- Peoples perception of reality was being warped because of film and photography.
- Films represented what was really happening at the time.
- This brought challenges such as trying to maintain 'Britishness' whilst there was an influx of American culture.
- New Wave- Punk, rage against conformation.
- End of rationing- Food and fabric was plentiful.
- Growth in consumption.
- Technology moving on Lots of gadgets were being made.
- Expansion of Youth culture.
- Advertising was trying to get women back into the house and kitchen after the war.
- Growth in TV and Cinema
- Young people would go to the cinema more than the older generation- this was represented within the films being made.
- Music shows the divide in generation.
- Films addressed what Hollywood didn't- Sex, Adulatory, mixed race relationships ect.
- Class conflict- even if you came from a poor background you could make something of yourself.
Criticisms
- Alan Lovell- didn't like the university educated Rich film makers making films about the working class.
- integrity, were they really representing the real lives of the working class.
- Nothing should have been taken at face value.
Notes from tutor lecture
- Films and Albums showed the image that people wanted to get across to their audience.
- Artists liked to push the idea that they were Rich (glamorous) when really they were poor.
- Album covers were very simple and self explanatory
- Colours and designed from the 50's are coming back into fashion now.
- Albums showed importance of the band members through composition and where they were stood in the line up.
- The Beetles were very iconic for this time and created lots of different album covers.
- They sold the bands personality through the art work as well as the music.
- Sargent peppers album cover changed album art forever.
- The Beetles changed visual culture.
- They changed so much within the short time they made music- represented fast paced world.
- Technology was progressing and improving so fast.
- The beetles were innovating art.
- First band to merchandise.
- They found a market within the market.
- They were all abut the concept and image that they wanted to represent.
Research task
- Album covers previous to the 50's were very simplistic and straight forward, for example a CD cover would usually feature the singer or bands name, a photo or painting of the person or singers in the band and the album name, This can be seen in (figure 1.) This was because there was no such thing as the internet and music wasn't really advertised on TV so this is how the person buying the music would know what the person on the album looks like. The first band to change the way that album covers are seen is the Beatles with their album cover for 'revolver.' This album cover includes bold line drawings of the band members and a photo collage style background using photographs of the band. This was the first time that a more illustrative album cover had been made.
- It could be said that they revolutionised the way that album are is seen throughout the world. They released their album 'revolver' (figure 2) in 1966 and this was the first time that anything like this had been done on an album cover.
'The
first hint of change in rock album design came in 1966, with the release of the
Beatles 'Revolver,' which featured a collage of line drawings
and photographs of the band designed by artist Klaus Voorman.' [1]
 |
| (figure 1) Earl Bostic and his Alto Sax (1952) |
 |
| (Figure 2) Revolver, The Beatles, 1966. |
- As a part of marketing, record labels started to sell the artists personality in order to sell more music as the person buying the CD would feel more of a personal connection with the artist. The Beatles played a large part in this and the youth culture of the time loved it, fans became obsessed with them and through this marketing they began to feel like they knew the artists from the band. The band members would be seen with exiting new Album cover designs and even doing goofy things in the images on their CD's to show people that the fans are just like them. This can be seen on thier album please, please, please (figure 3) where the band members are seen 'hanging out together' with big smiles on their faces. They created this illusion through the album art work because thats the first thing you see and recognise when buying music.
' It was
the pop music industry, however, which was most influential in gathering and
symbolising the fantasies of youth culture, and in which graphic design
probably had the most significant and diverse part to play.' [2]
 |
| (figure 3) The Beatles, Please, please, please, released in 1963 |
- As the popularity of music started to grow amongst the youth culture of the 50's and 60's and the way that music was looked at started to change and it started to be seen as more of a serious thing. Because of the popularity boost, marketing and band image also started to advance. Subsequently album art started to progress and develop massively meaning more creative elaborate album covers. The album covers became more interesting and attention grabbing in order to intrigue the consumer and create an image for the band or musician.
'By the
mid 1960's, the album was thought of as more of a coherent entity than just a
collection of a few hit singles with additional filler material. As artists, record
companies and listeners focussed more attention on the album, cover art became
more elaborate, innovative and interesting.'[3]
- The Beatles album cover for 'sgt peppers lonely heart club band' (figure 4) stepped up the bar yet again for album covers as nothing this elaborate had ever been done for a CD cover. This album cost around £3000 to create compared to the usual of £50 that would normally be spent at the time, this payed off as it is now be known as a artistic landmark. it was designed by Peter Blake and Jann Howarth. The album cover features the band dressed in brightly coloured uniforms photographed with life size cardboard cut outs and some wax figures of the most iconic celebrities throughout time. This album cover has been over analysed through the years and there are lots of conspiracies and ideas about hidden messages and meanings in the image, no one really knows if they are true or not. another unique aspect to this album is the lyrics to all of the songs featured on the album were printed on the back of the album, this is the first time that this had ever been done. the album cover was very unique and innovative for the time that it was made, this resulted in the cover becoming iconic all over the world. This was the first time that the album cover became more important than the music and people would buy the album cover in poster form for their walls at home.
' The albums status
as a cultural landmark was asserted almost immediately (at least in part due to
the striking cover art...)' [4]
' The cover of an
album such as the Beatles' sgt. Peppers lonely hearts club band (1967) became
iconic and fans scrutinised the cryptic collection of personalities, floral
shapes, and illicit plants contained in the staging for hidden meanings.' [5]
 |
| (figure 4) The Beatles, Sgt. peppers lonely hearts club band, 1967 |
- Throughout the time that the Beatles created music they changed so much in sound, image and with their album art that it was hard to keep track. Because of this they seem to have helped shape visual history in a huge way. It could be said that the Beatles moved so fast to reflect the fast changing times of the years when technology was advancing faster than ever. They changed and evolved right up until they decided to stop making music as a band in 1970.
' With every album the Beatles gave us a
180-degree change. A completely different change, a different sound, a
different attitude. They kept changing with us...' [6]
[1] Shephard. T and Lennord. A, The routledge companion to music and visual culture, p. 181
[2] Jobling. P and Crowley.D, Graphic design: reproduction and representation since 1800, P. 215-
[3] Perone. J. E, The Album: A guide to music’s most provocative, influential, and important creations. P. 214
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