100 Best Album Covers - Softcover

Storm Thorgerson; Aubrey Powell

3.75

73 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0751307068 ISBN 13: 9780751307061

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Plc P/B, 1999

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Other books have already praised the music inside the sleeves of these musical masterpiences, but "DK 100 Best Album Covers" focuses exclusively on 100 of the most striking and lasting images in popular music. Charting the changes and developments in album design since the 1960s, each of the world-famous covers has been specially chosen as a classic document of its time. From the 60s psychedelia of Pink Floyd to the Britpop of Blur, all the covers are reproduced in full colour. Detailed annotations explain the creative genius involved in their production and lively text provides anecdotes about the work of the designers from Andy Warhol to Peter Saville.

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Review:

The immediate question that arises with a book entitled 100 Best Album Covers is, of course, "Says who?" Wisely, authors Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell have anticipated such widespread suspicion. In their thorough and amusing introduction, the two former cover designers (of Hipgnosis) go on at length about potentially qualifying factors (innovation, humor, bizarreness, minimalism, audacity) and possible reasons for nonselection (popularity, dull illustration, ugly technique, emotional offensiveness). But, they concede, what it really comes down to is a matter of taste--with a bit of nostalgia thrown into the mix.

In the end, the mysterious (and eternally debatable) selection formula matters not. The history, inspiration, and technical design details provided for each of the 100 covers that made the cut serve as reason enough for their inclusion. Did you know that Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy cover was inspired by Arthur C. Clarke's novel, Childhood's End?? Or that the burning man on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here was actually on fire (and in a bit of danger)? Or that an original idea for Supertramp's Breakfast in America was to depict cereal and milk rolling through the Grand Canyon? Tasty tidbits like these, along with quotes from designers, photographers, and the musicians themselves, make this a must-have volume for music fans--yes, even if your personal top 100 covers would constitute an entirely different collection. --Brangien Davis

About the Author:

by Storm Thorgerson; and Aubrey Powell

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