[78-L] Steinweiss and illustrated album covers

Thu May 21 11:12:11 PDT 2009

Heller completely disregards the Decca album covers of the 30s, and
writes as if he has never seen these or any covers other than those drab
covers of Victor Red Seals and Columbia Masterworks.  This is the blog
statement and I think it reflects (or might be a quote) Heller's
writings: "In 1939, he was the first art director for Columbia Records,
where he invented the concept of album covers and cover art; previously,
recorded music was sold in plain, undecorated packaging."  They also
seem to forget the beautiful (and very rare) multicolored sleeves that
were used by Columbia in the late 20s.  And Columbia had the most
colorful monthly supplements in the teens and 20s.  While there might be
good arguments to the earlier examples of Blackbirds, Showboat, Bubble
Books, G&S, exercise sets, etc. being dead-ends that did not lead to a
widespread use of illustrated album covers, you cannot say that of the
Decca albums of the 30s.  That was an ongoing series at the very time
that Steinweiss did the Rodgers cover that was his first cover.  They
were in the stores right then, and some had been for 5 or 6 years.   

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] Steinweiss and illustrated album covers
From: "Thomas Stern" <sternth at attglobal.net>
Date: Thu, May 21, 2009 1:58 pm
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

Have you had any conversations with Heller?
 Wonder if he is simply using the misrepresentation for
"marketing" his work with the mass of people for whom such claims
appeal, and for whom the shades of distinction between successfully
initiating a fashion, and inventing it is lost.
 If you have corresponded with him, what is his position?
 As implied in my initial query, I doubted the claim of invention,
but also know all those drab generic jackets on Columbia and RCA albums
from the 30's. I was aware of the Bubble Books, but one might discount
them since they were children's albums, and out of the mainstream of
record albums. The G&S covers I did not mention, since I had only
a vague recollection of them, an could not find images or discussion
of them.
 From the posts so far, seems like the G&S albums would be the earliest.
BTW - are there images of them somewhere on the web?
 There is a lovely site devoted to Little Wonder/Bubble Books (first
Bubble
Book was 1917)
here: http://www.littlewonderrecords.com/bubble-book-discography.html
 Any other candidates for earliest illustrated albums?
Cheers, Thomas.

-----Original Message-----
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
[mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com]On Behalf Of Michael Biel
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 10:56 AM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] Steinweiss and illustrated album covers

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.

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