Fusing the Visual and the Aural – The Art of the Record/CD Sleeve

Sound is a piece of visual culture. Both music and art are universal, yet still an expression of the social time. Many famous songs were heavily inspired by current events, for example the song ‘A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall’, written by Bob Dylan in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was described as one of the most idiosyncratic protest songs ever written. On the other hand there were particular bands that devoted the majority of their music to protesting against particular events such as Country Joe and the Fish, who were widely known for their musical protest against the Vietnam War, although they familiarized with means of psychedelic rock. One song that stands out within my era is the song ‘Dear Mr President’ by Pink, it was most definitely influenced by current events, as it challenges the President about current economic and social turmoil, and it is without a doubt one of the most influential and inspiring songs of my generation.

Each period of time was defined by its own aesthetic appeal. The 60’s saw an explosion of pop culture with albums such as Tommy James & The Shondells - Mony Mony (1968), which portrayed a new outlook on album art. The 60’s also experienced the greatest increase in psychedelic art, containing many connotations that disrupted and challenged the conventional methods of album art. Nevertheless a sign of postmodernism art is appearing in the music of contemporary artists today, one of which is the music of Christina Aguilera who drew inspiration from the style of the 20's, 30's, and 40's jazz, blues and soul music but still keeping a modern element, which is clearly seen through her music , album art, her music videos and her unique fashion and styling, especially within the album ‘Back to Basics’. So it obvious that music and art go hand in hand to create the overall image of the artist or band.

Album cover of the single ‘hurt’ from Christina Aguilera’s album ‘Back to Basics’

Even with the growth of the music industry authenticity and the realism of album art has been eliminated by the availability of downloads. It is said that if you can digitize it, it’s worthless, therefore digital downloads have destroyed the music industry. Whether or not this is correct I believe that downloads are corrupting the music industry, as you could easily download any album but on the other hand you wouldn’t go to the shop to buy the same album. Downloads are too convenient, it removes the excitement and authenticity of being able to hold the album in your hand; it also removes album art from the limelight. Although in contrast the iPod is an excellent example of the success of digital, as it creates a fourth dimension that allows you to be in two places at once, the physical space and the mental space created by the music on the iPod, so it is debatable whether or not digital is an improvement or a disadvantage to the music industry.