A gorgeous example of the way a quality coffee table book should be put together (despite its unwieldiness), The Art of the LP: Classic Album Covers 1955-1995 is far more than a bunch of cover art assembled into one oversized glossy-sleeved manual. It’s a thoughtful celebration of the imagery so closely linked with the music we love as well as a casual examination of the inspirations and influences that compelled the powers-that-be — whether it was the artist, label or some other deciding party — to realize a particular vision.
The Art of the LP represents more than 350 full-color album covers ranging from artistic to realistic and beginning in the year that LP covers were revolutionized (1955) through the year when vinyl became the least significant of the three formats to house recordings (and excluding the recent revival all together).
The introduction sets the context and gives background on the evolution of the album cover, which was driven, as most things are, by money.
The steady increase in home “jukebox” purchases in the mid-1950s and the millions of 7” singles sold as a result prompted the music industry to look into any and all ways of marketing music to as broad an audience as possible. Frank Sinatra and Co. took the initiative in ‘55 by pioneering a new type of long-player record. In the Wee Small Hours was Sinatra’s first LP and it was called a concept album at the time because all the songs were written and recorded specifically for the album as opposed to the usual pop LPs, which were little more than randomly compiled collections of hit singles and filler arranged without consideration as to sequence, selection or cohesiveness.
This article appears in May 5-11, 2010.