Album Cover Hall of Fame - Album Cover Art Interviews and News

Cover Story 2007 Year In Review

Cover Story for December 21, 2007

Subject: Cover Story 2007 Year-End Recap – 35 articles/interviews on the best in LP/CD cover artwork and photography

Looking back on the year’s archive of articles and interviews, a couple of things struck me right off the bat –

1) “Boy, there are a LOT of talented people who’ve worked on record covers!”
2) “How many other artists, designers and photographers have had literally MILLIONS of copies of their works bought and seen by fans around the world?”

If you think about it, there are only a handful of “traditional” graphic artists and photographers who’ve been able to get their works in front of such a mass audience – Picasso, DaVinci, Van Gogh, the person who designed the kinetic swirl on the Coke can, and just a few others. And yet, other than a few – Warhol, Roger Dean and Annie Leibovitz come to mind – the names of the people who’ve created these internationally-recognized images – and the stories behind their works - are mostly unknown to the public and the “serious” modern art collector.

What a shame!

It is through the ongoing efforts of creating these Cover Stories that I hope to do some small part in changing this situation, and the feedback I’ve received both from readers and the featured subjects themselves tells me that these stories will continually emerge and will need to be told.

As I dug through the list of subjects – 35 in all, with 15 on illustrations/illustrators and 20 on photographs/photographer – I found that I’ve covered some Grammy winners (Gail Marowitz & Aimee Mann’s The Forgotten Arm and Kosh’s Hotel California), covers that inspired music videos (Queen’s Queen II by Mick Rock and Mick Haggerty’s work for the Go-Go’s Vacation), spoofs of other covers (Zappa’s We’re Only In It For The Money by Jerry Schatzberg) and covers that have both entertained many and at the same time have drawn criticism from “moral authorities” (Maryanne Bilham’s God Bless the Go-Go’s, Stephen Stickler’s Korn and Winston Smith’s works for Green Day and the Dead Kennedys).

Some of the works reflected the emerging art/fashions and  of the 1960’s (The Hollies’ Evolution by Karl Ferris and Vic Singh’s shot for Pink Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn) and 1970s (Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust by Terry Pastor, James Fortune’s image of Iggy Pop and George DuBose’s pictures of a leather-clad pack of Ramones), while others documented the rise and success of uniquely American talent (Drew Carolan’s picture of hip-hop stars Eric B. & Rakim, Bob Jones’ work with Elvis, Mr. DuBose’s images of a 19-year-old Notorious B.I.G. and Howie Green’s more-recent work on the same subject).

I’ve covered a wide variety of genres – from classic rock iconography (John Pasche’s Tongue and Lips for the Rolling Stones, Gerald Scarfe’s illustrations for Floyd’s The Wall, Richard E. Aaron’s Frampton Comes Alive, David Juniper’s Led Zeppelin II, Elliott Landy’s Nashville Skyline photo for Bob Dylan, Mike McInnerney’s Tommy for The Who and - the biggest seller of them all – Storm Thorgerson’s prismatic cover for Dark Side of the Moon) to “prog rock” (Paul Whitehead’s work for Genesis) and metal/”loud” rock  (AC/DC’s logo by Gerard Huerta, IOMMI’s Fused cover by Hugh Gilmour and Neil Zlozower’s Shot To Hell for BLS).

I have touched a bit on R&B/Jazz (Nina Simone Let It Be Me by Sherry Rayn Barnett), Southern Rock (Michael Cartellone’s work for Lynyrd Skynyrd), a “Guitar God” (with 2 stories on Stevie Ray Vaughan covers – one by W.A. Williams and the other by Robert M. Knight) and a Guitar God-turned-minstrel with Blackmore’s Night (photo by George Chin). I’ve even featured the back-story of artwork created by a minister inspired to create thousands of works to spread his message (Rev. Howard Finster’s covers for R.E.M. and the Talking Heads).

Anyway, with your support and the support of the people that create these works for a living, I’ll keep working hard to tell their stories, beginning in early January with two new Cover Stories. Also, if any of you have been involved in the making of a record cover or have a personal story about what this art has meant to you, please send me a note at [email protected] . If I can (i.e., if you promise not to include too much nasty language!), I’ll include it in an upcoming Cover Stories article.

