#sleeveart

HANDS DOWN, MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE GENE SIMMONS SHOT EVER! THE DEMON!

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on rock and roll bassist/songwriter/vocalist Gene Simmons in full "Demon" makeup, c. late '70s -- as featured on the front & back sleeve art to "Alive II," the second live album by American hard rock band KISS, released by Casablanca Records in 1977.

Resolution from largest to smallest: 2682x2696, 1158x1500, & 790x1009.

“Loveless,” a studio album and sleeve concept by My Bloody Valentine

Sleeve front cover photography by Angus Cameron

Creation Records

⚜️ ARTWORK

Album artwork is one of the primary ways that musicians and visual artists are able to collaborate, and many iconic album covers are simultaneously iconic pieces of pop art. [2]

The “Loveless” album cover is a fine example of perfectly synchronized simplicity. The cover artwork is a photograph of a guitar taken by Angus Cameron, heavily distorted and obscured with the band’s name barely visible in the bottom left corner. It may seem unremarkable at first glance, but upon hearing the music it comes together in perfect harmony as a completed piece. [2]

The album is widely regarded as one of the best albums of the 1990’s for its groundbreaking guitar work, meticulous orchestration, and for generally laying the foundation of the shoegaze genre. [2]

Creation Records released “Loveless” on November 4, 1991. Pictured is the UK vinyl sleeve and label artwork.

Vic Tory

Art of the Sleeve

⚜️ SOURCE(S)

[1] “Loveless (Album).” Wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loveless_(album). Accessed 18 April 2021.

“Heaven or Las Vegas,” a studio album by Cocteau Twins

Sleeve artwork by Paul West

@paul_west

Photography by Andy Rumball

@andyrumball

4AD Records

@4ad

@beggarsgroup

⚜️ ARTWORK

4AD released “Heaven or Las Vegas” on September 17, 1990. Pictured is the UK CD artwork photographed by Andy Rumball and designed by Paul West. [1]

For the album’s front cover art, the band desired a visual representation that would "(capture) the ethereal,” according to guitarist Robin Guthrie. [1]

West, of the design studio Form, previously worked with Cocteau Twins on the cover for “Blue Bell Knoll.” West recruited Rumball, and the pair experimented with various materials in order to generate a "textural and otherworldly" effect. The final artwork is a long exposure of Christmas tree lights that were flicked against a color backdrop, with its typography produced by hand on an acetate overlay. Much of the original artwork was later destroyed in a flood. [1]

Vic Tory

Art of the Sleeve

⚜️ SOURCE

“Hand in Glove,” a single by Sandie Shaw

Sleeve by Morrissey

Layout by Caryn Gough

Nuevos Medios

Rough Trade Records

⚜️ SLEEVE ART

Rough Trade Records released “Hand in Glove” by Sandie Shaw on April 14, 1984. Pictured is the Spanish 7” vinyl sleeve artwork featuring actress Rita Tushingham in a still from "A Taste of Honey" directed by Tony Richardson. The screenplay for that movie was written by Shelagh Delaney who has been featured on the covers for "Louder than Bombs” and "Girlfriend in a Coma.” [1]

The Spanish 7" is unique because it was produced with the 12" format cover art. This may have something to do with the fact that Nuevos Medios almost systematically released Smiths singles on 12" format, and rarely on 7". On both instances when they did release a 7" single, the 12" artwork was used. [2]

What's first noticed about this single is its sleeve. It is not the rigid UK sleeve, nor the thin paper ones from other countries. It is made of thick paper with a canvas-like texture. Its back layout is the expected variation on the UK 7" back: the UK catalogue number was erased and the Spanish one added to the top right corner. Additional Nuevos Medios logo and credits are found at the bottom. The colour there may be slightly closer to brownish-grey. The label is grey and red as in the UK, and the text follows the same layout. [2]

Vic Tory

Art of the Sleeve

⚜️ SOURCE(S)

[1] “‘Hand in Glove’ by Sandie Shaw,” Passions Just Like Mine, excerpts retrieved on 3 March 2021 from web page http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/disc/handinglove-sandie.htm