artists’ pictures on album covers

I just noticed browsing through some albums on the net... prog albums rarely have the groups members on the front as a cover, with a few exceptions. After the Yes album, Yes never did. Rush never did. Other than Trilogy, they never did, and that was even a painting of them, not an actual photo. Gentle Giant, never. VDGG, never. Other than Red, KC didn't either. Why?

Genesis as trio once said in an interview that they considered themselves as "very ordinary people" to appear in their front covers. They didn`t like their image enough to appear in their front covers as a band.

I think because they wanted to keep the focus on the music and not on that whole "package" as it is common today. So a picture that supports the music on the album or the main message makes more sence.

Times changed, today almost every CD has the artist on the cover because the labels want them to be there ..... there's this whole thing with the media, people buy records because they think the artist's cool (i'm having problems with saying "artist" to most of the creatures appearing in the media these days ) and not because the music's interesting or complex.....

Iván:

The original cover for "From Genesis to Revelation" has not photos of the band. The covers you show here are not from  the original L.P.  release from 1969. They are from CD re-releases. "And the word was" was released by Decca in 1987 (maybe for the last time in that label). Genesis has not the rights of this album, so they don`t have control over the cover designs of these CD re-releases, too. The rights belong to the now infamous "Mr. Jonjo Music" (too infamous for me to write his correct name).

The covers for "GenesisLive", "Seconds Out" and "The Way We Walk" (vols. 1 & 2) could be "exceptions" being live albums.

Also, I don`t know if the 3 persons in the photo of the cover for the "and then there were three" album are the members of Genesis. Some people say: "No, they aren`t".

In YES` "Tormato" album BACK COVER, there is a photo of the band.

Edited by Guillermo

prog rock is not a question of look; the important is the music, not the appearance of the band. Kate Bush's album covers show her, but she is a beautiful women, that's different. I think mike oldfield likes pretty much his look to appear on several of his album covers (amarok, earth moving, ommadawn, etc.) the same case applies to frank zappa.

I found some rare prog albums having all the members on the front cover: jethro tull - a; greenslade - gold rock; gryphon - midnight mushrumps; pink floyd - piper + ummagumma; refugee; renaissance - ashes are burning (the band is dispatched on both sides) + time-line ; focus -in and out + moving waves + live at the rainbow; ; marillion -clutching at straws; IQ - living proof; rick wakeman - 6 wives + criminal record + rhapsodies; caravan - first + if i could do...; starcastle - real to reel...

the bands more often appear on the back of the album covers, like camel - raindances and the first album; rush-grace under pressure + permanent waves; visible wind - emergence; everon - flood; ozric tentacles - jurassic shift...

Edited by greenback

greenback wrote: prog rock is not a question of look; the important is the music, not the appearance of the band. Kate Bush's album covers show her, but she is a beautiful women, that's different. I think mike oldfield likes pretty much his look to appear on several of his album covers (amarok, earth moving, ommadawn, etc.) the same case applies to frank zappa. I found some rare prog albums having all the members on the front cover: jethro tull - a; greenslade - gold rock; gryphon - midnight mushrumps; pink floyd - piper + ummagumma; refugee; renaissance - ashes are burning (the band is dispatched on both sides) + time-line ; focus -in and out + moving waves + live at the rainbow; ; marillion -clutching at straws; IQ - living proof; rick wakeman - 6 wives + criminal record + rhapsodies; caravan - first + if i could do...; starcastle - real to reel... the bands more often appear on the back of the album covers, like camel - raindances and the first album; rush-grace under pressure + permanent waves; visible wind - emergence; everon - flood; ozric tentacles - jurassic shift...

You are right! I forgot all these bands and albums.

threefates wrote: ...but those boys are downright purty!!!!  yummy!

err no comment on that one....

I;m not a big fan of album covers with pictures of the band on them, because I don't find them exciting enough.

Vegetableman wrote: Yes are on the one of the the covers for both their self titled album and Time and A Word.

Yes. In the U.S. versions of both albums there are band photos in the front cover, but it was only when both albums were released for the first time in the U.S., and even "Time and a Word" has a band photo with Steve Howe, and he didn`t play guitars in this album at all! Peter Banks` photo appears in the back cover (he played the guitars in their first 2 albums). The original U.K. covers of both albums didn`t have front cover band photographs. Only "Time and a Word" had (as the U.S. version) individual photos of the band members in the back cover.

Edited by Guillermo

 

 

Kansas didn't have any either.  Some back covers and liners but never on the front cover.  The reason?  Just like most of the groups listed  in the first note(except ELP for 3 fates) they are not attractive people. I think the marketers knew this would't help sell albums.