[78-L] Alex Steinweiss article

[Michael Biel]

I've just submitted this comment to the on-line comments section of this
article using my name, not a handle.  No comments have been posted yet,
so this might be the first IF it gets approved.  If Cary has written
directly to her, that should be the confirmation of what I have
submitted.  If others of you do likewise, that will help.  If this does
not appear, you all have been notified that it had been submitted.  


"Once again the myth that before Steinweiss records were  packed in
plain brown wrappers has been bought hook, line, and sinker by a writer
who is not a record collector, and has not done independent research in
an archive or collection.  By the time Steinweiss was hired by the newly
reorganized Columbia in 1940, Decca Records had a six year history with
their series of 200 albums with illustrated covers, often with
photographic inside-covers and booklets with extensive notes.   There is
a heritage of illustrated album covers dating back before 1910. 
Descriptive written notes appeared with all Edison cylinders and discs
starting in 1912.  Steinweiss is an inventive and imaginative
illustrator and artist, but he did not invent the concept of illustrated
record album covers, he merely convinced HIS company to start competing
with Decca's six year-old series of  illustrated covers.   His first
cover (C-11 by Richard Rodgers)  was not THE first illustrated cover, it
was only HIS first illustrated cover, and the first for the newly
reorganized Columbia."

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  

    


-------- Original Message --------
From: Cary Ginell <soundthink at live.com>

Well, it won't do any good if you don't write. At least I said something
and maybe...MAYBE the writer will do more research the next time. I
write reviews for a local paper and I get very few letters from people.
But when I do, I take notice, unless it's some crackpot from some
obscure organization with a bone to pick....hey, wait. That's me.

Cary Ginell

> From: dlennick at sympatico.ca
> Think it'll do any good? I don't. Writers with no frame of reference grab 
> whatever they can find, and we've been arguing this matter (as well as 
> Steinweiss not being the first to come up with illustrated album covers) as 
> long as I've been on this list. I didn't realize Steinweiss was still alive. 
> Someone should tell HIM to clarify these matters, don't you think? Or is he 
> beyond the point of giving credible interviews?
> 
> Here's another example of misinformation becoming permanent. Earlier today I 
> was looking for links to a Heritage LP of Alan Jay Lerner songs, since someone 
> had said it contained the only uncensored recording of "My Mother's Wedding 
> Day" with its original lyrics. It doesn't contain that song, as it happens. But 
> every link to that LP that I checked misquoted the catalog number, including 
> one that showed the album cover which has the correct number on it, H-0060. One 
> person listed it as H-0600 and everyone else copied it. Amazing.
> 
> dl
> 
> Cary Ginell wrote:
> > The Los Angeles Times-and-Throwaway had another article perpetuating the myth that Alex Steinweiss "invented" album cover art. It's plain that the author of the article knew nothing about the subject, saying that before Steinweiss came along, albums "were packaged in plain brown paper sleeves with no lyrics or credits." If we can bombard her with complaints about her article, maybe a clarification will be printed. Her name is Liesl Bradner and she can be reached directly at liesl.bradner at latimes.com. Be polite. She know not what she hath wrought. I've already written to her.
> > 
> > http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/12/alex-steinweiss-father-of-album-art.html
> > 
> > Cary Ginell