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Topic: Favourite album covers of Mike, Which 3 do you like best?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: April 30 2021, 10:48

Hello everone,
What are your favourite album covers, and why?

Mine are:
1. Crises (Really cool and imaginitive. Tells a story of its own.)
2. Amarok (I like the way the title is written and it's one of his best pictures.)
3. Tubular Bells (Iconic logo. Can't imagine the album without it.)

Wish I had asked '10 favourite album covers', by the way, because there are plenty more: Earth Moving, Five Miles Out, Guitars and Distant Earth...
:laugh:


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larstangmark Offline




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Posted: May 02 2021, 11:51

Tubular Bells, Five Miles Out and Crises all look good enough to be a poster on your wall. Platinum is nice looking to, but it could as well be a perfume ad or something.

Not that I like the album, but an honorary mention to TB II for good cover art. Great use of colors!


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qcfoetus Offline




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Posted: May 02 2021, 15:59

1. Hergest Ridge (1974). The 2010 reissue cover is nice too, but not half as spectacular as the original.
2. Incantations (1978). The 2011 reissue cover is more dramatic, but I still prefer the original, with Mike standing as this oh-so-ordinary-guy who makes this oh-so-extraordinary music!
3. Heaven's Open. Imaginative and evocative.
Honorable mentions: Platinum (visually stunning); SODE original version (for its manta ray thematic); FMO (just a lovely painting); TB2003 (more polished than the 1973 cover).
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: May 04 2021, 08:56

Quote (larstangmark @ May 02 2021, 11:51)
Tubular Bells, Five Miles Out and Crises all look good enough to be a poster on your wall. Platinum is nice looking to, but it could as well be a perfume ad or something.

Eau de MO  :laugh:
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Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: May 06 2021, 02:50

Quote (nightspore @ May 04 2021, 08:56)
Eau de MO  :laugh:

That sounds better than 'Tubular Smells'.

Anyway, I like the Platinum album cover too. The back of the cover fits in nicely too.
The cover I changed my mind most about, is Return to Ommadawn. At first I didn't like it at at. Too much like the cover of a fantasy book, that didn't suit the music at all. But I've changed my mind a bit. I like it a lot now.


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nightspore Offline




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Posted: May 06 2021, 20:46

Tres Lunas and [/I]Crises[I] are still my favourite album covers too. But I like Return to Ommadawn[I]'s cover as well. The music subtends a story that fits well with the cover image, I think.
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MariaMur Offline




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Posted: Mar. 09 2022, 16:14

I think music covers are very important for promoting an album or single, especially for unpopular artists. I think music pr depends mainly on the music and its quality, but the album cover is a component of creativity. I really like the cover of Nirvana In Utero. It shows a change of style, in comparison with the previous Nevermind. But the most favorite cover in music is the Pink Floyd cover (I think you know what album I'm talking about). I always advise you to pay attention to the details on the cover. I really like minimalism or some kind of abstraction that reflects the reality and content of the whole album.
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qjamesfloyd Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2022, 02:12

You can see all the album covers on this site:

https://tubular.net/discography/
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Sentinel_NZ Offline




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Posted: April 21 2022, 21:58

I would have thought (in order of release) the top three would be

1. The Millennium Bell
2. Music of the Spheres
3. Return to Ommadawn
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Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: April 22 2022, 15:27

Hello Sentinel,

Cool that you would pick those 3, as Millenium Bell and Tres Lunas would rank among my least favourite covers. A bit too much of a computer generated image. Nice to see opinions differ.
I got the little poster of the album cover of Return to Ommadawn (that came with the lp) on my wall and I like it a whole lot more than I did when the album first came out.

Greetings!


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Sentinel_NZ Offline




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Posted: April 22 2022, 21:31

Quote (Piltdownboy on horseback 22 @ April 22 2022, 15:27)
Hello Sentinel,

Cool that you would pick those 3, as Millenium Bell and Tres Lunas would rank among my least favourite covers. A bit too much of a computer generated image. Nice to see opinions differ.
I got the little poster of the album cover of Return to Ommadawn (that came with the lp) on my wall and I like it a whole lot more than I did when the album first came out.

Greetings!

I love bright colours, I think Millennium Bell is a great cover and I've always liked the LEd Zeppelin III cover for the same reason - I wouldn't be surprised if the designer of MB was inspired by LZ3, since when you put them side by side, there a lot of similarity.  Another cover with the same qualities I've always admired is In Sides by Orbital (1996).

I didn't select Tr3s Lunas, that isn't one of my favorites.  I picked Music of the Spheres, whose cover is a beautiful work of classical geometrical, Escheresque art.

Return to Ommadawn cover captures the stunning mystical, otherworldy, inexpressible beauty of the music of that album and all the 25 preceding albums (assuming it is the last, as appears to be the case).  Like you say another piece of art that stands up on its own.  Music of the Spheres cover would make a great poster or even framed painting.

Greetings to you also.  BTW my pick for all time favorite album cover would be Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins.
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Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: April 23 2022, 14:16

Quote (Sentinel_NZ @ April 22 2022, 21:31)
"I didn't select Tr3s Lunas, that isn't one of my favorites.  I picked Music of the Spheres ..."

You're right. That was my mistake. When I typed Tr3s Lunas, I actually meant Music of the Spheres.

I had to search for the Melon Collie sleeve. I've heard of the band, but didn't recall the album cover. Nice one indeed.

Among my favourite albumcovers are "In search of the lost chord" by The Moody Blues, and "A momentary lapse of reason'' by the Floyd. I've always loved "Equinoxe" by Jarre as well.


