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Whaddya know--turns out size does matter. In this stunning collection of album cover art from 1940 to 1960, it is instantly apparent that despite the advantages CDs may have in the technology or convenience departments, vinyl albums--even based on their sheer proportions--have always been way cooler. This is especially true for this particular era, when cover art was truly an art form, with talented designers handcrafting individualized jackets influenced by surrealism, cubism, and modern artists of the day. And as Tony Bennett says in his preface, "they were large enough to make you feel like you were taking home your very own work of art."
Author Eric Kohler, a graphic designer and album cover artist himself, selected these 250 gorgeous covers from his own collection of over 3,000. He offers a captivating history of the early record industry, addressing the invention of the phonograph in 1877, the near demise of the industry due to competition with radio, and the rejuvenating introduction of the jukebox in 1935. Prior to Columbia Records' release of the 33 rpm vinyl LP in 1948, music fans were restricted to 78s--easily breakable, shellac-based records that could only hold four minutes' worth of music on each side. Victor Records made a competitive strike with the 45 (hence turntables with 33, 45, and 78 options), but its success was limited. Until the 1980s, the LP ruled the land with its roomy cardboard cover--a perfect canvas for artists.
Kohler's focus is on the graphic artists themselves--revolutionaries of the industry. Previously, albums had plain covers that advertised phonograph and record companies rather than performers. But when designer Alex Steinweiss entered the scene in 1939 (at the tender age of 23) he changed the business of cover art forever. Kohler illustrates the styles of eight such prominent cover artists--Steinweiss's trademark curly-scrawl script, Jim Flora's cartoonish images recalling Joan Miró and Paul Klee--with such accuracy that readers are able to immediately recognize and differentiate their work. Although the sun shone on these artists for only a brief time (the advent of photographic covers in the late 1950s all but obliterated their influence), these 20 years paint a fascinating portrait of popular music, modern art, and even business development. Best of all, Kohler serves up page after glorious, glossy page of big, beautiful album covers. --Brangien Davis
Pulse
Any look at a 20-year period of record covers will be subject to the taste of your guide. In the Groove: Vintage Record Graphics, 1940-1960 is blessed with an excellent shepherd-Eric Kohler is both knowledgeable about the era, and he exhibits uniformly excellent taste. The book features hundreds of covers, all in color. One chapter covers the '40s and three of its leading designers; another chapter handles the '50s and five of its pivotal practitioners (it was a growing field). From Jim Flora's humorous inventions to David Stone Martin's moody evocations of jazz, this book is filled with images that have become part of our culture's visual language. Erik Nitsche's work in the classical-music to look like. Compare his riveting work to classical-music field likewise set the tone for what we understand orchestral music to look like. Compare his riveting work to classical music's other art direction trend of simply obtaining the rights to a famous painting and plopping it in a border into the middle of the cover. This book should be in the hands of every music fan and every record-label art department. While we shouldn't try to relive the past, it's essential to remember its important lessons and inventions.
Eric P. Nash- New York Times Book Review
The advent of the compact disk improved sound quality, but brought an end to great album art and sophisticated liner notes. IN THE GROOVE: Vintage Record Graphics, 1940-1960, Eric Kohler's lovingly produced collection of 250 album covers, traces the beginning of this graphic design to 1947, when a young designer named Alex Steinweiss folded a thin cardboard sheet in half to create what would become the standard LP jacket for the next four decades. Early jackets by artists like Jim Flora relied heavily on graphics and hand-lettered typefaces rather than photography; the mild-mannered, bow-tied Flora's polymorphous caricatures of Bix Beiderbecke and Gene Krupa are as nutty as any underground cartoonist's work today. Some high points are Neil Fujita's cover of a pensive, red-lighted Miles Davis for "Round About Midnight" and David Stone Martin's iconic freehand logo of the Blue Note trumpet player, still in use half a century later. Delightful rarities include a Picassoesque line drawing for a 1958 Kenny Burrell album by a young Andy Warhol. The text is studded with tasty tidbits: younger vinylphiles may be surprised that the first "concept" album to structure songs around a theme was Frank Sinatra's "Songs for Swingin' Lovers." Although rock 'n' roll revitalized record sales in the 1950's, it had little impact on album cover design until the Beatles era, because songs were released as singles.
Book Description
What the much-admired Blue Note: The Album Cover Art and Blue Note 2 did for jazz, In the Groove does for the sounds of the '40s and '50s, when swing and bebop took off. Selected for their noteworthy design and wonderful illustrations, these visual stunners range from jazz to popular tunes to classical and Latin styles. But it's the lounge vibe that truly runs wild as we tour more than 300 sensational album covers, including seldom-seen issues from Decca, Blue Note, and other labels. A brief text explains what design was like before the photograph took over and how the invention of the LP changed the record business forever. Author Eric Kohler also introduces the stand-out designers and key labels of the period. Cole Porter, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Desi Arnaz, Carmen Miranda their best album covers are all here, and they're all sizzlin' in the heyday of hip. Easy on the eyes, In the Groove is the real thing: the great covers created by the great designers for the musical greats of yesteryear.
From the Inside Flap
In the Groove is the first pictorial history of album cover art of the 1940s and '50s, an era in which swing, big band, jazz, popular, classical, and latin styles all flourished. Tour the vintage landscape of 1940s and 78s and 1950s LPs with the sensational album covers included here-more than 250 in all. Louis Armstrong, Desi Arnaz, Count Basie, the Budapest String Quartet, Doris Day, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Igor Stravinsky are just the beginning. Some albums are well-known classics, other are rare collector's items and seldom-seen issues from Columbia, RCA Victor, Decca, Capital, and other major labels. Many feature original illustrations of the time, as photographs had not yet become the medium of choice. A groundbreaking survey, In the Groove features work by pioneering designer Alex Steinweiss and the talented designers and illustrators who followed, including Jim Flora, David Stone Martin, Rudolph deHarak, and Erik Nitsche. Author Eric Kohler interviewed many of the designers himself, gleaning details of creative life in the music and many commercial art scenes during and after World War II. Kohler also tells the story of the era's key record labels, and the technological advances that revolutionized album jackets, such as the invention of the LP. In today's world of compact discs and tapes, cover art no longer wields the impact of yesterday's amply sized album covers. In the Groove pays homage to the great covers created by legendary designers for the music giants of yesteryear. Here is a glimpse of a golden age when album cover art sounded its own chord in harmony with the music within.
About the Author
Eric Kohler is a New York-based graphic designer who has designed record covers for Columbia, MCA, Blue Note, and others. He is a specialist in the music and design of the 1930s and '40s. In the Groove is his first book. Tony Bennett is a music legend who studied originally to become a commercial artist. He has been an avid painter for many years, bringing a unique visual and musical perspective to In the Groove.
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