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[Will]

This is kind of related to a thread already started, but I just decided it'd be easier to start a new one...

How important is the artwork that comes with a cd to you guys?  Have you ever either A: bought a cd that you ended up not liking the music, but kept because you liked the artwork or B: refused to buy a cd because the artwork was crappy?  Do you think that the cover/booklet/etc. add to the overall artistry of a cd, or are they just special bonuses?  If you think that artwork is important as well, what are some examples of stellar design you can think of?

One of my personal favorites would be the album "Jane Doe" by Converge...of course they're my favorite band, but I also love how the artwork that goes along with the cd itself perfectly complements the music...it gives the whole package more of a "this is a chohesive work of art" feel, rather than just "here's 12 songs we threw together and burned on a cd."

Thoughts?

[Thrillho]

Quite frankly, the artwork has absolutely nothing-to-fucking-do with whether or not I buy a CD. I'm buying music, not visual art.

Of course, I will look at how a CD looks and comment of it, yada yada, but it doesn't effect whether or not I buy the CD. That'd be ridiculous.

How the CD is presented is a different thing. I didn't buy the Arcade Fire's album for a long time because it only came in a crappy cardboard case, but eventually gave in. That kind of casing does piss me off though. Both Takk... by Sigur Ros and Modern Times by Bob Dylan come in stupid presentation cases that don't fit on my shelf properly.

[Der Golem]

Bad artwork doesn't bother me, it wouldn't deter me from buying a CD I know I want, but really good artwork might catch my eye and increase the cances of me buying the CD. Once I own an album however, the artwork itself makes little if any difference, at most I smile when I pick it up. (As is the case with most Ipecac releases)

[space_oddity]

I didn't buy the Arcade Fire's album for a long time because it only came in a crappy cardboard case, but eventually gave in. That kind of casing does piss me off though.

This happened to me too, and I agree that CD casing is one area where homogeny is the best route.
I have to admit the artwork does have an effect on me, though it's mostly subconscious and only changes the amount of time it takes me to buy an album, not whether or not I actually will purchase it at all.
Really, great artwork enhances the experience more than bad artwork detracts from it. In the Court of the Crimson King, Odelay, and of course Dark Side of the Moon are already stupendous musical works, and the brilliance of their covers/liner notes only helps.
Where my ire rises is when I encounter disastrous lyrical arrangement in the liner notes (i.e. Siamese Dream), but that's still a small concern.

Some truly great covers, in my opinion, are those of Unknown Pleasures, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Low, Spiderland, Daydream Nation, and F#A#Infinity.

[*Sights*]

Quite frankly, the artwork has absolutely nothing-to-fucking-do with whether or not I buy a CD. I'm buying music, not visual art.

Yes, but haven't you ever bought a cd just because of the artwork? There's a chance it sucks, but what if it was great? Discovering a good band just randomly like that would make it greater.

Personally, although i do think the artwork is important to enhance the musical experience, or to convey what "was the album about", i've never done what i said above. Mainly because i hate wasting my money.

[Lines]

i wouldn't buy a cd based on cover art alone. what matters is the sound. i mean, album art is awesome, and it's great when a good album has great art, but it's not usually a defining factor in what i buy.

but then again, it's few and far in between when i buy cd's.

[Kid Modernist]

I would say that cool artwork might make me buy a random album (especially if it is in the used section) but bad artwork would never make me not buy an album.

I bought Asobi Seksu's new album having never heard of them because I liked their case and it was only 5 bucks.

But all a bad artwork would do would be to make it not stand out to be bought randomly.

[Thrillho]

Quite frankly, the artwork has absolutely nothing-to-fucking-do with whether or not I buy a CD. I'm buying music, not visual art.

Yes, but haven't you ever bought a cd just because of the artwork?

No, never, because artwork is nothing to do with the music contained within. I'm buying a CD to listen to, not look at.

[schimmy]

Wait, wait, you can listen to CDs? Why didn't you guys tell me this before?

[Lines]

you know, i sent you a cd explaining this whole thing to you! JEEZE.