Here’s hoping that all of you are enjoying what’s left of your Holiday season and that you and yours have a Happy and Prosperous 2008.
    
Mike Goldstein – RockPoP Gallery – Huntington, NY, USA

Links to previous articles - 2007 - in order from latest to Cover Story #1 -

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/12/cover-story---e.html
Eric B. & Rakim’s Follow the Leader by photographer Drew Carolan

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/11/cover-story---k.html
Korn’s Korn by photographer Stephen Stickler

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/11/cover-story---a.html
Aimee Mann’s The Forgotten Arm, artwork by Gail Marowitz & Aimee Mann

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/11/cover-story---t.html
The Go-Gos God Bless the Go-Gos by photographer Maryanne Bilham

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/11/cover-story---b.html
Blackmore’s Night Fires at Midnight by photographer George Chin

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/10/cover-story-a-t.html
SRV – A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan by photographer W.A. Williams

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/10/cover-story-nin.html
Nina Simone Let It Be Me by photographer Sherry Rayn Barnett

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/10/cover-story-fra.html
Frank Zappa We’re Only In It For The Money by photographer Jerry Schatzberg

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/09/cover-story-pin.html
Pink Floyd’s Piper at The Gates of Dawn by photographer Vic Singh

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/09/cover-story-rem.html
R.E.M.’s Reckoning & Talking Heads’ Little Creatures by artist the Rev. Howard Finster

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/09/cover-story-the.html
The Go-Gos Vacation, design by Mick Haggerty

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/09/cover-story-bla.html
Black Label Society’s Shot To Hell, photography by Neil Zlozower

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/08/cover-story-ste.html
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Real Deal: Greatest Hits Vol.1 by photographer Robert M. Knight

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/08/cover-story-que.html
Queen’s Queen II, cover by photographer Mick Rock

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/08/cover-story---e.html
Elvis Presley 50 Million Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong, artwork by Bob Jones

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/08/cover-story---t.html
The Eagles’ Hotel California, cover art & photography by Kosh

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/08/cover-story---p.html
Pink Floyd’s The Wall – Hammers, artwork by Gerald Scarfe

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/07/cover-story---1.html
IOMMI’s Fused, cover art by Hugh Gilmour

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/07/cover-story---t.html
The Ramones Too Tough To Die, cover photograph by George DuBose

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/07/cover-story---i.html
Iggy & The Stooges’ California Bleeding, cover photo by James Fortune

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/07/cover-story---a.html
AC/DC Classic Logo, design/artwork by Gerard Huerta

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/06/cover-story---r.html
Rolling Stones’ Tongue and Lips artwork by John Pasche

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/06/cover-story---n.html
Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline, cover photo by Elliott Landy

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/06/cover_story_evo.html
The Hollies’ Evolution, photography by Karl Ferris

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/06/cover_story_fox.html
Genesis’ Foxtrot, cover artwork by Paul Whitehead

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/06/cover_story_tom.html
The Who’s Tommy, cover illustration by Mike McInnerney

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/05/cover_story_dar.html
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, cover design by Storm Thorgerson & Hipgnosis

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/05/cover_story_led.html
Led Zeppelin’s II, cover design by David Juniper

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/05/cover_story_lyn.html
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Road Series – Blue, cover artwork by Michael Cartellone

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/05/cover_story_gre.html
Green Day’s Insomniac, cover collage/illustration by Winston Smith

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/04/cover_story_unb.html
Mick Boogie/Notorious B.I.G.’s Unbelievable, cover art by Howie Green

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/04/cover_story_fra.html
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive, cover photograph by Richard E. Aaron

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/04/cover_story_bob.html
Bob Dylan Infrared, photography by Elliott Landy

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/04/cover_story_bow.html
David Bowie’s  Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders from Mars, cover design by Terry Pastor

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2007/03/cover_stories_t.html
Notorious B.I.G. portfolio, photography by George Dubose

About the author, Mike Goldstein -

Mike G with Tony Iommi - 2005 

Mike Goldstein, RockPoP Gallery’s founder, has had the privilege of working with a number of fine artists and photographers on projects related to his previous roles as Vice President of Interactive development and production at FUSE, the NYC-based music video cable TV network and as V.P. of Interactive Production for Fuse’s parent company, Cablevision Systems.

