ACHOF Resources – Box Sets and Special/Limited-Edition Packages – An Overview (cont’d)

posted March 27th, 2022 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

3 Selections from the author’s personal collection – The Beatles (White Album), Voyager Box Set and Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones

Part 4 – The biggest, best-selling, most-expensive, most-valuable box/limited-edition sets.

Now that you’ve been given a proper introduction to the history and ongoing development of these collectible record packages in the previous posting, I was thinking that it might be fun and interesting to see the extremes that musical acts and record labels might be willing to go to deliver anthologies to record buyers and fans. To do this, I set out to discover what are the biggest sets ever produced, simply measured by the number of discs included in each package, and then produce a by-no-means-definitive reference that will most certainly be added to in impressive fashion over time. Keeping my focus on albums (vinyl and CDs) and avoiding going off on a tangent that would include sets of 45RPM and CD singles(!), I’ve assembled a list that touches on a number of genres, led by classical music producers, with rock, jazz and pop represented was well. Note that, in many cases, the total number of discs included in a set might consist of a combination of different media, such as audio CDs, Blu-Ray audio CDs and DVDs. For example, King Crimson’s 1969 (Court of the Crimson King) is a 26-disc set consisting of 20 CDs, 4 Blu-Ray audio discs and 2 DVDs:

ACHOF Resources – Box Sets and Special/Limited-Edition Packages – An Overview

Posted February 4, 2022 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

This is the first part of a multi-part series on a part of the music-making-and-selling business that’s enjoyed a resurgence over the past several years and, at least from my point of view, is one of the best ways to see the full extent of both the creativity and marketing savvy of the people tasked with producing these products – those being what the Recording Academy has labeled “Boxed or Special or Limited-Edition Packages” (AKA “Box sets”, “enhanced packages”, “Record Store Day special releases”, “Fan Collections”, etc.).

In this initial posting, I’ll provide you with an overview of the topic, give you a little history (including some personal takes on the subject) and perhaps better-define the breadth and depth of the offerings that have come to market since the early days of the rock/pop music business. Later, I’ll describe what each of the participant’s roles are in creating these packages and then spice that section up with a number of quotes and anecdotes I’ve collected from some of the most-prolific (and awarded) players in that game.

Now sit back and relax while we begin our journey through the exciting world of “special products”…

ACHOF presents the Art on My Sleeves series – Episode 1 – All Nerve: Album Cover Graphic Design

All Nerve Record Cover Collage by Jules Seamer

Posted January 14th, 2022, with an update posted January 18th, 2022

Highlights from the original exhibition curated by Jules Seamer, with text edited/updated by the Album Cover Hall of Fame’s Mike Goldstein

#1 in the Art on My Sleeves series – All Nerve: Album Cover Graphic Design – In addition to the musical and business aspirations that have inspired individuals and record labels to produce packaged music products for sale to fans worldwide, the album cover art projects associated with these records have benefitted over the years from the talents of the people who’ve worked on them, the tools they had available to create “just the right” cover image and the dynamics of what constituted “Popular Culture” at the time they were created.

The use of Graphic Design – or “Commercial Art”, as it was once called – on album covers was brought about due to the successful efforts of several early pioneers, the most notable being commercial artists including Alex Steinweiss who, in 1938, became the first art director for Columbia Records and, in 1940, Introduced first individually-designed record cover (Smash Song Hits by Rodgers & Hart) and went on to pioneer cardboard sleeve-based packaging for 33-1/3 RPM LPs in 1948. He was joined at Columbia by Jim Flora and Robert M. “Bob” Jones in the mid-1940s (followed by Saul Bass, S. Neil Fujita and Bob Cato) while, over at the jazz labels Verve, Blue Note and others, talented artists including David Stone Martin, Reid Miles and Andy Warhol produced covers that brought them fame thanks to their iconic design work. Whether helping to shape the vision of a label, as Barney Bubbles did at Stiff, Vaughan Oliver did at 4AD or Peter Saville crafted for Factory or establishing a style that became synonymous with the bands they had as clients (like Hipgnosis for Pink Floyd or Jamie Reid for the Sex Pistols), album cover graphic designers were deservedly hailed for creating mini-masterpieces that made an art form out of the album cover.

Album Cover Hall of Fame’s 2018 Holiday Gift-Buying Guide

Holiday Gift Suggestions for the Album Cover/Vinyl Record Lovers in your Life

 

Works offered for sale by (above, left to right) – Snap Galleries, UK, Vinylux and KnuckleBonz

As suggested by Mike Goldstein, Curator, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

Holidays, 2018

Well, it’s been five years since I published the first of what were supposed to be annual overviews of “artistical” things that, in my opinion, might make nice gifts for anyone who is a fan of album cover art and packaging. Of course, I could come up with several excuses as to why I’ve back-burnered this until now – my book project, my move from Portland to Chicago or my heavy drinking since November, 2016 – but suffice it to say that it wasn’t because I didn’t want to provide this information to you. So, if you’ll accept my apology, let me continue with what I hope is some valuable information in this update.

