both the music/entertainment scene and of social/political movements that have captured the public’s imagination. Rebels (as the show is titled) “serves as a tribute to some of the most important social movements and subcultures of recent decades and includes a mix of images, contact sheets, and vinyl covers. Beyond her contribution to music cultures, the exhibition pays homage to rebels who challenge social and political norms, showcasing her photographs of recent movements such as Black Lives Matter, Anti-Trump protests, and peace demonstrations for Gaza. Beckman’s commitment to capture the subversives, revolutionaries and provocateurs highlights the broader social impact of her work. Furthermore, the exhibition explores how Beckman’s photographs have influenced brands, highlighting her campaigns for renowned brands such as Dior, Kangol and the shoot for Gucci x Dapper Dan.”
Of course, album art fans will be aware of Ms. Beckman’s contributions to that aspect of the art/music world via the images she’s created that helped promote records such as Outlandos D’Amour, Reggatta De Blanc, Zenyatta Mondatta and Every Breath You Take: The Singles for The Police; Squeeze – Six Of One; Arthur Russell – Another Thought; Gang Starr – No More Mr. Nice Guy; Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – On The Strength and Salt-n-Pepa’s A Salt With A Deadly Pepa and Push It, among many others.
Located in a historic building on Amersterdam’s Keisergracht, FOAM is a wonderful photography museum with an always-interesting series of exhibitions, with this one running through the 8th of September – https://www.foam.org/events/janette-beckman
Coverage on the Dazed Digital site at https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/62465/1/art-shows-exhibition-may-2024-london-paris-nyc-amsterdam/slide-8
Brief Bits:
REMINDER – COMING IN EARLY JUNE – There’s a one-night event scheduled for June the 7th in Los Angeles where ten major composers have been commissioned to produce an original a new movement that will be played – where each piece was inspired by a painting by the legendary artist Bob Peak (1927-1992). Leonard Slatkin conducts the Los Angeles Film Orchestra, who’ll put on this concert – titled Pictures at an Exhibition: The Paintings of Bob Peak – at the Walt Disney Concert Hall that evening. Peak was a commercial illustrator of impressive talent, with his work found on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time and TV Guide magazines, on posters promoting major films and plays including West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Camelot, Star Trek, Rollerball, Superman, Apocalypse Now (and many others) and, of course, on music recordings including those for Joan Baez, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Tony Bennet and scores of soundtrack albums. For the 1984 Olympics, the United States Postal Service commissioned Peak to design thirty stamps, and he was the recipient of over 150 major art/design awards during his career.
Tix on sale now at https://www.musiccenter.org/tickets-free-events/lease-events/pictures-at-an-exhibition-the-paintings-of-bob-peak/
Ongoing Exhibitions (listed in ascending order of their end dates)
CONTINUING THROUGH JUNE 14, 2024 – Artist Cey Adams and master printmaker Gary Lichtenstein have collaborated for years to produce art prints of Adams’ artwork, and now fans can take a tour through the wide range of compelling images they’ve produced at a new show that opens May 2nd (and runs through June 14th) at The Gary Lichtenstein Editions gallery space in North Adams, MA – https://www.gleditions.com/events Album art fans will know Mr. Adams’ work from his time as Creative Director of Def Jam Recordings, “where he founded the Drawing Board, the label’s in-house visual design firm that created visual identities, album covers, logos and advertising campaigns for Run DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Notorious B.I.G., Maroon 5 and Jay-Z, among others.” Two of my own go-to books about hip-hop design were designed/co-authored by Adams – DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop (published by Harper Collins) and “Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label”, published by Rizzoli. Cey Adams was inducted into the Album Cover Hall of Fame in the Art Director category in 2019.
CONTINUING THROUGH JUNE, 2024 – There’s a show that opened up in May in Miami, FL (running now through the end of June, 2024) that features the skills and imaginations of many of the visual artists who’ve contributed to the ever-growing popularity of hip-hop imagery and looks like a must-see by any fan of the genre/style. The Art of Hip-Hop is on display at the Wynwood event space (“conveniently located within steps of the Wynwood Walls, Museum of Graffiti, Pharrel’s Billionaire Boys Club, and Lebron James’ UNKNWN”) and offers up a nice collection of elements and artwork created by the many photographers, album cover artists, logo and fashion designers and graffiti artists who’ve contributed their talent to clients working in the area, so if you’d like to learn more and reserve tickets to the show, please visit – https://www.artofhiphop.com/
CONTINUING THROUGH JULY, 2024 – The works of noted photographer Gered Mankowitz are featured in an exhibition at the recenty-opened London outpost of The Gibson Gallery (The Gibson Garage London, 61 – 62 Eastcastle Street, London, UK W1W 8NQ – https://www.gibson.com/en-US/garage-london) that’s presented in cooperation with the Red House Originals gallery there. Per the show’s press release, visitors in attendance during the show’s run (through July, 2024) will find “a collection of classic and unseen portraits” by Mr. Mankowitz. “For over 50 years, Mankowitz has helped shape the iconic images of the music industry’s key players. The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Jimi Hendrix, PP Arnold, Kate Bush, Elton John, The Jam, Eurythmics, Oasis, and many more have all looked down the lens of his camera.” The show is available for viewing daily Monday-Saturday 10:00-7:00pm and on Sunday from 12:00-6:00pm – https://www.redhouseoriginals.com/exhibitions/gered-mankowitz-at-the-gibson-gallery.
