RockPoP Gallery News

Cover Story Interview - "Stop And Think It Over" by Mary Weiss, with photography by Theresa Kereakes

Cover Story for July 15, 2008

Subject: "Stop And Think It Over" - a single from the record titled Dangerous Game by Mary Weiss, released in 2007 on Norton Records, with cover photo by photographer Theresa Kereakes.

There were Girl Groups who “dressed to kill” and who used many of the same vocal stylings they learned in church (and that made little white guys like me watch “Jubilee Showcase” on Sunday mornings with such fascination), and then there were the Shangi-Las. I don’t think that it was a white/black thing – I mean, Leiber and Stoller and Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich did all of the writing and production in New York for a huge chunk of the early/mid-60’s vocal groups, regardless of their race - I just tend to think that the streets in Queens that bred the Weiss sisters and the Ganser sisters were simply different than the streets in Tenafly, New Jersey, where Leslie Gore grew up, and so where Leslie was all about “Boys, Boys, Boys” and would cry if she broke a nail, the Shangri-Las (dressed in black and hanging out with bikers) really convinced you that they knew about heartbreak, death and never being able to go home anymore.

40 years later, and as independent a spirit as ever, singer Mary Weiss released a new record released on Norton Records called Dangerous Game. Working with Greg Cartwright and blues/punk/garage band-par-exellance The Reigning Sound, Weiss’s new record is most definitely NOT a Shangri-Las comeback album. She’s not a teen anymore, and the record was made with that understanding. Most of the songs on the LP are written by Cartwright and with one listen, it seems certain that he knew what sort of signer he was writing for – someone tender-but-tough, but someone who brings emotion and power to both “the rockers” and the ballads that make up the record.

Photographer Theresa Kereakes was first introduced to Billy Miller, Miriam Linna and the rest of the Norton Records crew when she was working for Little Steven’s Underground Garage and, knowing of their commitment to the best of roots rock, when they asked her to photograph Mary Weiss and The Reigning Sound for an upcoming album, she was more than up to the task. With the goal being to catch “Mary being Mary”, they knew that this was Theresa’s specialty, and I think that you’ll agree that the pictures used to illustrate this article and the single titled "Stop and Think It Over" (as well as Roberta Bayley’s cover photo for the album) show Mary as we like to see her – unposed, working hard, and happy to be making music for her fans again (and, by the way, still looking cool in leather!). How this all took place is the subject of today’s Cover Story…

In the words of the photographer – Theresa Kereakes (interviewed June, 2008) -

I have known and worked with Billy Miller and Miriam Linna of Norton Records for many years and so, when they were putting together the album for Mary, they contacted me and asked me if I was interested in shooting photos for the project. “Of course I am!”, I told them, and so I sent them some links to my record cover work for them to forward to Mary. She looked at my portfolio and agreed to let me be a “fly on the wall” and take some candid shots during a couple days of recording sessions. I'd worked with Norton before in various ways, and during my tenure at Little Steven's Underground Garage, both Miriam and Billy were invaluable resources of music and information for the show. Plus, as The A Bones, they've entertained me and countless other garage rock fans for years. 

Working with Norton is always a pleasure and straight forward. They tell you what they want and they give you the parameters. They are simply the best people to work with. They are more than fair with money, time, schedule, etc.  That they are able to sign an artist like Mary Weiss is an indication of and a tribute to their honesty as business people and their integrity.

Mary and Billy and Miriam worked together as “co-art directors” and had a clear and specific idea of what they wanted as album cover and CD booklet art, which made it easy and efficient to do the work and make the best use of Mary's time and their time together in the studio. I like it when people who want album art know what they want - rather than asking you to shoot “whatever you feel”. 

By the time we were all in the studio together, everyone knew what kind of photos we would be taking.  It was probably the most professional and smooth experience of taking casual documentary pictures I ever had. Miriam, in particular was instrumental in getting the large group to lighten up and enjoy themselves in the hot 100+ degree heat when we were taking the promo and publicity pictures on the rooftop of the studio in blazing sunlight at high noon. That's not a good time of day to shoot - but it’s all we had, and it worked out.

Usually when anyone asks for me to shoot, it is because they want the images to feel “natural” and “unguarded” (I’m a great “fly on the wall”).  The cover for the single, "Stop and Think It Over" is a shot of Mary doing her vocals, unaware that I was there or shooting. I was in the studio with Mary, Billy and the band, The Reigning Sound, whose front man, Greg Cartwright, co-produced the album with Billy, and so I heard the music being recorded as I was working.  To me, Mary's voice has always been the perfect vehicle for whatever she chose to sing at the time.  When she was a teen, it was urgent and full of teen angst, but now, as a grown woman, it was wine-dark and knowing, mellifluous and sexy. 

Mary sang some songs I already knew, as she was doing several songs written by Greg Cartwright.  I'm a big fan of Greg's work, going back to the Compulsive Gamblers and Oblivians. I believe that having Greg vouch for me also helped me in securing this gig and Mary, as it turns out, became a fan of Greg's music as well!

Because this was carefully planned and scheduled, we got everything we needed from me in the two days I spent in the studio with Mary and the band.  The only thing we used aside from one camera, two lenses – a 50mm and a 28 mm wide angle - was a single additional light source - a 3K lamp to give us even lighting in a room that's normally illuminated by a single skylight.  We shot seven rolls of film, with a couple of those rolls being multiple frames of the same shot,  because whenever there's more than one person in a shot, you are guaranteed that someone or another will have their eyes closed! 

If you look at the shots in the CD booklet and on the LP where Mary and the band are sitting in a straight line on a couch, I think that you can see that everybody in the band, as well as Billy and Miriam, were pretty relaxed and looked comfortable. It’s obvious they were having a good time and they all looked good. Out of those 7 rolls (168 images), 9 images were used in the album/CD material and about 5-6 different shots were used for publicity, promotion and MySpace images.

I do want to go on record, however, with the fact that drummer Lance Wille looked absolutely PERFECT in each and every frame I shot those days.  He was flawless – he never had an eye closed in a shot, or a weird facial expression. That man was camera-ready!

About the photographer – Theresa Kereakes (in her own words) -

I started taking pictures with a Leica Rangefinder when I about 5 years old - I just hijacked my parents' camera.  After I broke that, it was all about Instamatics and Polaroids until I was 15 and I got a Pentax SLR because I asked for "a real camera."  For Christmas, I got a Nikon FM, which was the latest thing at that time and the camera I still use all these years later. 

I started taking rock & roll photos for reasons that are two-fold... first, of course, for the memories, and second, because none of my friends believed that I'd been at whatever concert I said I was at. Only one way to prove it - show them the photos I took.

First concert I photographed was ELO at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1973.  It was pouring rain and I'd just gotten my drivers license, so my father INSISTED that he drive me instead of me driving myself.  San Luis Obispo is about 100 miles away from where I grew up.  My folks were not going to let a kid with a new driver’s license drive that in the rain. The camera I had was an Instamatic with a built in flash.  I took a roll of crappy pictures - it’s on 110 film... very narrow, and there is never a photo in focus with that camera anyway, so even though I was in the front row, those are probably the worst photos anyone anywhere has ever taken. I do still have them, though...

From that unfortunate experience, I attended my next big rock show with a real camera - the Pentax - and also a Super 8 movie camera.  It was the Faces, with UFO and Rory Gallagher opening up.  I wasn't very good at budgeting my film stock and blew all my still camera film on UFO, and have only moving pictures of the Faces and Gallagher. Somehow, my learning curve was fast though, thanks to my friend Bill Heiden, who worked in the record store I shopped at.  He was at the same Faces concert, and I coveted his talent and photos. He taught me everything I needed to know about concert photography in a couple of paragraphs worth of explanation and pointing out his shots.  The next concert we both saw (although in separate cities) and photographed was Bruce Springsteen. I had it figured out by then, thanks to Bill, and have some good shots of 1973-era Bruce.

In 1976, I was going to UCLA and punk rock was happening.  I always took my camera along, and most of my friends were in punk bands, so my archive of hundreds of thousands of punk rock images was really just a natural, organic thing that happened. Nobody knew back then that the people I was hanging out with would amount to anything.

Belinda Carlisle (who was Kurczeski at the time) went to a neighboring high school and we knew each other through extra curricular activities. I was the first one of our circle of friends to leave suburbia and have their own apartment in Los Angeles. Belinda and her best friend Teri Ryan (the future Lorna Doom of the Germs) moved in with me for a few months after there was some crime in the apartment building complex they lived in. I saw the Germs get born in my living room in Hollywood, and also saw Belinda getting the inspiration to try her hand at fronting a band, which ultimately became The Go-Go's.

