Visual Vinyl

Up until the 1940s, records were sold in plain, uniform jackets. In the post-war years, musicians and record companies discovered that graphically designed record covers had the potential to boost sales. Significantly, in the 1960s contemporary artists began to create record jackets that became an inspiration for others on account of their radical, ground-breaking designs. Many of them have become symbols recognised not only by fans but by the wider public, symbols of an era where artistic freedom, experimentation, and innovation were encouraged. This book presents a comprehensive introduction to these resplendent album covers. They have been taken from the extensive archive of the Dutch designer Jan van Toorn, one of the most active collectors and a leading expert in the field.