[KharBevNor]

Artwork can be a good indicator of what you're actually going to get when making chance purchases though. Although sometimes, it can be completely unexpected: I got into Leftover Crack just by being completely intrigued by the album art of 'Fuck World Trade': Black metal aesthetics, punk design, anarchist message. Brilliance. Also, having been  recommended My Dying Bride, it was the wierd, otherworldly art for 'Turn Loose the Swans' that actually made me pick that CD up, and be subsequently blown the fuck away.



I'm personally of the opinion that an album is a holistic package. Many of my favourite bands design their own packaging and do their own artwork: A Current 93 album wouldn't be a Current 93 album without some wierd fucked up Dave Tibet painting on the cover and cryptic homages to Thomas Ligotti and Aleister Crowley in the run-off grooves. Properly chosen artwork helps complete the world which the band or project is creating, and flesh out the listening experience. That said, I don't think I'd not buy a CD because of bad art: then again, there aren't any CDs in my collection I like that I can immediately think of as having bad art.

[bucky_2300]

Their Satanic Majesties Command - Rolling Stones. My dad bought it when it came out because it had that wacky tilt-me-and-I-move cover art panel on it. No other reason.


I, like Khar, bought Fuck World Trade largely because of the cover art - although knowing some of LOC's music beforehand helped a lot.

I also bought Black Flag's Damaged because the art was boss, and I loved the album. Same goes for Judas Priest's Screaming for Vengeance.

Oh, and the original Stormblast by Dimmu. Not that shitty re-recorded and re-packaged for the BM kiddies version that recently came out. It's only black metal if it sounds like it was recorded in someone's basement suite during a thunderstorm with one microphone and a four-track tape recorder.

[KharBevNor]

Actually, that's a point I can't believe I didn't make. The album art for stuff on Vinyl is always approximately 200,000 times better than it is for the stuff on CD.

My dad owns all of the classic Yes and Pink Floyd albums bar one or two. No matter your opinion on prog rock, you cannot argue that they are fucking artistic masterstrokes. I'm sure you wouldn't have to walk very far in here to find someone who considers Gerald Scarfes album art to be far, far better than the actual contents of The Wall.

[Omnicide]

I'm sure you wouldn't have to walk very far in here to find someone who considers Gerald Scarfes album art to be far, far better than the actual contents of The Wall.

is this disrepct for The Wall? I will fight you to the death, sir.

I bought my first Discworld book for the cover art (ages ago...). can't see the harm of the same deal with albums if you're on a whim-buying session.

[Storm Rider]

I think he was more referring to the fact that progressive music isn't really held in the highest esteem by certain people in this forum.

[Fortnight]

I was at Amoeba rooting around the three buck CDs and bought an album by a band called The Konks just because I was so taken with the album cover. I thought the band itself would most likely turn out to be so-so, but actually I like it so much I'm going to re-purchase a real copy.

Don't ignore the music that yells out "Take A Chance On Me!"

[Inlander]

What confuses me is when an album has different cover art in different countries.  For instance, I'm led to believe that a certain well-known indie album looks like this in most countries:



But in Australia it looks like this:



PUZZLING!

[Kai]

I saw the second cover of it when I was looking through CDs earlier today and was kind of perplexed for half a second. I couldn't remember why it perplexed me until now.

[*Sights*]

I have the second version of those. I thought the first cover was supposed to be more common, but i can't find it anywhere. Also weird: i just bought Bee Hives, but i can't, for the love of god, find Feel Good Lost in this forsaken land.

[Thrillho]

Actually, that's a point I can't believe I didn't make. The album art for stuff on Vinyl is always approximately 200,000 times better than it is for the stuff on CD.

My dad owns all of the classic Yes and Pink Floyd albums bar one or two. No matter your opinion on prog rock, you cannot argue that they are fucking artistic masterstrokes. I'm sure you wouldn't have to walk very far in here to find someone who considers Gerald Scarfes album art to be far, far better than the actual contents of The Wall.

Both Gerry Scarfe and Hipgnosis (sp?) are visionaries when it comes to album art. Almost all of the Floyd albums have great artwork.