In a book, behind the scenes of the covers that became as famous as the songs on the records they illustrated
We don’t judge books by their covers, as they say, but if we talk about music, in many cases the covers have been and are a fundamental part of the success of an album. He is convinced of it Steve Fairclough, journalist and author of the book The Ultimate Guide To The Greatest Album Cover Of All Times (Kelsey Media). «Would it be impossible to imagine Abbey Road without thinking of the four Beatles crossing the road with their legs in sync? Or Aladdin Sane without immediately imagining Bowie with his eyes closed and lightning shooting across his face? No, that wouldn’t be possible. You may even find it difficult to remember the song titles, but not the cover image because certain images remain in the memory forever” he explains Fairclough.
«In the 1950s, covers were colorless, without bite: a single promotional photograph (usually black and white) of the artist framed inside a cover, with a panel bearing the name of the artist and the album. Nothing more, nothing less” he says. In the Sixties with the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones things changed radically and highways of creativity opened up for photographers, art directors and graphic designers. This book is a tribute to the art of album cover design and the crucial role that photography has played in this revolutionary process.”
Photo credits: Beatles Abbey Road: © Apple Corps Ltd./Parlophone/courtesy John Kosh – Bruce Springsteen: © Eric Meola/Columbia Records – Beatles: © Apple Corps Ltd./Parlophone/Iain Macmillan/Abbey Road Studios – David Bowie: Duffy © Duffy Archive & The David Bowie Archive – Pink Floyd: © Hipgnosis/courtesy Aubrey Powell – The cover of the book published by Kelsey Media.
With the support of a panel of thirty experts, Steve Fairclough has selected thirty covers that have left an indelible mark from when they were designed to today. «Eric Meola the photographer of the cover of Born To Run he says that in 1975 he sent Springsteen a postcard with his telephone number, asking him if they could meet to take some shots. And Bruce called him back leaving him speechless!
As for Abbey Road, Fairclough reveals that the photographer of the legendary Beatles cover says he persuaded a policeman to stop traffic while he was at the top of a ladder taking the photos. The idea was entirely Paul McCartney’s. A few days before the shooting, he drew a sketch of how he imagined the cover, which we created almost to perfection that same day.”
From the Beatles to Pink Floyd: «The shot that ended up on the cover of Wish you were here it is the work of Audrey Powell who created the concept of the two businessmen shaking hands. The idea was to show the cynical side of the music industry: Storm Thorgerson, creator of many of the band’s covers, had therefore thought of depicting two managers shaking hands: one of the two is shrewd and experienced while the other is much less so. So it gets screwed and burns” he explains. «Powell then hired two stuntmen, Ronnie Rondell Jr. Danny Rogers. Capturing that image was difficult due to the wind moving the flames. Rondell risked seriously burning his face.”
The Ultimate Guide To The Greatest Album Cover Of All Times (Kelsey Media) it is a mine of anecdotes and testimonies that tell in detail the making of covers that are both historic and revolutionary. Like Nevermind by Nirvana, London Calling by The Clash, Rumors by Fleetwood Mac and The Joshua Tree by U2. A book for music lovers, but also for lovers of photography and the evocative power of images.
