Salon - - I miss album covers

Doug Nelson · #1 04-28-2002, 12:42 PM

Al's comment over in the "let's talk music" thread reminded me of how album covers are responsible for RetouchPRO existing.

Not those little CD covers that you can't even see, but the big LP covers, especially those from the 70s. It was these covers that made me, as a pre-teen, decide that what I most wanted to do in life was make album covers. This led to my interest in photography, which led to my interest in restoration, which led me to investigate computers (pre-Photoshop), and...well, you know the rest.

They don't make decent album covers anymore. Actually, they may be making wonderful CD covers, but who can see them? My favorites were usually attributed to "Hipgnosis", who I later found out was one Skandanavian guy that's still working today. Lindqvist or something like that, I think.

BigAl · #2 04-29-2002, 06:42 AM

Remember those fantasy covers by Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. You're right. They don't look the same at CD size.

Another cover that comes to mind is the Uriah Heep one where the model had stuck his head thru a spiders web. That could probably be easily simulated in PS nowdays, but then ...

Often when I remaster CD from LP, I get asked "What about the words" after I've spent ages fixing the noise from the LP and making a good-looking (well I think so anyway

) cover. Imagine what the size of the words would be if I scanned it and shrunk it to fit on a CD size page. (BTW, it's definitely not worth remastering LP to CD for other people. They just don't realise how much time goes into it

)

Doug Nelson · #3 04-29-2002, 09:08 AM

ELP had some great covers...I remember sitting and just staring at the Tarkus cover for seemingly hours. Lots of great bands during that period, with great covers. Remember the cover for "Thick as a Brick"? I have the CD and the replica is just sad.

If it weren't a guaranteed litigation nightmare, I think a 'great album covers' would be an excellent website.

OhThatGirl2001 · #4 04-29-2002, 12:02 PM

Are you referring to Jethro Tull's - Thick As A Brick? I thought the cover resembled a news paper? I have an extensive collection of Jethro Tull. I also loved Styx album covers. Pink Floyd albums were amazing. I have kept all my old albums. I even play them from time to time!

Lisa

Doug Nelson · #5 04-29-2002, 12:34 PM

I have the entire PF catalog, but discovered them post-CD, so haven't really been able to appreciate their cover design.

And yes, the Tull cover was made to look (and read) like a newspaper, which I found fabulous.

OhThatGirl2001 · #6 04-29-2002, 06:04 PM

Hey Doug,

Let's have a fun challenge designing an album cover!

Lisa

G. Couch · #7 04-29-2002, 06:56 PM

Lisa, that is a fantastic idea! Maybe it could incorporate an old photo of some sort as a common starting point?

My younger brother is constantly making mix CDs of his vast music collection (500+ cds). A few months ago he wanted to make a mix cd, design a cool cover and give it to his girlfreind as a gift. He came to me with a bunch of photos and we came up with this design. We printed it on glossy photo paper and I swear you could have put it in the rack at the music store and no one would have known it was homemade!

OhThatGirl2001 · #8 04-29-2002, 07:25 PM

That is an awesome, awesome cover. I knew I'd like this idea!!!!

Lisa

d_kendal · #9 04-29-2002, 07:53 PM

Lisa - great idea, it sounds like a really fun manipulation challenge!!

Greg- thats a really neat CD cover! how did you do that?

- David

DJ Dubovsky · #10 04-29-2002, 08:40 PM

Really cool Greg. Looks real Pro
DJ

Sharon Brunson · #11 04-29-2002, 10:33 PM

Greg, that cover is awesome... I love it. You guys must have had a blast making it.

Sharon

G. Couch · #12 04-29-2002, 10:53 PM

Thanks for the nice compliments everyone.

Sharon - We did have a blast making it! That's why I thought Lisa's idea for an album cover challenge would be so much fun. I would love to see what people on here could come up with! Maybe we could set a few basic rules like 1 photo that has to be incorporated and maybe a name for the album like "Music to Restore by"

Create the cd with a front, back and sides...anyone have a good cd template?

To get back to the original subject of the thread....I am a child of the CD era, so I was never exposed to much album art. (expect for the "Sesame Street Disco" album I had as a child

) I can tell you it would be nice to have a little bit more real estate when it come to designing artwork for CD covers! It' hard to be very creative with such a small space.

There are many old jazz cds that I would love to have the album of...just for the cover art! Several Miles Davis albums come to mind...

Sanda · #13 04-29-2002, 11:26 PM

Wow Greg that's great. I had to design a cd cover for my son's recording assignment( he's studying Ausio Engineering) a few weeks ago wish I had seen your cover first. Mine was simple but it looked ok for the time I had to do it, I was asked to do it 2 hours before it was to be handed in.

BigAl · #14 04-30-2002, 01:24 AM

Greg, instead of a template I create new pages using the following measurements for the front and back covers in PS:
front single 12x12cm
front double 12x24cm
with the back, I start with the picture surface: 11.7x13.6cm. once that is finished, I create a transparent top layer, select all and stroke 1 pixel on that layer with a contrasting color to the rest of the cover for an outline to the side title areas.

I then increase the canvas size to 11.7x15cm for the side title areas and do the necessary titling and rotations (PS kindly centres the picture area on the new canvas).

I print these on a matt Epson paper (Photo quality ink jet paper - S041061). One trick to get the side title areas to fold properly is to lightly score the stroke lines with a knife and a ruler as a guide (take care not to cut thru the paper tho'

you only need to break thru' the coating on the paper).

HTH.

ps: does the barcode on your cover mean anything

pps: this is probably OT, Doug and should be on the tips forum!

BigAl · #15 04-30-2002, 02:04 AM

Doug, I recently did a "History of Santana" compilation where I used the lion's head cover as part of my cover. That collage of faces was a stunningly clever bit of artwork, which is almost totally lost on reducing it to CD size.

That is one cover that I remember staring at for ages trying to pick out all the little faces.

Lisa, I'm all for your challenge. (I can cheat and use some of the covers I've already created

)