As I noted previously, the newest retail outpost for Gibson Guitar held a pre-opening event in February that was attended by some of the best-known guitarists in the world, including Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath, Queen’s Sir Brian May and rising UK-based guitar stars James Bay and Rosie Frater-Taylor. Learn more about this new store/venue at https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Garage-London . NEW FOR JUNE UPDATE – After posting last month’s info about this show, I then came across an interview in the Evening Standard (by Martin Robinson) that was done a short while back as this show was set to open. In it, he shares some of the details behind some of his best-known images – https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/music/funny-jimi-energetic-kate-rude-oasis-secret-stories-behind-the-greatest-rock-n-roll-prints/ar-BB1jywnp? Please also look for an item later on in this newsletter about Mr. Mankowitz’s book tour in support of his latest publication…
CONTINUING THROUGH AUGUST 18 – An exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art that opened this past May 4th (and running through the 18th of August) called Art of Noise explores a collection “of visual and technological artifacts, plucked from music’s low orbit. “Art of Noise” comprises more than 800 pieces — among them early listening devices, cutting-edge speakers and iconic album covers — loosely grouped under the heading of design.” I want to know more about this show and will do some follow-up work in the coming month to be able to share with you but, in the meantime, The New York Times’ Chris Colin provides us with an introduction – https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/arts/design/san-francisco-museum-sound.html? – while the museum’s site gives us a bit more about the show and the related events they’ve scheduled during the run of this exhibition – https://www.sfmoma.org/exhibition/art-of-noise/
The site also includes two interviews with two highly-influential artists whose work stood out from the noise during the earlier days of the rise of rock and roll records – Lee Conklin (perhaps best-known for the astounding pen and ink “Lion” found on the cover of Santana’s debut album) – https://www.sfmoma.org/read/an-interview-with-poster-artist-lee-conklin/ – and David Singer, whose posters for Bay Area concerts in the 1960s and 1970s are some of the most-collectible works from that era – https://www.sfmoma.org/read/an-interview-with-poster-artist-david-singer/
CONTINUING THROUGH SEPTEMBER, 2024 – A comprehensive overview of hip-hop music and culture is the basis for an exhibit that recently opened at The Grammy Museum in LA and Variety.com’s Steven J. Horowitz takes us on a tour of the multi-floor extravaganza in this article – https://variety.com/2023/music/news/grammy-museum-hip-hop-america-the-mixtape-exhibit-preview-1235747771/amp/? The show – titled Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit – will be up until next September and includes a number of unique artifacts and interactive displays.
CONTINUING THROUGH JANUARY 5, 2025 – There’s a Hip-hop jewelry show called “Ice Cold” that opened this past May 9th in NYC that includes items seen on famous record covers and in photos by some of the better-known photographers covering the scene – https://news.artnet.com/art-world/american-museum-of-natural-history-hip-hop-jewelry-ice-cold-2449396
More info is now available on the American Museum of Natural History’s website at https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/ice-cold-hip-hop-jewelry, with details of just who’ll be participating and what the show’s highlights are available at https://www.amnh.org/about/press-center/amnh-announces-ice-cold-an-exhibition-of-hip-hop-jewelry
CONTINUING THROUGH MARCH, 2025 – Joel Meyerowitz photos at the Tate Modern – Part of their ongoing “ARTIST AND SOCIETY” display (Natalie Bell Building Level 2 West) , which consists of 12 rooms featuring the works of some of the many artists in their collection and, according to the show’s description, “is concerned with the ways in which artists engage with social ideals and historical realities. Though some artists associated modernism with a utopian vision, art has also provided a mirror to contemporary society, sometimes raising awareness about urgent issues or arguing for change. Whether through traditional media or moving images, abstraction or figuration, militancy or detached observation, all the artworks in this wing highlight aspects of the social reality in which they were made and try to generate a reaction and convey a more or less explicit message to their publics.” More information, along with a list of all 14 pieces of Mr. Meyerowitz’s work included in the show, can be found on the museum’s web page dedicated to the display at – https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/display/artist-and-society/joel-meyerowitz
Brief Bits:
a) Just received word that the Fotografiska Museum/Gallery outpost in New York City will be transitioning to a new space (as yet unconfirmed) in the city, with the existing space at 281 Park Avenue South closing at the end of September. Between now and then, they’ll be showcasing the work of the late photographer Vivian Maier in an exhibition running from May 31st to September 29th with another, featuring the works of the legendary street photographer, Bruce Gilden, running from June 21st to September 29th. More info at https://newyork.fotografiska.com/en/new-chapter
Artist News and Interviews
a) As part of the promotional efforts behind photographer Gered Mankowitz’s latest book – The Rolling Stones: Rare and Unseen, derived from his wonderful archive of images of the Rolling Stones (released by Welbeck Publishing and now available for order at the Iconic Images Gallery site, with an autographed version available that should appeal to all collectors of rock music-related art and photography –
https://iconicimagesgallery.com/en-us/products/gered-mankowitz-the-rolling-stones-rare-and-unseen-signed-hardcover), the gallery staged a special event on the 16th of May in which Mr. Mankowitz appeared at the gallery’s Piccadilly/Waterloo Place location to participate in a rare Q&A session with music journalist, author and presenter (and chief rock and pop music critic for The Times newspaper) Will Hodgkinson (he’s also written for The Guardian and Independent and for Mojo and Vogue magazines). The gallery was kind enough to send me several shots from the event, which I’m happy to share with you now, below:
You can view some of the many art prints available at the gallery from this talented shooter via this link – https://iconicimagesgallery.com/en-us/collections/gered-mankowitz-collection
According to the gallery and a recent mention in MOJO Magazine, the new tome is described as “Iconic [and] dazzling…Rare and Unseen delves into hitherto unexplored corners of Gered’s archive, as the photographer shares rare and newly discovered images of his time with the Rolling Stones, alongside his most iconic shots. The book also features Gered’s first-hand stories, as well as a host of expert writers on the band and their music – The Rolling Stones Rare and Unseen is a fresh look at the greatest story in rock and roll.”
