[78-L] Steinweiss and illustrated album covers

[Michael Biel]

From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> > What the....!?
> > "Steinweiss claims to have invented the LP cover, which first appeared in 1948."
> >  From http://78rpmalbums.gramophile.com/
> > If he's taking credit for the tombstone, he can have it.  dl

This blogger has some of the facts confused even from the mistakes in
the Steven Heller original.  The form of the Lp cover that Steinweiss
claims credit for is the slick glued onto a folded chipboard support
which has the rear notes already glued on.  He does NOT claim anything
about the tombstone Lp cover.  However, I think that Decca was once
again the inventor of the slick-on-chipboard cover because I think they
were using them prior to Columbia using them.  

And as for the word "tombstone", one of the things that IS a possible
statement in Heller's histories is that this was the term that was used
for the pre-illustrated albums made by Columbia in the 30s.  You know,
the plain cover with the text in an outlined box.  It might also have
been applied to the covers that Columbia used in the Royal Blue era
where they had the text put on silver stickers on the front and top
spine of the albums.  So the use of the term "tombstone" might have
predated those Lp sleeves.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com


Michael Biel wrote:
> From: "simmonssomer" <simmonssomer at comcast.net>
>> What about those DSM "Disc" 78 albums from the 40's.......
>> Al Simmons
> 
> Those came AFTER Steinweiss started his Columbia covers. We're looking
> for covers BEFORE Steinweiss.
> 
> Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- 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.