It was a small social circle back then and we couldn't predict what was going to happen. I believe it was just a “right place-right time” thing. All the punk rock people hung out together and the friendships spawned business relationships very organically and naturally. There was no campaigning to be anyone's “favorite” or “official” photographer. There were only a small handful of us shooting that scene anyway, and each of us has enjoyed our fair share of delayed gratification from being there... 30 years later of course!

I met and became fast friends with Stiv Bators in 1977 and worked with him and the Dead Boys.  I worked with Stiv through every phase of his career, and on his solo album, Disconnected (Bomp), I was in the studio with them every day for weeks, hanging out and photographing everything they did.  We came up with some concepts for the album cover art, but one night, Stiv was playing with a gun and there was this great moment that David Arnoff captured (which became the cover).  All the rest of the photos on the album's back cover and inner sleeve are mine - from the band portraits to the live shots and the candid goofy ones from the studio. 

I never knew it until 25 years later that the portrait of Stiv on the back cover of Disconnected had become this legendary image in the cult of Stiv fans.  Gregg Kostelich - who owns Get Hip Recordings and is a member of the garage band The Cynics – clued me into this at the Dead Boys 2004 reunion.  Stiv was represented on stage by three photos from that album – and they were all mine. 

I have to say, I was totally blown away when I walked into the Beachland Ballroom and saw that.  When you're an artist, you like to think you made something that speaks to someone – anyone - but you rarely find out, and I found out 25 years after the fact (and I am still amazed).
 
I was once in a record store in the Midwest and asked the clerk if he could hold something for me while I shopped around the complex. I didn’t want to carry an LP around with me, so I told him that I would come back to the record store before leaving.  I gave him my name and he said, "are you the same Theresa Kereakes who shot the Pandoras' Hot Generation picture sleeve?"  Apparently men of a certain age appreciated that sleeve a lot - enough to look at the photo credit, it seems.  It’s of the band on a beach, wearing bikinis and standing with surfboards - hearkening back to Gidget and beach blanket movies.  Those poses were all Paula Pierce's idea - she was another band leader who knew exactly what she wanted.  She knew her sex appeal and she let me maximize it.

To see more of Theresa’s work, please visit her photo blog - www.punkturns30.com, and to see more of her record cover work, check out - http://my-record-covers.blogspot.com

Theresa’s touring photo exhibit titled “Unguarded Moments” will hit New York City in September, 2008. For more information on this exhibition, please visit - http://unguardedmoments.info

Theresa’s next exhibition will take to the road beginning in Los Angeles in September, 2008. Please visit http://available-light-show.blogspot.com/ for more info and a tour schedule.

To read more about singer Mary Weiss, you can visit her personal site at http://www.maryweiss.com or see the latest at the Norton Records site at http://www.nortonrecords.com/index2.html

To visit the RockPoP Gallery collection online, please visit http://www.rockpopgallery.com

About Cover Stories -

Our series of interviews will give you, the music and art fan, a look at "the making of" the illustrations, photographs and designs of many of the most-recognized and influential images that have served to package and promote your all-time-favorite recordings.

In each Cover Story, we'll meet the artists, designers and photographers who produced these works of art and learn what motivated them, what processes they used, how they collaborated (or fought) with the usical acts, their management, their labels, etc. - all of the things that influenced the final product you saw then and still see today.

We hope that you enjoy these looks behind the scenes of the music-related art business and that you'll share your stories with us and fellow fans about what role these works of art - and the music they covered - played in your lives.

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 2007 and 2008, Theresa Kereakes and Norton Records - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Cover Story Interview - Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks", with photography by Paul Till

Cover Story for June 6, 2008

Subject: Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks, released in 1975 on Columbia Records, with cover photo by photographer Paul Till.

Back in April, I wrote about the making of the cover image for Bob Dylan’s Slow Train Coming. Shortly afterwards, I received a nice letter from Kevin Odegard, a writer-musician who had written a book titled A Simple Twist of Fate that provided the complete story of the making of another classic Dylan album – 1975’s Blood on the Tracks. It seems that there were a number of stories floating about concerning this recording, and Kevin’s book, which features interviews with many of the people who worked on the production (including Kevin), served to provide the details (and dispel the rumors) that had kept fans of this album guessing for years.

While I won’t spend a lot of time talking about the recording – I’d suggest that you track down Kevin’s book for an in-depth account – I can tell you that it seems that this album was the one where we “got to know” more – as best as we could determine from his songs’ lyrics, which can be a bit allegorical - about Dylan and his state of mind following the breakup of his marriage to his wife Sara.

Backed by an excellent studio band, Dylan’s songs of loneliness, anger and heartbreak all come together in a recording that, according to many critics and fans, represents one of the best in his long career. The double-platinum album reached #1 on Billboard’s pop charts in the U.S. (and #4 in the UK), while the single "Tangled Up in Blue" topped out at #31 on the Pop singles chart.

As it turns out, the making of the cover image also has an intriguing story, so to help create this unique Cover Story, I asked Kevin to provide some additional content (see the section following the main Cover Story interview) while I sought out and then interviewed the creator of the iconic cover image – Ontario, Canada-based photographer Paul Till – to learn his story about “the making of” that fascinating snapshot. The story is particularly interesting in that – in the days before Photoshop – it was the “art” of photography and experimental film processing that produced one-of-a-kind images like the one we’ll talk about today. Read on…and you’ll then know…the REST of the Cover Story…(my apologies to Paul Harvey!)

In the words of the photographer – Paul Till

I was 20 years old at the time, and had been doing photography for about three years and had been using a darkroom for a year and a half or so. I loved the darkroom and learning and using various darkroom techniques. I was also a big Bob Dylan fan, and so when the 1974 tour was announced, there was a mail-in “first-come first-served” process for getting tickets to his show at the Maple Leaf Gardens. I took my letter down to actual post office where their post office box was and ended up with quite good tickets. I was directly stage right a few seats from being obstructed by loudspeakers. I was relatively close to the stage, but not really close. I photographed the 2nd of Bob Dylan's two concerts in - I think it was - January of 1974. I'd never photographed a concert before.

The camera I was using was a screw-mount Leica III which dated back to the 1930's. It was my dad's - he'd bought in London, England in 1945. I had a fast normal lens for it, but not a telephoto, so I borrowed a Canon 135 f3.5 lens from the father of a friend of my sister. Anyhow, I shot about a roll and half of 35mm Tri X - the standard 400 ASA film of the time - and tried to figure out the exposure.  I pushed the film to about 1600ASA (ASA is the same as ISO. but that's what it was called then). I don't recall if I did the darkroom work to make the cover image in the Fall or Winter of 1974.

At the time, I was doing a lot of darkroom manipulation of photographs as well as hand-colouring them. I was very familiar with Bob Dylan's music and I felt that the combination of darkroom technique and hand colouring echoed the old/new dichotomy of much of his work, as well as the notion that it echoed the (sometimes slapdash) off-handed power of his words and music.

Here's how it was actually made - The negative was enlarged in the darkroom onto another piece of film in such a way that just Dylan's head was on it. This would normally result in a positive image on the film which, if you printed it onto a piece of photo paper, would give you a negative print. However, I solarized this piece of film (that is, re-exposed it to light) as it was being developed. This partially reversed the image and also gave it the distinctive line between what was dark to start with and what has made dark by the solarization. Technically, this technique is actually called “the Sabbatier effect”, and the lines are called “Mackie lines”. This resulted in a quite dark and low-contrast piece of film to make a print from. I had to use the very high-contrast grade 6 Agfa Brovira paper to get a print with enough contrast.

 

I made a bunch of these and hand-coloured them using Marshalls  photographic watercolours (they are a dye that sinks right into the emulsion of the photographic paper). I do recall that I was selling 5X7 hand-coloured prints of the cover image and the entire image for $5.00 in the Fall.

In the fall of 1974 I sent Bob Dylan some of the photos. I sent in at least two images- the one that ended up on the cover and a hand coloured version of the entire image. I had gotten his office address out of Who's Who. I hadn't done any work for the label or act before, so the artist and management were completely unaware of what I had done. It's my understanding the Bob Dylan saw the photo and thought that it was great, but I don't know where that understanding came from. I really didn't get any feedback about the image. I would have been pleased just to get a letter back!

All of this photography was done as a ticket holder. I've seen Dylan in concert quite a few times since then but he's been very restrictive about photography. Cameras are not allowed, and many times press photographers aren't allowed as well. A year or so later I made a photograph at the Rolling Thunder Revue concert in Niagara Falls, New York that was then used on the cover of the Bob Dylan Songs 1966-1975 songbook (see below).

I also photographed Bob Dylan in 1978 (from way, way, way back in the crowd), in 1979 (it was, I think, the “gospel tour”) where I got some good photographs and got as close as I ever got with a camera to Dylan, and then again 1981 (also from pretty far back, but it was a great concert.)