Special thanks to Tori Mayo at Iconic Images for sharing these photos from the May 16 event.
b) Film-maker and author Adam McDaniel recently posted excerpts from a conversation he had recently with writer Dylan Struzan (wife of album art/movie poster wizard Drew Struzan) about the pair’s feelings (good and bad) about how AI tools are having an effect on their respective careers – https://www.richardamselmovie.com/single-post/dylan-struzan – and the future of creative industries going forward in light of the use of such tools. As you’ll recall, Adam is currently working on his film about the late great illustrator Richard Amsel and, while both Struzan and Amsel worked on many of the same/similar projects (e.g., Indiana Jones/Raiders of the Lost Ark, along with other fantasy films) they never did get a chance to meet and exchange ideas prior to Amsel’s untimely death nearly 40 years ago. In any case, glad that the Struzans are still adding their talents – for all our benefit – to the world of pop culture.
c) Although I can’t currently link you directly to the article, I would like to let you know that, as part of a larger collection of KISS-related articles included in GOLDMINE Magazine’s Spring 2024 issue, the editors included a conversation they had with art director Dennis Woloch about both his role in the creation of the four KISS solo albums that were released simultaneously in 1978 and his choice to use the talented portrait painter Eraldo Carugati to create each of the beautiful paintings used on those covers. You’ll also learn why the each had their own uniquely-colored shadows (and how Paul became “the purple one” –
d) As part of the promo for Genesis Publication’s exciting new book on the special relationship between musician/photographer Henry Diltz and the unique and very photogenic talents that make up Crosby Stills Nash & Young (titled CSN&Y: Love The One Your With), here’s a video interview with Henry in which he gives us the details of how he first started taking pictures while working as a touring musician in the 1960s (as it turns out, he was taking pix of his musician friends in the LA area, many of whom – Mama Cass Elliot, Steven Stills, Joni Mitchell and many others – would turn out to be quite influential!) and how he felt that, after taking so many photos of the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (both individually and in various groupings) scores of times over the past 50+ years, it was just time to organize them all and select his favorites for this new book – https://www.genesis-publications.com/news/henry-diltz-photographic-history? On the same page, you’ll also find out how to get your own copy of this beautiful book.
Brief Bits:
e) While not taking place until this coming October, promotional efforts are underway for this year’s ProgStock event and, as he has in the past, artist/designer Paul Whitehead will be there showing off his portfolio of mind-bending work – https://www.loudersound.com/news/lifesigns-kyros-and-advent-horizon-added-to-progstock-2024-bill
Items for Sale and/or at Auction
a) My Bloody Valentine album art prints – including editions signed by the band members – are still available at The Flood Gallery in the U.K.. Per the gallery’s promo folks – “My Bloody Valentine, in collaboration with The Flood Gallery, is proud to present an exclusive limited edition of giclée fine art prints featuring mbv.” To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the release of the band’s record, collectors and fans can now purchase a 24″ x 24″ giclée art print (printed on Hahnemühle archival fine art paper) with “official mbv embossing” in a limited numbered edition of 300, signed by all four members of the band. Priced at £140, this edition is offered in addition to an unsigned open edition of the print selling for £60. Hurry – we’re told that they’re down to their last few copies – https://mybloodyvalentineart.com/?
In more Flood Gallery-related news, the company also announced that it will soon be offering autographed copies of photographer Paul Cox’s recent book on The Cure (Stills) that documents his long-standing visual relationship with the band, one that began when he first started shooting them for a magazine session back in 1980 – https://www.thefloodgallery.com/products/the-cure-stills?
Paul Cox has a very impressive portfolio of album package credits that span many facets of the pop music world, having produced images for musical acts including Big Country, The Cult, Elton John, The Fall, Human League, Van Morrison, Thompson Twins, Tina Turner and many others.
I found a 2023 interview with Paul on the NME site in which he talks about his long-standing relationship with The Cult and its members – https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-cure-photographer-paul-cox-robert-smith-is-a-normal-bloke-but-he-has-a-presence-3375242
b) Famed illustrator (and master of the collage) Winston Smith recently sent me a note about a new work he released that commemorates a recent appearance of the rock band Pearl Jam in the Sacramento, CA area – https://www.studiofallout.com/shop/p/pearl-jam-poster-sacramento? The print includes references to the city’s abundant natural beauty and other “Easter eggs” relating to the area’s history and culture, including a tower that represents the always impactful (but now defunct) record retailer Tower Records, which launched in Sacramento back in 1960…
Produced in a limited edition of 71 signed/numbered prints and priced at a mere $100, the print is available for order (while supplies last) on Smith’s Studio Fallout site.
