[demonrail666]

Would/have you bought a peice of music solely on the strength of its cover art? Could you genuinely love a band that had really atrocious artwork? Are there bands that have never lived up to their packaging?

[Savage Clone]

There are plenty of records with great packaging that I don't really like musically (sometimes I will pick these up, but only if they are very very cheap). There are some records I love that have pretty crappy sleeve art and design. I can love bands with lousy art, but I will say that some effort and thought should be put into design in packaging. I mean, I love so-called "gimmick" packages and I will pay extra for deluxe editions, but it doesn't have to be elaborate to be beautiful and beauty can totally be achieved quickly and on the cheap if people would only think a little harder. I mean, a nice one-color silkscreen cover can be gorgeous, and it's cheap and easy. Much nicer than a crappy xerox pasted on at an angle.
I like it when it appears that someone cares about their overall statement of their artifact.
Music speaks for itself of course, but if you are going to go through the time, trouble and expense of releasing a physical artifact, you should really try to make it a thing of beauty and/or visual/tactile impact. It's a waste of potential otherwise.

[gmku]

Pretty much every album I really love musically I also really love design/package-wise. Great albums generally also have great artwork. I can't think of too many exceptions. I don't know, maybe the VU live 1969 album--that cover's pretty bad, but the album is fantastic.

At the same time, I can't think of too many bad albums (musically) I'd want just to have the cover art. It definitely helps me fall in love with the album if the art is good, but ultimately the music carries it.

Packaging and sleeve art is very important, but most of the things I wanted to say have been said already by Savage Clone already. I had one beautiful Harry Smith anthology cd in my hands the other day, so good to look at.

[Rob Instigator]

I love crazy packaging. I just bought some 1970's DJ promo vinyl at a used place that are black and white images of near naked ladies. these were sent to radio stations for dj;'s to play witha fully programmed side A and a side B. I guess so they cold take a break. the covers are like a jigsaw puzzle, in that they fit each other to show a larger image. they are cool.

I think that packaging that reflects the music inside is crucial if you want to reacha target audience.
for example, back in the day, seeing the cover for FOSSILS by dinosaur jr, mad eme feel a certain way, and that is exactly what the music inside was like, damaged, naive, hopeless and hopeful at the same time, a shambles really.

 

I have never bought an album baeed on packaging alone from a band I have not heard. However, there are time sI wish I had. I have seen various albums that intrigued me but I did not buy only to find that I LOVEE the music when a friend played it a year later, but by then the album was not in stock anywhere.

I hate that.

[demonrail666]

I love sleeves that seem to perfectly compliment the music inside, but somehow also expand it, give it a deeper context. I always think this is a fantastic sleeve for that very reason.

 

[sonicl]

There are CDs that I've bought because the cover art pleases me aesthetically, but I've also had an idea of what the music wthin the cover will be like. If I see artwork that looks fantastic I'm likely to make a point of remembering the name of the CD and looking for more info online before I buy.

I can easily be suckered by non-standard formats though, particularly 3" CDs and 10" singles.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by sonicl

I can easily be suckered by non-standard formats though, particularly 3" CDs and 10" singles.

Me too, but on the whole the one thing that CD have definitely killed off is the magic of a 12" Record sleeve. You look at CDs from the old Factory label and then compare with the original record sleeves. Horrible.

I prefer good shots of a band though, I'm a sucker for good pictures, totally addicted.

[sonicl]

Nah, the 12" sleeve is all too often a flimsy piece of crap that becomes tatty in minutes. You rarely get that with a 10" sleeve.

(dr666)

[MellySingsDoom]

Not so much with records, but I used to be massively suckered by ZX Spectrum games artwork. I almost spent £15 on the US Gold World Cup 86 game, until I read the reviews in "Sinclair User", and realised that it was a rewrite of a pisspoor Artic game.

[demonrail666]

Spectrum games ALWAYS had terrible artwork.

[pantophobia]

i like pretty pictures, but i don't buy based on it.........well not normally

savage clone pretty much nailed it

[MellySingsDoom]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Spectrum games ALWAYS had terrible artwork.

Well, sir, I disagree with you, but defend your right to say it to the end.....

.....I can't take it anymore....how can you deny the genius of "Sweevo's World" (Stan Laurel) and "Football Manager" (Kevin 'The Beard' Toms)?...I think I know why, but come on, you must have read CRASH at some point in your yoof. Innit.

Originally Posted by demonrail666

I love sleeves that seem to perfectly compliment the music inside, but somehow also expand it, give it a deeper context. I always think this is a fantastic sleeve for that very reason.

 

My favourite of theirs:

 

#

Timeless.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by MellySingsDoom

Well, sir, I disagree with you, but defend your right to say it to the end.....

Ok, post your evidence.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by sarramkrop

My favourite of theirs:

 

#

Timeless.

I always thought there was something altogether too stylish about that one. Like it could've come from an issue of The Face, or something.

[MellySingsDoom]

Oh bloody hell, I try once and it doesn't work. Once again:

 

...I remember a friend of mine lending me a coipy of this tape in 1986, and me being in a lesson at school just gawping at the artwork. I'd finally got hold of this classic game after getting a computer in Xmas 1985, and thought "Hell yeah!". I still feel today that this appreciation of ZX Speccy tape artwork influenced me in liking vinyl artwork not long after.

[Rob Instigator]

most of the smiths' packaging was done by the Moz himself.

[terminal pharmacy]

first and foremost is what is inside the packaging that is important but great cover art adds to the total experience