THE B-52s - THE B-52s, 1979
Original Warner Bros. Records promo poster, 23"x35".
Art direction Su Ab Surd (alias for Tony Wright). Photography by George DuBose.
Notably scarce and in excellent condition.
Original Warner Bros. Records promo poster, 23"x35".
Art direction Su Ab Surd (alias for Tony Wright). Photography by George DuBose.
Notably scarce and in excellent condition.
Original Pennie Smith photograph, 8½"x10".
Photographer's stamp on the reverse.
Freddie most likely in the hallway of his West London home of the time. He wore this sash jacket off-stage whilst on tour in Japan in 1976.
Original PolyGram Records promo poster set of 3, each 12¾"x24¼".
The band's 5th album introduced a less polished production sound and wider influences. Demos such as 'Dead End Street' point the way to The Style Council. With the Pop Art style of the cover (based on a BBC sound effects LP) and the three Roy Lichenstein-styled U.S. promo posters, this was graphically the band's most elborate release. All three posters are very scarce - beware repros!
Original Polydor promo poster, 30"x20".
Design by Simon Halfon.
The early Style Council releases were meticulously designed with a consciously European sensibility. Simon Halfon: "I would meet Paul in the morning and he would have a rolled-up copy of Paris Match and be smoking Gitanes..It was the antithesis of The Jam; anything The Jam had done they wanted to do the opposite."
Original Virgin promo poster, 29.5"x31 1/4"
In their review of 1977 edition, the Investor's Review named the Sex Pistols as their "Young Businessmen of the Year" in honour of the "cash from chaos" they had generated. Virgin lost no time in reproducing the cover on this rare poster to promote 'The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle'.
Original concert handbill 8 1/2" x 11 3/4".
Original handbill from Zeppelin's landmark sixth tour of America, the venue Fort Worth's Tarrant County Convention Centre, Texas, Aug 22, 1970.
Original 1978 U.S. first release Arista/Stiff promo poster, 23"x23".
Photography by Chris Gabrin, lettering by Barney Bubbles and Cynthia Lole.
Dury and his son Baxter in front of Axford's lingerie shop on Vauxhall Bridge Road.
The album (perhaps not unsurprisingly) was not a success in the US, but a huge hit in the UK.
Original Stiff Records promo poster, 30"x20".
Design by Barney Bubbles.
Announcing (on the various badges) the album's release and Stiff's address, it would be an early poster for the album.
Original Stiff Records special Crown Wallpaper promo poster, 21"x20".
Design by Barney Bubbles.
On Barney's suggestion Stiff embarked on an extraordinary campaign on the do it yourself/DIY theme, producing 28 sleeve variations using 12"x12" Crown Wallpaper samples. This extended to posters, of which this is a rare example, printed (with not total clarity) on a heavily textured pattern. Crown entered into the spirit of things with gusto, conducting guerilla wallapering raids on music press offices and newsrooms.
Original Columbia Records in-store standee, 40"x15.5".
Photography by Chris Gabrin, concept and original LP sleeve design Barney Bubbles.
Fantastic original standee for Costello's classic second album, the first with the Attractions. Rolling Stone's Kit Rachlis made a perceptive comment in its original review: "Listening to Elvis Costello is like walking down a dark, empty street and hearing another set of heels. His music doesn't make you dance, it makes you jump."
Designer Barney Bubbles suggested that Costello be behind rather than in front of the camera.
Original Columbia U.S. in-store promo poster, 12"x16".
Art by George Hardie for Hipgnosis.
Rare small format poster featuring George Hardie's artwork created for the LP's cover sticker. George Hardie worked freelance for Hipgnosis for many years, also creating the artwork for 'The Dark Side of the Moon'. Hardie had earlier designed the cover for Led Zeppelin I in collaboration with Jimmy Page.
Original Elektra promo poster, 24"x24".
Photography by Mick Rock.
Original poster for the album that launched Queen to major success both in the UK and internationally. Mick Rock achieved Freddie's concept for the 'heart attack' look by smearing the band with vaseline and then spraying them with water. Mick Rock: "They knew they had the magic....To me they look mythological..fantastic creatures".
Original U.S. Atco promo poster, 28.5"x20.5".
Design and photography by Hipgnosis.
Very scarce original U.S. promo poster with artwork taken from the album cover, designed by Hipgnosis/Storm Thorgerson.
This was the concept double album magnum opus from the progressive masters of the musically surreal and the last from the original lineup, at the peak of their powers, before Gabriel's departure for his acclaimed solo career. Phil Collins was to lead them to huge success, but in a much more commercial direction.
This striking poster represents the album's protagonist 'Rael' dramatically smashing through his metaphysical barriers!
Original EMI-America promo poster 30"x30".
Design by Peter Barrett.
Scarce origial US poster for Dexy's landmark debut LP, featuring the famous cover shot of a young Anthony O'Shaughnessy in 1971, a refugee from the burning out of Catholic homes in Belfast.
Original concert promo poster, 41"x61".
Original full-size concert poster for the 1991 Kill Uncle Tour, advertising the October Hammersmith Odeon and Kilburn National dates, surviving in excellent rolled condition.
Very scarce.
Original promo poster, 20"x30".
Artwork by Hamilton K. Wilson.
Returned to the UK and cleaned up, Bolan's second album without producer Tony Visconti saw him re-energised by the early stirrings of Punk which he immediately grasped and promoted on tour and on his TV show.
Original 8"x10" press photograph.
Probably the most famous draftee in history, Presley's stint lasted from 24 March 1958 to March 5, 1960. This shot is from the 2 March 1960 New Jersey press conference the day after he left the army in Germany. Later in April began the timely filming of 'GI Blues'. The King was back.
Original U.S. 3-sheet poster, 41"x81".
Elvis loved flashy, sharp outfits ever since he bought his clothes from the Lansky Bros. in Memphis and he quickly picked up on the extravagant style of black musicians (always one of his touchstones) such as Earth Wind and Fire in the early 70's.
Original Chappell German promo poster, 34"x24".
This was Billy Bragg's third album (the 'Difficult Third Album'), which saw his early spartan sound successfully expanded with assistance from Kirsty MacColl, Johnny Marr, Hank Wangford and others. The sleeve continued the graphic design ethos Billy had established with Barney Bubbles on his first two albums.
Original Stiff Records promo poster, 22"x16.5".
Artwork by Barney Bubbles.
An elaborate DIY-themed campaign was conceived for the Blockhead's second album. This poster features the screw holes title lettering Barney designed, along with a micro-detailed 'Tommy The Talking Toolbox' at bottom left.
Original concert promo poster, 17"x11".
Very scarce original gig poster for the band's Sunday 26 October appearance at Revival, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Original British quad poster, 30"x40".
Photography by Robert Freeman.
An experienced Jazz photographer, ROBERT FREEMAN met The Beatles in August 1963 and subsequently photographed and designed five of their album covers (MEET THE BEATLES, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, BEATLES FOR SALE, HELP!, RUBBER SOUL).
Original Paul Cox photograph, 10"x8".
Wonderful Debbie Harry portrait from Blondie's appearance on BBC TV's Top Of The Pops 1979 Christmas/New Year Special, on which they performed 'Dreaming'.
Detailed credit stamp on verso.