In other Winston Smith news, his gallery (Studio Fallout) just announced the availability of a limited-edition skate deck that features the artwork of one of his best-known album cover images – the original 1977 In God We Trust, Inc. artwork for The Dead Kennedys (AKA “IDOL: Cross of Dollars”), considered by many as one of the most memorable (and controversial) record covers in Punk Music history. Printed with metallic silver inks on North American maple, each of the Made In The U.S.A. decks is signed and numbered by Mr. Smith, with orders now being accepted at https://www.studiofallout.com/shop/p/45ynxrhggb1qmu0j3yu4orae64g8yp
The album bearing this image was subsequently banned in England and condemned by the American Religious Right and landed Smith and Dead Kennedys “a permanent spot in the punk culture hall of shame.” He’d go on to do scores of other covers for labels such as Alternative Tentacles, Reprise, Virgin and a host of other indies.
c) It’s been nearly 40 years since the release of Death’s Leprosy album (a cassette I lost a long while back), but for those who wish to keep the nightmares alive, our chums at KnuckleBonz recently announced the upcoming availability of a new limited-edition sculpture (only 1988 will be made) that rips (or is that R.I.P.s?) the cover’s main character off the cardboard and allows him to stand before you in all of his 3-D glory – https://knucklebonz.com/products/death-leprosy-knucklebonz-statue? Measuring 8.5″ (h) x 5.25″ 
x 5.25″ (d), each hand-painted sculpture is priced at $174.00 plus shipping.
Those who’d prefer to keep their exposure to this character limited to the digital realm can now also order a 3D Vinyl KnuckleBonz Digital Collectible (LEGENDARY) Version is available in a limited edition of only 500 for the pre-order price of $39.96. As it’s described on the company’s site – “This is a 3D digital statue counterpart to the hand-cast physical collectible statue created by KnuckleBonz in 2024. When you collect this digital collectible, you unlock the ability to display this in your KnuckleBonz City Hub. Leprosy is the second studio album by Death, released in Nov 1988. Officially Licensed with the Chuck Schuldiner Estate. The legendary version unlocks additional features and effects that are exclusive only to owners of this collectible.” Kill me now or kill me later – https://www.knucklebonzdigital.io/market/product/0x2F716e7bE5EAc7ff934d3FD3c76982F2f0922C6c
d) The next sequential fine art print in the Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull album art series is now being made available for order via The Flood Gallery – “Jethro Tull in collaboration with The Flood Gallery is proud to present an exclusive limited edition of giclée fine art prints featuring artwork from the original album cover for A, originally released in 1980.
Available in three editions – a 24″ x 24″ Giclée Print Art Print, in a numbered edition of 300, with official JT embossing (signed by Ian Anderson) and priced at £120; a 28″ x 28″ Giclée Print Art Print, in a numbered edition of 125, with official JT embossing (also signed by Ian Anderson) for £175 and a 24″ x 24″ Giclée Print Art Print, numbered edition of 500, with official JT embossing but unsigned, for £50.
Shipping in July, the print is based on the art for the band’s 13th studio album and the first one featuring bassist Dave Pegg, who’d replaced the band’s previous bass player, John Glascock, who’d died of heart trouble the previous year. Peter Wagg was the art director of the cover photo, shot by John Shaw. https://jethrotullart.com/collections/a?
e) Just reaching my inbox today was a notice from the fine people at Genesis Publications regarding a new book they’re going to make available to collectors that includes interviews and articles with several noted album art/design personalities. Per their advance PR – “Celebrating 50 years of publishing, Genesis is proud to present Artist Pass, a unique exchange between musicians, producers, writers, and photographers who together cover all things rock and roll. From six decades of interview transcripts, printed manuscripts, and previously unpublished material, the Genesis editors have dug deep into the publisher’s archives to create a new collection of essays from some of the biggest names in rock.
Artist Pass, a limited edition of only 500 copies, has been signed by the authors and photographers who have, over time, become an integral part of Genesis’s history. These include Eric Clapton, Phil Collen, John Densmore, Mick Fleetwood, Olivia Harrison, Chrissie Hynde, Eric Idle, Bruce Johnston, Mike Love, Mike McCartney, Ringo Starr, Bill Wyman, and many more, including renowned photographers Dominique Tarlé and Henry Diltz.” I’d also like to point out that the company’s logo was designed by none other than the late Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis fame.
Learn more about this book and the various editions that will be available at https://www.genesis-publications.com/book/9781905662944/artist-pass?
