Thames and Hudson Ltd: Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art - The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue

The complete, definitive and never-before-published catalogue of Hipgnosis, Vinyl • Album • Cover • Art finally does justice to the work of the most important design collective in music history, which, according to Roddy Bogawa, director of the documentary Taken by Storm (2011), ‘designed half your record collection’. Founded in 1967 by Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell and Peter Christopherson, Hipgnosis gained legendary status in graphic design, transforming the look of album art forever and winning five Grammy nominations for package design. Their revolutionary cover art moved away from the conventional group shots favoured by record companies of the day, resulting in the ground-breaking, often surreal designs which define the albums of many of the biggest names in the history of popular music: 10cc, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Peter Gabriel, The Police, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Syd Barrett, Throbbing Gristle, T. Rex, Wings, Yes and XTC, to name but a few.

Arranged chronologically, Vinyl • Album • Cover • Art features stunning reproductions of every single Hipgnosis cover – 372 in total – coupled with detailed information by Po and Storm Thorgerson on the artworks and the compelling stories behind their creation. Additional contributions by Peter Gabriel, Marcus Bradbury, and Pentagram’s Harry Pearce provide engrossing insights into the way these incredible artworks came into being; place the covers in context; and reflect on their enduring impact on album design. A highly accessible stand-alone volume, Vinyl • Album • Cover • Art will also make the perfect pop partner to the groundbreaking Hipgnosis | Portraits (2014) with its rare revelations and behind-the-scenes photography.

Features:

• The first time that the complete Hipgnosis catalogue – 372 works in total – has been collected in a single volume, and the first time that permission has been granted for Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here cover to be reproduced on the front cover of a book.
• Released during the 50th year since the release of Pink Floyd’s psychedelic 1967 debut single ‘Arnold Layne’, written by Syd Barrett.
• Written by Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis, creative director of Pink Floyd and the ultimate authority on this astonishing collection of iconic vinyl cover art, all of it remastered from the original artwork especially for this book.

Author:

Aubrey Powell co-founded the design agency Hipgnosis with the late Storm Thorgerson in 1967. In 1989, Po was made creative director for The Paul McCartney World Tour, designing the stage set, video wall and filmed images. He is the author of numerous books, including Hipgnosis | Portraits, and is the current creative director for Pink Floyd.

Target Market:

• Musos; vinyl collectors; design and graphic design fans, practitioners and students.