Album Covers
15Mar2006
The problem with the iPod generation is the tendency to transition from the purchase of complete albums to the download of individual tracks.
The issue is that a whole genre of art – that of album (and even single) cover design – will be relegated to the scrapheap. That’s a pity, because album covers have generally given a real insight into the era which they were produced in, and some album covers have provided classic, iconic artwork.
When thinking about the composition for the shot displayed in this post, I thought about what I would like the album cover to look like if I was a recording artist (and no, my rendition of Flower of Scotland at an Irish jam session doesn’t count). I was partially inspired by the overexposed, high key cover of the Snow Patrol album, Final Straw.
Here are a few albums from my collection which I think have great, evocative covers:
- Stan Getz – Getz Plays Jobim
- Johnny Cash – The Legend of Cash
- Capercaillie – Dusk till Dawn
- U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
- Michelle Shocked – Short, Sharp, Shocked
Notice a trend here? My preference for B&W imagery.
You raise a very valid point. I’ve I’ve wrestled the same dilemma while flipping through my own MP3 player. There’s a sense that is hightened when you open a new album, CD etc. that is lacking when you download something online. But that probably dates me more than I would like.
I agree. CD albums provide more information and they usually have more art than if you downloaded a song online. Unfortunately, downloading songs is revolutionizing CD albums.
I believe in paradise!! Good work!!
Case in point: I downloaded the new “album” from the band Film School on iTunes. I was so beside myself without the liner notes and other packaging that I ran out and bought the physical CD at a local indie brick-and-mortar record shop.
BTW… you’ve made Blogger’s Blogs of Note list. Congrats!
Congrats on making it to the blogger homepage! I typically use iTunes as a way of figuring out which albums I really want to buy, then I go out and actually buy them. So if anything, I have spent way more on the music industry since iTunes then I did before.
Hey, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. A man whose favourite movie is The Man Who Would Be King is definately on my “A+” list. Keep them coming Paradise!
i like your images. i’ve been into black and white images lately too (my desktop wallpaper is b&w). and i love album covers. so i agree with you.
Couldn’t agree more. Poor Phil Hartman would, too.
The iPod song at a time leads to another issue. What about content as a whole? I can’t imagine to just having bits of X & Y or The Joshua Tree.
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hey they’ve changed that Michelle Shocked cover since I owned it — used to be a much wider shot of her being dragged off by baddies in roit gear, wasn’t it?
@blogolinks – yes, but they have the old “wide” shot on the back – definitely my preferred version.
It would be so easy for the music producers to add graphics to every song or album download. When purchasing most music from sources like iTunes you do get ‘album covers’, just that such a better job could be done. My music collection is now 100% on my laptop… just have the art work pop up as I hqve the music play.
I am with you on the fun that cover art can be, I have several hundred albums from the 60′s and 70′s and the best part of having them is the wrap.
Bermuda, will be there in May for a nephew’s wedding. Really looking forward to seeing the island again… it has been 25 years.
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Really nice blog, I loved it.
You raise a very good point, but I think you need to think about the sorts of people who give a toss about the art in the first place. I’m a muso myself and one of the best things about having CDs is the artwork. I love a well designed album cover and cannot put enough emphasis on presenting your music properly.
However, there are a lot of people who don’t look at, care about or appreciate the artwork an artist puts into their work. For these people, iTunes is a way for them to buy the music they like without having the bulky elements (eg. packaging) hogging space.
I, like others who have posted comments already, use iTunes to find songs and albums I want to purchase and to access those exclusives that are popping up (Pearl Jam, for instance). If I enjoy a CD enough, I will go out an buy it.
I don’t think there’s any real danger of album art dropping away, but it will suffer a decline in importance. But really, all good things will come to an end, so keep looking forward!
I don’t know. I don’t see it as a bad thing at all. People who are interested in the art of the cover will still go out and buy an album. At the same time, people who just enjoy certain songs have the opportunity to get those songs while not being forced to buy the entire thing. Makes everyone happy?
