Customer Reviews

Taken By Storm

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Taken By Storm is a great collection of works by my favorite artist/designer Storm Thorgerson. He gives insights into where ideas came from, how elements of pictures came to be, and which ones held special meanings. Storm also includes many that were made, but NOT used by the bands in question (and therefore previously unseen by the public). Storm went to great lengths to get just the right set-up in just the right place, with just the right lighting...a testimony to his dedication to this form of art. Fans of Pink Floyd, The Cranberries, Catherine Wheel, Mars Volta, Led Zepplin, and others will be zapped into Storm's world, captivated, and sometimes shocked by what they find there as they are taken by Storm...

For music fans, this is a magnificent treat. Storm Thorgerson's Hipgnosis was responsible for some of the most quirky, eye-catching album cover art of the past 30+ years and this book gives an insight into the thinking that went behind some of these classic covers. (Pink Floyd fans however, might also want to read "Mind over Matter'' for fuller details of the covers done by Hipgnosis - they did all except The Wall). Better yet, Thorgerson dry wit and oh-so-English sense of humor permeates his writing, which means the text as well as the pics will entertain the reader - a real bonus. Highly recommended.

"Taken By..." meaning this book focuses on the amazing surreal imagery of Storm Thorgerson, rather than the finished product (i.e., album cover) itself. So, the book is geared more toward photography than a graphic design point of view. Recommended for all album art book collectors (a dying breed itself!).

Storm Thorgerson is the artist that designed many classic and current rock album covers.
This book is a facinating review of many of the album covers and how they were made.
I recommend this book for any fan of Rock or commercial art.

When it coves to the (dying) art of the album cover, there are designers and there is Storm Thorgerson. As the mainman behind England's legendary art production house Hipgnosis, Thorgerson led the way with many of the most famous album covers of the 70's and 80's. Led Zeppelin, 10cc and most notably Pink Floyd all used Thorgerson to conjure up images that were both surreal and cerebral and lent an enormous aire of importance to both the artist and the music inside. From Ummagumma to Houses of the Holy to the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway to Dark Side of the Moon (!), Thorgerson's work put these albums on the highest of pedestal's, and deservedly so. (Even his recent work with Muse, Mars Volta and Audioslave bears his completely unique imprint to this day.) In this, his latest collection, the artist recalls the tales that went into each piece of work with insight and absolute candor. And some of the stories of how these remarkable images were created are quite revealing and downright legendary! (Did you know, for example, that Led Zeppelin had another name for the `Prescence' album until they saw Storm's work with `the object', that wasn't an object at all, but rather a hole - something not `present' at all!) We had the occasion to meet up with Thorgerson the other night at a gallery opening in Hollywood and suffice it to say that we were blown away by the assembled images that when combined together represent one man's remarkable achievement. For those who will miss the touring show (this time, it's the complete artworks of Pink Floyd) if you have any interest in what was once a most important field - album cover art - do not miss `Taken by Storm.' We surely were. Tim Devine

I know Storm Thorgerson as the man who created the Pink Floyd album artworks. After reading this book (I should say "after viewing this book") I now know Storm Thorgerson as the man who also did covers for almost all the whos-who in the classic rock domain. Storm is fantastically calm and creative. And this book gives the reader an insight into the man's thinking prowess. And you will get a rare peek into Hipgnosis, the British art design group where Storm worked with his colleagues, Aubrey Powell, and later, Peter Christopherson.

Storm Thorgerson is a rare example of a creative mind who did not walk the corporate path. Well he did walk the corporate part or else he couldn't have possibly traveled to all those exotic locations for his shootings. But he had an inherent distrust for the record company big bosses and that made him do things which are totally mind blowing, remaining within the corporate dictate. He is like a Leonardo da Vinci, commissioned by the Church to do official paintings and smuggling in hidden messages inside the finished work, for the posterity to discover!

I just love this book. You will too.

This book is essential for any fan of Storm and for those interested in that kind of imagery, the images are large and well-printed and each is accompanied by a significant comment or interesting anecdotes. Includes the works more valuable. Recommended.