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Sentinel_NZ Offline




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Posted: April 26 2022, 20:07

Quote (Piltdownboy on horseback 22 @ April 23 2022, 14:16)
Quote (Sentinel_NZ @ April 22 2022, 21:31)
"I didn't select Tr3s Lunas, that isn't one of my favorites.  I picked Music of the Spheres ..."

You're right. That was my mistake. When I typed Tr3s Lunas, I actually meant Music of the Spheres.

I had to search for the Melon Collie sleeve. I've heard of the band, but didn't recall the album cover. Nice one indeed.

Among my favourite albumcovers are "In search of the lost chord" by The Moody Blues, and "A momentary lapse of reason'' by the Floyd. I've always loved "Equinoxe" by Jarre as well.

Equinoxe is quite nice.  And Equinoxe Infinity.  As for Music of the Spheres, its a superb Escheresque piece of geometrical art, perfectly suited to the suite of music it represents.  How that could possibly attract any kind of criticism, I really dont know...

If you want a bad cover, look up "The Faith Tones - Jesus Use Me".
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larstangmark Offline




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Posted: April 28 2022, 03:46

Quote (Sentinel_NZ @ April 26 2022, 20:07)
As for Music of the Spheres, its a superb Escheresque piece of geometrical art, perfectly suited to the suite of music it represents.  How that could possibly attract any kind of criticism, I really dont know...

It looks like an old screen saver to me. Computer generated and uninspired.

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Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: April 28 2022, 15:01

Quote (Sentinel_NZ @ April 26 2022, 20:07)
If you want a bad cover, look up "The Faith Tones - Jesus Use Me".

Yeah, hahah, that's not a very flattering album cover. But very funny in a way.

I always liked the album cover of compilation album The Complete. Earth Moving is beautiful as well.

One of my favourite covers is How Dare You by 10cc. Especially the inside photograph with all the telephones. Very nice.


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Sentinel_NZ Offline




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Posted: April 28 2022, 19:22

Quote (larstangmark @ April 28 2022, 03:46)
Quote (Sentinel_NZ @ April 26 2022, 20:07)
As for Music of the Spheres, its a superb Escheresque piece of geometrical art, perfectly suited to the suite of music it represents.  How that could possibly attract any kind of criticism, I really dont know...

It looks like an old screen saver to me. Computer generated and uninspired.

If so, then the magic mirror-style art of MC Escher is uninspired, because Music of the Spheres cover is directly inspired by Escher's compositions. See for example: Spirals, Mobius Strip II, Stars and others.  Now imagine if MC Escher had of had access to modern computer technology - the potential is almost frightening.  Theres nothing wrong with using technology to create splendid art. This is exactyl what Mike Oldfield did - compare the technology of Tubular Bells I, to that found on his albums from 1992 onwards, including Tubular Beats, Night + Shade, Tr3s Lunas, TB2 and 3, Millennium Bell, including the interactive music computer games like Maestro.  The cover of Music of the Sphers is majestic and inspiring on a macrocosmic level, just like the music of the album - the mathematical yet freely creative harmony and melody of the cosmos.  In my opinion..!  But each has their own feelings so it doesnt make it right or mistaken.

As for Earth Moving, it reminds me of Pink Floyd - Meddle cover...an idea that maybe sounded better on paper. And it is a bit same as Discovery, and even as Light + Shade, basically the artists head/face in an obscured way. The Complete is very sweet. And funnily enough the How Dare You cover reminds me of Pink Floyd's Ummagumma.  (not to be confused with Ommadawn...!;).  

Queen - Innuendo is a good one and in a way, a little bit like Music of the Spheres.
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Sentinel_NZ Offline




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Posted: April 28 2022, 19:25

Quote (Piltdownboy on horseback 22 @ April 28 2022, 15:01)
Quote (Sentinel_NZ @ April 26 2022, 20:07)
If you want a bad cover, look up "The Faith Tones - Jesus Use Me".

Yeah, hahah, that's not a very flattering album cover. But very funny in a way.

I always liked the album cover of compilation album The Complete. Earth Moving is beautiful as well.

One of my favourite covers is How Dare You by 10cc. Especially the inside photograph with all the telephones. Very nice.

Other covers Id nominate are:

The Best of New Order
Sky II
Sky III
Sky - Mozart
ELO - Out of the Blue.

And so many more, its endless really.  Most of the Yes covers are pretty cool..
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: April 28 2022, 22:23

The Winkies  :cool:
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Sentinel_NZ Offline




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Posted: April 28 2022, 23:15

Quote (nightspore @ April 28 2022, 22:23)
The Winkies  :cool:

Ween - Chocolate and Cheese.  Immortal greatness.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthop....8662928
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larstangmark Offline




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Posted: April 29 2022, 14:24

Quote (Sentinel_NZ @ April 28 2022, 19:22)
If so, then the magic mirror-style art of MC Escher is uninspired, because Music of the Spheres cover is directly inspired by Escher's compositions. See for example: Spirals, Mobius Strip II, Stars and others.  Now imagine if MC Escher had of had access to modern computer technology - the potential is almost frightening.  Theres nothing wrong with using technology to create splendid art. This is exactyl what Mike Oldfield did - compare the technology of Tubular Bells I, to that found on his albums from 1992 onwards, including Tubular Beats, Night + Shade, Tr3s Lunas, TB2 and 3, Millennium Bell, including the interactive music computer games like Maestro.  The cover of Music of the Sphers is majestic and inspiring on a macrocosmic level, just like the music of the album - the mathematical yet freely creative harmony and melody of the cosmos.  In my opinion..!  But each has their own feelings so it doesnt make it right or mistaken.

I never enjoyed MC Esher's work, and I don't enjoy much of Mike's music post Amarok either for that matter. I enjoy the quirky, the flawed and the inconsequential. Mike left that behind a long time ago IMO.

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