Comments on: For The Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/2008/12/for-the-love-of-vinyl-the-album-art-of-hipgnosis/ Books for the creative mind. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:53:50 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Editor http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/2008/12/for-the-love-of-vinyl-the-album-art-of-hipgnosis/comment-page-1/#comment-2100 Editor Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:46:11 +0000 http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/?p=307#comment-2100 I used to like looking at your copy of Led Zeppelin's In Through The Out Door. It wasn't until I read the book that I found out they did several versions of it (four I think) and then wrapped them in a paper bag so it would be a surprise. The record company weren't too happy about the bag. I used to like looking at your copy of Led Zeppelin’s In Through The Out Door. It wasn’t until I read the book that I found out they did several versions of it (four I think) and then wrapped them in a paper bag so it would be a surprise. The record company weren’t too happy about the bag.

]]> By: Matt Polaine http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/2008/12/for-the-love-of-vinyl-the-album-art-of-hipgnosis/comment-page-1/#comment-2099 Matt Polaine Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:07:06 +0000 http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/?p=307#comment-2099 Our parents did listen to much of the psychedelic tunes in the 60s and 70s, and certainly the advent of electronics (Hammond) moved the sounds to a new dimension with Deep Purple then Pink Floyd. However the Led Zeppelin influence, while in the Moody Blues genre ballpark (just) was not from my parents but from peer group. Indeed it was part of growing up to learn a resemblance of Stairway To Heaven on a guitar. In my case, on our mother's battered old acoustic guitar creating less of a ‘stairway to heaven’ and more of a ‘step ladder to basement’ sound. From here I 'discovered' AC/DC (b1973) and other Heavy Metal bands which owed much to that early Moody Blue tripping-out music (known then as Progressive Rock) that our parents had played. Yes really. Not today's thrash metal, but the early stuff which might now be classed as Soft Metal. Many regard AC/DC as pioneers of heavy metal taking that batten from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, although there is an overlap in timelines. In order to keep myself awake during long jobs overnight, driving through the night, or a good gym/turbo trainer workout vibe, the Back In Black album by AC/DC (45 million sales worldwide, 5th highest selling album in the US) stayed with me as a classic raw Metal track which for me, can trace its roots from Moody Blues, Deep Purple then Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Deep Purple having sold over 100 million albums worldwide and holding the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Loudest Band. Now that my 12 year daughter has listened to the Back In Black tracks, she has taken to drums very well and plays along to these now 'ancient' tracks. Was it all so new and amazing back in the 60s and 70s? In the light of today’s fast paced internet culture where old news is measured in hours and artwork ripped off by college drones programmed by the Photoshop tool bar, perhaps not. I had the chance to meet Roger Dean (YES artwork) through my work - indeed he was coming to us for funding of prototypes of his Living Pods - and he had not moved on really. Great work, beautifully crafted, of its time. I guess like all fashion and art, it is highly disposable, recycled later as The Next Big Thing, leaving just the nostalgia. For me, Syd Mead inspired me to become an industrial designer not Roger Dean, only then for me to discover the horrors of mass global built-in obsolescence. On an up-beat note, 'It's A Long Way To The Top If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll' by AC/DC but performed by Jack Black in School of Rock is still probably one of the best pick-me-up tracks/videos of all time! I challenge you not to air-guitar to this… <abbr><em>Matt Polaine’s last blog post..<a href="http://www.polaine.com/matt/2009/05/28/ukip-on-cyclists-in-the-uk/" rel="nofollow">UKIP on cyclists in the UK</a></abbr></em> Our parents did listen to much of the psychedelic tunes in the 60s and 70s, and certainly the advent of electronics (Hammond) moved the sounds to a new dimension with Deep Purple then Pink Floyd. However the Led Zeppelin influence, while in the Moody Blues genre ballpark (just) was not from my parents but from peer group. Indeed it was part of growing up to learn a resemblance of Stairway To Heaven on a guitar. In my case, on our mother’s battered old acoustic guitar creating less of a ‘stairway to heaven’ and more of a ‘step ladder to basement’ sound.

