I can’t really remember when my fascination with album artwork began, but you can rest assured that whenever it was, my fascination with Storm Thorgerson was quick to follow. The more I researched the images I adored, the more this guy’s name (as well as the art group Hipgnosis, which Storm was a key member of before 1983) continued to crop up over and over again, until it was obvious this dude was in a league of his own.Storm became a considerable fixture in my musical education and exploration. I have been known to listen to bands purely because he had done the artwork for them. I have written about him on a few occasions during this blog's existence, most notably in my 2010 article Easter Eggs Up Your Ass, as well as a piece so old it predates Juice Nothing itself, 2008's 30 Favourite Album Artworks I Own. When my sister told me that Mr. Thorgerson would be attending his own exhibition in South Africa, I begged her to purchase his latest book for me and get it signed - which she did, something I am as equally grateful for, as I am irrationally jealous of (to see me holding said signed book, with my sister's wisdom teeth included, click here). And while all of this was going on, it had become a progressively more crucial dream of mine to one day have Storm Thorgerson design artwork for my own music. He would've loved it. I'd let him do whatever he wanted.
Unfortunately, I never got the chance. 3 days ago, after a long battle with cancer which I wasn’t even aware of, Storm died at the age of 69. The death of someone I admire is always tough, but this one felt significantly more important than your average "rockstar". This wasn't some member of a band who would now cease to exist. This was a man who granted us the visuals for many of the greatest bands that had ever blessed our ears, going on to play a pivotal role in the presentation of so many albums we worship, including those from AC/DC, Anthrax, Biffy Clyro, Black Sabbath, The Cranberries, Dream Theatre, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, The Mars Volta, Megadeth, Muse, The Offspring, Paul McCartney, Pendulum, Pink Floyd, Scorpions, Styx, and T. Rex, to name very few. Most artists start to suck and fade out of popularity at some point, but not Storm. In fact, I think he was only improving as time went on, some of his most impressive works only arriving in more modern years. And when you learn that his most recent offering for Biffy Clyro’s Opposites was released in January 2013, it's safe to assume he had a lot more to offer, if given the lifespean to do so. All of this into consideration, is why the loss feels a little bigger than your general big tragedy, and I mourn the man much more than I could do justice here.
But I still had to try, which is why I threw together this little bit of writing. It's to pay my respects and to keep the memory of this artist alive, in my own small way. To do this a bit better, I have decided to let his genius speak for itself, by selecting 20 of the legend's works which stood out most to me (either as a personal favourite or as one of his more iconic pieces) and then displaying them below. However, I urge you not to stop there, and to go fourth into your own research, because even if you weren’t aware of this name until now, you will be impressed about how much of his art you were already very familiar with.
Rest in Peace to the Greatest Album Artwork Creator of All Time.
Storm Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013)
PLEASE NOTE: Storm refused to use Photoshop in his creations, and he had no intention of ever learning it. So keep in mind that everything you see here is real, unless otherwise stated.
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)
Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door (1979)
10CC - Look Hear? (1980)
US Edition
Ween - The Mollusk (1997)
Phish - Slip Stitch and Pass (1997)
The Cranberries - Bury The Hatchet (1999)
The Cranberries - Wake Up And Smell The Coffee (2001)
Muse - Absolution (2003)
The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute (2005)
The Mars Volta - Amputechture (2006)
Mars Volta did not end up choosing this design
Umphrey's McGee - The Bottom Half (2007)
Biffy Clyro - Puzzle (2007)
Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions (2009)
Muse - Uprising (2009)
Single
Shpongle - Ineffable Mysteries from Shpongleland (2009)
Pendulum - Immersion (2010)
Pendulum eventually got an outside artist to mess with Storm's original piece.As a result, this one does use Photoshop.
Storm was not happy about it.
Steve Miller Band - Let Your Hair Down (2011)
That's awesome!!
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