Classic Album Covers of the 60s: Over 200 of the Best Covers of the Decade

by Storm Thorgerson

The hectic cultural and political upheavals occurring in the 1960s marked a divide between the relatively stable cultural environment of the previous decade and what is now regarded as the golden age of pop music and youth culture. The flourishing of alternative cultures in the latter part of the decade laid many of the foundations of later trends and subcultures. And this influence is nowhere more apparent than in record packaging, with classic graphic design and layouts reappearing again and again. `Classic Album Covers of the 60s' is a collection of over 200 of the very best (and in some cases) worst that designers had to offer throughout the decade. Representative designs from each period are illustrated in full colour, taking the reader on a journey from the wholesome joviality of the 'Very Merry Macs' and 'Muscle Beach Party', through stylish and understated jazz cover designs, to the best psychedelic designs of the late 60s such as the Beatles' "Sgt Pepper" and the Incredible String Band's "The 5000 Spirits". The changing style of album cover design illustrated in `Classic Album Covers of the 60s' provides a fascinating reflection of changing cultural trends during a decade whose ideas and artistic expressions sought to break the prevailing rules and, so doing, laid the foundations for cover design today.

Genres: Music, Art, Reference, Design, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An illustrator's selection which h will be controversial to followers of particular bands

[David Lai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great album covers here, as well as lots of really bad ones. Thorgerson's prose is pompous and clunky, but doesn't take up much of the book.

[Gary Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who cares what games we choose
Little to win, but nothing to lose

[Gaz]

Nice sampling of covers from the 60's. Not great quality reproduction though, colour balance is wrong on many and not particularly sharp focus on most. Short essays for each section, giving a generally personal take on the era.

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent sampling of covers from the era. Not much text.

[Markku · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introductory texts and good reproductions. But as psychedelics are as they are, there is a bit repetition and frankly I don't always agree with the author on matters of aesthetic value.