In the world of rock music sleeve art, one artist’s name can be found cropping up time and again: Storm Thorgerson. His graphic design companies Hipgnosis and Storm Studios were responsible for so many instantly recognisable pieces of art. Some of them are now so much part of popular culture, they are almost taken for granted by music lovers.
JEFF LYNNE – Armchair Theatre
In 1987, Electric Light Orchestra head honcho Jeff Lynne sat in as producer with ex-Beatle George Harrison on his hugely popular ‘Cloud Nine’ album. The combination of Harrison’s gift for pop melodies and Lynne’s very distinctive production sound (often revolving around filtered harmony vocals and a gated snare drum leading to a very compressed sound) led to the album being a multi-million seller. The sessions also gave birth to the greatest supergroup ever – The Traveling Wilburys, comprising Harrison, Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. While some people overlook Lynne’s contribution to the group, it is his studio expertise which, perhaps, brings the most to what we now think of as the “Wilbury sound”.
BLOODLIGHTS – Stand Or Die
Coming almost ten years after Gluecifer’s swansong ‘Automatic Thrill’, this third album from guitarist Captain Poon’s Bloodlights is a record which could match his previous outfit’s claim to be the kings of rock. Not in a stadium filling, household name way, you understand; more in a bringing it back to the sweaty clubs sense. Far rougher around the edges than Gluecifer in their later days, Bloodlights are ugly, mean and fully charged.
NOFX: European festival dates
Punk veterans NOFX have confirmed appearances at various European festivals, as detailed below.
The appearances do not include a trip to the UK this time around. The band’s last trip to the UK is documented in a review of their second London show, which you can read here.
The shows are part of the ongoing promotion for their 2012 release ‘Self-Entitled’.
ALMOST CLASSY – Almost Classy EP
Almost Classy – a four piece outfit comprising members from all over the US – bring various elements of classic pop rock together on their debut EP. Music fans will be about to pick out a myriad of influences throughout these five tunes and the active nature of the band’s arrangements are such that different people could well hear different things, but somehow Almost Classy blend their influences into a wholly enjoyable package that sounds like the work of a band far better than mere copyists.