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Post by Kapitan on Feb 22, 2020 22:49:49 GMT
Since the 20/20 discussion got off into Beach Boys album covers, I thought I'd start a thread just for that. It probably is warranted, don't you think? Feel free to talk about your favorite, your least favorite, your criticisms and praises, for any Beach Boys or relevant solo albums.
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Post by kds on Feb 23, 2020 1:30:21 GMT
Overall, The Beach Boys were good at a lot of things. Not so much cover art. Although, they got off to a pretty good start with their first three albums.
SDSN is decent. As far as their art goes, I'd say Surf's Up and Holland might be their best.
Pet Sounds is a legit contender for all time greatest album, but its not a cover I'd frame and hang.
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Post by jk on Feb 23, 2020 11:20:16 GMT
I'll add Surfin' USA to those two, kds. Surf's Up has the adding advantage of having the ambience of the front cover leak onto the back, though without simply replicating it. Good call, Kapitan !
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 23, 2020 13:14:59 GMT
Might as well start at the beginning...Surfin' Safari. Not too bad actually. You have the ocean, the sand, a woodie (almost), and a nice shot of the group in their "uniforms" at the time. The photo looks a little staged, especially with Mike and Brian, but it gets the job done. Maybe a bluer sky would've been nice? The back cover serves the purpose of letting the fans know who plays what, for instance, Mike on guitar and Carl on bass . Even then this band confounds. A good debut album cover.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 23, 2020 13:47:59 GMT
Surfin' Safari. ... The photo looks a little staged, especially with Mike and Brian, but it gets the job done.
A little!?
I hate this album cover so, so much.
I don't like any of the covers until All Summer Long, but I do like that one quite a bit. Then my favorites are the ones KDS mentioned (Surf's Up and Holland, as well as C&TP, Love You, MIU, and TWGMTR. Though on the latter, I have to say I still don't like the logo typeface at all. I do like the multicolor wave pattern though.
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Post by jk on Feb 23, 2020 13:51:19 GMT
The back cover serves the purpose of letting the fans know who plays what, for instance, Mike on guitar and Carl on bass . Even then this band confounds.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 23, 2020 13:56:36 GMT
Surfin' Safari. ... The photo looks a little staged, especially with Mike and Brian, but it gets the job done.
A little!?
I hate this album cover so, so much.
I don't like any of the covers until All Summer Long, but I do like that one quite a bit. Then my favorites are the ones KDS mentioned (Surf's Up and Holland, as well as C&TP, Love You, MIU, and TWGMTR. Though on the latter, I have to say I still don't like the logo typeface at all. I do like the multicolor wave pattern though.
As you will find out, I am very critical of almost every BB album cover. But, again, I think Surfin' Safari serves it's purpose pretty well. What is it that you don't like?
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Post by B.E. on Feb 23, 2020 14:00:51 GMT
(I see Kapitan disagrees...oh well!)
Surfin' Safari
Classic. One of their best. Yes, it's staged (both on the front and the back), but it's staged well. I love the gray-ish, overcast-looking cover photo. It adds a certain realism to it. As in, it's not always sunny, there aren't always waves, but they're livin' the life. It reminds me of my summer job when I was a kid working on the beach. When the weather wasn't picturesque, it would just be us, sometimes wearing sweatpants or a sweatshirt to keep warm, and, if there were waves of any size...surfers.
The notes on the back cover are surprisingly adequate. The layout is nice. The tracklist is in order (I'm looking at you Shut Down Vol. 2!). And, the studio shots are great. They really look the part. I love that we see them on the beach and in the studio. It works perfectly. By the way, on Surfin' Safari Brian sounds, and looks, like he's just one of the guys. This is the one and only time.
