Gatefold09
Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy, 1973, Artwork by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell, Hipgnosis
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Inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s 1953 science fiction novel “Childhood’s End,” Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis began shooting their concept at Giant’s Causeway in Northern Island. Thorgerson’s vision of an image of children climbing toward a spot from where they might depart en masse as spiritual energy seemed to fit the concept: civilization climbing to a new dawn — powerful and mythic like the band itself.
.
For the week-long shoot, the design team covered three adults and two children with silver and gold make-up, driving to Giant’s Causeway at 4:00 a.m. in search of a blazing sunrise. It was not to be. Powell remembers, “It proved to be an extremely difficult shoot. I had wanted a sunrise or sunset, but the weather was terrible. It was early November and rained every day. Then we ran out of make-up and had to resort to car spray paint. The two children, Samantha and Stefan Gates, and their stalwart mother braved freezing conditions and extreme boredom and became thoroughly fed up.”
.
Realizing the original vision for the album cover wouldn’t work, the Hipgnosis team improvised. Powell decided to photograph the children only, in black and white and then superimpose them over a collage. The simplified approach created a palette on which the team could generate its own hand-tinted colors. After creating a black-and-white photo collage of the two children climbing the rocks of Giant’s Causeway, Powell re-photographed the image in a light sepia brown. Artist Philip Crennel hand-tinted the photo, applying water-soluble colored dyes in layers with a brush and airbrush to create the album cover’s explosion of color.
.
The resulting image; the naked children’s innocence, natural beauty and mystery (as their faces are hidden), suggests growth and flight as one child reaches to the sky. With their flowing golden locks, they also evoke a younger, childlike vision of lead singer Robert Plant.
.
There was a period during the history of pop music that I’ve heard referred to as the “Time of the Album.” From about the mid-1960s through the next decade until about 1986, cover art and the accompanying liner notes were at least as important as the vinyl long play record inside. Album art drew us in and held us rapt as we searched the images and words for added meaning to our favorite recording artists.
.
The double album, with its gatefold cover, occupied a special niche. Its functions were many, to which many of us can attest (…if you know what I mean, and I think you do). For me, however, that album art gave visual meaning to the music, amplifying the audio experience. The art also branded the artist in a way that bands like the Rolling Stones (tongue), Yes (fantasy worlds), and Little Feat (ducks with lips) were imprinted on our impressionable minds. For audiophiles (and by audiophile, I really mean fanboy) like myself knowing where and when the recording took place, the producer, the guest artists, the instruments gave a depth and meaning to the music, apart from the recorded melodies. And what a pleasure it was to peruse the lyrics and images over and over, looking for new details, just as we listened for new textures and chords in the warmth of the spinning vinyl record.
.
Of course, with the advent of CDs the artwork was lost, becoming smaller and less relevant. And now, as music is increasingly downloaded and/or streamed album art is an artifact of a bygone era, The Time of the Album. I’ve photographed a few of the albums in my collection as a way to revisit that time, to relive my experience and to share with a new generation of audiophiles. Consider this an occasional series or an exercise in nostalgia. Enjoy!
Gatefold09
Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy, 1973, Artwork by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell, Hipgnosis
.
Inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s 1953 science fiction novel “Childhood’s End,” Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis began shooting their concept at Giant’s Causeway in Northern Island. Thorgerson’s vision of an image of children climbing toward a spot from where they might depart en masse as spiritual energy seemed to fit the concept: civilization climbing to a new dawn — powerful and mythic like the band itself.
.
For the week-long shoot, the design team covered three adults and two children with silver and gold make-up, driving to Giant’s Causeway at 4:00 a.m. in search of a blazing sunrise. It was not to be. Powell remembers, “It proved to be an extremely difficult shoot. I had wanted a sunrise or sunset, but the weather was terrible. It was early November and rained every day. Then we ran out of make-up and had to resort to car spray paint. The two children, Samantha and Stefan Gates, and their stalwart mother braved freezing conditions and extreme boredom and became thoroughly fed up.”
.
Realizing the original vision for the album cover wouldn’t work, the Hipgnosis team improvised. Powell decided to photograph the children only, in black and white and then superimpose them over a collage. The simplified approach created a palette on which the team could generate its own hand-tinted colors. After creating a black-and-white photo collage of the two children climbing the rocks of Giant’s Causeway, Powell re-photographed the image in a light sepia brown. Artist Philip Crennel hand-tinted the photo, applying water-soluble colored dyes in layers with a brush and airbrush to create the album cover’s explosion of color.
.
The resulting image; the naked children’s innocence, natural beauty and mystery (as their faces are hidden), suggests growth and flight as one child reaches to the sky. With their flowing golden locks, they also evoke a younger, childlike vision of lead singer Robert Plant.
.
There was a period during the history of pop music that I’ve heard referred to as the “Time of the Album.” From about the mid-1960s through the next decade until about 1986, cover art and the accompanying liner notes were at least as important as the vinyl long play record inside. Album art drew us in and held us rapt as we searched the images and words for added meaning to our favorite recording artists.
.
The double album, with its gatefold cover, occupied a special niche. Its functions were many, to which many of us can attest (…if you know what I mean, and I think you do). For me, however, that album art gave visual meaning to the music, amplifying the audio experience. The art also branded the artist in a way that bands like the Rolling Stones (tongue), Yes (fantasy worlds), and Little Feat (ducks with lips) were imprinted on our impressionable minds. For audiophiles (and by audiophile, I really mean fanboy) like myself knowing where and when the recording took place, the producer, the guest artists, the instruments gave a depth and meaning to the music, apart from the recorded melodies. And what a pleasure it was to peruse the lyrics and images over and over, looking for new details, just as we listened for new textures and chords in the warmth of the spinning vinyl record.
.
Of course, with the advent of CDs the artwork was lost, becoming smaller and less relevant. And now, as music is increasingly downloaded and/or streamed album art is an artifact of a bygone era, The Time of the Album. I’ve photographed a few of the albums in my collection as a way to revisit that time, to relive my experience and to share with a new generation of audiophiles. Consider this an occasional series or an exercise in nostalgia. Enjoy!