Brief Bits:
f) The Cleveland-based rock photographer Mike Petrello, whose portfolio includes thousands of photos of area concerts in the area (over 200!) in the 1970s and 1980s, has just released a new 171-page hardcover book of some of his favorite shots titled Rock Shots: Iconic Images of The Greatest Era of Rock and Roll – https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2024/05/cleveland-rock-photographer-releases-book-chronicling-a-decade-long-concertgoing-journey.html
Auction Results Updates
a) Julien’s auction house recently staged a “Music Icons” auction that included several items that would have been of great interest to album cover art collectors, such as a) a guitar that the late rock singer Chris Cornell smashed for the cover of his 2009 solo album Scream (sold for $29,250 after pre-auction estimates of $10-20,000); a pair of silver tone circular glasses worn by John Sebastian on the cover for The Loving Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic” release (sold for $650); the original artwork (gouache and acrylic on illustration board) created by artist/designer Tony Wright for the cover of the 1981 album, Take it Off by the Nile Rodgers band, Chic which, after bidding, remained unsold; the original gouache and multi-media artwork (featuring the band’s logo and trademark Flying V guitar graphic created by Brian Zick) used for the cover of the 1981 Triumph album, Allied Forces (sold for a hair above pre-auction estimates, $10,400); a color print of the artwork created by artist Grahame Baker Smith for Robert Plant’s 2005 album, Mighty ReArranger, signed by both the artist Grahame Baker Smith and Mr. Plant, who also inscribed the print (given to his accountant), which sold for a mere $650; and several Rolling Stones and Beatles album art prints. Another item made available for sale at this Julien’s auction was an interesting Sgt. Pepper’s-related item – a life-size stand-up display used in an HMV store on Oxford Street Store in London – https://bid.juliensauctions.com/lot-details/index/catalog/491/lot/235276/the-beatles-sgt-pepper-s-lonely-hearts-club-band-hmv-store-promo-display – which was taken home by some lucky collector for $1270 (pre-auction estimate of $1,000 – $2000).
Find all of the details at https://www.juliensauctions.com/en/auctions/music-icons-491?search=album+cover&categoryIds=
b) One of three original variants of Shepard Fairey’s original “HOPE” collage – one that was used to promote then-candidate Barack Obama’s presidential bid in 2008 – was one of the featured items in Heritage Auctions’ “May 14 Modern & Contemporary Art” auction, with pre-auction estimates in the $500 – $700,000 range, with the winning bidder taking the unique item home at the bargain-basement price of only $375.000 (a steal!).
This particular work of art was being offered by a collector who’d purchased it from Sotheby’s auction house in late 2020 for a hair over $600,000, almost 10X the original $50-$70K pre-auction estimate. Of the other two iterations of this work (according to Heritage), “one is in private hands (sold in these rooms May 19, 2022 for $735,000) and the other resides in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery. The NPG acquired the work in early January 2009, prior to Obama’s inauguration, in a shock departure from their standard acquisition practice for presidential portraits, usually near the end of term, a remarkable commentary on the importance of this work and the impact it had on American culture.”
Versions of this image were recreated and duplicated and posted all over the country, with many parodies also popping up both for and against the ultimate victor. Over the years, it resurfaced several times in unofficial recreations and parodies, such as this one from the 2020 Presidential race between then-president Trump and Obama’s retired vice president Joe Biden.
Fairey is no stranger to modern art and album art fans, with his artwork found on album packages for top acts including Anthrax, Smashing Pumpkins, Tom Petty, The Black-Eyed Peas, Stone Temple Pilots, Less Than Jake, The Specials, Led Zeppelin, Billy Idol, Bad Brains and several others.
Miscellaneous Items and other Brief Bits
As always, I’m going to have to keep these short-and-sweet (well, most of them, anyway):
Obits:
a) Photographer Daniel Kramer, who gifted album art fans with memorable photos such as the ones featured on Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, Bringing It All Back Home (which was nominated for a Grammy Award) and Biograph; George Benson’s Giblet Gravy and Any Day Now for singer Joan Baez, died April 29, 2024. He was 91.
Based in New York, Kramer’s photographs of Dylan have appeared in museum and gallery exhibitions internationally and he is the author (along with W. Eugene Smith) of the first major photographic book about Bob Dylan – 1967’s Bob Dylan : a Portrait of the Artist’s Early Years, which featured 140 of those early shots.
Daniel Kramer’s archive is breathtaking – in addition to the album cover sessions, he spent over a year (367 days in a row, to be exact) on the road and in private with Bob Dylan in 1964 and 1965. This came about after Kramer had heard the young singer/songwriter perform on the Steve Allen show in 1964 and, amazed by the performance, he sought out Dylan’s management and contacted them to schedule a photo session, only to be told Dylan wasn’t available. It took Kramer six months to negotiate and secure a one-hour portrait session in Woodstock with Dylan; that session ultimately ran to five hours. An invitation for Kramer to travel by car with Dylan to a performance at Town Hall Philadelphia immediately followed and Kramer’s year-long photo odyssey commenced.
He was also in the recording studio in January 1965 when Bob recorded Bringing It All Back Home and later that year, Like a Rolling Stone, and he also photographed “the electric performance” with The Hawks at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. “I photographed a lot of wonderful and tremendously exciting subjects in my career, but Dylan remains one of the few at very the top of my list,” Kramer says. “I have always admired his courage as a performer who—as he wrote once in one of his books—steps out. He’s said incredible things and moved a lot of people. His lyrics and music have had an amazing influence on his time, and for a photographer, this is always great when you have an opportunity to document a part of that.”
