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R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection [Hardcover]

R. Crumb
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 7, 2011

A landmark work that pays splendid homage to a forgotten era of seminal American music.

Robert Crumb first began drawing record covers in 1968 when Janis Joplin, a fellow Haight Ashbury denizen, asked him to provide a cover for her album Cheap Thrills. It was an invitation the budding artist couldn't resist, especially since he had been fascinated with record covers-particularly for the legendary jazz, country, and old-time blues music of the 1920s and 1930s-since he was a teen. This early collaboration proved so successful that Crumb went on to draw hundreds of record covers for both new artists and largely forgotten masters. So remarkable were Crumb's artistic interpretations of these old 78 rpm singles that the art itself proved influential in their rediscovery in the 1960s and 1970s. Including such classics as Truckin' My Blues Away, Harmonica Blues, and Please Warm My Weiner, Crumb's opus also features more recent covers done for CDs. R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection is a must-have for any lover of graphics and old-time music. 450 four-color illustrations

Frequently Bought Together

R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection + R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country + The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
Price for all three: $53.20

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Philadelphia, R. Crumb is the author of numerous comic works and one of the pioneers of underground comics. His books include Kafka, The Complete Crumb Comics (17 volumes), The R. Crumb Sketchbook (10 volumes), R. Crumb Draws the Blues, The Book of Mr. Natural, the #1 New York Times bestseller The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb, R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection, co-author of Drawn Together: The Collected Works of R. and A. Crumb, and many more. He lives in the south of France with his wife, the artist Aline Kominsky-Crumb.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 96 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (November 7, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393082784
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393082784
  • Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 0.7 x 10.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Philadelphia, R. Crumb is the author of numerous comic works and one of the pioneers of underground comics. His books include Kafka, The Complete Crumb Comics (17 volumes), The R. Crumb Sketchbook (10 volumes), R. Crumb Draws the Blues, The Book of Mr. Natural, The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb, and many more. He lives in the south of France with his wife, the artist Aline Kominsky-Crumb.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(13)
4.8 out of 5 stars
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The bigger the Crumb fan you are the more you'll like what you see in this collection. Stuart Jefferson  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
And now I've bought his book, and I'm suggesting you should buy his book, too. Michael Ward  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
This is an interesting book for anyone interested in the complete art works of Robert Crumb. "Electric" Mike Langford  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A feast for the eyes November 5, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Robert Crumb's love of music is no secret and it shows in the the artwork, lettering and designs for records and CD's he has created over the years. A long overdue revised and updated edition, this volume has three times the number of images as the original. Even dedicated fans who have managed to track down the many obscure discs will find some rare or previously unpublished artwork. This book is a real treat for long time fans as well as a great entry point for people not that familiar with Crumb's work.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY! A COLLECTION OF CRUMB ALBUM ARTWORK January 17, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book itself is a relatively small (10"x10" approximately) coffee table-style book, with 267 images by R. Crumb. The book slips inside a fairly thick cardboard slipcase, which is covered in Robert Crumb's graphics in an overall tan color. Tying in with the album cover theme, there's a record label sized hole punched through the back and front covers, which show more color graphics (the front is a portrait of Crumb's group/the back is from the album "Harmonica Blues" on Yazoo Records) from Crumb-a nice touch. The book itself is a substantial hardcover, the paper is a slick almost matte surface-perfect for reproducing Crumb's artwork. On the endpapers are reproductions (from a European set), in color, of trading cards Crumb produced-more about those later.

For music/album cover fans (like me) this is one of Robert Crumb's finest books. There are a so many examples of his style that picking favorites is very hard. The graphics are a mixture of color, b&w, and mono color-a number of them are reproduced almost full page. Included are most of Crumb's album covers, stand alone portraits (Frank Zappa, Bo Diddley, James Brown, Gus Cannon, George Jones, Woody Guthrie, etc), posters, calling cards, record labels, CD artwork, and advertisements. There's also several pieces of Crumb's work that were never used-hence unseen by most people. It's difficult to say with any real accuracy if this book collects all his work in this area-probably not. Somewhere, stashed away and forgotten, are other examples of Crumb's work in the music field. But that's okay, because what's here is worth pouring over and enjoyed many times. The bigger the Crumb fan you are the more you'll like what you see in this collection.

