Category Archives: Art of the Album

Afrofuturistic cover of the Crossings album

The Afrofuturism of Robert Springett and Herbie Hancock

The Art of the Album

Beginning in 1972, Herbie Hancock teamed up with artist Robert Springett to produce a series of albums with a vision rooted in Afrofuturism. Although the term would not be officially coined until 1993, it’s pretty clear that a number of musicians, including Sun Ra, Hancock, Lee “Scratch ” Perry, Afrika Bambaataa and George Clinton were onto the vibe much earlier.

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Art of the Album: In the Court of the Crimson King by Barry Godber

Art of the Album

In the Court of the Crimson King by Barry Godber

 
 
The story goes that Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield asked Barry Godber, the only artist he knew, to paint something for In the Court of the Crimson King that would get the album noticed in record stores. Godber, working a day job as a computer programmer at the time, created the iconic cover, an illustration of the song “21st Century Schizoid Man” and the lesser known inside art, a representation of the sad-eyed but smiling Crimson King.

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