Says Goldstein - “Over the years - as a life-long music fan and failed rock star drummer - I’ve slowly built a collection of music-centric works of art, and every visitor to my home or office would marvel at the variety and the artistry (‘Where did you GET all of these – they’re amazing!’). I loved being able to share the history of each piece and talking with them about the artist who produced the work, the musical artist who influenced the work, and even the ‘state of the world’ at the time each one was created.

Eventually, I figured out that there are a lot of people who have the same passion (or is it a sickness?) for this artwork as I have and therefore it just made sense that I’d open a business like this to invite everyone to visit and join as part of the RockPoP Gallery community.”

RockPoP Gallery has become the fine art community’s home on the Web when collectors want to see the latest work presented by the best artists in their respective fields; when they want to find out more about collecting these works and preserving their collections; and a place to share related experiences with others, including the artists who create them.

For more information on RockPoP Gallery, we invite you to visit our site at http://www.rockpopgallery.com

Cover Story - Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow the Leader", with photography by Drew Carolan

Cover Story - Subject – Follow the Leader, a 1988 release by Eric B. & Rakim on Uni/MCA records, with cover image by Drew Carolan

 

 

 

 

 

Originally published on December 7, 2007 by Mike Goldstein

For a guy who thinks that he has a fairly open mind when it comes to music appreciation and thinks that he’s kept abreast of most major musical revolutions of the past 50 years, I must honestly say that I missed the beginnings of organized rap & hip-hop. I do remember Deborah Harry’s rap on “Rapture”, and thought that that was kinda cool, but I entered the rap world only after being exposed to Ice-T’s Body Count. As a music fan with hard rock/heavy metal leanings, I heard that album, was thoroughly impressed, and then wanted to know more about this rapper and his influences.

In my quest for knowledge, I consulted a friend and co-worker at the time who had been involved in the late 80’s rap/hip-hop scene in NYC, which eventually led to the production/promotion world and his own label. He helped me understand who was who, who came first, who was popular, etc., but it may have been too little, too late (thanks, Rocky, for trying - I'm sure I'll learn more over time). However, when I started my gallery back in 2006, it became clear that the imagery used to package and promote records in this genre was really compelling, with the talents and artistry of the photographers and illustrators well-represented in the major “world’s best record cover” lists. More than what was typically found in the rock and pop genres, these photographs and illustrations were a vital part of the artists’ image, with these images the keys to the record-buying public’s acceptance of an artist’s “street cred”. The better an artist’s credibility, the more likely it was that the lyrics represented a rapper’s actual life story, and the more that the public believed, the larger the artist’s loyal fan base would grow.

In the mid-late 1980’s, no one had a better claim to the title of “best DJ and MC” in the hip-hop scene than NY’s Eric B. & Rakim. Eric B’s skills on the turntable and his mix of samples were unique and unmatched, whereas Rakim is still considered one of the – if not “the” – premiere lyricists and rap stylists ever (what I liked most was that I could understand the lyrics and, as a drummer myself, I could truly appreciate the technical mastery of the smooth-yet-intricate beats that underlied the vocals). Subsequent research showed me that, when asked who influenced their styles the most, nearly every rapper (and most of the groups that combined hip-hop and rock - from the Wu-Tang Clan to Rage Against the Machine) named Eric B. & Rakim at the top of their lists. Their second landmark major-label record – 1988’s Follow the Leader – cemented their place in rap/hip-hop history (one of Source Magazine’s 2005 list of the "100 Best Rap Albums"), featured much more polished production values than its predecessor (1987’s Paid in Full), the introduction of more unique instrumentation, and samplings of classic R&B that surely boosted the revenues of used record stores as a new generation of DJs looked for source materials they could use to try and out-do the reigning kings. A fixture in NY-area photo-journalism, photographer Drew Carolan was there to capture many of the stars of the emerging scene and was asked to shoot a series of photos out of which would emerge the memorable cover image for Follow the Leader.   