If you like books devoted to album covers and/or record labels (and related work), this fine book can sit alongside other collections of similar artwork. I still own (and cherish) the albums with Robert Crumb artwork. There's nothing like seeing his work on a full sized album cover, but this great book will give you a good look at his wonderful, quirky, reverential take on music and musical artists. If you're a Robert Crumb fan-purchase this now or in the near future. Also check out his book "Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country", for more fine portraits of many musicians in those genres.

And if you happen to run across Crumb's trading card sets, purchase it (them) immediately. The three most well known are-"Pioneers of Country Music" (difficult/impossible to find), "Early Jazz Greats", and "Heroes of the Blues" (which has two different box tops-one in color (the earliest), one in black/red/white. These, too, are portraits of musical greats-some well known some not. There are several plates (#101, #88, #74) included in the book devoted to these sets. There's also another set of cards-this time featuring characters from Crumb's various publications-released in 2010. If you like posters, check out the three available on Amazon-they're 2' X 3' (1 poster is 24" X 30"), and they're Crumb in full glorious color. And there's also a soundtrack from "Crumb", a film by Terry Zwigoff-it's pretty cool too if you like recreations (except for 2 original Geechie Wiley tracks) of old 78 RPM tunes. And finally, check out Crumb's book on the blues-with biographies of some well known bluesmen and other pieces. It's Crumb's idiosyncratic look at the music and artists. For some unknown reason, looking at this book reminded me of the book "Dead Letters", a collection of envelopes with some fine to crazed artwork, sent in by fans, hoping to get noticed in order to get tickets ("a miracle" in the Dead world) to upcoming concerts. Check it out-in it's own way it's pretty cool too.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant November 23, 2011
Format:Hardcover
"R Crumb, The Complete Record Cover Collection" is a visual treasure. Unlike some of his other works, I truly enjoyed the mesh of Crumb's unorthodox art style on vintage albums from the 60's underground film movement. Like his art, he graced some truly outstanding albums that broke ground in both media. In one anaology, we could equate great blues, or soul music with Crumb illustrations as equivalent. Reading the book, I can almost hear soulful songs and heartfelt melodies oozing from the record album like cover.

In short, I like the layout, the artwork, the design, and appreciate one more side of a man whose art I was not enamored with a year ago. His pencil work on the blues cards is stunning and should be reproduced in poster form, or reprinted for the blues audience who would enjoy this book.

I highly recommend this book, and with that there was a CD included of some music to listen to while you read.

Maybe next time folks.

Tim Lasiuta
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Prolific Artist!!
Great book: Caught up on a lot of work by this prolific artist man! A great technique for line work.
Published 2 months ago by Maurice A. Hillman
4.0 out of 5 stars It's a lot of the same thing
If you are a big Crumb fan, this is for you. For the new aficionado, it seems like a lot of the same theme over and over.
Published 5 months ago by Jerry S. Olson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great present
Stepdad is big R Crumb fan.... wasn't sure exactly what to get him. Searched around and settled on this book. Wow was he surprised and thrilled. He raved about the book.. Read more
Published 6 months ago by MissRaychill
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
Gave this to my husband on Father's Day - we haven't seen him since! LOL. But seriously - he's poring through every page - so much detail in this book, and the resolution on the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by D. Bologovsky
5.0 out of 5 stars I Love CRUMB!
This is a great collection of Crumb art. Very enjoyable and highly recommended, if only to leave laying on the coffee table as a conversation piece.
Published 12 months ago by S. PETERSON
5.0 out of 5 stars There are no stories here, but a collection of Crumb's cover art...
For decades, R. Crumb has been, sometimes boldly, sometimes quietly, blazing trails through the comics artform. Read more
Published 13 months ago by GraphicNovelReporter.com
4.0 out of 5 stars R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection
This is an interesting book for anyone interested in the complete art works of Robert Crumb. It wasn't what I expected it to be but none the less it was a quick short read and a... Read more
Published 14 months ago by "Electric" Mike Langford
4.0 out of 5 stars Great detail
This was a present for my father. He's a great fan and was truly exited to recive this extensize collection.
Published 16 months ago by Kathryn E. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I ordered, thank you!
A very provocative artist and an equally provocative (definitely 18 years and over) book cover. But if you know Crumb and his work, and you can get past the (understandable)... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Clio
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy
Buy this book if you like R. Crumb and you like historic music. Or just buy this book if you like Crumb, as it will provide you with nice images of Crumb drawings you've never... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Michael Ward
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