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Assignment Three

Jennifer Faucett

VISC 204

Assignment Three

Representing A Story: Pictures & Meaning

Tad Carpenter

Project Overview

Concept Statement: To explore different methods and strategies to design an original album cover defined by an underlying concept.

Redesign one of The Beatles iconic albums by creating a strong conceptual package. Research the time period the album was released, band rumors, and symbolism to discover what the band was trying to say on the album, and then translate that into a theme that can be carried throughout the album. Design a new front cover, back cover, and inside pages, all connected by your chosen underlying theme, and mount them to bristol board to conceive a completely original album design.

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About Abbey Road

Although Abbey Road was an immediate

Abbey Road is the Beatles’ 11th album. It

one in the UK and US, it received mixed

was released on September 26, 1969 in the

reviews, with some critics describing its music

United Kingdom and on October 1, 1969 in the

as inauthentic and taking away from the

United States. The recording sessions for the

production’s artificial effects. Many critics now

album were the last in which all four Beatles

view the album as the Beatles’ best and rank

participated. “Something” and “Come Together”

it as one of the greatest albums of all time. In

topped the Billboard chart in the US.

particular, George Harrison’s contributions,

commercial success and reached number

“Something” and “Here Comes the Sun”, Abbey Road is a rock album that incorporates

are considered to be among the best songs

genres such as blues, pop and progressive

he wrote for the group. The album’s cover

rock. The album was recorded amidst a more

features the four band members walking

friendly atmosphere. John Lennon did not

across a zebra crossing outside Abbey Road

perform on “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”. He had

Studios and has become one of the most

privately left the group by the time the album

famous and imitated images in the history

was released and McCartney publicly quit the

of recorded music. As of 2009, Abbey Road

following year.

remains the Beatles’ best-selling album.

Time Period 11th studio album Released on September 26, 1969 Also released Revolver in January of SAME YEAR Richard Nixon was President Apollo 11 landed on the moon Rising inflation Lots of drugs and alcohol Vietnam War The New York Mets won their first World Series (lol) Antiwar protests Rumors about Paul McCartney being dead Stonewall riots in New York City

Behind Abbey Road

quartet strolling through the crosswalk outside

While we were in the studio, our engineer

on Aug. 8, 1969, with traffic blocked and

Geoff Emerick always used to smoke cigarettes

photographer Iain Macmillan toting a ladder

called Everest, so the album was going to be

into the middle of the street. They got the

called Everest. We never really liked that,

whole thing done in roughly 10 minutes.

but we couldn’t think of anything else to call

“I remember we hired a policeman to hold

it. Then one day I said, ‘I’ve got it!’ ( - I don’t

up traffic while I was up on the ladder taking

know how I thought of it - ) ‘Abbey Road!’ It’s

the pictures,” Macmillan later told the

the studio we’re in, which is fabulous, and it

Guardian. “The whole idea, I must say, was

sounds a bit like a monastery.”

Paul McCartney’s. A few days before the

their studio on Abbey Road. Around 11:30AM

shoot, he drew a sketch of how he imagined In fact, during the sessions, the working title

the cover, which we executed almost exactly

for the LP was Everest, for engineer Geoff

that day. I took a couple of shots of the Beatles

Emerick’s favorite brand of cigarettes — and

crossing Abbey Road one way. We let some of

plans initially called for the band members

the traffic go by and then they walked across

to charter a private jet to the Himalayas and

the road the other way, and I took a few more

shoot the cover photo there. But with EMI

shots. The one eventually chosen for the cover

desperate for product and the group fanning

was number five of six. It was the only one that

its last few creative embers, they settled on a

had their legs in a perfect ‘V’ formation, which

far simpler (and closer) concept: A shot of the

is what I wanted stylistically.”

