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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating look at art in popular music, 26 Oct 2003
This valuable art and reference work contains a lengthy introduction by Dominy Hamilton exploring the history of vinyl record covers up to 1977 plus an appendix on how the job is done, from the design phase to the printing. It also includes short biographies on Storm Thorgerson, James Slattery, Roger Dean, Diana Korchien, Dominy Hamilton and Dave Howells. The full colour reproductions of the record sleeves are divided into the following sections: 1. Jazz, 2. Psychedelia, 3. Recent Years (1967 - 1977), 4. Influence and Coincidence, 5. Miscellany - a section that includes examples of various packaging strategies, 6. Portfolios, which features the work of eight sleeve designers in the form of small individual portfolios and include Rick Griffin, John Kosh, John van Hamersveld, Pacific Eye and Ear, Rod Dyer, Hipgnosis, Roger Dean and John Pasche, and 7. Devices and Disguises, that deals with ingeneous alternatives from 1970 onwards and includes sleeves with extra flaps, covers imitating old singles, concert tickets, sleeves in the form of newspapers and covers with movable parts. The index at the front of the book lists all the sleeve art inside, from Abba and Alice Cooper through Kansas and Three Dog Night to Neil Young, Frank Zappa and Zzebra. Some sleeves have a whole page for themselves, like Zappa's humorous Weasels Ripped My Flesh and Boz Scagg's Silk Degrees. My favorites, to list just a few, include Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company, Abraxas by Santana, Bowie's Pinups, Bowie's Aladdin Sane, Patti Smith's Horses, Lou Reed's Rock 'n Roll Animal, Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica and Joni Mitchell's Blue. This Album Cover Album is a fascinating look at art in music up to 1977, and also a valuable research and history guide.
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