By
Storm
Thorgerson & Aubrey Powell
A beautiful coffee-table book, Album Covers is
nevertheless not quite what I expected. It was unpredictable both in
its approach and its selection of covers. The format does include large
pictures of the covers, with some of the best taking up a double-page
spread. But there is a vast amount of text describing each cover - not
aesthetic critique or opinions but rather a history of each cover, anecdotal
evidence about its production. The result is personal and eclectic, and
highly engaging.
As for the selection, Album Covers tries a little too hard to include the underdog. Sure, the requisite landmark covers are here (Sgt. Pepper's, House of the Holy, Cheap Thrills, Dark Side of the Moon, Nevermind, The Velvet Underground & Nico), but over half of the book was artists I had never heard of. Yes, I admit even with my copied cd collection there's tons of music I hadn't heard, but the sheer number here was overwhelming. Some of the covers deserved it, others did not. Too many emphasized a rough, childlike amateurishness that is clearly a preference of the editors. Nevertheless, even parts of their stories were enjoyable. Overall, the book is a good one to own and debate with friends, even if it's not perfect.