ABSOLUT ALBUM COVERS

The Artists, The Art and The Albums

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Throughout the 1960's cover art began to evolve into the genre that it is recognized as today. With the release of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967, it catapulted into the mainstream consciousness. In the introduction to Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell's book, 100 Best Album Covers, the authors remark, "These designs are the visual signposts, the flags…the camouflage, the 'skin' of these much loved records…A cover design is the icon that identifies - and is invariably associated with - the music it represents."

ABSOLUT ALBUM COVERS. ABSOLUT UNDERGROUND.
The Velvet Underground and Nico, 1967

Recognized now as one of the leaders of the 70's rock revolution, The Velvet Underground was originally misinterpreted in their hard-core musical experimentation. While they created a standard from which today's musicians still follow, at the time The Velvet Underground and Nico was released, the group was labeled by the media as "a pop nightmare…sprung from the forehead of Andy Warhol." They built their reputation as house band for Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a traveling party/art installation.

Warhol's influence on The Velvet Underground encompassed all aspects of the group's debut album. He produced and managed 1967's The Velvet Underground and Nico, and was responsible for the painting on its cover, a peelable yellow banana, marked with the words "peel slowly and see." According to lead singer, Lou Reed, "Nobody knew us or cared about us. The prominence of Warhol's name created a persistent myth about The Velvets. Everybody thought Andy Warhol was the lead guitarist."

The Velvet Underground's association with Warhol gave them license to experiment in their music. In return, Warhol used his name and notoriety to ward off interference from would-be critics.

When The Velvet Underground and Nico was re-released by Verve in 1984, Rolling Stone's David Fricke paid tribute noting, "The Members of The Velvet Underground worked hard and paid heavily for their place in rock history… The Velvet Underground and Nico remains the official roadmap of New York City's bohemian underworld. Artists as diverse as David

Bowie, the Cars, New Order and R.E.M. have openly drawn on the Velvets' legacy and singer-guitarists Lou Reed's historic repertoire… the simple physical impact of the band's conviction remains undiminished."

Brian Eno, a pioneer of electronic music said of The Velvet Underground and Nico, "Only a few dozen people bought this record - but all of them were then inspired to start their own band. It is difficult to identify a rock movement that does not owe a debt to this album."