There was fantastic artwork on alot of covers. My all time
favorite was all the Yess Albums!
Great photos! I too appreciate B&W’s.
Nice writing as well!
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Morri.
I think most people who purchase an Ipod still buy complete albums; Ipods have a lot of disk space so you can store many full albums on them. A lot of people might be downloading individual tracks, but in most case, they do so to make to see if wether they like the artist/album or not, if they like it, perhaps they’ll buy it.
Personally, if I see an album that looks interesting, but that I never heard a single song off of it, I won’t be buying it just to see if it sounds great. Downloading individual songs (or whole albums) made me discover many artists I wouldn’t even have known of. Most of the poeple I know also buy the actual album if they like it.
It’s the recording industries fault due to awful fillers in their CD’s to justify their high prices.
Maybe someone will come up with a way to view album covers while your listening to your MP3′s on your favorite PC audio player.
I think you have a very valid point.
However, in my opinion a much more important issue in relation to the idea that people are less likely to purchase a CD, but isntead download individual songs.. is this –
The artist releases an album, which is a piece of audible art. Sure the cover is art as well, but they are Musicians first and foremost. The collection of music contained on the album in the order they are placed on the album is the key piece of art to be considered. Unfortunately this is often missed when people download music rather than being forced (by technology) to purchase the whole cd.
“One hit wonders” as they say, will become rampant.. not because there are more groups/artists with only one decent track, but because that one track is all that many people are experiencing.
This is very unfortunate. It takes a strong mind and musical soul to resist the urge to (for example) download the leaked tracks from an upcoming album, but wait.. wait for the piece of art that is the Album, the cd..
Ultimately I agree with you & congratulate you on your insightful attitude.
Keep it up
(a new blog, by a mog ur – http://listeningcareful.blogspot.com/ )
I think downloading is great if you want to “try before you buy” or if you only want one track off an album, but i love having physical albums too. I’ve got a friend with a massive vinyl collection, it was cool to look through them (couldn’t listen to them though, his vinyl player broke).
It can feel magical to hide under the bedcovers at night, listening to an album on headphones, reading the CD sleeve by torchlight… it’s probably not very cool for people of my generation (i’m 19) to admit that sort of thing, but i’m a music nut and i don’t care.
great self portrait.
reminds me, I think, of a shot of Sting, back in his Police days.
Maybe’s it’s just the hair
Thanks suileabháin. Not sure about the Sting thing, but I do remember when he was actually cool, and wrote some pretty good music. I am not sure if that is the case nowadays – but that’s just my opinion.
I agree 100% I have recorded all of my CDs to my External Hard Drive, but I still flip through them for the album art!!!
Iron Maiden’s intricate album cover series almost tell a story themselves when viewed sequentially.
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@renegade – I had forgotten about thos Iron Maiden album covers. They were great – thanks for the memories…
There is another thing lost. The idea that an album is a piece of art in its totality. one particular example is the old concept album, but even supposedly non-concept albums hang together in a way that makes the whole more than its parts. The loss of this, or to put it more strongly: the fragmentation, goes hand in hand with our current culture
Exile on Main Street is another good black and white cover, as is Revolver.
I do agree with you.Not only in Music but also in the reading pleasure one gets when buying a book and then possess it and read it again and again is lost when reading on line.Though I do read on line,I confess,I love it when I have the book in my hand.
I like the radiohead and bjork artwork, and the most recent peter gabriel is amazing.
How could we forget the famous pink floyd prism shot (more for widespread recognition than for any visual reason, though it is stunning)???
Scott – yes, Pink Floyd had some amazing album artwork, as did Peter Gabriel.
thats how it used to be, the album is really and truely a recent phenominon [probably a correctly spelled one as well] and so obviously so is the album cover in fact that album cover as a true art form is even more recent however it won’t die completely because bands and solo artists will still need pictures for publicity [by the way you'res kick arse] it will continue in some form ssuch things always do.
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