Article

After the Storm: Hipgnosis, Storm Thorgerson, and the Rock Album Cover

DOI:10.1080/19401159.2014.949553
Authors:
Mike Alleyne at Middle Tennessee State University
Mike Alleyne
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Abstract

The London-based design agency known as Hipgnosis, comprising primarily Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell and later Peter Christopherson (along with several itinerant freelance collaborators), stood at the forefront of rock’s imaginative leap from the mundane to the magical (and also occasionally into the absurd and grotesque) during its operation from 1968 to 1983. The studio helped to make the album cover more integral to a record’s artistic totality, effectively translating sonic experiences into still images and accelerating the rock album cover’s development.

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... Existing literature on album artwork (cf. Robertson 2007;Bestley 2014;Blue 2011;Grant 2001;Jones and Sorger 1999) shows that it is connected to the cultural and political values of the social environment within which they were produced and consumed (Chapman 2012;Lowey and Prince 2014;Shaw 2014;Hickam and Wallach 2011;Karjalainen and Ainamo 2011;Karjalainen, Laaksonen, and Ainamo 2009;Alleyne 2014;Inglis 2001), or even the global environment of the last two decades with it globalizing impact on both visuals and values. ...
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... Existing literature on album artwork (cf. Robertson 2007;Bestley 2014;Blue 2011;Grant 2001;Jones and Sorger 1999) shows that it is connected to the cultural and political values of the social environment within which they were produced and consumed (Chapman 2012;Lowey and Prince 2014;Shaw 2014;Hickam and Wallach 2011;Karjalainen and Ainamo 2011;Karjalainen, Laaksonen, and Ainamo 2009;Alleyne 2014;Inglis 2001), or even the global environment of the last two decades with it globalizing impact on both visuals and values. ...
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Coverscaping: Discovering Album Aesthetics
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Grønstad, Asbjørn, and Øyvind Vågnes, eds. Coverscaping: Discovering Album Aesthetics. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum, 2010. Print.
Introduction. Album Cover Album New York: Dragon's World
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Hamilton, Dominy. Introduction. Album Cover Album. Ed. Storm Thorgerson and Roger Dean. New York: Dragon's World, 1977. 8–15. Print.
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Hipgnosis and the Power of Suggestion
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Rivers, Charlotte. CD-Art: Innovation in CD Packaging. Hove, Sussex: Rotovision, 2003. Print. Shaughnessy, Adrian. " Optical Believability. " For The Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis. New York: Picturebox, 2008. 13–18. Print.
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Rhythm Revolution: A Chronological Anthology of American Popular Music: 1960s to 1980s
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Albums: Creeping Tedium
  • Feb 1980
  • 1926-2000
  • Karl Dallas
Dallas, Karl. "Albums: Creeping Tedium." Melody Maker 9 Feb. 1980: 26. (Archive: 1926-2000). ProQuest. Web. 25 June 2014.
Sex Sells Music, Music Sells Jeans…
  • May 1979
  • 1926-2000
  • Simon Frith
Frith, Simon. "Sex Sells Music, Music Sells Jeans…" Melody Maker 26 May 1979: 14. (Archive: 1926-2000). ProQuest. Web. 25 June 2014.
Music: Album Covers Get More Colorful but Bring Production Budget Blues
  • Jun 1956
  • 1905-2000
  • Johnny Morgan
  • Ben Wardle
Morgan, Johnny, and Ben Wardle. The Art of the LP: Classic Album Covers 1955-1995. New York: Sterling, 2010. Print. "Music: Album Covers Get More Colorful but Bring Production Budget Blues." Variety 29 Aug. 1956: 43. (Archive: 1905-2000). ProQuest. Web. 9 June 2014.
Pictures: Greenback, Subsid of Hipgnosis, Eyes a Filming Future
  • Jun 1978
  • 1905-2000
  • Alexis Petridis
Petridis, Alexis. "Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon Immersion Edition-Review." The Guardian. 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 7 June 2014. "Pictures: Greenback, Subsid of Hipgnosis, Eyes a Filming Future." Variety 13 Dec. 1978: 32. (Archive: 1905-2000). ProQuest. Web. 6 June 2014.
For The Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis
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