45 Rpm [Paperback]

Spencer Drate (Author), Charles L. Granata (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2002

Singles, 45s, 7-inchers-they have many names, but come in only one package: a square of folded cardboard with a miniature poster on either side. The gold standard of Top 40 playlists for some four decades after their introduction in 1949, these small albums have long been the favorites of DJs and collectors, who prize them for their genius of small-scale graphic design.
45 RPM is the first ever collection of 7-inch sleeves. Organized chronologically, it juxtaposes more than 200 albums, from all genres of music, chosen for their inventive design. It includes albums by such legendary artists as Paul Anka, the Beatles, the Boston Pops, the Clash, Donovan, Dizzy Gillespie, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dean Martin, Curtis Mayfield, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, the Ramones, REM, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols, Frank Sinatra, Talking Heads, and many others.
Music historian Chuck Granata provides a general introduction to the history of the 45, its place in the music business, and the designers who created the covers.
Each decade of design is introduced by a specialist in that period: Eric Kohler on the 1950s, Spencer Drate on the 1960s, Roger Dean (designer of the acclaimed albums for the band Yes) on the 1970s, Bob Grossweiner on the 1980s, and Art Chantry on the 1990s and contemporary design.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this visual history of the seven-inch record-or the 45, as it is also known-Drate is out to prove that one can judge something by its cover. A graphic artist for the music industry, he divides his text by decade spanning the 1950s to the 1990s, reproducing in full color and actual size more than 200 sleeves to show the 45's evolution from Top 40 mainstay to indie rock accoutrement. Each era is introduced by a different graphic artist (e.g., Eric Kohler, Roger Dean), and the featured musicians and artists range from Sammy Davis Jr. to Stereolab and from Pablo Picasso to R. Crumb, respectively. Because pop music is part delivery and part package, record covers could be visual jams and outtakes. At best, the single scabbard reflected or complemented the music it encased. As Dean explains while kicking off the chapter on the 1970s, the single "was the natural venue for these experiments, a medium in which a designer could try things out, relax a bit, have fun." Even without an accompanying soundtrack, 45 RPM is indeed a fun look at rock'n'roll as art wearing its low-brow penchants on its sleeve. It's also the first book of its kind. Recommended for all libraries and for people who buy baseball cards for the bubblegum.
Eric Hahn, Fargo, ND
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Eric Kohler lives in New York City and specializes in the music and design of the 40s. He has created CD covers for Blue Note, Sony, and others.

Spencer Drate is an author and designer for the music industry whose clients have included John Lennon, the Beach Boys, U2, Bon Jovi, Bob Marley, Billy Joel, and many others. His books include Designing for Music and Cool Type . He is a member of the Gramm

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Archit.Press; 1 edition (October 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568983581
• ISBN-13: 978-1568983585
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,602,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A visual history of pop music, January 14, 2004

By 

cookieman108 "cookieman108®" (Inside the jar...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 45 Rpm (Paperback)

45 RPM: A Visual History of the Seven-Inch Record celebrates a often overlooked, yet vital form of art, that of the seven inch sleeve. Not only are there more than 200 pictures display in this book, but an excellent history detailing the rise and fall of this format.

There are basically five main chapters starting with the 50's all the way to the 90's. Each chapter is preceded by a written piece authored by different individuals, ranging from a record collector, renown sleeve artists, a music journalist and a music critic. Each provides thoughful, authorative, and interesting insights into the period of time they are introducing.

The real meat is the pictures, and there are a lot of them. Some have complained that some of the pictures are of poor quality, with wear and age showing, but I felt that was part of the appeal of the book. To me, the use of sometimes worn sleeves created a natural representation of what someone's record collection might look like...I sort of felt like I was looking through a friend's record collection, or browsing through a vintage record store, rather than a book of reproduced sleeves. The artwork contained within is beautiful, thought provoking, outrageous, even shocking, but always entertaining.

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shoddy haphazard compilation with little to recommend it, March 19, 2003

By 

Stephen M. H. Braitman (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 45 Rpm (Paperback)

Unfortunately, the first book to concentrate on 45 rpm Picture Sleeve art is a real disaster. It offers a random assortment of capriciously selected picture sleeves arranged by decade but with little other thought applied. It appears that the records included happened to be in the editor's collection the day they were photographed. This is a just a quickie nostalgia marketing device. It doesn't present a cohesive, coherent portrait of graphic design. It doesn't do record collectors any service, either. PLUS, many of the images are of poor quality sleeves, with bad ring wear, bent corners, writing, rips, etc. There's no excuse for not finding better condition copies of most of the very common items in this book. Obviously no one knowledgeable about records was consulted for this book. Expect it on the discount shelves and remaindered quite soon.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating and Engaging Book, December 26, 2002

By 

Mr. Patrick A. Harrington "doublethink" (Edinburgh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 45 Rpm (Paperback)

This is a engaging and attractive book. The story of how the 45 developed is what made it so interesting to me. As the introduction points out:-

"The decades-long success of the 45-rpm single belies a turbulent history. In its infancy, the small disc was at the center of a fierce battle, a fight brimming with jealousy, greed and caustic recriminations. The culmination saw two rival record companies emerge victorious, with the fallout of their erstwhile battle etched deeply into the vinyl landscape of twentieth-century pop music culture."

The introduction places the battle between Columbia (who had perfected the LP in 1948 and RCA (who introduced the 45 in 1949) in historical context. There was much here that was news to me. The initial 45s were issued using a colour coded system: red for classical, midnight blue for light classics, green for country-western, yellow for children's music, sky blue for international, and cerise (orange) for R&B. Traditional black wax was kept for money-spinning pop. By 1952 all RCA records were black, apart from special promotional pressings.

Alongside the fascinating facts what makes the book attractive is the reproduction of covers. Chosen for their inventive design these are organised chronologically. A specialist introduces each decade in that period. There are over 200 designs - a treasure and source of ideas for anyone interested in design. For those who remember buying their first singles it also acts as a trigger to memory. It also makes it clear that single and album covers were one of the most important features of a genuine mass art.