In addition to documenting Bob Dylan, he photographed Norman Mailer extensively over a three-year period. His work has also been published in LIFE, TIME, Fortune and other publications. In 2016, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles hosted an exhibition of over 50 of Kramer’s photos of Dylan taken in 1964-65, as he began to morph from folk singer to rock icon, which they called Bob Dylan: Photographs by Daniel Kramer – https://grammymuseum.org/event/bob-dylan-photographs-by-daniel-kramer/
The biographical information and quotes you see here were excerpted from Mr. Kramer’s bios on his (now shuttered) web site at danielkramer.com, but several notable photo dealers still actively promote his works. Here are some links to recent obits –
https://artdaily.cc/news/169350/Daniel-Kramer–who-photographed-Bob-Dylan-s-rise–dies-at-91
b) Dee Lippingwell, a B.C.-based rock photographer recognized as one of Canada’s most prolific, died on May 9, at age 78, of cancer. Born in Vancouver, in recent years she returned to the Vancouver area, and over her 50+ year career she became one of the go-to shooters for Canadian acts as well as a long list of top musical acts from around the world.
Her list of album cover credits includes work for artists such as Chilliwack, Long John Baldry, Annihilator, The Irish Rovers and a slew of Vancouver-area acts, with editorial credits for publications such as the long-standing Vancouver entertainment weekly The Georgia Straight and then the national monthly Music Express. The Surrey Now Leader reported that “in recent years Lippingwell worked to catalogue images of the estimated 3,500 concerts she’d photographed since her very first, a Pink Floyd gig in Vancouver back in 1973.”
Read more in this obituary found on the site of the Canadian edition of Billboard Magazine – https://ca.billboard.com/music/music-news/dee-lippingwell-photographer
Also – R.I.P. Sam Ash Music – the 100-year-old chain of musical instrument stores is going out of business, taking our memories of hours spent roaming its stores and wishing that we could afford that beautiful (fill in the blank) – https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/why-is-sam-ash-closing-musicians-everywhere-mourn-end-of-an-era/ar-AA1o5O1z?
More news items
a) NEW FROM MUSE BY CLIO – Here’s a brief overview of the latest entries in the ongoing series of album art-related features on the Muse By Clio site. This recap finds the editorial team behind the “Art of the Album” series asking several artists/production execs/musicians and album art fans to share some of their favorite covers and why it is that they stand out amongst all others. This month’s list
10 Great Album Covers, Chosen by Steve Miller of Fuse Create: Kenny Rogers, Coldplay, Van Halen and more
https://musebycl.io/art-album/10-great-album-covers-chosen-steve-miller-fuse-create#
Steve Miller is the SVP, ECD and a Partner at FUSE Create
10 Great Album Covers, Chosen by Musician Mike Thomas: Tom Waits, Chris Stapleton, Johnny Cash and more
https://musebycl.io/art-album/10-great-album-covers-chosen-musician-mike-thomas#
Mike Thomas is an emerging country/Americana artist steeped in tradition. Drawing from a wide array of influences and experiences, his music has been best described as “eclectic country with a vintage vibe.”
10 Great Album Covers, Chosen by Jenn D’Eugenio of Women in Vinyl: Smashing Pumpkins, Elder, Catbeats and more
https://musebycl.io/art-album/10-great-album-covers-chosen-jenn-deugenio-women-vinyl#
Of course, I’m immediately taken by the fact that Jenn’s first pick is also a favorite of mine, that being the typography-centric cover of Black Sabbath’s 1971 LP Master of Reality, but she goes on to include works by Hipgnosis (UFO’s Phenomenon), Smashing Pumpkins’ Adore and another cover for fans of fonts, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis’s 2021 release titled Carnage. Jenn D’Eugenio is the founder of Women In Vinyl (and co-host of The Women in Vinyl Podcast) and is the sales director at the Austin, TX-based pressing plant, Gold Rush Vinyl – https://womeninvinyl.com/podcasts
b) NEW FROM FAR OUT MAGAZINE – Far Out Magazine returns to the Summary with a couple of new pieces by regular contributor Kelly Scanlon: First up, Kelly details just how close David Lee Roth came to making a fatal mistake during the photo sessions for his Skyscraper solo record – https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-album-cover-that-almost-killed-david-lee-roth/ , following that with a story called “Inadvertent Iconography: the many figures in The Smiths’ album artwork” – https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-many-figures-in-the-smiths-album-artwork/
c) Writing for GOLDMINE Magazine, Martin Popoff pulls together 20 album covers where the principal color is no color at all – white. While the Beatles record commonly referred to as “The White Album” may be the first that comes to mind, you’ll see that it is certainly not the only memorable one – https://www.goldminemag.com/music-history/top-20-white-album-covers-ranked Who is the whitest of the white? Click on and see if you agree.
d) In these trying times during which it seems half the world is not quite sure whether what they’re seeing in the press and online is true or not, it’s no surprise that one of the sites that’s been busy doing the research and reporting on whether stories/rumors are based in fact (or not) – Snopes.com – was recently tasked to tell us whether The Beatles did in fact pose with decapitated baby dolls and slabs of raw meat while making the original cover photo for their Yesterday & Today LP (AKA “The Butcher Cover”) – https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-beatles-butcher-cover/
e) I recently found a site I’d never seen before – Culture Custodian, whose mission is to “curate and collect the stories and events that matter for the Nigerian and African millennial” – in which they included a story titled BEST CONTEMPORARY DEBUT ALBUM COVERS, written by Alex Omenye, that includes a very nice collection of examples of modern album cover imagery – https://culturecustodian.com/best-contemporary-debut-album-covers/ The more I see of African album cover art, the more I like it (I was particularly impressed with Rema’s Raves & Roses cover art – there’s a lot to think about in such a simple image.
