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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.