100 Best Album Covers - Hardcover

Powell, Aubrey; Thorgerson, Storm

3.75

73 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0751307831 ISBN 13: 9780751307832

Publisher: DK, 1999

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Other books have already praised the music inside the sleeves of these musical masterpieces but The 100 Best Album Covers using Dorling Kindersley's highly successful annotated approach focuses exclusively on one hundred of the most striking and lasting images in popular music. Charting the changes and developments in album design of the last 40 years each of the world-famous covers have 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 annotation explain the creative genius involved in their production and lively informative text provides fascinating 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, humour, bizarreness, minimalism, audacity) and possible reasons for non-selection (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 titbits 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, Amazon.com

Synopsis:

Focuses on the stories behind 100 of the most memorable album covers in the history of rock and roll music, tracing the history of rock music and culture from Elvis to Blur. The collection has been personally selected by Storm Thorgerson, known for his work on Pink Floyd album covers.

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