f) Was David Bowie’s cover for his 1975 album Heroes influenced by his love of German Expressionist art? In a story on one of the world’s least-appealing web sites – The U.K.’s Daily Mail (unappealing not because of content but instead because of the pages being over-populated with advertising), Charles Legg shares his opinions on this possibility – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13461899/david-bowie-heroes-album-cover-painting.html Sadly, he didn’t include any images to support his argument (as that would have reduced the number of ads shoved in our faces), so I’ll give you a link to one found at The Met – https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/352213
g) Wax Poetics and Polaroid released a new film about hip-hop’s influence on culture, music, art, clothing, design, etc. that’s now available for streaming via the Wax Poetics site. The documentary was done in partnership “with some of Europe’s most prominent creative communities, exploring the influence of hip-hop in London, Paris and Amsterdam. ‘Made You Look’ offers a European take on how the movement influenced creative culture through the lens of today’s torchbearers”. Watch the promo video on YouTube here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLNyu9wLWSA or the entire film (not too long as just shy of 40 minutes, which premiered 5/18) at https://magazine.waxpoetics.com/connections/made-you-look/article/polaroid-wax-poetics-present-made-you-look/
Brief Bits:
h) In a recent post on the Ultimate-Guitar.com site, you’ll learn more about both Roy Kohara’s designs – based on John Lennon’s childhood drawings – for the 1974 Walls & Bridges album cover AND Bob Gruen’s classic photos of Lennon sporting his “New York City” t-shirt – https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the_story_behind_john_lennons_walls_and_bridges_cover_and_an_iconic_photo-166077
i) Now that a long-withheld Led Zep documentary is coming to market, we’ll learn a bit more about the band, including David Juniper’s wonderful cover art found on LZ2 – https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/becoming-led-zeppelin-cinemas/
j) Sticking with the Led Zeppelin theme, here’s an item about crop circles and Led Zeppelin album covers – https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/crop-circle-that-inspired-led-zeppelin-album-cover-appears-near-drummer-s-grave/ar-AA1ekF4B?
k) Not typically our chosen genre, but here’s 10 country album covers – https://www.lovetoknow.com/home/antiques-collectibles/country-western-album-covers with the same site offering up 6 punk covers – https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/6-infamous-punk-album-covers-worthy-of-their-notoriety/ar-BB1lVbc3?
l) Might you own a musical treasure? – https://blog.cheapism.com/valuable-vinyl-records/
m) The team at the UK’s RadioX site ask us “Are these the worst BritPop album covers ever” – https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/worst-britpop-album-covers/ – well, are they? They’ll never tell…
n) Here’s a story of how a particular album cover work helped save a band’s career (did it?) – https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/how_one_album_saved_kiss_the_story_behind_the_lick_it_up_cover_art_and_what_made_it_so_special-165630
o) 90s records with recognizable covers – https://technabob.com/90s-albums-with-recognizable-cover-art/
ONGOING COPYRIGHT/INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DISCUSSIONS
a) Sony is working hard to make it clear to AI developers just what’s kosher regarding use of their materials – including album cover art – to feed the large language models being built – https://9to5mac.com/2024/05/16/sony-music-warns-against-ai-uses-of-its-content/ Their May 16, 2024 “Declaration of AI Training Opt Out” spells out – quite clearly – the media giant’s position that while it “is a passionate believer in the inherent and paramount value of human artistry” and that it “has been embracing the potential for responsibly produced AI to be used as a creative tool, revolutionizing the ways songwriters and recording artists create music”, it wants to let developers and users of these tools (over 700 companies received this formal notice) know “that innovation must ensure that songwriters’ and recording artists’ rights, including copyrights, are respected.” They then go on to state that, as they should be free to do, the company and its subsidiaries are “opting out” of “any text or data mining, web scraping or similar reproductions, extractions or uses”. Since that declaration, as you might figure, parties on both sides of the argument have publicly stated that this will either stifle artistic expression unimaginably or, as we’ve seen in other countries since the EU passed it’s Copyright Directive back in 2019 which requires that developers obtain licenses for anything they’re going to sample/use in making “new” or derivative products. Between these heated discussions and listening to the pros and cons of whether the US Government (or ANY government) should have the right to control the distribution and/or use of programs/applications they find objectionable “for reasons of national security”, I’m getting a headache, aren’t you?
Lastly but not Leastly…
Artificial Intelligence (or “AI”). It’s just about all you hear, see or read about these days, at least in the places I listen to or look at. I must admit that I tend to pay more attention to a pretty broad array of sources of information and entertainment that include a lot of news and editorial about pop culture – mostly, music and the arts – whereas I know that many people these days tend to focus on just a few sources that have packaged these things “just for you”. Since the dawn of the Internet and web-based services – including search engines and social media – the number of “reliable” and “valuable” sources has increased by an almost-unbelievable amount, making it nearly impossible to stay on top of whether these sources remain reliable (and, therefore, valuable), so most of the media-consuming public has chosen to accept some assistance in this overwhelming media/content management effort.