So, let’s “Pump Up The Volume” and listen to the story behind the cover image of one of rap’s most-iconic recordings…

In the words of the photographer, Drew Carolan (interviewed December, 2007) –

“I had photographed Eric and Ra for Interview in 1987 and, as an 'inner-city white kid on the hip-hop tip'*(Ed. - see translation, below), I was down with their first record, Paid in Full, as that was a big club record.  I had worked with several artists at Def Jam - artists such as LL Cool J – and was already doing editorial pieces for magazines like Interview and SPIN.

For a special Interview Christmas issue, I did a series of photographs which featured the best and brightest rap and hip-hop artists of the day, including Schooly D, Davy DMX, DJ Hurricane and Eric B and Rakim, and so when the Follow the Leader record was being put together Robert Smith, who was the creative director at UNI/MCA, called me to do the covers for the album and the 12-inch single. Robert knew me from the music biz as I was beginning to make packages which included photography and music videos for MCA R&B artists such as Brenda K. Starr and Bobby Brown. Initially, we met with Lyor Cohen and Bill Adler at the Def Jam offices down on Elizabeth Street.  They just wanted to make sure that their artist would look as 'fly' as possible and, using the clothing designed by Dapper Dan, that wasn’t a hard thing to do. 

You have to understand that Eric is a large, quiet gentleman who does his talking by way of the turntables, whereas Rakim is a person as complex as his rhymes. The antithesis of Eric, Rakim is like caged heat waiting to boil over. His thoughts and feelings can be read on his face - but not for long.  Like his lyrics, as soon as you think you have him sussed, he’s moved on. They were the perfect compliment for a brand of music that was both rhythmic and deep at a time when no one else was doing what they were doing.  Essentially, they were leaders in the school of Rap - and they knew that - so there was no lack of confidence there.

I thought it would be cool to shoot down by the bridges in Lower Manhattan since they represented the connections between the other boroughs and then beyond. The album and title track were called ‘Follow the Leader’, so basically I wanted to present the two of them as ‘leaders’. To do that, I’d shoot them from a low 'heroic' angle, being sure to  incorporate the design of the car into the shot.  I like to keep things graphic and minimal when it comes to design and I like to compose in camera as much as possible.  The open sky allowed me to feature the artists against it and, since they were wearing dark clothes, it worked perfectly as a silhouette (so to speak), with the hint of the bridges augmenting the expanse and vibe of New York City.

The morning light would make for a perfect set-up for this cover, so we timed the shoot that way. Photographers always love the early light and, being on the East side of town, we would have a window of opportunity until 10:30am and, after that, it was anybody’s guess.I had rented some 4 x 4 silver reflectors to bounce any ambient light around since the riverfront and the bridges could create lots of shadows and obstructions.  On location for a shoot like this and on a limited budget, you have to be clever and economical with the way you work.  My background working with several master photographers taught me how to deal with all of that. Annette Daniels was the stylist (she and I had worked on a bunch of project together.  She was friends with Living Colour when I photographed them before they were signed and then again when I did the Vivid album photography, their 'Cult of Personality' video, and so on) and I had a couple of assistants with me to work the reflectors and call out the light readings but other than that the only other thing I needed was a ladder.

Eric showed up with his crew driving a Rolls Royce of insane magnitude - the kind of vehicle that you look at, but certainly don’t touch.  It was a dark burgundy with black trim and had lots of sexy curves to it.  It brought the look of the area up to a whole new level.  This was basically the Fulton Fish Market area, and when I think of that, I think of On the Waterfront and not about Rolls Royce’s.

As the morning progressed, the light I was hoping for came and went and Rakim was nowhere to be found.  This was before technology made someone just a phone call or a text message away.  We were standing around in the 30-degree weather watching the winter light head towards New Jersey.

