From Garage Bands to Legends: Unforgettable Indie Album Covers
Contributed Gwen Jason
Even though indie album covers are pictures that you might have seen a thousand times, what do they signify? How did those images become the cover of the most popular albums ever? If you are curious to know about this topic, you have come to the right place. In this blog post, we will be delving into some of the most famous indie album covers such as The Smiths, Nirvana, Radiohead, The Clash, Joy Division, Oasis, Led Zeppelin, Blondie, Neutral Milk Hotel, and more, and their background stories. Most of the stories of the covers’ formulation are as intriguing as the albums’ songs themselves. So, let’s get started!
The Smiths – Meat Is Murder
The initial picture of this soldier, Marine Corporal Michael Wynn, was photographed in the year 1967. The adage – “Make war not love” – was mentioned on his helmet. It was utilized as the picture for Emile de Antonio's doc 'In the Year of the Pig' in the year 1968, but The Smiths altered the words to “Meat is Murder” for their '85 album. Apparently, Michael Wynn is still alive, residing in Australia.
Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
Amy was about four hours late for this photoshoot because she had been partying throughout the night at her friend's wedding. The shots were taken in a dark room at the photographer’s – Mischa Richter – place in Kendal Rise. The room had blackboard paint on the cupboards. Amy’s shoot was the final shot of the day, with evening light gushing through an inlet window. As per research, Richter never saw Amy again, which makes sense because she was super late for the shoot.
Nirvana – Nevermind
Cobain and Grohl witnessed a show on water births, leading to the legendary sleeve being photographed in a public swimming pool with the three-month-old infant – Spencer Eldon. There were some people who had issues in regard to the picture of the baby's penis being shown openly. However, Cobain said that if anyone is outraged by the baby’s penis, then they must be a closet pedophile.
Radiohead – Kid A
The sleeve craftsman – Stanley Donwood – said that the main ideology behind the mountains was that they were these picturesque areas that depicted strength, such as the thought of tower blocks and pyramids. He and Yorke were quite motivated by a photo of the war in Kosovo, which ended in the year 1999.
The Clash – London Calling
Picture taker – Pennie Smith – personally, was against the idea of using the blurry picture to be utilized for the cover, though Joe Strummer alongside the band's graphic designer – Beam Lowry –superseded the decision, incorporating the unique green and pink font color of Elvis Presley's first ever album. The remnants of the deteriorated bass are currently being presented at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, if you ever visit Cleveland.
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
One of the most popular craftsmen – Peter Saville – created the sleeve, which revolves around a picture of radio waves seen from the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy. The initial picture, formulated in 1970, was switched back so that black was the most prominent and striking color, resulting in an appealing print that has been duplicated on merchandise since the longest time.
Oasis – Definitely Maybe
Among the most well-known sleeves of them all (a similar copy of the room was as of late derided up for an especial occasion), Definitely Maybe craftsmanship was photographed in Bonehead's living room with various famous social reference aspects, such as a scene from The Good.
Led Zeppelin – IV
Led Zeppelin thought of releasing their fourth album as untitled because of the critics who demeaned the initial three albums. Basically, it was akin to a fuck you message for the critics since they came in the way of their fame. Rather than incorporating words, the cover highlights a painting vocalist – Robert Plant – seen in an antiques ship. The record depicts four symbols, one for each of the band’s members.
Blondie – Parallel Lines
This legendary sleeve led to the band's supervisor – Peter Leeds – being fired. The band’s manager chose not to inform the band prior to selecting the picture, which was formerly rejected by Debbie Harry. Debbie told him that she does not believe it would be a good idea to use it without illuminating the band about it. The band believed it would depict them fading in and out of the monochrome stripes. Eventually, Leeds was fired, and his place was taken by Shep Gordon.
Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Airplane Over The Sea
The idea for this album cover was inspired by a vintage postcard. Mangum inquired craftsman – Chris Bilheimer – to supplant the face of the lady with a potato. Yes, a potato. The final image portrays a thin line between wistfulness and something much sinister.
Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
This indie album cover image was taken in 1963. It shows Dylan and his ex-girlfriend – Suze Rotolo – walking down Jonas Street, New York. Janet Maslin, a critic, claimed that the cover influenced several youthful men to hunch their shoulders and let their female companions do the clinging. Though, in all honesty, Dylan was simply feeling cold.
The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground
The front and back cover pictures were taken by craftsman – Billy Name – who resided in Andy Warhol's New York studio The Factory during the time the album was released. He's publicly mentioned by Lou Reed in That's The Story Of My Life.
Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
This album cover depicts an aspect of the portrait of Kerze by German artist – Gerhard Richter – who is well-known for his photorealistic works of art. The initial piece was sold by Sotheby's in the year 2008 with a cost of £2.5m, but it sold for £7.1m.
Jeff Buckley – Grace
The designer team – Nicky Lindeman and Christopher Austopchuk – thought of the cover ideology, and most of the emphasis is around the singer's attractive looks. In an interview given to the Interview Magazine in the year 1994, Buckley refused to the poster-boy tag that said something along the lines of, your appearance does not mean anything if you are not able to sing or if you are not a good person.
Conclusion
To conclude, album covers are works of art that depict reality and authenticity of life, showing that it is not just the music of the album that can be fun but the album picture too. From The Smiths' piercing adjustment of a Vietnam War dissent picture to Amy Winehouse's late-night venture captured in a minute of helplessness, each cover illuminates a story of reality. The beginning of these artworks, from Nirvana's provocative poolside scene to Radiohead's picturesque hilly scenes, reveal an artwork of inspiration on the craftsmen’s behalf. Through these depictions, we see not as it were the inventive preparation but the ethos of the artists.