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It's good for more people to understand the "scenius" idea. I think the lone genius myth is dangerous to beginners who don't "get" things, even after a lot of w

by dfxm12 3y ago

It's good for more people to understand the "scenius" idea. I think the lone genius myth is dangerous to beginners who don't "get" things, even after a lot of work. Also, I think it's great when a popular artist like Eno can give a rub to other artists. Another Green World is a great album, and has my favorite album cover art of Eno's. It shouldn't be surprising that Thursday Afternoon, also by Tom Phillips, is number 2. I do like that the article draws attention to album being a part of the experience. No Limit Records album covers certainly had a style, and you knew more or less what you were getting into just from that, even if you weren't familiar with the artist. Same thing with city pop album art by Hiroshi Nagai. I don't know if Nagai was part of the scene, if he was just popular, or if it was just something that was expected from fans, but when you see an album with his art on it, you kinda already have an idea of the music. I've also given albums a spin just based on the art, In the Court of the Crimson King, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, The Velvet Underground & Nico, etc. Maybe I was lucky that these records turned out to be good, but maybe there's something to the "scenius" idea - these great musicians just drew other great visual artists to them.

OfSanguineFire 3y ago
With regard to King Crimson specifically, Bill Bruford wrote some interesting remarks in his biography about UK progressive rock striving towards a Gesamtkuntswerk where the cover design was a key element alongside the music. I’m a sucker for inventive sleeve design myself, and my all-time favourite for that is the record label 4AD in the 1980s and 1990s. That label’s in-house design firm 23 Envelope/v23 produced covers that really complemented the music, and have even been exhibited in art museums separate from the music. At the same time, there were a few artists signed to 4AD who resented somebody else’s art appearing on their records, regardless of how appealing fans or potential buyers might find it.

by dfxm12 3y ago

OfSanguineFire 3y ago

With regard to King Crimson specifically, Bill Bruford wrote some interesting remarks in his biography about UK progressive rock striving towards a Gesamtkuntswerk where the cover design was a key element alongside the music. I’m a sucker for inventive sleeve design myself, and my all-time favourite for that is the record label 4AD in the 1980s and 1990s. That label’s in-house design firm 23 Envelope/v23 produced covers that really complemented the music, and have even been exhibited in art museums separate from the music. At the same time, there were a few artists signed to 4AD who resented somebody else’s art appearing on their records, regardless of how appealing fans or potential buyers might find it.