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Post by B.E. on Feb 23, 2020 14:17:31 GMT
As you will find out, I am very critical of almost every BB album cover. And, I'm very accepting. I'm not sure why, because objectively I know there are many, many legitimate criticisms to be had. But, I just seem to focus on the positives in regard to album covers. There are very few Beach Boys album covers that I dislike. Though, I fully acknowledge that groups like The Beatles were on an entirely different level in regard to the quality of their album covers, and band presentation in general. Can we judge an album by its cover? No, I don't think so. But I think we can, to an extent, judge a cover by the album. If I love the music, the cover and music become inextricably linked over time. The Pet Sounds album cover is significantly elevated, for instance. I literally can't (nor want to) imagine that album without that photo and font.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 23, 2020 14:32:49 GMT
As you will find out, I am very critical of almost every BB album cover. And, I'm very accepting. I'm not sure why, because objectively I know there are many, many legitimate criticisms to be had. But, I just seem to focus on the positives in regard to album covers. There are very few Beach Boys album covers that I dislike. Though, I fully acknowledge that groups like The Beatles were on an entirely different level in regard to the quality of their album covers, and band presentation in general. Can we judge an album by its cover? No, I don't think so. But I think we can, to an extent, judge a cover by the album. If I love the music, the cover and music become inextricably linked over time. The Pet Sounds album cover is significantly elevated, for instance. I literally can't (nor want to) imagine that album without that cover and that font. It just seemed to me that the group never paid sufficient attention to their album covers including the album titles (if you include that aspect), the photos (or lack of) used, and the lettering. And what makes it surprising is that you had so many Beach Boys involved in the albums. You would think maybe/just one of them would show a little interest or concern about the final product, or the product's appearance. When I look at some of their album covers, I sometimes get the feeling that they just turned things over completely to Capitol/Reprise/whoever and...didn't really care, or care enough to have some (or a lot of) say in it. There are just too many things that didn't make sense. More to come on that.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 23, 2020 14:43:55 GMT
But, again, I think Surfin' Safari serves it's purpose pretty well. What is it that you don't like? I just think it's corny beyond corny, the kind of lame image that the band ended up fighting against for years. The pointing, the posing, ugh. Just not for me. Then again, neither is the music on that album. So at least it's consistent.
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Post by B.E. on Feb 23, 2020 14:46:11 GMT
SJS, my assumption is that the Beach Boys left it to their record label throughout most of their career. (Which was a reasonable expectation on their part.) As far as the record labels' execution? I think it's fair to say it was hit and miss. That the Beach Boys deserved more thought and planning. But, I also tend to believe that Capitol gets too much blame, on occasion. By the time Capitol was releasing Best Of The Beach Boys Vol. 1-3 it appears little thought or care was going into the releases, but I wouldn't say the same about the studio albums - not entirely.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 23, 2020 14:49:41 GMT
SJS, my assumption is that the Beach Boys left it to their record label throughout most of their career. (Which was a reasonable expectation on their part.) I'd bet you're right about that. Especially early on, we need to remember what the rock and roll record industry was: big labels capitalizing on a fad that nobody expected to last, and certainly a few years before the idea of the rock and roll auteur (or even artist) had developed. Not only do I agree that the band probably had very little to do with it, I doubt that much of anyone cared all that much. They certainly wouldn't have been thinking about these things as lasting images, any kind of essential components to anything.
"What gets these kids' attention these days?" "Surfing picture!" "OK, get the guys out there by a beach and take some pictures."
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Post by B.E. on Feb 23, 2020 15:45:39 GMT
Despite the fad and the posing and whatever other inauthenticity people get from Surfin' Safari, to me it is exactly what it looks and sounds like it is - a group of inexperienced kids living out the opportunity of a lifetime. I doubt that when Dennis suggested they write a song about surfing, he was simply thinking about cashing in on a fad. The album, and the cover, is an expression of innocent, teenage fun. I bet the guys were absolutely thrilled, as they were when they first heard "Surfin'" on the radio, to be posing in that photo shoot, as if they were rock stars or celebrities.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 23, 2020 15:47:10 GMT
All Summer Long could almost be a modern cover. The collection of image tiles is something we see all the time in this Instagram/photo-heavy age. I also love the images themselves, backed off from the uber-specific surfing and cars to the more broadly relatable relationships, summer, fun. And the different sized and shaped tiles make it more interesting than, say, LA. The single-color accent tiles (purple, gold, and orange) are a cool touch, too, keeping it from being too busy.
The color choices are interesting. The images are almost washed out, not bright (which I'd think you would associate with summer). And those accent colors are somewhat muted, as well. Though I know (from old photos, my parents' old dishes, the decor in my grandparents' home when I was a kid) how a lot of those olives, bronzes, and other not-exactly-bright colors seemed to dominate parts of the '60s. So I'm guessing they were very much of the times.
The fonts are one aspect that doesn't really seem modern. The sans serif, all caps (and especially the featured titles in the top row of songs, widely spaced lettering) seems very dated. I love the more narrow type on the band and album names, though. (Not sure what I think about the drawn sun image.)
But this is a cool cover, definitely worthy of the great album's contents.
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