Best album booklets...
I'm feeling well enough to hack out a post today and Sister-in-law Rebecca suggested that I do a Top 10 post because "those are always fun". Rebecca, I take some serious offense to that statement. You seem to be under the impression that I choose the content I post on culturezoo based on how "fun" it will be. HAH! Did you ever consider that I have a strict, laborious process of scrutiny, revision and more revision for each and every post. I spent eight hours on yesterday's "Sick" post, for crying out loud! Each word analyzed, revised, weighed against proven philosophical and theological theorem... Oh but if it's "fun" I should post it, right? Um... I guess you're right.
So here's a top ten list: 10 Best Album Booklets
As much as I love iTunes Music Store and Mp3s there's one thing that I'll always miss when I don't buy an album by hand: The Booklets. To me, the booklet is more than just a cover slapped on a piece of music so you can read the lyrics and know the tracklists, it's an extension of the music (at least, it should be). A good booklet becomes the face for the music and it tells you a little bit about how the artists see the album in their eyes. There's a lot of lousy booklet-design that you can tell some record label stooge hacked out without even listening to the album, but there's also a wealth of great design. These are the top-10 CD/album booklets that made an impression on me, starting from least to greatest:
10) The Joy Electric Discography:
Joy Electric is not my favorite band but their booklets are always jaw-droppingly great. It seems like they told the design studio, "just make something great".
9) Tooth and Nail: Artcore Vol 1 & 2
"But, Levi," you might exclaim in indignation. "Those covers aren't very good!" Ah young one, I chuckle and reply, Good design does not a good booklet make. The reason these booklets were my favorite was because they were compilations of unsigned-band demos that the owner of Tooth and Nail Records, Brandon Ebel had received in the mail. Brandon decided to release these demos in the two Artcore compilations but the cool part is he wrote notes about each band and song in the booklet with little anecdotes and stories. I used to read those notes over and over, dreaming that someday Mr. Ebel would be writing about my band in such familiar terms. The music on the compilations is great too.
8) Green Day: Dookie
I've never been a huge Green Day fan but I liked Dookie when I was younger (who didn't) and I always thought that the booklet was great.
7) The Clash: London Calling
This cover just sticks in your head. It's very dramatic, punk and memorable.
6) The Seventy Sevens: Sticks and Stones
A collection of B-Sides and other unreleased songs that turned out to be The Seventy Sevens best album. Instead of lyrics, each song gets a detailed history in the booklet. I've read it countless times.
5) Prodigy: The Fat of the Land
I never liked this album but I'll never forget this cover. I remember walking through record connection and that cover just catching and holding my eye. There's just so much energy and color. It's probably the best cover photo ever.
4) Radiohead: OK Computer/Kid A
I go back and forth with Radiohead. One day I think they're brilliant then the next day I think they're pretentious, over-hyped dorks. Nevertheless they have some amazing album artwork that is almost as much a part of their identity as their music. It's just like radiohead: dark, beautiful, electronic and hard to understand.
3) The Cure: Wish
I'm not sure about the meaning behind Wish's booklet art - the scrawled-eyes attached to fingers - but it's great. It's whimsical and dreamy, just like the music on Wish. What a great album.
2) U2: Pop/All That You Can't Leave Behind
You can tell that U2 puts an amazing amount of thought into each booklet that they design just because each one is so detailed. And none more than Pop and All That You Can't Leave Behind. And they're both so different from eachother. One is over-the-top, colorful and gaudy. The other is subtle, monochrome and simple. Both are great.
And now for numero uno...
The Smashing Pumpkins: Melon Collie and the Infinite Saddness
This will always be the standard of booklet design for me. The double-cd came with not one but two booklets; one for the artwork and credits and the other for the lyrics. They were both so detailed and intricate. Every song had its own intricate illustration to go with the words. I think I loved the artwork for this album as much as the music. Or, in truth, you really can't separate the two. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
So what are you're favorite album covers or booklets? What are the ones that you'd hang on your wall or stare at for hours? Let hear them. (Please no boy bands.)
So here's a top ten list: 10 Best Album Booklets
As much as I love iTunes Music Store and Mp3s there's one thing that I'll always miss when I don't buy an album by hand: The Booklets. To me, the booklet is more than just a cover slapped on a piece of music so you can read the lyrics and know the tracklists, it's an extension of the music (at least, it should be). A good booklet becomes the face for the music and it tells you a little bit about how the artists see the album in their eyes. There's a lot of lousy booklet-design that you can tell some record label stooge hacked out without even listening to the album, but there's also a wealth of great design. These are the top-10 CD/album booklets that made an impression on me, starting from least to greatest:
10) The Joy Electric Discography:
Joy Electric is not my favorite band but their booklets are always jaw-droppingly great. It seems like they told the design studio, "just make something great".
