From the beginning of the genre of pop music, we’ve seen hundreds of music albums come and go. Far from the times of easy information where we find and listen to new longs without the hassle.
Today, we can search for, stream, and share music on the go. But that wasn’t always the case. Just a few decades back, you had to buy physical copies of music albums to get access to the type of music you like. One easy method of identifying your preferred albums would be to go by the name. But since names could be forgotten, musicians often spent significant effort in coming up with creative album covers that could help their music get the traction it needs for success.
Hence, the more memorable your music album, the more likely it is to be remembered at first glance. This is why even in earlier days, there was a paramount focus on creating visual art that pairs well with each album. Today, let’s take a look at some of the iconic things about vintage music albums.
Stories Behind Iconic Album Covers
Every star wants covers created with an artistic thought process that can take add more to their music. This is why there were often highly creative concepts behind covers that were highlighted later in life. Sometimes, there would be more to it than meets the eye. You’d hear about unexpected stories that change your entire perspective of the album. Two of those examples are as follows:
The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
Have you ever wondered what type of serious musician would put a banana on an album cover? If so, the answer is Andy Warhol. He’d do it, and he did in The Velvet Underground & Nico’s “The Banana Album” (yes, they named the album after the poster). Even at first glance, it seems quite odd. But let’s face it, the untraditional nature of it does make you curious. Warhol wanted people to talk about his album, and he succeeded. You later find out the banana was just a peelable sticker. The actual cover was a pink fruit hidden underneath the banana, meant to serve as suggestive symbolism.
Nevermind (1991) by Nirvana
Another great example is the cover for the Nevermind album released by Nirvana. At first glance, you don’t think much of it, as it’s basically just a baby in a swimming pool chasing a dollar bill. The band means to portray that the band’s innocent members feel as if they’re being exploited by the industry. Yet, even if you didn’t know about all that, you were still hooked by the cuteness of the baby on the cover. The curiosity made you invest in the album to see what the hype was about. Spencer Elden, the “baby”, too, received a ton of love and support for decades as the “Nirvana Baby”. However, in recent years, he’s decided to sue the band for using his photograph as the cover without his consent.
Collaborations Between Artists And Musicians
To create attractive album art, musicians often had to team with well-known professional artists who could help design appealing covers for each album. This often came with its own challenges but they worked together to ensure it all worked out for the better. After all, the better an artist designs something, the more likely a musician would consider working with them again for the next. Hence, the following are some of the ways these two parties collaborated for joint success:
In-House Art Departments & Photographers
Charity begins at home. So did art. Instead of hiring someone from the outside each time, record labels had in-house photographers and graphic designers who’d create alluring cover art for their musicians.
Independent Artists & Studios
Soon after, came the time of independent artists who’d create albums under independent labels and hire artists like Peter Blake for album covers like the one for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
Production Process And Challenges
The basic concept for coming up with an attractive album cover has mostly remained the same throughout the ages. Today, we have better cameras and advanced editing software that makes the entire process feel like a breeze. But in the age of retro music, you’d have to go through the following steps at the very least:
- You hold a brainstorming session with band members and the hired artist present.
- You set up shoots to get the photographs you need for the cover
- The artist comes with their initial cover design for your review
- Lettering or type-writing is used to set up the required typography
- You send the album covers for quality prints of your final album designs
It’s a pretty straightforward process, that has lived up to the requirements of today. You can use a similar method to come up with even better concepts in this day and age thanks to all the progress we’ve made in so many related technological and technical areas.
The Potential Challenges
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. But there are also obstacles that keep you at bay. There’s nearly never an easy path toward success at anything. Even for a task like designing album covers, which seems quite easy, you’d often come across unavoidable problems such as:
Limited Communication
Musicians couldn’t easily share ideas visually with artists or photographers, which could lead to misinterpretations.
Time Constraints:
Creating physical artwork and printing took time. Revisions often meant starting over, making it difficult to be highly responsive to changes.
Technical Limitations
Early printing techniques offered fewer options for color, or complex layouts compared to what’s possible digitally today.
Budget Constraints
Record labels might have limited budgets for elaborate artwork or photography, restricting creativity or forcing compromises.
Unreleased Or Alternate Album Covers
You often wouldn’t like the first concept presented to you for an album cover. Otherwise, the first version might grow on you once you’ve seen other concepts as well. Either way, it’s standard practice in the services-based arts to present clients with multiple concepts before one is finalized for release. This means there are often versions of album cover art that are either never shown or used for seasonal releases later on. Some examples of this from the yester-era include:
The Beatles – “Yesterday and Today” (1966)
The Beatles weren’t actually going to be holding steamer trunks. The original concept was for them to be slathered with slabs of meat. But they had to change that to appease the US Market.
Nirvana – “Nevermind” (1991)
Right. Let’s talk about Nirvana again. Apart from the baby, they also had an idea where they’d show a guy who seemed to be vomiting in the pool. Fortunately, they decided against going with that one.
David Bowie – “Hunky Dory” (1971)
Bowie’s album cover for this one has a signature whimsical charm. But this wasn’t the first thing he’s considered. He was initially going to play Ziggy Stardust but the former was definitely the better choice.
Radiohead – “OK Computer” (1997)
At first, Radiohead wanted to use an abstract image with concentric yellow and orange circles for this cover. But he didn’t like it that much, so we got the weird and creepy cover we saw back in the day.
Conceptualization And Inspiration For Album Cover Art
Every musician has a unique method of self-expression. That’s why there are so many genres in the music industry, which are further divided into multiple sub-genres as well. The same concept applies to album cover art. Each person may choose a different way to represent their album based on their personality, singing style, and various other factors. This is true for the musicians of today, as well as the ones whose legacy inspires the musicians of today. So, if we were to elaborate on the thought process of yesterday’s music icons, it might go something like this:
Matching Music & Mood
A core concept was to visually represent the music’s mood, themes, and overall message. This could involve using symbolism, imagery, or color palettes that evoked the emotions conveyed in the songs.
Artist Persona & Public Image
For some artists, the album cover was a way to build or solidify their public image. Think of Elvis’ early rock and roll persona captured in his black and white portrait or David Bowie’s ever-changing stage characters influencing his album art.
Experimentation & Innovation
The album cover was an opportunity to push boundaries and experiment with new artistic styles. This is evident in the use of collage (Sgt. Pepper’s), photo manipulation (Nevermind), or psychedelic imagery (Are You Experienced).
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