Sleeveface (Paperback)

~ John Rostron (Author), Carl Morris (Author)
Key Phrases: Christophe Gowans, David Hopkinson, Warner Brothers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hot!" - People Magazine (People Magazine )

Product Description

More than 200 witty images that are as addictive as popping bubble wrap but a lot more fun.

This hilarious book immortalizes the craze that began while DJ Carl Morris was having a bit of fun in a Wales bar. Here is how Sleevefacing works: You find an old-school vinyl record sleeve with a nice head-shot of your musical icon (Elvis or David Bowie or Debbie Harry will do nicely), put the sleeve in front of your face, and strike a pose. Now get someone to snap your photo.

This growing Web phenomenon has its own Web site (sleeveface.com), Facebook presence, and thousands of inventive practitioners around the globe. Sleeveface compiles the cleverest of these images: the faux Morrisseys, wannabe Bob Dylans, and lookalike Madonnas whose posture and clothing is in perfect sync with their idols’ most classic record covers. With essays that celebrate the merits of vinyl in an age when music has gone digital, it will appeal to record collectors, music lovers across the generations, and anybody—which is to say everybody—who ever fancied him or herself a rock god.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Artisan; illustrated edition edition (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579653790
• ISBN-13: 978-1579653798
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #416,247 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cover-up, November 15, 2008

By	Robin Benson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a really clever idea that I'm surprised took so long to arrive in book form. LPs were displaced by the CDs years ago yet a whole bunch of folk have found the appropriate face-shot sleeve to photograph. Actually they do vary quite a lot I thought. The most successful photos are the ones where someone has taken the trouble to get the same clothing to match the sleeve photo and then framed the image so the background works as well.

Some work really well: Marissa Robles managed to find a harp to go with 'The world of the harp', Decca 1974; a Jo Anne Castle, Pickwick LP covers someone's head and shoulders perfectly; Bonnie Tyler's 1983 CBS sleeve just has added fingers to succeed. Others have the right cover, angled correctly but don't quite work.

Carl Morris and John Rostron, the two Welsh authors, just sort of drifted into the idea while DJing one night and predictable the concept ended up as a website for everyone to join in.

A fun paperback of two hundred photos than will definitely give you a smile and probably an idea for that old LP cover laying around somewhere in the house.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking `customer images' under the cover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun for a "stocking stuffer" or gift, November 28, 2008

By	zoeish "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody hap... (whidbey island, wa) - See all my reviews

I was intrigued by what I read in the Vine newsletter, so I stopped by the "sleeveface" website, and was even more intrigued so I decided to order it. I found the images fun, but the book didn't offer more than what the website could. Therefore, I think it's a great gift or "stocking stuffer" to give someone as an introduction to the concept, or it's a "stand-alone" gift if they don't have easy access to a computer, but to purchase for myself after having visited the site, there was nothing really new to offer.

I do applaud the creativity and may try it myself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever premise without staying power, November 24, 2008

By	loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The premise for "Sleeveface" is certainly clever: combine real-life poses with those on album covers into a montage. Some of the examples here are quite good, but most will not demand a return visit, and a handful just don't quite gel. The more inventive poses, often used two or more albums covers, show how much thought and effort folks are willing to put into these photos.

Overall, the book is amusing enough to keep handy in my listening area for guests to flip through, but it didn't garner many laughs when I shared my copy with several folks at a local record show yesterday. The humor here does not have long-term staying power.