When I finally did hear Blood on the Tracks, I thought it was a great record and that the photo worked great with the music as well as the art direction of the cover. That being said, if I ever get a good seat again, I'll probably put some tiny digital camera in my pocket and...

About the photographer, Paul Till (with an intro in his own words) –

After the Blood on the Tracks photos, I figured that I'd be a professional photographer. I went to community college and have been a photographer since then. I did a few record jackets in the 80's - some people may have heard of the Canadian band "FM" as well as the  electronic solo artist "Nash the Slash" – and I photographed some of the early Toronto punk scene. Since 1981, I've been a freelance photographer for Toronto's Now magazine (www.nowtoronto.com) and these days shoot for them once a week - almost all live music.  I've done a wide variety of commercial photographic work as well as having many photo shows with a variety of subjects and using many different techniques. My most recent show is "First 3 Songs (no flash)" which ran beginning in May (and probably through the summer) at Industrial Storm at 1099 Queen St West in Toronto. It features large prints of manipulated concert photographs, most of them combining multiple images, through physical collage or digital techniques.

Personal Data

Born: June 17, 1953, London, England and immigrated to Canada in 1957

Education

Paul was educated at the University of Toronto and at Humber College in Toronto, where he received a diploma in Creative Photography in 1977 (he also has teaching credentials, teaching ESL classes and classes in photography/advanced darkroom techniques).

Photographic Specialities

Live concert photography, low light photography, infra red photography, photojournalism, location photography, photograms, panoramic photography, archival processing, black and white and colour printing, pinhole photography, and camera construction.

Selected Exhibitions

1 Person Shows
2008- First 3 Songs(no flash), Industrial Storm, Toronto
2007- Toronto Buildings Gardens and Statues, Industrial Storm, Toronto
2006 - North American Buildings, Gardens and Statues, Industrial Storm, Toronto.
2004 - Buildings, Gardens and Statues. South Hill Home, Toronto.
1999 - Paris Panoramas. See Gallery, Toronto.
1998 - Actual Photographs. Arcadia Gallery, Toronto.
1997 - Some Neat Stuff. Arcadia Gallery, Toronto.
1990 - Some Neat Stuff. Latcham Gallery, Stouffeville.
1985 - The Magic Show. Gallery 44, Toronto.
1983 - The Secret History of Aircraft. Cameravision Gallery, Los Angeles.
1983 - Photographs of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The Mecene Gallery, Toronto.
1983 - One More River to Cross, Boats and Monuments, Gallery 44, Toronto.
1982 - The Secret History of Aircraft. Sacks Gallery, Toronto.
1981 - new/gods/sing. The Print Finishing Gallery, Toronto.

Group Shows
2005- The Official  Bob Dylan Exhibition, Proud Gallery, London, U.K.
2004 - Now and the 80s. Thomas Fisher Library, University of Toronto Archives, Toronto.
2003 - Toronto Grid Works. York Quay Gallery, Harbourfront, Toronto.
1996 - Now Photo Show, Ryerson Gallery, Toronto.
1994 - Toronto After Dark. The Market Gallery, Toronto.
1991 - Black and White and Still Blue. Community Gallery Habourfront, Toronto.
1990 - 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Gallery 44, Toronto. 
1989 - 4 Canadian Photographers, Canon Gallery, Amsterdam
1985 - Living with Lead. Gallery 44, Toronto.

Collections
Paul’s works are featured in the collections of the Canada Council Art Bank, City of Toronto Archives, Forum Research Inc., the University of Toronto Archives, and in many private collections in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

To see more of Paul’s work, please visit his website at www.PaulTill.com

To see more Bob Dylan-related works in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please follow this link –

http://rockpopgallery.com/items/bob-dylan/list.htm

Extra bonus content from Kevin Odegard (from his book, A Simple Twist of Fate) -

In 1974 Bob Dylan wrote, recorded, reconsidered, and then re-recorded the best-selling studio album of his career. Blood on the Tracks was composed as Dylan's twelve-year marriage began to unravel, and songs like "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Shelter from the Storm" have become templates for multidimensional, adult songs of love and loss. Yet the story behind the creation of this album has never been fully told; even the credits on the present-day album sleeve are inaccurate. Dylan recorded the album twice-once in New York City and again in Minneapolis, with a rag-tag gang of local musicians, quickly rewriting many of the songs in the process. For A Simple Twist of Fate, the authors have interviewed the musicians and producers, industry insiders, and others, creating an engaging chronicle of how one musician channeled his pain and confusion into great art.

The book has, since its publication in 2004, held up factually, and nothing has been challenged or singled out as inaccurate. Critically, it has been received as a book primarily for hardcore Dylan fans and musicians.  My emphasis on technical aspects of the studio experience (microphone makes and placement, guitar types etc.) has been singled out as overly obsessive by pop and literary writers, and praised by trade and music journals. However, this information is exclusive to our book, and I am happy to accept that kind of hit.  Andy's analysis can be florid in places, overwrought in others, so that can be judged as "subjective". The opinions and quotes by the musicians in the book have been praised by all involved; everyone in the book was quite happy to have been portrayed accurately. There have been inquiries about a theatrical adaptation for this reason.

Following the book's publication, Bob made comments relating to the book - and Blood On The Tracks in particular - which hint that he may refute or rebut the autobiographical, 'divorce' theory we have put forth and supported in the book.   Bob says 'one album I made back then' has been interpreted by others to be autobiographical, when it was actually inspired by and based on a series of Chekov plays. According to family sources, we will hear more about this when Chronicles II is published.  

All of the members of the original Minneapolis studio band (Chris Weber, Bill Berg, Billy Peterson, Peter Ostroushko, Gregg Inhofer and myself), along with Eric Weissberg from the New York sessions, gathered on March 3, 2004 to play a sold-out concert at Minneapolis' Pantages Theatre, "Blood On The Tracks Live."   This triggered a series of college and auditorium shows over the next two years, including induction of the Minneapolis band in the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame on May 23, 2005. We played “Dylan Days” in Bob's hometown of Hibbing in July of 2006, and may reunite again in the future. 

--- Kevin

Kevin can be reached by email at kevinkodegard@gmail.com

His book can be purchased at http://www.hemingwaybookstore.com/index.html

Text copyright 2004 and 2008 Kevin Odegard – All rights reserved.

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1974 and 2008, Paul Till - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Cover Story Interview - David Bowie's "Reality", with artwork by Rex Ray

Cover Story for May 16, 2008

Subject: Reality – released September 2003 on ISO/Columbia/Sony records, with cover artwork & design by Rex Ray

One of the most-interesting (and ironic) songs found on Mr. Bowie’s 2003 release titled Reality is a track called “Never Get Old”. As someone who’s been a long-time fan, it takes on a double-meaning as it may be taken that not only does David not want to admit to aging, but neither do we as fans. I personally take it to mean that, while I may be getting old, I don’t have to either live (and relive) the past but, instead, I can use the experiences learned over time to live smarter, do better work, and improve on things as time moves forward.

I remember at one point when Bowie announced that he’d never play any of his old tunes again in public. Ziggy S. had told us once before that he’d played the last concert he’d ever play, so while I wasn’t totally convinced that he’d keep to his word, he did have me worried a bit (“what, I’ll never hear ‘Heroes’ or ‘Space Oddity’ live ever again? How can this be?”). Instead, it became clear that he simply wanted to try out new things, gain some more experiences and influences, and then come back with something that fans would find new, exciting and yet, somewhat familiar.

After waiting out the "Tin Man/Electronica” years knowing that we’d ultimately be rewarded, 2002 delivered us the “Slow Burn” of a new Bowie record – Heathen – and having reunited with long-time producer Tony Visconti, the pair again worked their magic bringing fans a modernized version of their classic “Berlin sound” and song-writing skills to 2003’s Reality. The result was well-received by both fans and critics and served as the launching pad for what was to be a 10 month long, major world tour (visiting 24 countries!) beginning in late 2003 and continuing through 2004. Sadly, it may have been age (and, more probably, some of his somewhat over-indulgent personal habits) that contributed to a sudden need for an angioplasty after an episode on stage in June 2004, and so the tour ended officially in late July (after 113 shows) so he could take care of this inconvenience. Fans that had perhaps missed the show were awarded with a DVD featuring performances from early in the tour, and the set list was notably career-spanning.

Artist Rex Ray had impressed Mr. Bowie – himself an accomplished painter and patron of the arts – with his talents in the early 1990s while he worked producing posters for Bill Graham Presents. This soon led to the two to collaborate on a myriad of fine art projects, culminating in the somewhat controversial (“what, no photo!?!”) collage Rex created for the cover of Reality. I caught up with Rex in April, 2008 and asked him to help Cover Story readers get a better understanding of the pair’s working relationship over the years and the inspirations behind the fantastic anime-inspired collage he created – was it Bowie’s music, art, or some alien force that emanated from those famous eyes? Put on your aluminum foil cap, ground yourself, and read on…

In the words of the artist, Rex Ray (interviewed April, 2008) -   

In the nineties, I freelanced for Bill Graham Presents designing posters for gigs – back when it still meant something – before the Bill Graham archives were sold and opened to the public as a strip mall. While the pay was crap and the contracts crappier, I did these posters with the intention of building a strong portfolio to send around to record companies for music packaging jobs. It worked and, after a few years, I was designing projects for major labels as well as art directing and developing branding for local independent labels.