The Songs

Come Together Describes differences between the band members Attempt to settle differences and unite the band

Something Talks about how much George loved Patti He couldn’t promise her if “his love would grow” but she did captivate him Also speaks about how there is something special about her

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer Paul McCartney wrote this song about a medical student (Maxwell Edison) who kills people The lyric is whimsical dark comedy culled from McCartney’s imagination It epitomizes the downfalls in life. Just when everything is going smoothly, Bang! Bang! Down comes Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and ruins everything

Oh! Darling Could be a love song about a breakup Or also could be written by Paul for John because he didn’t want John to leave the band

Octopus’s Garden Comforting song about a cruise Vacation Peaceful

I Want You (She’s So Heavy)

Mean Mr. Mustard

Heavy obsession Constant want and desire Repetitive, simple, and thoughtless Mimics obsession

About a miserly man Vague Confusing

Polythene Pam Here Comes the Sun

About a fan

Comfort, happy Optimism of tomorrow Reflection

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window About a fan

Because Calming About the beauty and connection of the universe and the love we all interconnectively share

Golden Slumbers Emotional Love gets us through hardships

You Never Give Me Your Money

Carry That Weight

A story about rising from nothing to being something Starts needy and melancholy, dreams of a better future and reaches his long-desired place Nostalgic Hopeful

Feelings in a relationship Not taking that last step Lonely

The End

Sun King

The more you give the more you get What goes around comes around

Calming Peaceful Happiness

Her Majesty Unspoken relationship Simple, yet beautiful Completes the album

Gathering Ideas Last Beatles album to ever be recorded

The album was recorded at a time when The

Band was falling apart

Beatles’ Apple empire was fast unravelling,

Feeling “as if we were reaching the end of the

with vast quantities of money being

line.”

haemorrhaged by bad business decisions and a

The recording required a series of hard-

lack of direction

fought compromises, and although the end

Although The Beatles business problems

result incorporated an ambitious medley that

needed attention daily, and tempers within

sprawled across its second side, there are

the group could be fractious, when they came

facets of the album that, under less taxing

together in the studio the bond between them

circumstances, might have evolved on an even

was as strong as ever

grander scale.

They understood one another as musicians

Fused diverse intriguing musical and lyrical

It was time to find themselves as individuals

ideas into a piece that amounts to far more

Abbey Road shows a band still clearly in its

than the sum of those ideas

prime, capable of songwriting and recording

John Lennon got into a car accident and

feats other groups could only envy

couldn’t work with the rest of the group for a

The music is tempered with uncertainly and

month

longing, suggestive of adventure, reflecting

Yoko - thought that the group essentially

a sort of vague wisdom; it’s wistful, earnest

divided because of her

music that also feels deep, even though it

Commonly thought that The Beatles knew

really isn’t

that Abbey Road would be their final album,

Above all it just feels happy and joyous, an

and wanted to present a fitting farewell to the

explosion of warm feeling rendered in sound

world and to their career as a group

Ends with an ideal curtain call

Album Themes Album Moods

Ideas Road

Road Trip

Sun

Summery

Hypnotic

Summer

Reflection

Whimsical

Indulgent

Reflection

Nature

Cheerful

Dreamy

Housework

Directions

Swaggering

Intimate

Complex

Laid-Back/Mellow

Elegant

Passionate

Freewheeling

Brassy

Na誰ve

Playful

Songs seem to

Lush

Quirky

flow together

One group going

Sophisticated

Refined

chronologically

different directions

Atmospheric

Romantic

Calming

Different

Bittersweet

Irreverent

Happy

personalities coming

Rollicking

Rousing

Following a road

together into one

Brash

Self-Conscious

Hope

body

Dramatic

Sweet

Emotions

Clashing

Energetic

Theatrical

Story-telling

Different roads

Fun

Trippy

Personality

Farewell

Humorous

Acerbic

Soothing

United musically

Lines and dashes

Thoughts

Concepts

Preliminary Sketches

First

ound

Second ound

New Idea...

Colors Blue - sadness, goodbye, solemn, group splitting up Yellow - happy songs, summery, sun

Theme Divided, but still working together as one unit. The Beatles’ last album before they split up. Illustrated by the guitar divided abstractly, but held together by the two diamonds, forming one functioning unit.

Visual Elements Four instruments (three guitars, one drum) - represents the four band members Sun with crown represents the song “Sun King” Octopus represents the song “Octopus’s Garden” Great Britain flag represents how the four band members are from Great Britain Hammer represents the song “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”

Third

ound

Final

Designs

Front Cover Back

k Cover & Spine

Inside Pages

Sleeve & Sticker

Poster

Conclusion

This project is my favorite we’ve done so far. This is right up my alley of what I like to do and the way my brain works. I love creating a concept that I can visually carry out in a package throughout a design. I was challenged to make each of the individual designs of the package to be consistent, yet unique from one another. This was probably my biggest challenge, but it pushed me to create even better designs and ultimately create a very successful album cover package.