From here I ‘discovered’ AC/DC (b1973) and other Heavy Metal bands which owed much to that early Moody Blue tripping-out music (known then as Progressive Rock) that our parents had played. Yes really. Not today’s thrash metal, but the early stuff which might now be classed as Soft Metal. Many regard AC/DC as pioneers of heavy metal taking that batten from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, although there is an overlap in timelines.

In order to keep myself awake during long jobs overnight, driving through the night, or a good gym/turbo trainer workout vibe, the Back In Black album by AC/DC (45 million sales worldwide, 5th highest selling album in the US) stayed with me as a classic raw Metal track which for me, can trace its roots from Moody Blues, Deep Purple then Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Deep Purple having sold over 100 million albums worldwide and holding the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Loudest Band.

Now that my 12 year daughter has listened to the Back In Black tracks, she has taken to drums very well and plays along to these now ‘ancient’ tracks. Was it all so new and amazing back in the 60s and 70s? In the light of today’s fast paced internet culture where old news is measured in hours and artwork ripped off by college drones programmed by the Photoshop tool bar, perhaps not.

I had the chance to meet Roger Dean (YES artwork) through my work – indeed he was coming to us for funding of prototypes of his Living Pods – and he had not moved on really. Great work, beautifully crafted, of its time.

I guess like all fashion and art, it is highly disposable, recycled later as The Next Big Thing, leaving just the nostalgia. For me, Syd Mead inspired me to become an industrial designer not Roger Dean, only then for me to discover the horrors of mass global built-in obsolescence.

On an up-beat note, ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top If You Wanna Rock’n'Roll’ by AC/DC but performed by Jack Black in School of Rock is still probably one of the best pick-me-up tracks/videos of all time! I challenge you not to air-guitar to this…

Matt Polaine’s last blog post..UKIP on cyclists in the UK

]]> By: Dean Renninger http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/2008/12/for-the-love-of-vinyl-the-album-art-of-hipgnosis/comment-page-1/#comment-99 Dean Renninger Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:38:56 +0000 http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/?p=307#comment-99 I can see your passion for the book and that's got me excited about it, too. Thank you. And who doesn't love British humour? That just puts this book over the top in my mind! I can see your passion for the book and that’s got me excited about it, too. Thank you. And who doesn’t love British humour? That just puts this book over the top in my mind!

]]> By: Editor http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/2008/12/for-the-love-of-vinyl-the-album-art-of-hipgnosis/comment-page-1/#comment-98 Editor Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:25:39 +0000 http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/?p=307#comment-98 I can't recommend it enough - it's a book that just got me really excited, even reading through parts of it again for the review. It seems to have a magic mix of youthful memories, connections with legends in an Almost Famous manner, whilst being combined with design history and resonating with the stories my dad used to tell me about his early days. It's quite British in its self-deprecating humour and accounts of London, but I think people not from the UK will enjoy it a great deal nonetheless. I can’t recommend it enough – it’s a book that just got me really excited, even reading through parts of it again for the review. It seems to have a magic mix of youthful memories, connections with legends in an Almost Famous manner, whilst being combined with design history and resonating with the stories my dad used to tell me about his early days. It’s quite British in its self-deprecating humour and accounts of London, but I think people not from the UK will enjoy it a great deal nonetheless.

]]> By: Dean Renninger http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/2008/12/for-the-love-of-vinyl-the-album-art-of-hipgnosis/comment-page-1/#comment-97 Dean Renninger Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:59:58 +0000 http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/?p=307#comment-97 Wow! You were right when you said you were reviewing a great book, Andy. Your enthusiasm for the book definitely has me wanting to check out this book. Thanks! Wow! You were right when you said you were reviewing a great book, Andy. Your enthusiasm for the book definitely has me wanting to check out this book. Thanks!

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