The Greatest Form of Flattery
Posted on | July 21, 2009 | 2 Comments
Great albums have a way of sneaking into our cultural consciousness and helping generations to define themselves. Sound too dramatic? Think of Sgt. Pepper or Pet Sounds, Thriller or Joshua Tree, Are You Experienced or Love Supreme, What’s Going On or Horses, Dark Side of the Moon or Tapestry. The music becomes the soundtrack to our lives, whether we want it to or not (Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You comes to mind) and the album art becomes the physical touchstone from which we reference our memories of the music.
Many of these classic covers have been recycled, reused, parodied and copied. They carry such cultural weight, that reusing them becomes an open-aired “in-joke” that we all get. One design that has been recycled numerous times is the 1956 Elvis Presley cover. However, even more famous than the original album design is the cover for London Calling by The Clash. Elvis ranked #40 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Album Covers list and The Clash design ranked #39. Ouch.
Bands and artists the world over have at this point referenced or imitated the famous cover, which adheres to the greatest of design ideals that simplicity and clarity are often times the most powerful tools in your box. Countless underground and off-the-radar bands have reinterpreted this great design for their own projects, but plenty of big names and on-the-radar bands have too. Am I Right has compiled quite an impressive list of Elvis Presley Album Cover Parodies if you want to see more of these cultural nods of appreciation…and imitation.
I’m not sure who designed the original Elvis cover, but I doubt they had any idea how far-reaching and long-lasting their little typographic design would go. If you know who the designer is, will you let us know?
Tags: album art > Elvis Presley > greatest album covers > k.d. land > London Calling > The Clash
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July 21st, 2009 @ 9:38 PM
I think this question is destined to remain a mystery! In 1956 RCA Records did not include the name(s) of the designer(s) on the album. The album itself incorrectly identifies the photographer of the photos on the back as the photographer of the cover photo as well. The photo was actually taken by Tampa photographer William V. (Red) Robertson at Tampa’s Fort Homer Hesterly Armory on July 31, 1955. (The photo fact had been in question for years and was recently resolved.) As far as the layout, lettering (hand lettered) and colors ~ an unknown artist ahead of their time! (Hope the designer saw some of the tributes and enjoyed the satisfaction of a job well done!)
July 24th, 2009 @ 6:35 PM
Thanks for the info Ane!
Sadly, this is the fate of so many great designs. I always check album covers for designer credits, but often times my hunt is fruitless. Design is definitely an under-appreciated art form.