Indie Album Covers

60s psycadelia photos

I looked at 60s psycadellia for possible inspiration for our digipak. There are clear psycadelic elements of the music and lyrics that we want to incorporate in the video and the 'look' of the website and Digipak. Here are a collections of 60s posters, these posters are very collectable and can pristine editions can go for very high prices.

 

The intricate patterns of this example are something I could imagine us using for our design. The background and composition of it is quiet modern and has a kalediscope feel.

I chose this one for the font, although it may be considered outdated it is possible that as an alternative artist Adash could use this for his font.

 

What I liked about this design that although it is not as obviously psycadelic as the others, it is still a bold design with striking colours.

Psycadelic album covers

I researched different variations of Psycadelic Album covers looking at the iconic, Hendrix and a more modern example by Mika.

 

Cream may not be my favourite band but this is a very good example of a well produced album cover, there is clear colour coordination and a hand made yet proffesional feel that we should really take inspiration from for our project.

Websites

David Bowie

 Yeasayer

David Bowie-Essay

 

''I re-invented my image so many times that I'm in denial that I was originally an overweight Korean woman.''

- David Bowie

 

 

David Robert Jones was born in Brixton on January 8, 1947. At age thirteen, inspired by the jazz of the London West End, he picked up the saxophone and called up Ronnie Ross for lessons. Early bands he played with – The Kon-Rads, The King Bees, the Mannish Boys and the Lower Third –provided him with an introduction into the showy world of pop and mod, and by 1966 he was David Bowie, with long hair and aspirations of stardom rustling about his head. Kenneth Pitt signed on as his manager, and his career began with a handful of mostly forgotten singles but a head full of ideas. It was not until 1969 that the splash onto the charts would begin, with the legendary Space Oddity (which peaked at No. 5 in the UK). Amidst his musical wanderings in the late 60s, he experimented with mixed media, cinema, mime, Tibetan Buddhism, acting and love. The album, originally titled David Bowie then subsequently Man of Words, Man of Music, pays homage to all the influences of the London artistic scene. It shows the early song-writing talent that was yet to yield some of rock-n-roll’s finest work, even if it would take the rest of the world a few years to catch up with him.

 

 

Bowie's first TV experience was not musical but as the spokesman for the self-titled Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Long haired Men in 1964. Although perhaps not obviously related to his musical career, in this BBC interview he goes by his orginal name David Jones, not his stage name David Bowie, the controversy and androgyny on his hairstyle is something he carries on throughout his career, as well as the humour in which he portrays himself.



Space Oddity was Bowie's first big hit reaching number five on the charts helped by the synergy of it's release with the first moon landing. Space is a concurent theme throughout Bowie's work and the charachter Major Tom features under different guises in much of his other work. The video was recognised as one of the first pop music videos, shot by photographer Mick Rock on a low budget. The link above is the orginal music video, although experimental and using many unusual angels and editing techniques in comparison to Bowie's later looks and videos is far more safe. Bowie is playing his charachter Major Tom in the video so as a representation of a fictional charachter dresses futuristicaly in all white with excessively big sunglasses that were probably fashionable then. The futuristic representation reflects a lot of the idealism that was sparked by the advancement of technology and excitment that humans could now explore space for the first time.



Although his albums The Man who sold the world and Hunky Dory were ciritcally aclaimed it was not until he transformed into his charachter Ziggy Stardust that he really caught on to commerical success. This song from the album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, was performed on the iconic BBC show The Old Grey Whistle Test two months before the albums release. This was  the point where Bowie asserted himself as a performance artist to the public, he went on to play many charachters such as The White Duke as well as working as an actor for theatre and films, one of his most memorable performance in the Elephant Man. In this video Bowie has his hair in a rugged crop contrasted with an elaborate, tight jumpsuit cut to show off his skinny physice, not something that is linked to the stereotypical image of masculinity. It is important to note as well that 'Spiders' the other members of the band were also dressed in a similar way to Bowie giving a sense of unity to the band of this ecletic style.

On the 23rd of March to the 11 of August of 2013 the V&A held a highly popular exhibition called 'David Bowie is' they were given unprecidented access to the David Bowie archieve to curate the first international retrospective of Bowie's full career. On display were more than 300 objects including Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972) designed by Freddie Burretti, photography by Brian Duffy; album sleeve artwork by Guy Peellaert and Edward Bell; visual excerpts from films and live performances including The Man Who Fell to Earth, music videos such as Boys Keep Swinging and set designs created for the Diamond Dogs tour (1974). Alongside these were more personal items such as never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics as well as some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores and diary entries, revealing the evolution of his creative ideas. The popularity and depth of the artistic mediums that Bowie explored and inspired throughout his ongoing career reflects the complexity of the ''bizare self-constructed freak''.

Androgyny looking at David Bowie- Life on Mars

It’s a God awful small affair
To the girl with the mousey hair
But her mummy is yelling, “No!”
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is no where to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seats with the clearest view
And she’s hooked to the silver screen
But the film is a sadd’ning bore
For she’s lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on

Sailors
Fighting in the dance hall
Oh man!
Look at those cavemen go
It’s the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man!
Wonder if he’ll ever know
He’s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

It’s on America’s tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
‘Cause Lennon’s on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns
But the film is a sadd’ning bore
‘Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It’s about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on

Sailors
Fighting in the dance hall
Oh man!
Look at those cavemen go
It’s the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man!
Wonder if he’ll ever know
He’s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

Life on Mars? was initially released in the 1971 album Hunky Dory, and was later released as a single in 1973 after Hunky Dory failed to do as well as Bowie desired. After its re-release as a single, the song reached the #3 spot on the UK charts and stayed on the charts for 13 weeks. Recently the resurgence of the single’s popularity occurred due to the BBC television program named after the song which liberally uses music within the show. The song was released during a tumultuous period of history when the Vietnam War was still raging, although it was nearing its completion.


Bowie is wearing make-up, has brightly dyed orange hair, and porcelian skin. He has restyled glam rock in a striking and almost effeminate way.

Bowie is a unique style icon, in this image you can see how he both clings to conventions of masculinity in his suit, but gives it an effeminate twist showing off his personal style but colouring it powder blue with a racy striped tie.


Bowie's effeminate style was not always accepted by society, in 1970 on Bowie first apperance on Top of The Pops, him and guitarist Mich Ronson caused controversy after viewers saw them 'cuddeling' up on stage, in relaity Bowie simply placed his hand on Mick's shoulder. Outraged homophobics called in and to this day many people are uncertain of Bowie's sexual prefrences, even though he has been happily married for many years now.

Hunky Dory

Hunky Dory is the fourth album by singer-songwriter David Jones, stage name David Bowie. Hunky Dory is one of Bowie's most highly celebrated albums and my second favourite. The album cover represents Bowie with flowing golden hair, rosy skin and an opulent speckled fur coat, on the back of his album he is represented in long high waisted flares shot from a low angle making him look even taller.Although Bowie androgynous reputation is mostly linked to his following album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, his style in the Hunky Dory Album and the following photos prove that he was experimenting with androgyny before that. The style of the following photos was influenced by a  Marlene Dietrich photo book that Bowie brought with him to the photoshoot. Marlene is a famous German film actress. Bowie challenges superficial male conventions, taking the long flowing hair of the sixties further (album was released in 1971, end of the sixties) by also donning what could be seen as a woman's coat and painting his face with make up and adorning statement jewelry. In many ways Bowie is reflecting many traits of the Glam Rock period before it's time.