In 1995 I did a mildly controversial poster for the David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails show. I’d been a huge Bowie fan in the ‘70s and it was while gazing at the cover for Aladdin Sane in 1974 that I dreamt about doing such things myself.  The DB/NIN poster was a computer-based collage of various body parts, meat and bondage gear, which upset some people at BGP but was printed after much discussion. Then, in 1997, Bowie returned to San Francisco for three nights on the Earthling tour and again, I did the poster for those shows. After they were printed, I asked the people at BGP if they could have Mr. Bowie autograph a poster for me but was told that “it wasn’t a possibility”. So, I put on my stalker cap and set about getting a poster signed on my own. 

Through some friends (spys!), I heard that Bowie was in a certain bookstore one morning, so I hopped on my bicycle and raced across town. I approached him as he was leaving and asked if he’d mind signing the posters for me. He was very gracious and accommodating and complimented me on my work. We spoke for a while about books, design, and I can’t recall what else, and he went on his way. I was beyond satisfied and thought that was the end of the matter.

Unbeknownst to me, at a sound check later that afternoon, the people at BGP asked Bowie to sign a poster for me. Bowie replied, ‘I’ve already signed posters for Rex but could you arrange to have him come backstage after tonight’s show to sign posters for me.’ I arrived backstage after the show and was escorted into Bowie’s dressing room where we talked at length about art, books, what he should do while he was in town, etc., and I signed posters for him. Once again, I was satisfied and thought that was the last I'd hear from him.

About a year later I received a few curious emails asking if I’d like to collaborate on some projects, but they were signed only ‘db’. It never even occurred to me that it might be David Bowie, so I ignored them. A few days later another email arrived where he actually identified himself and I was completely stunned. The first project we collaborated on was a limited-edition print to commemorate the upcoming 30th anniversary of Ziggy Stardust. Bowie sent me a curious photo of some chattering wind-up teeth with eyeballs and I incorporated hair, background and other subtle touches as my contribution. The next project was a poster to advertise the 1998 launch of Bowienet, Bowie’s official website and Internet service (http://www.davidbowie.com/).

Initially, I’d done several more minimalist compositions based on the two previous BGP posters and then came upon the idea for the post-modern collage of assorted Bowie personae through the years for the final version. Then, in 1999 I began working on designs for Bowie’s upcoming album, ‘hours…’. I’d received a cassette of three rough unmixed songs and a small sketch by Bowie as a guide for the album’s visual direction. Bowie also suggested that I have ten different people write out the lyrics to the ten songs. Tim Brett Day provided the photography and the process of sending samples and ideas back and forth while working out the cover proceeded very smoothly. Just as we were finishing the package design, it was decided that a limited-edition lenticular (a 3-D holographic process) cover would be done for the first printing, so I provided layered Photoshop files for the company in London that would produce the image.

I’d worked with many “divas” over the years and was braced for a difficult process. Part of being a designer is navigating the collaborative process through each individual’s personality while maintaining some measure of self in the process. Sometimes those personalities can be a handful. Some projects go quite smoothly some projects are a constant negotiation, if not a downright battle. The ‘hours…’ project, however, went very smoothly. Working with Bowie’s people and the art departments at Virgin Records, we put out the designs for the album package and the singles, as well as all of the promotional P.O.P. (point of purchase) materials.

I’m my own worst critic. Ten years on and I still think the ‘hours…’ package is a bit overwrought. The first and only songs I heard while working on the project were rockers, upbeat and the previous album, Earthling, was very upbeat, so that was the visual direction I took. The finished music on the album was more subdued and I would have used a lighter hand had I known the introspective and reflective nature of the whole album. This isn’t to say I’m not proud of the finished piece. I think it holds up quite well.

After the release of ‘hours…’ I worked on various posters and material to coincide with the small tour Bowie embarked on. Design elements from the ‘hours…’ package were elaborated on for the design of Bowienet. In 2000, I designed a bonus cd that was included in the collected BBC sessions release (Bowie at the Beeb), and the first ‘collage’ Bowienet poster was resurrected in 2002 for use on the Best of Bowie greatest hits CD and DVD packages.

In 2002, Bowie sent some images as directional material for his next album, Reality. Initially, Bowie asked if I knew any illustrators who worked in an anime style who could produce a Bowie character for use on the cover. I asked if I could take a shot at it and developed the character that eventually appeared on the final package. While keeping the anime style in mind, I also used the paintings of Margaret Keane (http://www.margaretkeane.com/) as a reference and worked endlessly developing a face and hairstyle for the figure. I can’t begin to describe the enormous responsibility of coming up with a hairstyle for David Bowie. The Reality package was a collaborative project between Bowie, renowned British designer Jonathan Barnbook, and myself (Editor’s note – Barnbrook had designed the spooky-eyed cover for the Heathen record). I developed the illustrations and imagery and Barnbrook created the amazing typographical work that appeared on the final package.

When Reality was released, the fans hated the cover. While visiting assorted websites, I was able to clock people’s reaction to the cover and, generally, it wasn’t favorable. Bowie has a long history of using a photo of himself on his covers and this marked the first time that no photo appeared. From my standpoint, I love the cover and think it’s among my best. I was challenged to work in a specific style I hadn’t worked in before and I’m quite proud of the results. There’s no better surprise than surprising oneself.

As I said earlier, I remember staring at those amazing covers of Bowie’s Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs albums and thinking, ‘I’d like to design covers like this some day’ and, some thirty years later, that wish had come true. It was as though I’d reached my goal and I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do in the field of graphic design. I could also see the writing on the wall – the same writing the music industry can’t quite seem to understand. Album covers - at least the way I appreciate them - are becoming things of the past. The demands of marketing departments and the disappearance of the actual physical object of an album or CD led me to the conclusion that it was time to move on. I could have easily pursued other work in the entertainment industry, but the prospect of designing DVD boxes for reality show anthologies and spending endless hours staring at a computer no longer held any appeal for me.

I still do graphic design work for a few longtime clients and old friends, but I’d rather be painting. After that great run with Bowie, I began phasing out the graphic design work I’d been doing for so many years, not taking on any new clients or large projects and began focusing on the finer, more personal artwork that sustains me today.

However, if by some chance the phone rang tomorrow and it was Mr. Bowie asking for my design services, I’d happily hop on that old horse again...

About the artist, Rex Ray –

Rex Ray is a San Francisco based fine artist whose collages, paintings and design work have been exhibited at galleries and museums, including the The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, University Art Museum in Berkeley, San Jose Museum of Modern Art, The Crocker Museum in Sacramento, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Michael Martin Galleries, Gallery 16, New Langton Arts, and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions.

A 1988 graduate of the San Francisco Art Institue, Rex is also a celebrated graphic designer. He has created works for Apple, Dreamworks, Sony Music, Warner Brothers, City Lights Publishers, Matador Records, Serpent's Tail, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, Rizzoli, Powerhouse, Mute Records and Crown Books. His package designs for David Bowie, as well as for Joe Satriani, Diamanda Galás, Matmos, and Deee-Lite, have earned him an international reputation for his innovation in type and with original photographs, drawings, and collage. He has designed over 100 historic Bill Graham Presents rock and roll tour posters, including ones for The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, REM, Bjork, U2, and Radiohead.