As it turns out, Eric and Ra had done a performance at a fundraiser for Jesse Jackson (who was running for President in 1988) the night before at the Apollo Theater.  Word from the inside was that there was a riff between the two that day and during the encore Rakim - the microphone fiend - walked off and left Eric on stage.  They had not seen each other since the night before and now here we were on the album cover shoot, four hours behind schedule, in the icy cold and it was about to get colder.  When you’re doing a shoot like this, the key to being a pro is to maintain your cool.  This would be a test, no doubt.

Rakim showed up driving his Mercedes and behind him were a slew of SUV’s carrying his posse. ‘At least he was here’ is what I figured.  Now all we had to do was get an image that would work.  The guys were already dressed, so that saved some time in the process.  About the only thing that Rakim said to me was ‘How long is this going to take?…I got to get back to Queens!'  Obviously there was something in Queens that was more important than this.  I told Ra that we would get him out of there as soon as we possibly could.

I has already shot some singles of  Eric leaning on his Rolls with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. These looked good, so we added Rakim into the equation and worked quickly with the available light – which was heading West - and so Rakim could get back to Queens.

I shot everything with my Hasselblad ELX with either a 50 or an 80 mm lens. At the end of the shoot both posse’s got together to pose for a group shot with Eric and Ra’s car pointing towards each other.  I shot some with the Hassey and then fired off a roll with my motorized Nikon FM.  All the film was Ekatchrome transparency 100 pushed a stop.

I edited the work down to my top choices (keeping a wide range, but weeding out the obvious) and sent them to Robert.  He then worked with my friend - designer Carla Davis - on the layout and the lettering. I didn’t see anything again until it was finished but honestly, with Robert and Carla working together, I knew they would make the best image possible. As it turned out, the label was happy, I was pleased, and Rakim made it back to Queens with time to spare. At the time, I knew the record was ground-breaking just because of the samples being used and the flow of the rhymes.  I never anticipated the amount of recognition the record has received over the years, so that is naturally very pleasing.

You know, I thought it was really dope that these guys were willing to turn their backs to the camera for the cover shot. The concept was that if you are following the leader, this is what you’d see - their backs. As Rakim says on the record...’A lot of you wondering why the album was late?  I was giving you time to get the last one straight...’  Check the words...”

* - It means that I was from deep in the bowels of the city (Lower East side) and "tip" as in tipped off to something new, fresh!

About the photographer, Drew Carolan -

Drew Carolan was born and raised on the Lower East Side of New York City. He has been creating photographic works since 1973. His attraction to art started when he discovered graffiti in the early 70's. Writers like Super Kool 223, Stay High 149 and Dino Nod were superheroes to him.

Drew served as a photographic assistant to photographer Richard Avedon from 1983 to 1985 and helped him complete the book titled In The American West. Drew also worked as a photographer for MTV Networks in the 1980's, and his work has appeared in numerous publications including Interview, SPIN, Rolling Stone, Elle, Vogue and The New York Times.

As a director and producer, he has created many ground-breaking music videos, PSA's and documentary films. Most notably, his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, B-52's, Living Colour and "almost basketball legend" Demetrius Mitchell (Hooked) have been seen and appreciated by fans all around the world.

Drew served as the line producer for David La Chapelles' documentary RIZE, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 and is part of the team working to produce another music-based documentary titled A TASTE OF HEAVEN, based on the life of the late New Orleans gospel legend Rymond Myles.

Recently, Drew just completed a book of photographs entitled MATINEE: ALL AGES ON THE BOWERY featuring  portraits of the kids who frequented the Hardcore Matinee's at CBGB's in the early 1980's. He has also been photographing the surf culture in California since he moved there in 1994.

To see more of Drew's work, please visit his website at
http://www.drewcarolan.com

Eric B. and Rakim are still making music together. After parting ways in 1993, Rakim continued on in music, working with other hip-hop luminaries including Kanye West, while Eric B. enjoyed a very successful career as a restaurateur (providing him with the resources to expand his car collection rather impressively). The pair reunited in 2016 and held their first reunion concert at the famed Apollo Theater in NYC in July of 2017. You can read more about their plans for the future in this 2018 interview article in Rolling Stone Magazine - https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/eric-b-rakim-talk-reunion-the-birth-of-cool-and-being-the-greatest-630571/