9) Tooth and Nail: Artcore Vol 1 & 2
"But, Levi," you might exclaim in indignation. "Those covers aren't very good!" Ah young one, I chuckle and reply, Good design does not a good booklet make. The reason these booklets were my favorite was because they were compilations of unsigned-band demos that the owner of Tooth and Nail Records, Brandon Ebel had received in the mail. Brandon decided to release these demos in the two Artcore compilations but the cool part is he wrote notes about each band and song in the booklet with little anecdotes and stories. I used to read those notes over and over, dreaming that someday Mr. Ebel would be writing about my band in such familiar terms. The music on the compilations is great too.
8) Green Day: Dookie
I've never been a huge Green Day fan but I liked Dookie when I was younger (who didn't) and I always thought that the booklet was great.
7) The Clash: London Calling
This cover just sticks in your head. It's very dramatic, punk and memorable.
6) The Seventy Sevens: Sticks and Stones
A collection of B-Sides and other unreleased songs that turned out to be The Seventy Sevens best album. Instead of lyrics, each song gets a detailed history in the booklet. I've read it countless times.
5) Prodigy: The Fat of the Land
I never liked this album but I'll never forget this cover. I remember walking through record connection and that cover just catching and holding my eye. There's just so much energy and color. It's probably the best cover photo ever.
4) Radiohead: OK Computer/Kid A
I go back and forth with Radiohead. One day I think they're brilliant then the next day I think they're pretentious, over-hyped dorks. Nevertheless they have some amazing album artwork that is almost as much a part of their identity as their music. It's just like radiohead: dark, beautiful, electronic and hard to understand.
3) The Cure: Wish
I'm not sure about the meaning behind Wish's booklet art - the scrawled-eyes attached to fingers - but it's great. It's whimsical and dreamy, just like the music on Wish. What a great album.
2) U2: Pop/All That You Can't Leave Behind
You can tell that U2 puts an amazing amount of thought into each booklet that they design just because each one is so detailed. And none more than Pop and All That You Can't Leave Behind. And they're both so different from eachother. One is over-the-top, colorful and gaudy. The other is subtle, monochrome and simple. Both are great.
And now for numero uno...
The Smashing Pumpkins: Melon Collie and the Infinite Saddness
This will always be the standard of booklet design for me. The double-cd came with not one but two booklets; one for the artwork and credits and the other for the lyrics. They were both so detailed and intricate. Every song had its own intricate illustration to go with the words. I think I loved the artwork for this album as much as the music. Or, in truth, you really can't separate the two. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
So what are you're favorite album covers or booklets? What are the ones that you'd hang on your wall or stare at for hours? Let hear them. (Please no boy bands.)
6 Comments:
that is so the number one. right on. you know who love but has really crappy booklets? weezer. oh well. i agree with your statement about a booklet needing to be "an extension of the music." well put.
also, i recently bought ok computer and it is pretty amazing (if not a little pretenious). kid a? crap. i tend to skip music that you have to be a genius to understand.
Walker: Sadly, you're right. Weezer does have iffy booklets. Still they're very Weezer-ish, don't you think.
And you're right-on about Radiohead. If you were burned by Kid A and Amnesiac I'd reccomend trying Hail To The Thief. It's no OK Computer or The Bends but it's not un-listenable either. It has some standout songs.
Wow.
"Fun" post. ;) I love this post, Levi, seriously. I enjoyed walking through all those booklets.
I like Pearl Jam's Vitalogy
Beck's Midnite Vultures
Bjork's Greatest Hits (awesome, weird artwork)
The Black Crowes Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
The Red Hot Chilli Pepper's Blood Sugar Sex Magic
I like the Radiohead cover best. Doesn't it remind you of Tolkien's "Father Christmas" art. The Smashing Pumpkin stuff is just like their music videos. Really creepy and Victorian.
My favorite album art is the 2 Keith Greene albums, "So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt" and "No Comprimise", the latter being the best. The backs of that guy standing when everyone else is bowing down to that King still inspires me. I also like the Mike Roe one, can't remember the name, but it was lost in your trenchcoat pocket for like a year when you were a young teen.
What's fun is to look at the albums from the early 60s, the Eddie Fisher, Nat King Cole stuff. They're really naughty, yet have no art or meaning. I remember one, (I used to study MarMar and Papa's for hours) that had a woman in a really sexy evening gown and a guy was leering through a keyhole at her, and it had nothing to do with the content or musician. There was lots of provocative stuff like that. Not twisted or weird like today, very blatant and honest, pretty much saying, "We know sex sells, so here's an artless sexy album cover."
I go back and forth with Radiohead. One day I think they're brilliant then the next day I think they're pretentious, over-hyped dorks.
Me too. I loved "OK Computer" and hated "Kid A" with a passion. In fact, I almost hated that album as much as I hate Jar Jar Binks.
As for fav booklets, anything by Iron Maiden. They always did cool booklets.
Wow Levi, I didn't know I had such an influence on you. I feel like since I gave you the hint of doing a top ten I should muster up something. Let's see, the Beatle's did a lot of cool covers like Abby (sp?) Road and Sgt. Pepper's... Also, you might enjoy Heart - Greatest Hits cover.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home