[78-L] Steinweiss and illustrated album covers

[Michael Biel]

I just started a discussion group on the Amazon page for the new $400
book.  Go there and join in on the discussion!

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] Steinweiss and illustrated album covers
From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
Date: Thu, May 21, 2009 9:52 am
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

I have LONG been incensed with the author of this book often repeated
lie about Steinweiss being the inventor of the modern illustrated record
album cover. I tried to correct someone's web site about this just last
week. I just submitted the review reprinted below to Amazon's listing
of the smaller inexpensive Steinweiss book mentioned by Cary, and will
put it in for the new book as soon as they start accepting reviews when
it is published. I URGE others with facts, such as the posters on this
thread, to put their own reviews in as well. 

>>> Steinweiss did NOT invent the illustrated record cover, May 21, 2009
By MJB - 
I wish there was some way to stop Steven Heller from repeating the
falsehood that Steinweiss "invented" the illustrated album cover. He has
taken the fact of when Steinweiss did HIS first illustrated cover and
taken it to mean that it was THE first illustrated cover. There had been
a series of nearly 100 illustrated album covers on Decca Records for
nearly six years BEFORE Steinweiss's first cover. And even before that,
Show Boat on Brunswick had an illustrated cover. Other companies had
used illustrated album covers. RCA Bluebird had children's albums with
illustrated covers, the Bubble Books were completely illustrated
children's record albums going back to the World War One era, and many
other examples I can name and show. Calling Steinweiss the "inventor" of
the modern illustrated album cover is a factual error, but Stephen
Heller just keeps on and on and on publishing new books and articles
repeating this falsehood, convincing people who have no first-hand
knowledge of record albums that this is a fact. Steinweiss is a
talented, wonderful, inventive artist, but all he did was convince
Columbia to compete with the well established, long running series of
illustrated album covers that Decca had been using for many years. He
did not "invent" the concept of the illustrated album cover, he did not
create the first illustrated record album, he just changed the attitude
of HIS company, and then created some wonderful art. Isn't that good
enough? This is a beautiful book, but is flawed because of the
overreaching claim of priority that seems to have overwhelmed the other
reviewers. <<<

-------- Original Message --------

From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>


HMV put out complete Gilbert and Sullivan operettas in the late 1910s
with 
gorgeous full colour covers. And the Brunswick Showboat set is something
to 
behold, with the artwork extending across the back cover and signed
photographs 
of the performers on the inside.

Personally, I find Steinweiss's stuff too "adorable" much of the time.
Give me 
DSM. If you ever find the DISC album of Prokofiev conducting Romeo and
Juliet 
(which is absolutely worthless from a technical standpoint, even if it
was 
pressed on vinyl), that cover is a surrealistic masterpiece and one
character 
in it looks exactly like Marlon Brando, a couple of years before anyone
ever 
heard of him.

dl

Sam Hopper wrote:
> This might be of interest regarding examples of 78rpm album work:
> 
> http://78rpmalbums.gramophile.com/
> 
> Thanks, Sam
> 
> 
> On 21/05/2009, at 3:07 PM, Thomas Stern wrote:
> 
>> The recent post about the limited edition STEINWEISS book raises the
>> question of whether he is actually the originator of illustrated 
>> record albums.
>> The BUBBLE BOOKS from the teens 20's certainly qualify as illustrated
>> jackets, but
>> I cannot envision popular or classical albums from the early 30's with
>> illustrated jackets.
>> I hope folks on the list can give examples and perhaps pinpoint when
>> illustrated jackets
>> actually began.
>> Thanks, Thomas.