Album Artwork 60's Research

Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off

1966

I'm really struggling to find any information about the making of this album cover, as far as I can tell it was designed by the band themselves. 

What I like about this is the composition, the very 60's font and the use of colour.. it is not as contemporary as other album covers of its era but it communicates what it has to and personally, I think it is a very successful piece. 

 The Velvet Underground & Nico 

1967

The banana itself is the of course the handy work of Andy Warhol, Warhol managed the iconic band and acted as an umbrella for the band during the days when they weren't big enough to tackle some of the tough situations they found themselves in, Warhol's status of course big enough in the 60's to tackle most complications. 

The original album cover was designed to allow the fans the peel back the banana as a sticker, revealing the nude-coloured fruit beneath. This sexually metaphorically charged marketing ploy caused complications however, the manufacturing being more complicated than normal meant that the album was released after the release date. The sticker covers later became a rare collectors item, and the banana became a symbol for the protopunk genre. 

I personally absolutely love album cover, so much that I referenced it in my narrative illustration brief, the banana image being the logo on the t-shirt of my main character...

Anyway I think altogether the piece is very contemporary, a bright yellow phallic banana symbol on a plane white background with the album name at the top... job done. 

 The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

1969

This album cover is 'mint'. It displays an over the top and gaudy cake, made from random layers including a tire, a clock face, film canister and a pizza. there are small figurines of the band members placed on the top of the cake, and its all placed on top of a record player.

Keith Richards hired close friend Robert Brownjohn to design the cover.. Interestingly, Brownjohn hired a younger and less famous Delia Smith, to bake the cake..lol. 

Originally the album was to be called Automatic Changer, although the name changed, the band kept Brownjohns piece because the liked it so much.

I like this piece a lot, its randomness, playfulness and colour expresses the feel of the album perfectly.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced

1967 

Jimi Hendrix was not at all pleased with the packaging and art work on the UK release of this album, claiming, "It makes me look like a fairy."

He took this complaint to his manager Chas Chandler, who then called artist Karl Ferris. Ferris worked with them to come up with the new psychedelic inspired art work for the up and coming US release. 

I love it, I love psychedelic artwork from this era it really nourishes my inner need for colour and madness. Ferris said that when he started creating this image, he was listening to the music Jimi had sent him away with and thought that it sounded 'far out' and as if it was from outer space.

So he decided he would like to create an image where the band was blasting through space on a 

journey to bring there outer space music to the earth... hence the space circle thing ^^

. 

I have managed to find a link with a first person account of the processes working with Jimi for the cover from Karl Ferris ...

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2008/02/cover-story---j.html