Solo Exhibitions
2006 Conduit Gallery, Dallas, Texas
2006 Michael Martin Galleries, San Francisco, CA
2005 Gallery 16, San Francisco, Ca
2005 Gensler & Associates, San Francisco, Ca
2004 Rule Gallery, Denver, CO
2003 Michael Martin Galleries, San Francisco, CA
2003 Gallery 16, San Francisco
2002 ModernBook/Gallery494, Palo Alto, Ca
2001 Michael Martin Galleries, San Francisco, CA
2000 Peterson Hall Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2000 Gallery 16, San Francisco
1999 Architects & Heroes, San Francisco
1998 Gallery 16, San Francisco
1996 Gallery 16, San Francisco
1994 Monster Truck Rally, Southern Exposure, San Francisco
1992 One Man Show, Hassel Haeseler Gallery Denver, Co

Selected Group Exhibitions
2005 Recent California Abstraction, Monterey Museum of Modern Art, Ca
2005 Neo Mod, Crocker Museum, Sacramento, Ca
2005 Blobjects, San Jose Museum of Modern Art 2005 Belles Letters, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
2004 Conduit Gallery, Dallas Texas
2004 AD2004, The Lab, San Francisco
2003 Gallery 16, San Francisco
2002 Fascination: The Bowie Show, Gallery 16, San Francisco, Ca
2002 Skulls, Academy of Arts & Sciences, San Francisco, Ca
2002 Home, Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco, Ca
2001 I-5 Resurfacing: Four Decades of Ca. Art, San Diego Museum of Art
2001 Velocity, Seattle, WA
2001 West Coasting, Gotham, London
2000 Pierogi Traveling Exhibit, Yerba Buena Center For The Arts, San Francisco
2000 Michael Martin Gallery, London
2000 Abstraction: Raucous to Refined, Bedford Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA
2000 Alone, New Langton Arts, San Francisco
1999 Bay Area Now 2, Yerba Buena Center For The Arts, San Francisco
1999 Snowflakes, Drawings at Four walls, San Francisco
1998 SAP, San Francisco
1998 Limn Gallery, San Francisco
1997 Time Zero, ESP, San Francisco
1995 Wild Side, LACE, Los Angeles
1995 In a Different Light, University Art Museum, Berkeley
1995 Piece, Nine Artists Consider Yoko Ono, Kiki, San Francisco
1995 Flagging the 21st Century, Capp Street Project, San Francisco
1994 Science Fair, Southern Exposure, San Francisco
1994 For Your Pleasure, Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco
1994 Bong Hits, Kiki, San Francisco

In April, 2008, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art launched a Rex Ray gift line of 30+ different products, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, scarves, puzzles, and many more items. These products are exclusive to the SFMOMA, but they can be ordered online at

http://sfmoma.stores.yahoo.net/sfmomaproducts.html

Later this year, a new children's book will be published titled 10,000 Dresses, featuring a story by Marcus Ewert and illustrations by Rex Ray. It's available for pre-order on amazon.com. Also available now is the Chronicle Book Rex Ray Art + Design. Find it at fine booksellers everywhere or at amazon.com.

To find out more about Rex Ray and see examples of his latest artwork, please visit his website at www.rexray.com

To see all of the David Bowie-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please visit http://rockpopgallery.com/items/david-bowie/list.htm?1=1

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 2003 and 2008, Rex Ray - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Cover Story - The Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street", with artwork by John Van Hamersveld

Cover Story for April 25, 2008

Subject: Exile on Main Street, a 1972 release (on Atlantic Records) by The Rolling Stones, with cover artwork & design by John Van Hamersveld

When the Rolling Stones released Exile on Main Street in 1972 - a double album of songs representing the many different genres of music that shaped Stones music at the time - fans and critics found themselves having to spend a lot of time trying to “get it”. It required a number of listens to gain an appreciation of what, on the surface, often seemed to be a collection of studio out-takes and Richards/Taylor/Watts jams than a freshly-recorded musical offering.

Many critics of the era failed to appreciate the Stones’ explorations of R&B, Soul, Country and roots Rock that were spread over the 4 album sides. In fact, the record was comprised of a series of recordings done during the previous four years and, as such, they featured a variety of mixes (some better than others) and showed the band building on top of these influences in their own inimitable style to the point that, now over 35 years later, the package is considered by many to be the band’s most-authentic offering. It is always listed near the top of most of the “Best Of” and “Greatest” lists (#7 on the Rolling Stone Magazine 2003 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, #22 on VH-1’s survey, and even impressed the younger generation enough to be ranked #11 on Pitchfork’s 2003 list of Best Albums of the 1970s). 

In a similar fashion, when the buying public took their first look at the design and imagery of the sprawling record cover, most people admitted that they didn’t “get it”. Having just soaked in Warhol’s ultimately-iconic "cover with a zipper" for Sticky Fingers, fans should have been ready for anything, but John Van Hamersveld’s designs seemed to confound them, asking them to digest a rough, anti-establishment, punk-before-there-was-punk collage of images that may have, initially, combined with the unfamiliar musical stylings to impact sales (don’t worry, as the record was supported by the now-famous 1972 American concert tour and songs such as “Happy” and “Tumbling Dice” got some significant radio play, the record went on to top the charts in the U.S. and the U.K.).

And so when Van Hamersveld, who’d established his industry cred via his poster and package designs for Hendrix, The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour), Jefferson Airplane (Crown of Creation) and others, was approached by the Rolling Stones (who were in a studio in LA putting the finishing touches on this new album) to work on the graphics and packaging for a songbook project the band wanted to release, he joined in on an interesting series of events on the day of their initial meeting had a profound impact on the course of album art history. And so, Ladies and Gentlemen, on center stage, here’s today’s Cover Story…   

In the words of the artist, John Van Hamersveld (interviewed in March 2008, with additional text provided* and used with his permission) -

I had been a multimedia artist and rock promoter during my Pinnacle Rock Concerts in the 60's and I was returning from the Kings Road Scene in London to LAX in 1971 in an effort to use my music business promotions experience to connect with Hollywood again.  One day, from the new Chapman Park Studio Building on 6th Street in Los Angeles, I left to meet with a friend who would introduce me to Norman Seeff, the art director and photographer for United Artists and Blue Note Records.

Norman was an art director and photographer of personalities and had worked as the photographer for Bob Dylan's The Band package with Bob Cato, the famous art director for Columbia Records.  I had skills that I had developed in art school and I could apply them to this medium.  I could draw, do typography, illustrations and could combine design with photography. I also had printing and publishing experience from my famous rock posters of the 60's. After the meeting, Norman and I started a creative relationship built around packaging albums.

Norman had 65 projects to package over the first year, so he and I created an artistic design process for the packaging of music and band identities. We became a design team that worked hard to lead the industry by creating a professional style that was envied by all the major labels.  After each release of record packages to retail, other companies began to follow our UA style.

One day Norman and I met the Rolling Stones here in Hollywood. A beautiful girlfriend I had met earlier on “the scene” in London – Chris Odell - was now Mick Jagger's personal assistant, and so in early 1972, The Rolling Stones approached Norman and I to work on the design of a songbook with photographs for Warner Brothers. At this stage, I don’t know that I will be packaging Exile On Main Street. The Stones are in Los Angeles at Sunset Sound studios, finishing the record. Our first meeting was set to be in Bel Air, where they were staying.

As I drive to the meeting, I think about the times I am a captive to Jagger's enigmatic voice on the car radio, clarifying themes of the day with his lyrics, as if they were an advertising slogan for today's lifestyle. His words strike like an axe to my forehead. The Bel Air mansion where the Stones are living is a sumptuous Mediterranean-style villa, surrounded by lush foliage, and soon I am standing on a Persian rug, looking into the eyes of Jagger. He extends his pale, soft hand – limp from a life of wealth, decadence, and privilege.

The rest are talking at the large dining table. We greet each other and sit down in a seating plan orchestrated by Jagger. I am directed to sit next to Mick, and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess of Chess Records and President of Rolling Stones Records) stands on the left. Norman is taking pictures of the band, and Keith is sitting on the couch across from me. He is looking at me in his mirrored sunglasses while smoking a joint. He looks so healthy, handsome and rested.

Then, to my surprise, Robert Frank (the photographer and film-maker well known for his late 1950's book The Americans, with a foreword by Jack Kerouac) walks into the room with a small Super 8mm Canon camera. Jagger and I smile. "This is a very hip day," I say to myself. I knew Robert from a meeting in New York in 1968. He takes Jagger to downtown Los Angeles to film him on the seedy parts of Main Street later in the day. Norman and I leave after the shooting to edit his photographs.

At the request of Marshall Chess, Norman and I arrive for a second day of meetings. We walk through the living room of the villa down to the far wall into the dining room where Mick and Keith are waiting with Marshall. As Marshall starts the meeting, Norman hands another album cover by another designer to him. The cover is passed to Jagger for approval. He rejects it. Marshall then hands me a Robert Frank front photo collage across to me. The tattoo-parlor-wall cover image is from Robert's photo documentary “The Americans”. Mick, on my right, looks on for both of us to agree, so I nod. This then becomes the famous photo-composition for the Exile On Main St. album cover. As the meeting progresses, the other pieces of the package are handed to me.

During the meeting, Marshall asks me what we will do with Norman's photos, given that Frank's are the agreed ones for the cover. Marshall has Norman's images from the late night photo shoot. They are the sequences where Keith arrives at the very last minute for the shoot. Everyone had been waiting for him to show, and then he arrives with his pants hanging off his butt. With Keith's arrival, the group is now ready to go on with Norman's session ("This is a one-time shot!" someone says). Lights, smoke, and confetti is readied, it all begins and a sequence is attempted but then, by accident, Keith began to fall all over the set, creating a disaster. All else fails and our budget has now been used up.

