Art on your sleeve

Episode 11 – Calling America

Several podcasts were scheduled for Summer 2020 with some significant record sleeve designers, some I’ve previously written about and some may feature in future pop articles for Classic Pop magazine. Sadly, Coronavirus came along and changed everyone’s plans, including the publication of Classic Pop magazine which is on hold while most outlets that sell it are closed. 

Never fear though, there are always alternative solutions, and this episode is a treat of a different kind as I’m joined by esteemed guests via Skype – Sarah and Brian Linnen, hosts of the Permanent Record Podcast. There are few podcasts that dig as deeply into the sounds and visuals of artists that were big in the eighties/nineties as they do. I highly recommend that you subscribe to their show at the usual quality podcast outlets and explore their considerable archive at: www.permanentrecordpodcast.com – you may also want to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

During this chat you will hear us each select one album and one single sleeve that we believe deserves greater recognition and talk about the reasons why we selected them. We also learn a lot along the way about how they were created and the designers behind the work. Our selections are as follows:

Kiss like ether
1991 single by Claudia Brücken  www.claudiabrucken.co.uk
Designed by Tim Vary at Island Art

The Lovecats
1983 single by The Cure  www.thecure.com
Designed by Parched Art

It’s called a heart
1985 single by Depeche Mode  www.depechemode.com
Designed by T+CP, illustration by Tamara Capellaro

Parade
1984 album by Spandau Ballet  www.spandauballet.com
Painting by David Band, photography by John Shaw, art direction by Gary Kemp

Crowded House
1986 album by Crowded House  www.crowdedhouse.com
Cover Painting by Nicholas Seymour, art direction by John O’Brien

6. Read my lips
1989 album by Jimmy Somerville  www.jimmysomerville.co.uk
Designed by Me Company

In the podcast we mentioned several things which are linked below:

Claudia Brücken performing Delicious live with Andy Bell at The Scala, London on 2 March 2011. LINK: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3TBvZs65I

Walking the wire well – a showcase of Tamara Capellaro’s illustrations. LINK: www.walkingthewirewell.co.uk

Capellaro, the artist behind the sleeve for Depeche Mode’s It’s called a heart (and Shake the disease) is also the lead artist at The Water Tower. A project that brings psychiatric patients and NHS staff together into a beautiful space for creative workshops. This short film explores the stories of a few people who developed work there and the benefits an artistic practice has had on their lives. LINK: www.vimeo.com/68855891 

The full article about the creation of the album sleeve for Parade by Spandau Ballet can be found at this link to Number 1 magazine. LINK: https://totp80s.blogspot.com/2015/02/spandau-ballet-parade-album-cover.html?m=0

More information on David Band, the artist who created the art for Spandau Ballet’s record sleeves can be found at the website for The Cloth. LINK: www.thecloth.co.uk

The Money Maze by Sue Coe. A painting that may have been inspiration for the sleeve of Crowded House’s debut album. LINK: www.artnet.com/artists/sue-coe/the-money-maze-a-ZPu9GUblDddhzQkX0ZUMEg2

We hope you enjoy the episode, if you do, subscribe at Apple Podcasts HERE and if you’re very nice, you could even leave a review. Art on your sleeve is also available on other platforms including Spotify and Soundcloud.

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