Artwork in all it's uses is a strong medium. Folk pay millions for old paintings & the advertising biz relies on slick selling utilising appealing artwork / scene setting. In the music biz, artwork was also used a lot to great effect. Flyers / posters for music events; record label designs, 45 picture sleeves & especially for album covers. Without the guy who was employed by EMI in London (who came up with the Tamla-Motown logo) the world would have been deprived of an iconic brand. Album cover design was also a major part of the work done by similar guys at EMI and at other record companies around the world.
Black record labels in the US didn't always have the funds to employ the best artists / graphic designers, so sometimes US soul album covers didn't reach the top standard. ALSO, especially before the mid to late 60's, labels thought an album would sell more in the pop field if the ethnic identity of the artist involved wasn't emphasised -- hence many non-descript soul album cover pictures .. .. an example that instantly springs to mind is the Isley Brothers 'This Old Heart Of Mine' LP.
BACK TO MY MAIN REASON FOR THIS POST ... many times, the UK record company (or a European one) wouldn't be that happy with the art work sent from the US and would design it's own cover. Such an album being James Brown's SINGS RAW SOUL ... see pic below -- US LP top left, Canadian version bottom right (LP cover similar but label different), French version bottom left, US re-issue top right AND UK LP cover in the centre ... I like the UK's cover the best.
Anyone here want to post similar albums that took on a new look after leaving the US ??
Artwork in all it's uses is a strong medium. Folk pay millions for old paintings & the advertising biz relies on slick selling utilising appealing artwork / scene setting. In the music biz, artwork was also used a lot to great effect. Flyers / posters for music events; record label designs, 45 picture sleeves & especially for album covers. Without the guy who was employed by EMI in London (who came up with the Tamla-Motown logo) the world would have been deprived of an iconic brand. Album cover design was also a major part of the work done by similar guys at EMI and at other record companies around the world.
Black record labels in the US didn't always have the funds to employ the best artists / graphic designers, so sometimes US soul album covers didn't reach the top standard. ALSO, especially before the mid to late 60's, labels thought an album would sell more in the pop field if the ethnic identity of the artist involved wasn't emphasised -- hence many non-descript soul album cover pictures .. .. an example that instantly springs to mind is the Isley Brothers 'This Old Heart Of Mine' LP.
BACK TO MY MAIN REASON FOR THIS POST ... many times, the UK record company (or a European one) wouldn't be that happy with the art work sent from the US and would design it's own cover. Such an album being James Brown's SINGS RAW SOUL ... see pic below -- US LP top left, Canadian version bottom right (LP cover similar but label different), French version bottom left, US re-issue top right AND UK LP cover in the centre ... I like the UK's cover the best.
Anyone here want to post similar albums that took on a new look after leaving the US ??
Edited by Roburt