Suddenly Keith says from across the edge of the table, "Make some postcards," showing us with his hands an accordion-folded-style collection of postcards. He then proceeds to almost lose his balance and fall over onto the rug. I say to Mick, "Let's take that as an idea and do it." He agrees and Marshall says, "Done". Marshall and Jagger hand me a stack of photos made by Frank over the weekend. I leave with the visual “ingredients” and arrive back my place at the Chapman Park Studio Building.

In my studio, I play the song 'Sympathy For The Devil' and I think about how to design, in a "Beat style", the concept of a “pop art” package. I have to make it so it will work as an image in a competitive market place. I envisage the package as a painter's fine art print. I had been using various kinds of mediums like brushed inks, crayons, markers, paint and airbrush tools with complicated layered stripping and printing tricks to gain the effects I needed, but in this case I need just the basics - drafting tape and ripped paper.

I select the pictures from the ones Frank took. After our meeting, I organize the images as per Jagger's instructions while Marshall looks on. I am able to step back as an artist and see the opportunity in front of me. Jagger is really a pop artist, too. With all the images in place, I'm satisfied with my work. Upon the label’s approval, Exile will soon hit the streets.

 

The last step of the approval process stopped at Ahmet Ertegun’s office at Atlantic Records. He was the label’s ultimate authority and so when this kind of art and esthetic made it past his eyes, I knew that all would be okay. In the eyes of the many in the industry, they were all shocked by the ugly, rough, tuff, beat look of the package and that it was not funny or real humorous (to anyone but a Johnny Rotten).

So, as the result of Jagger and I sitting side by side in 1972 at our meeting, my arrangement of materials that would go beyond Frank’s photo style, creating an identity that would becomes the basis of the PUNK FASHION MOVEMENT. To the spectators, critics, and others in the Establishment, I had made a package that was not glamorous. It was not a friendly image to put on display in the record stores, but it was THAT image that established the anti-establishment look of PUNK.  It took years to recover from the cover’s graphic statement, with new generations of punks exploiting the graphic concept to this day - still ripping and tearing and drawing all over things with their own graffiti.

The album cover art images from the past, as part of our culture, were styled for fashion and archetype.  In 1984, my friend John Lydon said to me "The Stones’ Exile package set the image of punk in 1975 - we used that graphic feel to communicate our message graphically". 

In the 70's, I do feel that 12x12 album covers were an all-inclusive image of cultural style in the visual fashion of the sixties and the seventies.  I was, therefore, a well-known designer of cultural images which were created as reflections of that culture. These were then watched closely by other design teams and designers who copied me their pursuit to find new images. Today more than 100,000 artists are using a "Ripping and Tearing" style and graffiti in their work.

At least Johnny was nice enough to explain what his intention was then…JVH

About the artist - John Van Hamersveld -
John (b. 1941, Baltimore, MD) is an artist and designer who’s responsible for an enormous catalog of well-known music industry and pop culture-related images. From his early works on the promo poster for the soundtrack for 1966’s ground-breaking surf-culture movie The Endless Summer and his cover work for The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour) and Jefferson Airplane (Crown of Creation), to his iconic 70’s covers for the Rolling Stones (Exile on Main Street), The Grateful Dead (Skeletons from the Closet), KISS (Hotter than Hell), and Steve Miller (The Joker and Fly Like an Eagle), and then on to his imagery that helped introduce the world to Punk Fashion, such as the cover for Blondie’s Eat to the Beat and Autoamerica and John Lydon’s post-Pistols solo efforts (This Is What You Want, This is What You Get), Van Hamersveld’s images set the path that the rest of the industry followed for style and substance.

His recent posters and graphics for the Cream Reunions in New York and London have been fan and collector favorites, and who but JVH could have so appropriately designed Led Zeppelin’s recent Mothership package?
         
Van Hamersveld also created the famous "grinning Johnny" image in 1969, a version of which is said to have been the inspiration for John Pasche’s designs for the Rolling Stones' “Lips & Tongue” logo.

To learn more about John and visit his site, please follow this link –
http://www.johnvanhamersveld.com/vhmoa/museum/index.html

To see more of John’s works in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please follow this link –
http://rockpopgallery.com/items/john-van-hamersveld/list.htm?1=1

To see all of the Rolling Stones-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link –
http://rockpopgallery.com/items/rolling-stones/list.htm?1=1

*Adapted from the JVH interview found in book by Genesis Publications, titled EXILE: The making of EXILE ON MAIN ST. by Robert Greenfield. Copies of this book are available from the publisher on their web site at
http://www.genesis-publications.com/books/exile/green.html

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1972 and 2008, John Van Hamersveld - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Cover Story - Bob Dylan's "Slow Train Coming", with artwork by Catherine Kanner

Cover Story for April 11, 2008

Subject: Slow Train Coming, a 1979 release (on Columbia Records) by Bob Dylan, with cover artwork & design by Catherine Kanner

So, depending on whether you’re convinced that his born-again Christianity was just another example of Bob Dylan’s constant need for change to provide him with new-found (and, according to critics, badly-needed) inspiration, or whether his late-70’s conversion and eschewing of all things (and songs) secular was for real, his record titled Slow Train Coming certainly both brought him new fans in the Christian Music genre and served to confound and perturb his fans and the many music critics who, quite vocally, “loved the music, hated the words”.

Recorded with the help of veteran producer Jerry Wexler (who Dylan hoped would bring the soul of “the Muscle Shoals Sound” found in Wexler-produced recordings for Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett), the Muscle Shoals horns (and MS keyboardist Berry Beckett), and both Mark Knopfler and Pick Withers (guitars and drums) from Dire Straits (who were all unaware of the nature of the material they were about to record), the album went on to sell more copies than both Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks did during the first year of their respective releases, driven by the success of the single “Gotta Serve Somebody”, which the TV-shy performer even played as part of his set on “Saturday Night Live”. The record’s cross-genre acceptance was further evidenced by its listings as #16 in the 2001 book "CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music", #38 in the Village Voice’s "Jazz & Pop Poll" for that year, and a Grammy Award in 1980 for “Best Rock Vocal Performance – Male”.

Also trying to serve somebody was the team at Columbia Records who were responsible for the record’s packaging and album cover. For the record he intended to release as a very public statement regarding his commitment to his new found faith, he was not going to accept any image that did not illustrate this appropriately. In a last-ditch effort to deliver something that Dylan would accept, the art director turned to his friend, illustrator Catherine Kanner, who he hoped would use her vast experience as an editorial illustrator to save the day (and it was the last day). I asked Catherine to describe those most-interesting 24 hours for Cover Stories readers, and being the Precious Angel that she is, she was kind enough to comply….

In the words of the artist, Catherine Kanner (interviewed in late March, 2008) -

My first job out of college was one working at a film titles company in Los Angeles (around 1980), after which I moved on to a permanent freelance illustration and design career which included regular work with the Los Angeles Times "Opinion" section. There, my editorial pen and ink illustrations appeared weekly. One morning, I received a phone call from out of the blue from one of my former co-workers at the film titles company (sorry, I don’t recall his name) who had also moved on and who had seen my editorial work in the Times. “Drop everything,” he said. “I’m coming over with an incredible job!” As it turns out, he was now working as a freelance designer and had a good connection at Columbia Records. He rushed over and let me know that this was a potential cover for a Bob Dylan album.

Apparently, Columbia Records had tried several times to come up with an image that would be acceptable to Dylan…but he had rejected them all. They were down to the wire, and my friend told me that we had this window of opportunity to get something in which he might accept…and that it had to be done and turned in that night!

The concept was very concrete as he expressed it to me. As he explained it, this album was to be Dylan’s exploration of Christian ideas through his words and music. I recall being amazed to hear this. The graphic style was meant to have an engraved look - which pen and ink (my specialty) certainly mimics. Dylan’s concepts for the illustration were clear - he requested locomotive train coming down tracks that were being laid by a crew, and there was to be a man in the foreground holding a pick-ax. The axe was meant to be a symbol of the Cross. In my original sketch, I rendered the ax as it would naturally be, but I recall my friend insisting that I extend the top of the ax so that it more resembled a cross. I thought that was too obvious and argued for a more subtle approach, but in the end the ax was extended. I did, in fact, finish the rendering that afternoon and after my friend took the piece, I never saw it again. I never met with anyone face to face at the record company, nor did I meet with Dylan.

My friend delivered the illustration to Columbia Records, and I believe it was about a week later that I heard back from him that Dylan had seen it – and he liked it! He wanted to use it as it was, however the record company wanted to give it another go, and I heard they used their own team and presented Dylan with new pieces in a style quite similar to mine (!!). He rejected them, and so, in the end, my piece was the one went to press, with no changes from my original.

Years later, my parents were sitting on the deck of their house in Malibu, and a man was walking up the beach alone. My father recognized him as Bob Dylan. My mother (who is a character) waved him down. He actually came up to their house and she announced herself as "the mom of the artist who illustrated Slow Train Coming”. She had a copy of the art on the wall, and he came in to see. She said he was “modest and interesting”.

