Here are another couple factors which might come into play, when it comes to album/single cover art:
1) There are far fewer artists these days that have the benefit of a record label's Art Department (or whoever firms they contracted such visuals out to, under their supervision), where professional aesthetic expertise mingled with marketing/focus-group data. Such entities were also the keepers of "house style", where there was such; especially in the indie 80s and 90s. As a result, artists have to do this stuff themselves; or pay (very) dearly to have it done. This makes for hard choices, optimized for maximum impact.
2) The cottage industry of music-marketing advisers (here + elsewhere) shriek ceaselessly at air-raid siren volume about the absolute necessity of maximally appealing, arresting, impactful cover art; to the point that it's nearly more important than the music. Visual media (ig, FB, YT, whatever) demands nothing less than that, or your whole project is sunk before it launches.
Which is fine/ok advice on an individual basis, but...in aggregate, cover art becomes yet another "arms race" spiraling upward, or so it seems. And because of the long odds against new/medium-sized + below artists as things are, the race is not optional. And, as always, you're not just competing vs. peers; but against Every Great Band's Immortal Imagery (that was made with professional help, + lionized in print + elsewhere, over decades since). So color is inevitably gonna be a max-use weapon in that struggle (especially in teeny-tiny thumbnails).
If I recall correctly, the cover photo for the Evans/Hall album was shot at Weeki Wachee and was definitely unique, especially for jazz records. As you noted, it was important to put a face to the music and labels such as Blue Note, Prestige, etc, were all in. Faces sometimes enveloped in cigarette smoke, musicians in three piece suits chilling in a park. One and all saying this is me and this is my music.
Just a couple notes about your "Darn That Dream" recommendation:
1. In a post about cover art, you should probably credit the photographer, Toni Frissell. The photo is from 1947 and called "Weeki Wachee spring, Florida." She donated most of her negatives to the Library of Congress so it's free for use without restriction. Probably why it's showed up in so many places over the years. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.10079/
2. I know this is pedantic, but Undercurrent is a duet album, not one where Bill Evans is the leader. It's usually credited "Bill Evans - Jim Hall" or "Bill Evans/Jim Hall."
3. If you like Undercurrent, you should know that they did another duet album called Intermodulations a few years later. It's also extremely good.
Chris!! I'm honored 😭 This is such a cool take on album and single art. So cool to know the stats on portrait album art. Thank you for doing this.
My pleasure. Love your newsletter!
Here are another couple factors which might come into play, when it comes to album/single cover art:
1) There are far fewer artists these days that have the benefit of a record label's Art Department (or whoever firms they contracted such visuals out to, under their supervision), where professional aesthetic expertise mingled with marketing/focus-group data. Such entities were also the keepers of "house style", where there was such; especially in the indie 80s and 90s. As a result, artists have to do this stuff themselves; or pay (very) dearly to have it done. This makes for hard choices, optimized for maximum impact.
2) The cottage industry of music-marketing advisers (here + elsewhere) shriek ceaselessly at air-raid siren volume about the absolute necessity of maximally appealing, arresting, impactful cover art; to the point that it's nearly more important than the music. Visual media (ig, FB, YT, whatever) demands nothing less than that, or your whole project is sunk before it launches.
Which is fine/ok advice on an individual basis, but...in aggregate, cover art becomes yet another "arms race" spiraling upward, or so it seems. And because of the long odds against new/medium-sized + below artists as things are, the race is not optional. And, as always, you're not just competing vs. peers; but against Every Great Band's Immortal Imagery (that was made with professional help, + lionized in print + elsewhere, over decades since). So color is inevitably gonna be a max-use weapon in that struggle (especially in teeny-tiny thumbnails).
If I recall correctly, the cover photo for the Evans/Hall album was shot at Weeki Wachee and was definitely unique, especially for jazz records. As you noted, it was important to put a face to the music and labels such as Blue Note, Prestige, etc, were all in. Faces sometimes enveloped in cigarette smoke, musicians in three piece suits chilling in a park. One and all saying this is me and this is my music.
Just a couple notes about your "Darn That Dream" recommendation:
1. In a post about cover art, you should probably credit the photographer, Toni Frissell. The photo is from 1947 and called "Weeki Wachee spring, Florida." She donated most of her negatives to the Library of Congress so it's free for use without restriction. Probably why it's showed up in so many places over the years. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.10079/
2. I know this is pedantic, but Undercurrent is a duet album, not one where Bill Evans is the leader. It's usually credited "Bill Evans - Jim Hall" or "Bill Evans/Jim Hall."
3. If you like Undercurrent, you should know that they did another duet album called Intermodulations a few years later. It's also extremely good.