These personal-curation tools started out being quite simple and, as such, required some effort to keep their deliverables truly personalized. If you wanted to know the “Top 10 Best-Selling” albums (or vacuum cleaners or matcha powder mixes), you went to the sites hosted by the media companies who’d made their names as experts in the subjects, who’d adapted their print, radio or TV programming to be delivered to subscribers or site visitors via these faster, inter-connected services. You went to the Weather Channel for weather, Rolling Stone/Billboard/NME for music, Conde Nast sites for food and travel, etc., and would subscribe to their newsletters/daily emails. Over time, spin-offs added to the mix, with reporters who’d made their names at the more-established news organizations and entertainment companies finding some backing and setting up shop on their own to deliver their own takes on an ever-expanding scope of interesting topics.
As the numbers grew and the costs of entry to this infosphere lowered, “specialists” took it upon themselves to establish new sites offering even-more-specific items and, as competition grew, it became clear that there needed to be ways to attract new visitors to those sites, with some choosing to improve the quality and quantity of their deliverables and others turning to other tried-and-true methods of obtaining and holding on to visitors/listeners/viewers, including using tantalizing headlines, imagery and subject materials of questionable taste and/or veracity. Not long after, software engineers impressed the content programming and marketing teams at their firms that, via the use of programs they’d developed that would closely monitor site visitors’ time spent on a site and what they’d click on, the programmers/marketers could custom-tailor both their content and messaging (and advertising) for these now-segmented audiences. Initially, this was done in a more-conventional style, with red programming and ads delivered to those who’d shown they liked red and, ultimately, with even-newer tools (and much-faster processing), delivering these things automatically. Custom-tailored information and entertainment programming was becoming the norm and, in sped-up home, work and leisure-time environments, it convinced many that this was ultimately to the benefit of all participants – both suppliers and consumers.
Those of us who grew up before and during the rise of the mechanized and productivity-focused technologies and the things they brought to bear on our everyday lives have had the opportunity to make decisions for ourselves regarding just how deeply we’d let them impress themselves on our lives have had the chance, over the past 10 years or so, to watch newer generations grow up in a media/info landscape where they’ve never had to dig deep and commit a lot of personal resources to learn what’s out there in the world and, in many cases, haven’t been exposed to info/entertainment outside what’s been custom-baked and served to them, however they choose to consume these things. Many older folks, while knowing “how the world worked” before the advent of hand-held (or dashboard-mounted) supercomputers, have more-or-less become willing participants in this highly-specialized media universe, as they either a) don’t want to look “out of touch” to the younger members of their families or at their offices or b) have decided that their lives are busy enough as they are and that they don’t have the time or interest in looking over a user interface to find something of interest (take a look at the menu on the Kanopy streaming service for a mind-boggling example of a way-too-much on the screen at the same time content offering), so why not just click on the “chosen just for you” tiles or links?
What am I getting at here? I suppose that it is my long-and-hopefully-not-too-boring way of saying that, as much as I would like to take advantage of all of the latest content research and production tools that are available to me (and to you), I figure that there are at least a few of you out there who enjoy reading a carefully researched and organized site and newsletter – delivered monthly now via email/website and, with any luck, a little more often via short-form podcast sometime in the near-ish future – built around content a music and art fan like me thinks you might enjoy and get some benefit from. And while I’m not sure exactly how long I’ll do this as it does take up an awful lot of time and energy on my part and on the part of the people who continue (thanks, everyone!) to supply me with the details and stories they share on things of interest to fans of album cover art/retail record packaging, I’m a firm believer in human-curated news and entertainment, so that’s what you’ll continue to find here as long as I can keep sending it your way.
L.B.N.L.R.I.P. – Iron Butterfly keyboardist and singer Doug Ingle, dead at 78 – https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/doug-ingle-iron-butterfly-singer-and-organist-dead-at-78/ar-BB1n351x?
That’s all for now – be on the lookout for the next newsletter update, scheduled to be delivered on the first day of July and, as always, if anything comes across my desk anytime sooner, I will surely publish a special article/news alert, so to make sure you don’t miss out, I’d suggest that, if you haven’t done so already, you sign up on the ACHOF home page to get an automatic email every time there’s something new on the ACHOF site.
Also, if you have any suggestions for me – ideas for articles, notices about events or adding/editing sections of the newsletter or web site, please feel free to share those with me. I read every email I get (and reply to them all) and really appreciate the feedback as it’s my hope to make this site/news source as good as it can be.
Until we meet again next month,
Summertime Peace and Love to you all,
Mike G
BONUS BUG CONTENT – Here’s a couple of photos taken near my home showing some of the billions (I’m not exaggerating!) of cicadas that have hatched and lived and died here. I’m assuming that many of you have never seen (or heard) these creatures, which only appear once every 13 or 17 years (or, as is the case this year, both at the same time), so in the spirit of sharing here at the ACHOF, here ya go…
Unless otherwise noted, all text and images included in this article are Copyright 2024 Mike Goldstein and AlbumCoverHallofFame.com – All Rights Reserved. All the trade names mentioned in these summaries are the properties of their respective owners and are used for reference only.
Album Cover Hall of Fame.com 