R.I.P. Storm Thorgerson

Storm Thorgerson In Recent Years

I was saddened to hear of the demise of designer and photographer, Storm Thorgerson, as the result of cancer, yesterday.  Thorgerson, aged 69, was a mainstay of the noted graphic design house, Hipgnosis, and thus, became responsible for some of the most memorable record sleeve designs of the late 60s and 70s.

'Elegy', By The Nice, Storm Thorgerson/Hipgnosis, 1971

It feels like another part of my early years has slipped away. In the pre-Punk era when I first began taking notice of and acquiring music, the 12-inch vinyl album, preferably in a luxurious gatefold sleeve, was the default format for the Prog. connoisseur, and was often carried under the arm as a badge of hipness and tribal allegiance.  Hipgnosis’ designs were amongst the most intriguingly arty, with their blend of twisted Romanticism, inventive Surrealism and elegant production values.  It’s still impressive to see the degrees of manipulation they were able to bring to analogue photography in the days long before Photoshop and digital imaging.  The attention to detail was always high and images were often combined with stylish, one-off typographic design or, most daringly, no type on the outer sleeve whatsoever.

'Animals', By Pink Floyd, Storm Thorgerson/Hipgnosis, 1977

Thorgerson was part of what David Gilmore once labeled ‘The Cambridge Mafia’, - that inner circle of dissenting, middle class kids from which Pink Floyd drew its core members.  It’s with their records that he’s most closely associated.  My own personal favourite is the front cover of ‘Atom Heart Mother’ and I’ve often puzzled over how a simple image of a Friesian cow in a bland landscape could have such resonance.  It’s the perfect cow somehow, and the photograph has been subjected to just the right degree of subtle manipulation.  The whole thing just reeks of that strangely English, pastoral trippiness with which the band is best associated.

'Atom Heart Mother' By Pink Floyd, Storm Thorgerson/Hipgnosis, 1970

  

The slick Hipgnosis style, along with much of the music it augmented, was swept away by the whirlwind of Punk fashion in the late 70s, although Thorgerson must have earned a good living from the endless repackaging of luxury Floyd products alone in subsequent years.  Nonetheless, his imagery made a big impression on me at a formative age, in an era when ‘quality’ seemed important and music came in total packages.

'Phenomenon' By UFO, Storm Thorgerson/Hipgnosis, 1974

'Uno', By Uno, Storm Thorgerson/Hipgnosis, Date Unknown

I note with interest the current, new found retro-fetishism of vinyl as a format of choice amongst a new generation of affluent connoisseurs.  In the age of the digital download and shared file, it’s ironic to think that, via the classic reissue, Thorgerson’s imagery may once again decorate someone’s stylish pad in all its 12-inch glory.