Also, since that time, there have been a number of Dylan scholars who have analyzed my illustration – reading all sorts of mystical meanings and messages in the layout and concept. I have had a dialogue with one of these scholars (in Italy) explaining that my composition was simply designed to “tell the story”, and so it was not suffered over, or filled with deeper meaning. So many artists never get this chance...  and I relished the debunking!

About the artist, Catherine Kanner –

Catherine Kanner  is an illustrator, author and publisher. She has written, illustrated or designed more than 20 books including her own texts; The Book of the Bath, and Beauty From a Country Garden, and has designed or illustrated books for other authors including Michael Crichton’s Timeline, Fun With Ballet,  San Francisco Access, Town & County Cookbook, and Angelina's Ballet Class.

Catherine has created a line of 75 greeting cards with Michel & Company, and has designed products for The Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York.  Other clients include; Bank of America, Microsoft, Edison, Texas Instruments, Fidelity Investments, Sun Microsystems, Amtrak, Citizen, Sprint and Kraft Foods among others. She has been a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Opinion section with her work syndicated to 2000 newspapers in the U.S. and 1,000 worldwide.  She has won numerous illustration and design awards including the Society of Newspaper Design Award, Print’s Regional Design Award, The Louie Award and the Rounce & Coffin Award for excellence in book design. She has also toured throughout the U.S. as a spokesperson for Proctor & Gamble.

In 1995 she became publisher of The Melville Press, producing limited edition, fine press books, and was creative director for Calamus Gift & Trade Editions. In addition, Kanner currently is Design Director for Los Angeles Ballet.

To see more of Catherine Kanner’s work, please visit her web site at -

http://www.kannerbook.com/

More recently, Catherine has involved herself with another Dylan – this time, author Dylan Thomas – with her works used to illustrate a limited-edition book by The Melville Press titled In the Direction of the Beginning. It is a remarkable short story, originally published in A Prospect of the Sea in 1939. This powerful prose poem is a story of love and the sea.
http://www.themelvillepress.com/dylan.html

To see all of the Bob Dylan-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link - http://rockpopgallery.com/items/bob-dylan/list.htm?1=1

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1979 and 2008, Catherine Kanner - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Cover Story - The Moody Blues' "In Search of the Lost Chord", with artwork by Philip Travers

Cover Story for March 28, 2008

Subject: In Search of the Lost Chord, a 1968 release (on Deram Records) by The Moody Blues, with cover artwork & design by Philip Travers

After the success of their Days of Future Passed record (featuring the memorable cover artwork by artist David Anstey) in which the band began the transformation from its original, Denny Laine-led pop songcrafting (“Go Now”) to writers of early symphonic rock masterworks such as “Forever (Tuesday) Afternoon” and “Nights in White Satin” – delivered in Decca/Deram Records’ new “Deramic Stereo Sound” – the release of 1968’s In Search of the Lost Chord delivered to fans of the band a record showcasing their new, more experimental and psychedelic leanings.

Mike Pinder’s Mellotron replaced much of the full orchestra from the previous record, and the rest of the band added the popular “psychedelic” instrumentation of the day – sitar and other stringed instruments, flutes, harpsichord, etc. – to fill out the sound and make it more possible to recreate the music in live performances. Pinder also continued introducing listeners to Graeme Edge’s wonderful poems, his readings of which set the mood for the complex and beautiful music and lyrics that would follow (although we do get to hear Edge’s own voice and maniacal laughter during his recitation of the album opener “Departure”).

Songs on this record included fan favorites such as the rocking “Ride My See Saw”, “Legend of a Mind” (a Ray Thomas trippy tribute to Timothy Leary), “Voices in the Sky”, “The Actor” and ending with “the lost chord” itself - “Om” (which went along with the tantric graphics found inside the record’s gatefold cover).

A late 60’s psychedelic record from a band like the Moodies – one that truly exemplified the notion of a long-playing sonic experience - could only be packaged in an album sleeve with a truly fantastic cover image that would only add to the overall experience. This notion required a visual artist of exceptional talents, which prompted the band to turn to artist and illustrator Phil Travers, who’d impressed them with his previous work for the label. I think that we’ll all agree that the result of Phil’s commission was an image that would send the record owner immediately on his own search for the answer to life’s existential questions (“how can I be on the outside, looking in, if I’m dead”?, for example). To find Phil Travers, all I had to do was search on Google, after which he provided me with the recollections of his efforts on this project that are outlined in today’s Cover Story…

In the words of the artist – Phil Travers (interviewed in late February, 2008)

After five years at Art College in London, I got a job in the art department at Decca Records. I spent my time there designing record sleeves, and after about two years, I left Decca to take a job as a designer/illustrator in a design office in Wimbledon. While there, I was contacted by someone I knew at Decca because, apparently, the then-manager of the Moody Blues had been at Decca to look through their catalogue of sleeve designs and he’d really liked an illustration of mine which I had done shortly before I left. Shortly thereafter, I was invited to an introductory meeting with the Moodies at a pub in London - I forget which one – and after we’d worked out the details of the commission, I was invited to listen to the soundtrack of In Search of the Lost Chord at their recording studio.

While I was listening to the music, the concept for the cover was actually given to me in some sort of subliminal way. The recording and mixing area of the studio where I was sitting was separated from the area where the band would play by a large glass window and in this glass I could see several images of myself - one above the other - almost as if I was ascending up into space.

The band wanted me primarily to illustrate the concept of meditation. This was not something that I had much personal experience of and so my initial thoughts about such an ethereal subject were, unfortunately, insubstantial, and so I wasn`t producing any cohesive visual ideas, with this lack of ideas evident in my first rough designs. In fact, as time was getting short (by the way everything was always wanted in a hurry) I was starting to panic. It was then that the image in the glass window of a figure ascending came back to me and, after that, everything just fell into place. Its impossible for me to tell you now how long it took me to produce the illustration, other than to say that, in most cases, I had days rather than weeks to complete them and submit them for approval. As for the way I painted, I used Gouache and some watercolour, and very often I employed an airbrush.

The band was a good bunch of guys and generally I got on pretty well with them. They were always fully involved in the project (this, and the next 5 records I did for them) from start to finish. Apart from the album Every Good Boy Deserves Favor - where they had come to me with their own idea on how the cover should look - there was a similar working pattern for all of the other sleeves. At the first meeting we would listen to the soundtrack together and discuss the themes and ideas behind the album. It was then left to me to produce a pencil rough which was then discussed further. Eventually a consensus would be reached and the painting would begin in earnest. Time always was of the essence, and many times I was working all day and all night to meet the printer’s deadline. But I have to say it was greatly fulfilling and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About the artist, Philip Travers –

Born in 1945, Philip studied art and design at the Sutton School of Art and the London School of Printing. After college, he spent several years working as a designer and illustrator in studios in the London area. It was at this time that he became associated with the internationally-renowned rock group - The Moody Blues - for whom he produced record sleeves in the late 1960s and early `70s, including:

- In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)
- On The Threshold of a Dream (1969)
- To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969)
- Question of Balance (1970)
- Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)
- Seventh Sojourn (1972)

Special Cover Story bonus image!
This is a painting from Phil's website which he painted prior to producing the cover for Seventh Sojourn. It was this painting that gave him the initial idea for it.

In addition to the images for The Moody Blues, Philip created a couple of sleeves for the band `Trapeze` (the seminal hard rock band produced by John Lodge and featuring Glenn Hughes and Dave Holland) on the Threshold label and, according to Phil, “I did do a sleeve for The Four Tops single `A Simple Game`. This was produced by Tony Clarke. However, it was never used, which is a pity because I think it was really good!”

Coming initially from London, he grew up enjoying the landscape of Surrey and the surrounding counties, and his paintings at this time were exhibited at galleries in Wimbledon, Thames Ditton, Windsor and Petersfield.

Philip moved to Cornwall in 1976 after spending several holidays in the area and then deciding that he should live there. He felt that the close proximity of the sea, and the diverse and exciting landscape that it engendered created a stimulating environment in which to work. Phil is mainly concerned to convey the mood and atmosphere of the subjects he is painting, and with his bold use of light and shade, he continues to produce highly-dramatic images. He often likes to include animals and sometimes figures in his work, as they provide not only life and a focus but also a narrative element.

To see more of Phil Travers’ current work, please visit his website at www.philiptravers.co.uk

To see all of the Moody Blues-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link - http://rockpopgallery.com/items/moody-blues/list.htm?1=1

Moody Blues update – The Moody Blues continue to tour the world today (you’ll find their schedule on their web site – www.moodyblues.co.uk ). The soon-to-open Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, SC, will feature a ride named "Nights in White Satin - The Trip", which will include a version of the title song newly re-orchestrated by Justin Hayward. And even after the release of 25 Top 100 charting singles, the sales of countless millions of records, and sell-out tours world-wide (including a multi-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall, later this year), they have STILL not been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Very sad.

