These are 20 of the covers I've produced, but there will be 5 more to bring my

final total up to 25. These additional 5 will include 3 singles and 2 extra vinyls.

I' am really happy at this stage and have come to a point of producing my book

in InDesign and finalising the book's layout.

Progress

Over the Christmas holidays and today, I've started work on producing my "covers" of albums in their durations. Here are 4 of the many results I've produced so far, but I intend to produce far more in the short space of time we've got left in this module:

Dad's Vinyl

So after sifting through 193 vinyl records (both singles and albums), I've chosen on 25 of these covers to reproduce. I've already made some progress by reproducing the cover Prince and The Revolution's "Purple Rain" and Paul McCartney's "All The Best!". Now that I've removed these 25 records from my Dad's vast collection, I can start work on reproducing the covers of each album within the album's running time. These illustrated covers I'll produce will each be in watercolour, because in the last seven months this has been my "weapon of choice. Attached are some photos I've taken to give a glimpse in to how big my Dad's collection actually is.

Here's a full list of every vinyl record I'll be recreating, with a photo of the original cover:

1) The Jacksons - "Destiny" - Featuring: "Blame It On The Boogie" and "Destiny"

2) The Beach Boys - "20 Golden Greats" - Featuring: "God Only Knows" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice"

3) Electric Light Orchestra - "Out of the Blue" - Featuring: "Turn To Stone" and "Mr Blue Sky"

4) David Essex - "Rock On" - Featuring: "Rock On" and "Ocean Girl"

Dad's opinion: "This was the first record I ever bought, and I didn't have much choice at the time, I had to buy something!"

5) The Osmonds - "Crazy Horses" - Featuring: "Hold Her Tight" and "Crazy Horses"

Dad's opinion: "This was also one of the first ever records I bought."

6) Elvis Presley - "Moody Blue" - Featuring: "Unchained Melody" and "Little Darlin"

Dad's opinion: "This must've been grandads, and it's just landed in my collection by chance."

7) Stevie Wonder - "Songs In The Key of Life" - Featuring: "Sir Duke" and "Pastime Paradise"

Dad's opinion: "The best album I've ever heard, and there ever will be."

8) Earth, Wind and Fire - "I Am" - Featuring: "In The Stone" and "Boogie Wonderland"

9) The Eagles - "Hotel California" - Single 12"

10) New Order - "FAC93" - Featuring: "Confusion"

11) Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel - "White Lines" - Single

12) Queen - "A Night At The Opera" - Featuring: "You're My Best Friend" and "Bohemian Rhapsody"

13) Propaganda - "A Secret Wish" - Featuring: "Dr Mabuse" and "D.U.E.L"

14) Wild Cherry - "Wild Cherry" - Featuring: "Play That Funky Music" and "Nowhere To Run"

15) Lionel Richie - "Can't Slow Down" - Featuring: "All Night Long (All Night) and "Hello"

Dad's opinion: "This is an awful cover..."

16) Whitney Houston - "Whitney" - Featuring: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)

17) Simply Red - "Men And Women" - Featuring: "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" and "Infidelity"

18) George Benson - "In Your Eyes" - Featuring: "Feel Like Making Love" and "In Your Eyes"



19) Prince - "Batman - Motion Picture Soundtrack"

20) Bob Marley - "Legend: The Best Of" - Featuring: "Buffalo Soldier" and "Jamming"

21) Spandau Ballet - "The Twelve Inch Mixes" - Featuring: "Gold" and "True"

22) Michael Jackson - "Bad" - Featuring: "Dirty Diana" and "Smooth Criminal"

23) Michael Jackson - "Thriller" - Featuring: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Human Nature"

There will be two additional covers featured that have already be painted, but simply not included in this run-down. This will bring the total to hopefully 25 complete illustrated covers produced in the album or single's duration.

Beginning work...

So after collecting scans of eight selected gig tickets, I've then sourced a quote from a review for each gig, along with a photo taking at the same venue or at least on the same tour. By using these photos as a reference to work by, I've so far produced these two illustrations, which I would plan to take up a one side of a page each, along with my own quote which would face a page that includes a scan of the ticket and the review quote.

Here's what I've come up with so far:




Jamie T - Sticks 'N' Stones Tour,

The Cockpit, Leeds 2009

 


Connor O'Brien, Villagers,
The Cockpit, 2010

Gig...

I've found the perfect quote from Simon Armitage's book "Gig". The book is about northern poet Armitage's relationship with music, gigging, writing music and nostalgia. This quote basically explains my own relationship with my record collection:

"Over the years, I've recognised that my record collection also functions as a kind of photograph album or diary. A lot of my memories are stored within it. Almost every song throws up an image, often something unremarkable or incongruous, probably connected to the first time I ever heard it."

By producing a collection of illustrations that accompanies a selection of scanned tickets or album reviews, I will be exploring my nostalgia attached to those albums as well as my own practise.

If choosing to produce a book that focuses on gigs and their tickets (which act as my portal to a memory of cramped music appreciation), I'll also be exploring Leeds' hosting of brilliant bands and acts from across the country and the world on our doorstep. In this sense the book of collected tickets and illustrations will act as a personal and public display of Leeds' music scene from the last three years.