As I’m sure you all know, getting just the right gift for your loved ones at Holiday time can be such a puzzle – what with all of the advertising that bombards you from every direction and “Black Friday” now beginning sometime in mid-late July – that you’re left with little time and inclination to search for just the right thing when all you want to do is “get this over with”…

And, while I’ve been told never to buy “art” for others, because of the link between music and art, buying a gift for lovers of album cover art has never been so simple. As you’ll see by the list of companies that specialize in album cover-related items of all types (and fitting all budgets), with a little research (“Hey Honey, who’s your all-time favorite band?”) and perhaps a phone call or two, I’m feeling pretty confident that you’ll be able to locate and secure a gift that will be long-appreciated by its recipient. Who knows, maybe it will start a tradition in your family!

Excerpts from Pierre et Gilles feature by Andrew Dineley for Classic Pop

Issue 28 – Classic Pop Magazine with Pierre et Gilles feature by Andrew Dineley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Added by Mike Goldstein on March 31, 2017

In my ongoing effort to support album cover art fans wherever they may be, it’s been my recent pleasure to introduce you to the writing talents of Andrew Dineley, the Liverpool, UK-based proprietor of the SoftOctopus Design studio and regular contributor of album art-and-artist-related articles to the popular Classic Pop magazine and web site. As hard as I try to locate and promote the talents of people working in the album cover art space, I know that, due to my being located in middle-America, USA, I’m not always able to discover work done by people working for clients in other countries, so it was with great joy that I received Andrew’s friend request and link to a video he recently put together that showcases some of his latest contributions to the magazine – https://vimeo.com/205032038 and, if you’d like to see more of his own commercial work, check out his firm’s web site at http://www.softoctopus.co.uk/

Andrew was also kind enough to share some excerpts from a feature on the talented French design team of Pierre et Gilles he wrote and published recently in issue #28 of the U.K.’s Classic Pop magazine. Partners in work and in life for over 40 years, the duo has collaborated – and partied hard with – celebrities and those looking to the pair to create memorable images that might launch them into celebrityhood. Along the way, they’ve used their talents in painting (Gilles Blanchard) and photography (Pierre Commoy) to produce unique covers for records by artists including Erasure, The Creatures and Marilyn Manson as well as French acts such as Mathmatiques Moderne and Amanda Lear, so I hope that you enjoy this tidbit and will turn to the magazine soon for the full meal.

New Resource Article – Album Cover Art Credit Information – Top-Selling Albums of All Time

New Resource Article – Album Cover Credits Information for the Top-Selling Albums of All Time

Top 5 Best Selling Albums of All Time (L to R) – Thriller (Michael Jackson), Eagles:Their Greatest Hits (Eagles), Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2 (Billy Joel), The Wall (Pink Floyd) and Led Zeppelin IV (Led Zeppelin)

By Mike Goldstein, Curator, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

Since the 1960s, there have been 27 record albums in the U.S. that have sold 15 million copies or more. Considering the number of times that the album cover images have been printed, I’m assuming that the artists that produced these images have to be among the most-popular in modern history, if “popularity” is measured in terms of the number of copies of an image that have been purchased as part of a package or alone on related merchandise.

With that being said, wouldn’t it make sense that the designers, illustrators, photographers and art directors that worked on the images that have been purchased and seen hundreds of millions of times by music fans all over the world would themselves be world-famous? It turns out that, despite the popularity of their works, many remain unrecognized outside the core music business, so it is my hope that this new article – in which I’ll introduce you to the people – the Designers, Illustrators, Photographers and Art Directors who are credited for each cover – helps raise their visibility and allows readers to get to know some of them a bit better and begin an appreciation of what they’ve added to the worlds of Pop Culture and Modern Art.

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/achof-resources-main-page/achof-resources-credits-for-best-selling-record-albums/ 

Gift suggestions for the album cover lovers in your life

Gifts for fans of Album Cover Art

As suggested by Mike Goldstein, Curator, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

Holidays, 2013

Getting just the right gift for your loved ones at Holiday time can be such a puzzle, what with all of the advertising that bombards you from every direction, leaving you with little time and inclination to search for just the right thing when all you want to do is “get this over with”…

And, while I’ve been told never to buy “art” for others, because of the link between music and art, buying a gift for lovers of album cover art has never been so simple. As you’ll see by the list of companies that specialize in album cover-related items of all types (and fitting all budgets), with a little research (“Hey Honey, who’s your all-time favorite band?”) and perhaps a phone call or two, I’m feeling pretty confident that you’ll be able to locate and secure a gift that will be long-appreciated by it’s recipient. Who knows, maybe it will start a tradition in your family!

Enjoy the hunt (and seeing the smiles of gratitude from your Honey, too).

