In the first ¼ 2012, in the UK 46.3 million albums were sold. This is a decrease of 13.8% compared to 2011. 55.5% of these music sales were downloads, and in the same year vinyl LP records have a sale increase 55% in the UK. This shows LPs have a growing market, when a new technology, the CD format appears to be obsolete.
Before the invention of the phonograph music was always live, this was mainly religious or classical music scene in Christian churches around Europe. The elite predominantly commissioned this, in the form of opera and theatre that showed patriarchy and strict moral values. Only the hand there was folk music, this was the popular culture as opposed to high culture. It is about fun and entertainment, his music was an important way in story telling showing a narrative of tales that were passing on an oral history. Folk music was the start of festivals and emphasised the importance of challenging the establishment and creating a tradition relating to protest.
In 1877 came recorded sound in the invention of the phonograph patterns Addison. By 1889 Emily Berliner invented the gramophone, this the first son producing mechanism that used a flat disc, known as the gramophone disc. This desk is made from strong flammable brittle material. Following this, franchises of companies were founded to mass-produce both players and discs. These early records held one track per side so for a collection they had to be multiple discs. The original gramophone disc is 7’’ and 78rps, by 1901 a 10’’ disc was developed and in 1903 a larger 12’’ disc was also produced, these larger disks produced a higher quality sound and longer tracks.
Music in this popular culture had a very basic design, the sleeves practicality and protection rather than advertising. When illustrations were added it was promoting the technology or the retailer not the music or artist. The 1930s saw the inventive design sleeves this is the beginning of genre based illustration. This provided a new area of illustration and gave more jobs to produce this modern visual language.
Bing Crosby was my first pop stars, producing the biggest selling record of all time selling more than 50 million copies worldwide, ‘White Christmas’ 1942. In 1948 the vinyl LP record was invented, it was 33⅓rpm and had 22 minutes per side there meaning in multi-track record was now a possibility, there was no longer background noise and a smoother sound. The vinyl called for new advertisement, in new players that mirrored the stream lined up static.
Rock and roll is a new way of life that was fun, and encouraged consumer capitalism through the disposable income from the youth’s parents. The goods were designed to communicate to a mass audience for example records, clothing and films. In the late 1950s rock ‘n’ roll flourished in the hands of Bill Haley, then Elvis Presley. Rock ‘n’ roll was a hybrid of blues, country and bebop, which created excitement which only music, but in the cinema too. James Dean became the face of rock ‘n’ roll in his eternal image, he died in age 25 in a car crash and therefore continued to be idolised as a young rebel. James Dean’s image of a red bomber jacket, Levi’s, and biker boots became a signifier of him. He was also one of the first to use method and improvisation acting in cinema, and from these films Elvis Presley became obsessed with him. Rock ‘n’ Roll harnessed the power of records with the raw primeval sound, creating a subculture and revolution that continued to be powerful throughout the late 20th century.
Elvis Presley had an image of an exotic rebel; his free form dancing sexualised him in a way that was unacceptable to the white Christian culture. Elvis was only filmed from the waist up because of the belief that it could corrupt the morals of the youth. However the consumerism continued to encourage this youth culture to buy records from which they copied the dance, became rebellious, began to break rules and rejected the old order. From this the traditional class system dissolved, and the swinging 60s brought a permissive society.
Rock ‘n’ roll became dangerous the record album covers reflected this, for example ‘Race with the devil’ by Gene Vincent. Elvis continued to mass-produce rock ‘n’ roll album covers, but leaning towards the boy next-door imagery. The outlook changed, it became less dangerous and more mainstream reflected in his Christmas album 1957.
1965 introduced the psychedelic album covers of optical distortion with similar aspects to jazz. This new visual language had narcotics induced suggestion, and pop music involved this in distorted typography. Following this was the summer of love (1967), Pink Floyd released their first album and popular culture became familiar with the open suggestion of these of drugs. Sgt Peppers ‘lonely hearts’ was regarded as birth of flower power and first concept LP.
The 1960s was the place of post-modernism beginning with architecture it showed over the top embellishment, and was in favour of an imaginative, playful, decorative, ironic approach. Album covers from this time knowing the use references to the error of rock ‘n’ roll in an ironic way, they also showed a deconstruction of imagery which required the audience to understand art.
Punk rock became very popular as a counter reaction to the hippie progressive rock. Hippies are seen as boring and the punk rock scene wanted to oppose that, seen in groups like the sex pistols and Johnny rotten. Punk rock encouraged its audience to do things yourself, to take the power.
Rose Kerbyson 
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