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1968, 1972 and 2008, Philip Travers - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Cover Story - Santana's "Santana", with illustration by Lee Conklin

Cover Story for March 14, 2008

Subject: Santana, a 1969 release (on Columbia Records) by Santana, with cover art & design by Lee Conklin

The cover of Santana’s debut record was adapted (at Santana’s request) from a poster design originally done for a concert performance at Bill Graham’s legendary San Francisco venue, the Fillmore West. This iconic image done in pen and ink was certainly one of the best examples of early psychedelic art.

Both guitarist Carlos Santana and artist/illustrator Lee Conklin hit their stride in San Francisco’s mid-60’s cultural scene, with Santana finding a wide variety of music being played in the clubs (Tito Puente’s salsa, folk, Gabor Szabo’s jazz and in 1966, a concert by the great blues guitarist B.B. King at the Fillmore West that would greatly influence the development of his own personal style) and Lee Conklin meeting a number of aspiring artists – Victor Moscoso, Alton Kelley, Stanley Mouse, and many others – who were producing the promotional posters and related graphics for events at the Fillmore and at Family Dog’s Avalon Ballroom and other venues.

Soon after his B.B. King-inspired epiphany, Santana formed The Santana Blues Band (later shortening it to simply “Santana”) and the band made its debut at the Fillmore in June, 1968 (playing a 4-nite stand that was released in 1997 by Columbia/Legacy in a set titled Live at the Fillmore 1968). Santana impressed Bill Graham so much that the band became a regular act at the Fillmore, packing the auditorium regularly.

And then came the Summer of Love, Woodstock, and the band’s legendary performance there on 8/15/69...

Santana’s debut album was released the same month and featured great examples of what would be both “the hits” (“Evil Ways” and “Jingo”) and well-known examples of the band’s musicianship – particularly after their performance at Woodstock – such as the powerful “Soul Sacrifice” (written to be premiered at Woodstock and a particularly impressive showcase for drummer Michael Shieve, I must say). The record peaked in the Top 5, going on to remain on the charts for over two years and ultimately selling over four million copies. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the album #150 in their 2003 list of the “Greatest Albums of All Time”.

This album featured a classic line-up including Carlos Santana on guitar/vocals, Gregg Rolie on keyboards and vocals, and the awesome rhythm section consisting of David Brown on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, and Michael Carabello and Jose “Chepito” Areas on percussion. 

Lee Conklin also became a favorite of Mr. Graham and produced a particularly trippy poster (aka "BG-134" to collectors) promoting two multi-day shows at the Fillmore (8/27-29/68 featuring Steppenwolf, the Staple Singers and Santana; 8/30-9/1/68 featuring The Grateful Dead, Sons of Champlain and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band – amazing!), with the resulting pen and ink image so impressing Santana that Lee was asked to create the cover for Santana’s debut, the details of which are presented here in today’s Cover Story. So grab a pick, practice your Sustain, and read on…

In the words of the artist, Lee Conklin – (interviewed February, 2008) – 

I didn’t start out initially to be an artist, but while I was studying History and Philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I took on the role of cartoonist for the college paper called the “Calvin College Chimes”. I met my wife Joy there, left school, got married and moved to Florida. The Army grabbed me and I cooked for a year in Korea. They let me out in 1967 and we moved to Los Angeles.

In L.A., I did some pen and ink work and some of it was published by the Los Angeles Free Press (remember “Don’t be a creep, buy a Freep”?), which was cool, and I read an article in Time about the “Summer of Love” and that San Francisco was becoming the center of the Universe for music and art and since I wanted to be a cartoonist, my wife and I decided to move up there to see what we could find.

I heard about the Fillmore and that Bill Graham was hiring artists from the area to make posters for his upcoming shows, and so one Friday night I went there with some drawings and showed them to him. He must have liked what he saw because he asked me if I could do a poster over the weekend for the following week’s show! He chose one of the drawings I had already done and I spent the weekend doing all of the lettering.

From then on for the next two years, I had a pretty steady gig doing posters for Bill and the Fillmore West (Ed. note – he did over 30 posters in 1968-69). At the same time, the Santana band was playing there pretty frequently and I was well aware of their music, both from performances and their demos, which received extensive airplay on FM radio in San Francisco. One day, Bill asked me to do a poster for a show that Santana was headlining and so, with a little inspiration from a Muse named MaryJane, I remembered seeing a picture of a lion in a book of animal picture I had and used that image as the basis of my drawing. Even then, I knew that I was making art for future generations and so even though Bill usually liked posters in color, I detailed this one in pen-and-ink. I only made one image, and the next morning he told me that he was going to print is as it was, so he must have been happy with the results.

Santana also thought that the image was really great, so afterwards he contacted me and asked me to redraw the image for the cover of his debut record. Although the drawing I created really was not inspired by Santana, I guess that the details and the nature of the images impressed him and the people at the record label. My challenge has always been to subvert the poster form to whatever my muse insists on and then to convert my psychedelic experiences to any medium I’m working in. I made it my mission to translate my psychedelic experience into paper. Later on, in the early 70’s, I took acid and when I went to art class, all I could do was sit and stare at the teacher…LSD had little to do with my most-creative efforts (as a druggy, I am over-rated)!

About the artist, Lee Conklin –

Lee Conklin was born July 24, 1941 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and grew up mostly in Monsey, New York. Lee's dad was a house builder, his mom was a nurse and he was the youngest child in a family of three brothers and three sisters. Lee graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1959 and attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan for several years, where he studied philosophy and history and met his wife Joy. In 1972, Lee and Joy had a son, Quinn, and in 1979 a daughter, Caitlin. They have lived in various parts of Northern California over the years.

Lee is now a fulltime artist working out of his home studio in Columbia, California where he continues to create his incredibly-detailed works of poster art (which, according to Lee, he calls “New Age cheesecake”!).

Conklin’s Fillmore posters remain amongst the most-popular and highly-prized with today’s poster collectors - a true testament to his prodigious talents.

To see more of Lee Conklin’s current work, please visit his website at www.leeconklin.com

To see Lee’s “Lion” print in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please click on this link -http://rockpopgallery.com/items/lee-conklin/list.htm?1=1

To see all of the Santana-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link - http://rockpopgallery.com/items/santana/list.htm?1=1

Santana philanthropy update – Santana and his ex-wife Deborah founded their Milagro Foundation in 1998, which has distributed nearly $2 million to date to organizations that “promote the welfare of underserved children in the areas of health, education, and the arts.”

To learn more, please visit the Milago Foundation’s website at –
http://www.milagrofoundation.org/

In addition, Santana has joined the fight against AIDS in Africa through a partnership with ANSA – Artists for New South Africa (in 2003, all of the proceeds from Santana’s U.S. tour were donated to this cause).  To learn more about ANSA, please visit their web site at http://www.ansafrica.org/ .

Other organizations he has championed include Hispanic Education and Media Group, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Childreach, Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace, American Indian College Fund, Amnesty International, and the LA-based Museum of Tolerance.

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1968 and 2008, Lee Conklin - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Cover Story - Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Are You Experienced?", with photography by Karl Ferris

Cover Story for February 22, 2008

Subject: Are You Experienced?, a 1967 release (on Reprise Records) by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, with cover photo & design by Karl Ferris

Considered by many music fans and critics as one of the (if not THE) greatest debut record from a rock-era artist, Are You Experienced (with or without the ?) also illustrated how records were produced, packaged and tailored for distribution to the world’s music marketplaces. Released in the U.K. in May, 1967, the record was a compilation of the fantastic music and performances that had been wowing crowds in London theaters up to that point. Those crowds included most of members of the leading musical acts of the time - including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Hollies, The Who (and many others) – who’d all come to watch and listen in stunned amazement to the trio’s musical magic.

In the 40+ years (yes, that long ago!) since its release, the record’s influence on both the musicians who’ve striven “to play guitar like Hendrix” and those who create “Best Of” lists continues, with EVERY top guitarist today confirming Hendrix’s influence on their playing and the record’s positions on Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” (#15) in 2003 (following up its #5 ranking in 1987’s “Best Albums of the Last 20 Years” and #5 on a similarly-titled list published in 2001 by cable net VH-1. It is now also a national treasure in that it has also been selected to be permanently preserved by the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry and archive.

The performances included on the album include many compositions that would become Hendrix’s signatures, including "Purple Haze", "Manic Depression", "Hey Joe", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire " and “Foxey Lady". After 3 of the band’s singles hit the Top 10 charts in the U.K. and the incredible buzz following their mind-boggling performance at the Monterey Pop Festival,