Monday, October 22, 2012

Is it really so strange?




The Smiths albums from the Rough Trade Records label were radiant when they were first released in the 1980's, and continue to exemplify great design with a less-is-more sensibility. Their stark design with a single image, often in duotone, and bare minimum text hardly seems like a recipe for a sales-boosting package. But there's mystery in the image; evoking a vague memory, leaving a thread of a story, and the viewer spellbound.





Alain Delon in The Unvanquished, 1964


Terence Stamp in The Collector, 1965


Jean Marais in Orpheus, 1956


Joe Dallesandro in Flesh, 1968


Candy Darling in Women in Revolt, 1971


Morrissey has shared his profound fascination and encyclopedic knowledge of film and television during interviews. Their influence and inspiration can be found in the occasional borrowed screen dialogue for lyrics and song titles, as well as single frames from films for album covers.



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