Musicians Who Also Designed Album Covers – A List for Fans of Music and Art

Musicians that also design Album Covers – A Comprehensive List for Fans of Music and Art

by Mike Goldstein, curator, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

originally posted March 15, 2013

There are many examples of musical artists who are also accomplished visual artists, displaying great talent in the fields of painting, illustration, photography, sculpture and product design. Scholars of rock musicians know that a number of well-known musical acts were founded by art students that met each other while attending art school. Examples include Pink Floyd (Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright all went to London’s Polytechnic College on Regent Street, while Syd Barrett studied at Camberwell), Talking Heads (David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz all attended the Rhode Island School of Design), Devo (Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale studied at Kent State) and The Clash (Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones). Other well-known musicians who studied art include Queen’s Freddie Mercury (who attended both Isleworth Polytechnic and Ealing College and who went on to design the famous “Queen Crest”), Eric Clapton (Kingston College of Art), Pete Townshend (another Ealing alumnus), Brian Eno (Winchester Art School), R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe (a U. of Georgia art major), Ray Davies of The Kinks (Hornsey College of Art in London ), Keith Richards (London’s Sidcup Art College) and Ron Wood (Ealing again) of The Rolling Stones and John Lennon (Liverpool College of Art). After studying art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne under the tutelage of Richard Hamilton, Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry had a career as high school art instructor – specializing in ceramics and pottery – prior to forming the band in late 1970.

Whatever their motivations (Mick Jones of The Clash is quoted as saying that, although he felt that he had no real artistic talent, he went to art school to form a band as many of his musical influences – Lennon, Richards, Townshend, etc. – had gone to art school and then formed bands soon after), it is clear that right-brained, multi-talented individuals seem to have had an important influence on the development of both the aural and visual aspects of the pop music business.

Interview with Jason Draper about his book A Brief History of Album Covers

Interview with author Jason Draper on his book – A Brief History of Album Covers

A Brief History of Album Covers by Jason Draper

As I continue on with the efforts to make the AlbumCoverHallofFame.com site a most-comprehensive offering, the amount of time I spend doing research is truly amazing. Never did I imagine the amount of digging I’d need to do in order to find out more about the people who’ve created everyone’s’ favorite album covers, separate the fact from the fiction, and then present the results in a hopefully-enjoyable fashion to the fans of album cover design that come visit from time to time.

Along the way, I’ve come to rely on general information sites such as Wikipedia, music-oriented databases like the ones underlying ArtistDirect and AllMusic and many, many specialty sites, from those of professional organizations such as the AIGA and the Recording Academy to the sites hosted by both the designers/artists/photographers themselves and those run by their fans and admirers. I’ve also turned to a number of books that I’ve added to my personal reference library over the years, most of which I’ve listed on my reference page on the topic. Recently, I came across a book – published in the U.K. in 2008 – that I hadn’t seen before and through the miracle of Amazon.com, found a copy that I purchased to enhance my collection (always a collector, right?). Recognizing the name of the author as a journalist and editor working for one of my favorite music magazines (Record Collector), I thought that I’d reach out to him to find out more about him, his own love of album cover art and “the making of” this book.

Interview with author Matthew Chojnacki about his book Put The Needle On The Record

Interview with author Matthew Chojnacki about his book Put The Needle On The Record by Michael Goldstein – January, 2013

Put The Needle On The Record by Matthew Chojnacki

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from your Curator. I was introduced to Matthew and his book late in 2012 via a mutual friend, Fritz at the AlbumArtExchange.com web site. While I tend to cover more of the historical aspects of album cover art, design and photography, Fritz presents new album cover artwork every day, presenting info and commentary on both the artwork and how it reflects on today’s best (or worst) efforts in the field, but it only makes sense that we’re both interested in, and passionate about, the stories and the people behind the work, so his introduction of Matthew and his book was bound to tweak my interest to find out more about him and the inspirations behind his writing it.

When it was released in September, 2011, Put The Needle On The Record was the immediate recipient of much critical praise, ending up on many a “Best Of” list of 2011’s most-important books about music, art and Pop Culture. Containing info on hundreds of record sleeves and interviews with a wide range of people involved in the creation of these works – from Annie Lennox to Gary Numan to Yoko Ono – and with a foreword by Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters and an afterword by Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes, this book has been awarded with a whole host of prestigious book awards, including those from the New York Book Festival, London Book Festival, Paris Book Festival, San Francisco Book Festival and many, many others.

As I child of the 1960’s who has deep-seated feelings about the influences – both good and bad – that the 1980’s had on music, art and Pop Culture, I thought that, in an effort to expand my understanding of this era (and, perhaps, appreciate it a bit more), it would be important to take in the views of someone who grew up during those times and could present a more open-minded overview of the period to both me and my readers, so it is with this hope to build an inter-generational bridge that I posed these questions to our distinguished interviewee….