Classique: Cover Art for Classical Music

Classique introduces 777 of the most inspiring classical LP covers from its heyday,
documenting groundbreaking art work and cover culture that is typical of its
epoch. In the same way that an attractive cover lures you into buying a record,
Classique entices readers taking them on a journey through the magnificent
evolution of record cover art. Ranging from romantic motifs, naturalism, abstract
art, psychedelic and surreal experimentation to supernatural artwork and pure
unadulterated kitsch, the diverse examples of classical cover design assembled
in the book are immense.
Compiled by avid record collector Hort Scherg, the cover art featured in this book
is taken from his substantial collection and presented in fifteen chapters. Each
chapter is dedicated to the stylistic approaches significant to each decade from
the 1950s to the 1980s, the variety and characteristic trends for countries such
as the US, England and Russia, the different musical genres, the graphic mediums
practiced from illustration, poster art and photography and the record companies
of the times including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca and Capitol. Classique also
gives an overview of record producers with information on their repertoires, even
including those sought-after record labels for the audiophile classical collector.
Because design for music has always served as fertile grounds for experimental
work and developments in graphic art, this book is not only for aficionados and
creatives, but also for everyone interested in visual culture.