Collecting Vinyl Records

The end of the vinyl record has become a common prediction by all in the music industry. Records should be a dead music format by now, but they have persevered through many technological changes in the music industry.

In today's world of iPods and digital downloads, where thousands of songs fit as a nice little package, how has the vinyl record managed to compete?

Recent research shows that young people enjoy the physical experience they get with a vinyl record, and the interaction between them and the record player. There is a certain ritual one must perform to play a record, and much to the chagrin of the digital world, the youth of the world is receptive to this type of interaction.

For some, collecting vinyl records has become an obsession, a life long journey to hidden masterpieces locked away in the attic and cellars around the globe. For others, only have a few selected gems from their favorite band or recording artist is enough to satisfy their collection demand.

Then there is the thrill hunting and scouring the websites and online auctions in search of a rare collector's item or a record for their collection. For the more adventurous, there are numerous flea markets, rummage sales, flea markets and similar areas. There they can search through dusty crates and boxes in hopes of finding the next special addition to their already growing vinyl collection.

And it is not just the music that is hunted for. Cover Art, including what could be called Pin-up Art on record albums, is collected. Since Alex Stone White designed the first album cover for Columbia Records in 1939, album art has been highly collectible and is a part of music history.

Classic album covers like the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, Janis Joplin's Cheap Thrills (by Robert Crumb) to Led Zeppelin 'Physical Graffiti are icons. Some bands added looked to world-renowned artists for their album covers and concepts for their latest releases, including The Rolling Stones, who used Andy Warhol's design idea for their album, Sticky Finger.

For some, collecting vinyl is an investment. Not only a financial investment, but a cultural one as well. Vinyl records are part of pop culture as we know it and certainly part of the rock and roll era. Top grade vinyl records with its album art and music is a very important part of this phenomenon.

But the one thing that sets vinyl apart from all other musical formats is that vinyl records often present the best sound. There is no substitute for quality of the music heard on vinyl, certainly no current digital counterpart. And for just that, the vinyl record will continue to survive, if not thrive.

About the Author Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates Collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can secure your copy of his ebook called “The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting.” Robert can be contacted at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com

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Roger Dean Album Artist

Since Alex Stein Weiss designed album covers for Columbia Records in the 1940s, many famous artists and designers have also designed iconic and stylish album cover. From the famous Cartoonist Robert Crumb, the Janis Joplin's "Cheap Thrills" album designed to enhance the contribution of Andy Warhol to the "Rolling Stones" Sticky Fingers "LP cover, have many well-known artists work and share their talents and put a picture to the music of rock and roll bands and artists.

One of these artists, Roger Dean, is world renowned for his legendary album cover designs and concepts. He is known for his partnership with the progressive rock band “Yes.”

Dean was born in Ashford, Kent, England in 1944, and spent much of his childhood moving around the world (he’s lived in Cyprus, Greece and Hong Kong) with his British Army father. The family returned to England in 1957, where Dean was attended the Canterbury School of Art and earned a National Diploma of Design. In 1968, he graduated from the Royal College of Art.

Besides his artwork, Dean is a designer. In fact, one of his inventions was a “sea urchin chair”… This is a foam chair, with a spherical appearance. The uniquely designed chair was for the film "A Clockwork Orange".

It was around this time that Dean began doing the now famous art design work that he is best known for, designing and painting unique album covers for various rock bands.

His first album cover was for a band called "Gun." In 1971, Dean designed the cover for the first Osibisa LP, an African / Caribbean band and this art drew much attention and interest in his work. In fact, later in the same year, Dean designed the stage for the band “Yes” as well as the album cover for the band Yes..

Yes guitarist Steve Howe explains: "There is a fairly close relationship between our sound and Roger's art." Dean’s Art is dreamy, space landscapes, floating islands and fantasy habitats. He works mainly with watercolors, but many of his paintings to give a brilliant use of other artistic media such as gouache, ink, oil paint, crayon and collage. Dean is also a highly regarded calligrapher designer.

Besides his impeccable and incomparable album cover for Yes, he also designed album covers for rock bands, Uriah Heep, Asia, Atomic Rooster, and Budgie and artist Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman.

Dean landed a gig, in 1985, with Psygnosis and he has developed the artwork for several video games including Tetris Worlds, and the redesign of the Tetris logo.

In recent years, he has focused on architectural ideas and designs. As an architectural designer, he has designed homes and villages, which included all aspects of the own home design. The design is on the "Home For Life" concept which says that a house should portray itself artistically, and be environmentally friendly, but also quick and cheap to build.

Be assured that when Roger Dean works on the project, there will always be innovative, inspiring, and incomparable art.

About the Author: Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates http://www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can pick up a copy of his ebook called “The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting.” Contact Robert at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com —-Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Roger Dean- Album Cover Artist And Designer

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