LIT - Alternative Blogzine

There are several reasons why a music fan to have a disc in his material rather than endorse a cool MP3 folder: the best audio quality, the desire to reward the artist with the purchase price of the album and of course the cover. The latter can be considered a business card with which through careful choice of color images and graphics to attract our attention on the shelves of a shop or simply to suggest the content and themes of a new LP.
This article highlights the history and the creative path that led to the birth of the cover art of some of the most important alternative view of the '80s and '90s.

The theme of the funeral, without necessarily wanting to enhance aspects macabre, but those preferring more genuinely melancholy twilight, found space on the cover several times post-punk and new wave. L'art cover di Closer, per il suo gusto funebre, destò al momento dell'uscita dell'album molte critiche legate alla recente scomparsa del frontman della band Ian Curtin. Peter Saville , che assieme Martyn Atkins, curò la grafica della copertina, si difese ammettendo che la scelta dell'immagine incriminata era antecedente al suicidio di Curtis e pertanto in alcun modo ad essa legata. One of the most famous is certainly the cover of Closer (Factory Records 1980) Joy Division. Article cover of Closer, to taste her funeral, when the album aroused much criticism related to the recent death of frontman the band Ian Curtin. Peter Saville, who along with Martyn Atkins, edited the cover art, he defended himself admitted that the offending image was chosen prior to the suicide of Curtis and therefore in no way associated with it. Returning to the picture, it was taken by Bernard Pierre Wolff and depicts the theme of the testimony of the family tomb Appiani in this Cemetery Staglieno (Genoa), created by the sculptors and Demetrius Paernio Toso Onorato.
That deposition, however, was not the only image of Staglieno choice by Ian Curtis of Joy Division for the work: even the angel of the cover of the single Love Will Tears Us Apart comes from the famous cemetery of Genoa and always carries the signature of the aforementioned Onorato Toso .
scelsero uno scorcio di un illustre cimitero monumentale. In addition to Joy Division, Dead Can Dance also for their Within The Real Of A Dying Sun (4AD - 1987) chose a glimpse of a famous cemetery monuments. Here the choice fell on the tomb of Francois Raspail located in the beautiful Parisian cemetery Pere Lachaise. Imposing the graveyard, located in the east of the capital and founded in the nineteenth century, is renowned not only for the large size (it's one of the world's largest) on the grounds to represent the final resting place of the likes of Jim Morrison, Maria Callas, Marcel Proust, Chopin, Edith Piaf, Rossini, to name a few. As for Raspail, Paris of the political revolutionary period, the theme of imprisonment that pervades the tomb is due to long periods of incarceration discounted by man.

. There are some who chose to use images or photographs are not made for the occasion as the shot in black and white frontcover ago by the best known of the work of Bauhaus In the Flat Field (4AD 1980), was produced by photographer Duane Michal (Pennsylvania 1932).
Michal is a respected artist in the context of homoerotic photography. Indeed, he is credited for having been able to highlight for the first time through this type of photo (released by mid-nineteenth century) rather than the physical desire for the same sex, the spiritual aspect and the emotional sphere of homosexual .
Besides In The Flat Field to mention the most important commissions received by Michal entrusted by the Government of Mexico for the Olympic Games of 1968 and in 1970 became the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the set the cover of The Police Synchronicity in 1983.
Other examples of 'borrowed' the painting is 'Rose' by Henri Fantin-Latour used for graphics Power, Corruption and Lies (Factory Records - 1983) New Order. Even after this work is a hand above the Saville (Manchester 1955), which was precisely how to work with Joy Division and New Order in that chart as the tip of Factory Records.
As already guess from the above in so far underground and independent of the 80ies it was not uncommon to encounter strong artistic relationship between a specific group-graphics-label and a graphic designer or collective trust.

. It 's the case of 23 Envelope, Partneship graphics worked to a very fruitful with the release for 4AD bands like Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and This Mortal Coil. Behind the moniker 23 Envelope hide the chart Vaughan Oliver and photographer / filmmaker Nigel Grierson, acquaintances up from school and professional units for 4AD from 1983 to 1988. The agreement between the two gave birth to a unique style, from soft lines and ethereal, is made in soft colors and dreamy atmosphere. The official life of 23 Envelope ended in 1988 with the posting of Grierson. Vaughan then joined a new partner Chris Bigg and converted the project name in v23.

, ed i Cure . But the strongest bond between designers and bands, is surely established between the Parched Art, design studio founded by Porl Thompson and Andy Vella, and The Cure. Launched officially in 1982, when Porl moved to London, Parched Art has put his signature on most of the album and the Cure's official merchandise. The activity of PA in the service of Smith & Co has covered all the records from 1981 to 1992 with the exception of Pornography (1982) and collection of Japanese Whispers (1983), therefore we speak of all the disks between Faith (1981) and Wish (1992). , la foto per il cofanetto Join the Dots (2004) ed il promo Blu Top Head Kiss (2006) contenente tre singoli provenienti da Blue Sunshine dei The Glove e tre singoli rispettivamente da The Top, The Head On The Door e Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me dei Cure. As for work subsequent to 1993, the second departure of Thompson from the band, are to list the album Wild Mood Swings (1996) cover for the collection Galore (1997), the photo on the box set Join the Dots (2004) and Promo Blue Top Head Kiss (2006) contains three singles from the Blue Sunshine The Glove and three individuals respectively from The Top, The Head On The Door and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me Cure.
A unique style that of Parched Art, which with drawings, paintings and photographs have always been able to embody every mood of the labors of the Cure.
Despite the production of this study is completed, the career of the two partners individually read.
Porl again in care, took care of the graphics (based on his own tattoos) for a guitar model that bears his name produced in 2007 by Schecter Guitars.
As for Andy from four years teaches graphic design at Middlesex University and remains in graphics editing to cover other groups (among which the Mogway) and photosession both in fashion and music, with commissions that obviously they could not cover even the Cure!