Album Artwork

[Joseph K]

Does anyone else find their experience of music in some way synaesthetically connected to its artwork? Or vice versa.

I think this goes back for me to quite a young age and being fascinated by CDs and tapes and often pondering at the logic behind their images. I mean, putting aside lyrical content, music is abstract - so it's always going to seem a bit arbitrary choosing an image that somehow represents the sounds contained therein.

Not entirely arbitrary, I guess, but I suppose my point is that as a young person some album artwork would leave quite an impression on me to the extent that just seeing it would in some way summon the music for me. This for example:

[MickyD]

Best by far for me was every release in the L'Oiseau Lyre Florilegium series - the artwork was carefully chosen to be contemporaneous with the music on the LP. And an LP sleeve was an ideal size for the paintings.

[cloughie]

I liked the sleeves from the Decca Publicity Art Department which were on the RCA Victrola issues in the 60s.

Eg

https://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=742025

Also some good ones on Decca sleeves

https://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=742963

[Parry1912]

I enjoyed the Warner complete Berlioz where each sleeve featured a different painting by Turner.

[vinteuil]

I enjoyed the Warner complete Berlioz where each sleeve featured a different painting by Turner.

... yes! And the warner Ravel edn - with paintings by Albert Marquet [1875-1947] - never knowingly encountered him before, really interesting...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Marquet

.

[Roslynmuse]

... yes! And the warner Ravel edn - with paintings by Albert Marquet [1875-1947] - never knowingly encountered him before, really interesting...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Marquet

.

The Warner Debussy box has a great collection of Japanese artwork on each individual CD sleeve.

[eighthobstruction]

....I love the old works that appear on Medieval choral and minstrel music CD's....Utube has opened up a huge feast of art and music I would never have discovered....often cheeky, motif led works and of course many religious or historical....but often a sense of fun and joy ....

[Joseph K]

This would have to be my favourite album artwork:

[Pulcinella]

In the olden days, when I first started collecting LPs, I used to think that DG covers, usually with a fairly severe looking photo of the conductor or soloist, very forbidding/foreboding (?); I probably couldn't have afforded them anyway, but they certainly didn't invite me to explore the music.
I still think DG artwork to be amongst the least appealing.

Like others, I very much like the artwork on the new Warner Ravel set.
And I agree with MickyD about Florilegium releases.

Although it can mean short playing times (and hence more CDs and bigger boxes), I really like the 'Original Jackets' that Sony have used in their big Stravinsky and Boulez boxes, too; they bring back lots of happy memories of spending my pocket money/holiday job wages.

The artwork on Hyperion releases often attracts my eye when I'm glancing through new releases adverts in Gramophone and BBC MM.

[jayne lee wilson]

[jayne lee wilson]

CPO often have striking artwork. This is actually a close-up photo of a natural phenomena.....anyone know what it is?

[jayne lee wilson]

I think this was the first to really compel my attention, back in my LP-borrowing days.... I never wanted to take it back!

[Joseph K]

I think this was the first to really compel my attention, back in my LP-borrowing days.... I never wanted to take it back!

And it's just occurred to me how the size of an LP would sort of put greater scope/importance on the cover image.

P.S. not sure what the natural phenomenon is...

[jayne lee wilson]

Getaloadathis......

https://www.google.com/search?q=eucalyptus+deglupta&client=safari&rls=en&sxsrf=ALeKk02pI9phE4dvJ0l3Hi5wraefZVlpoQ:1618765810537&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju6_HIpIjwAhWTQEEAHd4BD5oQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1252&bih=706

PS K....I have that Bitches Brew CD and admire it equally....

[Petrushka]

I very much liked the Dutch landscapes that appeared on the Haitink/Concertgebouw Mahler LP records from Philips and was glad to have them again in the latest eissue.

My absolute favourites, though, are the photos by Hans Wild on each instalment of the Solti Ring, especially the one for Götterdämmerung, which hold very special memories of the Christmases when I had them between 1970 and 1973.