Last week we took a look at a dozen or so
record sleeves that were too hot for the presses. This week let’s examine a time when sleeve art and design came of age; when bright flashes of color, sci-fi, and Far Eastern imagery collided. The psychedelic era offered records that were the total package—both a visual and aural experience.
1960s American PsychedeliaJimi Hendrix’s
Axis: Bold As Love by Roger Law promised tasty, fuzz-fried insanity between the grooves, with a gatefold-sleeve that depicts the Experience as various forms of the god Vishnu. The spectacular fold-out that melds illustration and photography is as recognizable a symbol of the decade as any. A number of other illustrators and visual artists—both well known and from the subterranean comic world—lent a hand to sleeve design.
R. Crumb’s cover for
Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company sums up a period in San Francisco; it’s like an entire issue of
Zap Comix stretched across a 12” piece of cardboard. Stanley Mouse & Alton Kelley’s Mouse Studios (often working in collaboration with other Bay Area designers Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, and Wes Wilson) are often name-checked when talking about the Frisco psychedelic explosion. Their work—instantly recognizable with its comic book sensibilities—has featured prominently in work by the bands and artists that coalesced around Bill Graham’s Fillmore West as well as its East Coast sibling. Check out the gallery of handbills and flyers the studio produced for everyone from the Grateful Dead and Hendrix to Bo Diddley, Blue Cheer, and dozens more.
By the time of the 1967 release of
The Velvet Underground and Nico, Velvets guiding light Andy Warhol already had a ton of commercial album sleeves under his belt, as well as mainstream ad work. But the famous, suggestive peel-away banana art he produced for the Velvet Underground’s debut was as revolutionary as the music the sleeve contained.
The U.K. SceneYou can’t talk about 1970s British prog rock without mentioning Roger Dean, most closely associated with Yes (see two album covers below). Dean designed their distinctive logo and nearly all of their intricate album art. Though closely associated with the band, Dean managed to crank out sleeves for numerous others, including Uriah Heep, Budgie, Thin Lizzy, and Osibisa. He also designed the first Virgin Records logo as well as the revamped post-swirl Vertigo logo.
The legendary Hipgnosis studio earns a place right next to Roger Dean for both the quality and quantity of their designs. They too are specifically associated with the late-’60s and early-’70s U.K. prog movement though their work continued well past the era. Designs for Pink Floyd are immediately identifiable: the
Dark Side of The Moon prism, the
Atom Heart Mother cow, the Syd Barrett solo albums. The list goes on.
Designer Barney Bubbles is most closely associated with the Hawkwind camp. Bubbles ran with this roving pack of British biker hippies, at various times playing with certain members. But more notably, Bubbles designed their record sleeves.
Numerous examples of his work can be found in some of the era’s most out-there records—including iconic images like the chrome-flaked cover of
Do Rei Mi Fasol Lati Do and the epic
Hall of The Mountain Grill which has shades of Roger Dean in its sci-fi imagery. Bubbles went on to a successful career as an artist and a designer with a series of album layouts for Elvis Costello, a revamped logo for Britain’s
New Musical Express, and the stunning pop art album cover of the Damned’s
Music for Pleasure.
Modern Day Master
Today, Arik Roper is carrying on the tradition set forth by these lofty names of far out psychedelic imagery. Far from being a mere disciple, Roper has added his own dark twists to this time-honored and classic tradition. Much like Roger Dean or Barney Bubbles before him, Dean’s art is heavy on fantasy imagery. His depictions of wizards and demons almost take on a dark and subversive bite. High On Fire, Sleep, Sunn 0))), and Earth have all employed his illustrations, and his designs have graced countless show flyers. Roper recently wrote a very revealing piece in
Arthur magazine about animator Ralph Bakshi, an influence. Check out his work below for a taste of where this style is headed in the 21st century.