Storm Thorgerson
Storm Thorgerson | |
---|---|
Thorgerson in 2010 | |
Born |
Storm Elvin Thorgerson 28 February 1944 Potters Bar, Middlesex, England |
Died |
18 April 2013 69) London, England | (aged
Nationality | English |
Known for | Graphic designer, music video director |
Storm Elvin Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013)[1] was an English graphic designer and music video director, best known for his work for rock artists such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Nik Kershaw, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Yes, Al Stewart, Europe, Catherine Wheel, Bruce Dickinson, Dream Theater, Anthrax, The Cranberries, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Alan Parsons Project, Helloween, Biffy Clyro and Rival Sons.
Early life
Thorgerson, who was of Norwegian descent,[2] was born in Potters Bar, Middlesex (now part of Hertfordshire), and he attended Summerhill School, Brunswick Primary School in Cambridge, and the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys with Pink Floyd founders Syd Barrett, who was in the year below him, and Roger Waters, who was in the year above him. Thorgerson and Waters played rugby together at school, while Thorgerson's mother Vanji and Waters' mother Mary were close friends.[3][4] He studied English and Philosophy at the University of Leicester, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours, before studying Film and Television at the Royal College of Art, where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree.[5][6]
He was a teenage friend of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and best man at Gilmour's wedding to Polly Samson in 1994.[7]
Career
In 1968, along with Aubrey Powell, he founded the graphic art group Hipgnosis, and between them they designed many famous single and album covers, with Peter Christopherson joining them for their later commissions.[8] In 1983, following the dissolution of Hipgnosis, Thorgerson, and Powell formed Greenback Films, producing music videos.
In the early nineties, Thorgerson inaugurated StormStudios along with Peter Curzon—a loose group of freelancers. The line up included Rupert Truman (photographer), Finlay Cowan (designer and illustrator), Daniel Abbott (designer and artist), Lee Baker (creative retoucher and designer), and Jerry Sweet (designer) along with Thorgerson's personal assistants, Laura Truman (prints), and Charlotte Barnes, and then later Silvia Ruga (designer).
Perhaps Thorgerson's most famous designs are those for Pink Floyd.[9] His design for The Dark Side of the Moon has been called one of the greatest album covers of all time. Designed by Thorgerson and Hipgnosis, the artwork for the cover itself was drawn by George Hardie,[10] a designer at NTA Studios. Many of Thorgerson's designs are notable for their surreal elements. He often places objects out of their traditional contexts, especially with vast spaces around them, to give them an awkward appearance while highlighting their beauty. To quote Thorgerson, "I like photography because it is a reality medium, unlike drawing which is unreal. I like to mess with reality ... to bend reality. Some of my works beg the question[sic] of is it real or not?"[11]
Over the years, Thorgerson and his team designed and released several books about their work. The Gathering Storm – A Quartet in Several Parts was the final book Thorgerson worked on with his team and it was completed just before his death in April 2013. The book was released in September 2013 and includes album covers artwork, photographs, and anecdotes, spanning five decades from his early work with Hipgnosis through to StormStudios.
In 2013, Prog Magazine renamed its Grand Design Award after Thorgerson. It is now known as the Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award and will be given to the designer of the year's best-packaged product. Thorgerson had won the 2012 award for his continued work with Pink Floyd.[12][13]
Health problems and death
In 2003, Thorgerson suffered a stroke, from which he was partially paralysed. He was later diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, which he battled for several years, but which eventually led to his death in London on 18 April 2013, at the age of 69.[14] After Thorgerson's death, David Gilmour released a statement describing him as "a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on, and a great friend". A post on the official Pink Floyd website called him a "graphic genius".[15] Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason said that he was a "tireless worker right up to the end".[16]
Works
Album cover designs (1968–2014)
- For Thorgerson's work with Hipgnosis, see Hipgnosis discography < !-- Note: This also includes his art from Hipgnosis and StormStudios. -->
- 10cc:
- Sheet Music (1974)
- The Original Soundtrack (1975)
- How Dare You! (1976)
- Deceptive Bends (1977)
- Bloody Tourists (1978)
- Greatest Hits 1972–1978 (1979)[8]
- Look Hear? (1980)
- Mirror Mirror (1994)
- AC/DC
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976) (international edition)
- Alan Parsons:
- Try Anything Once (1993)
- On Air (1996)
- The Time Machine (1999)
- A Valid Path (2004)
- The Alan Parsons Project
- Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)
- I Robot (1977)
- Pyramid (1978)[8]
- Eve (1979)
- Eye in the Sky (1982)
- Ammonia Avenue (1984)
- Al Stewart
- Past, Present and Future (1973)
- Modern Times (1975)
- Year of the Cat (1976)
- The Early Years (1977)
- Time Passages (1978)
- The Answer
- New Horizon (2013)
- Anthrax
- Stomp 442 (1995)
- Ashra
- Correlations (1979)
- Audience
- The House on the Hill (1971)
- Lunch (1972)
- You Can't Beat 'em (1973)
- Audioslave
- Audioslave (2002)
- Bad Company
- Bad Company (1974)
- Straight Shooter (1975)
- Burnin' Sky (1977)
- Desolation Angels (1979)
- Rough Diamonds (1982)
- Be-Bop Deluxe
- Drastic Plastic (1978)
- Biffy Clyro:
- Puzzle (2007)
- "Saturday Superhouse" (2007)
- "Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies" (2007)
- "Folding Stars" (2007)
- "Machines" (2007)
- Only Revolutions (2009)
- "That Golden Rule" (2009)
- "The Captain" (2009)
- "Lonely Revolutions" (2010)
- Opposites (2013)
- "Black Chandelier" (2013)
- "Biblical" (2013)
- "Opposite" (2013)
- "Victory Over the Sun" (2013)
- "Similarities" (2014)
- Puzzle (2007)
- Black Sabbath:
- Technical Ecstasy (1976)
- Never Say Die! (1978)
- Brand X
- Unorthodox Behaviour (1976)
- Moroccan Roll (1977)
- Livestock (1977)
- Product (1979)
- Do They Hurt? (1980)
- Bruce Dickinson
- Skunkworks (1996)
- Catherine Wheel:
- Chrome (1993)
- Happy Days (1995)
- Like Cats and Dogs (compilation) (1996)
- Adam And Eve (1997)
- Wishville (2000)
- The Cranberries:
- Bury the Hatchet (1999)
- Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001)
- The Cult:
- Electric (1987) (credited on the picture sleeve as "Art Direction by Storm Thorgerson")
- Cochise
- Cochise (1970)
- David Gilmour
- David Gilmour (1978)
- About Face (1984)
- David Gilmour in Concert DVD (2002)
- Def Leppard
- High 'n' Dry (1981)
- Deepest Blue
- Late September (2004)
- Disco Biscuits:
- Planet Anthem (2010)
- Dream Theater:
- A Change of Seasons (1995)
- Falling into Infinity (1997)
- "Once in a LIVEtime" (1998)
- "5 Years in a Livetime" (1998)
- The Dukes
- The Dukes (1979)
- Edgar Broughton Band
- Edgar Broughton Band (1971)
- Inside Out (1972)
- Oora (1973)
- A Bunch of 45s (1975)
- Parlez-Vous English (1979)
- Electric Light Orchestra
- The Electric Light Orchestra (1971)
- ELO 2 (1973)
- On the Third Day (1973)
- The Light Shines On (1977)
- Ellis, Beggs, & Howard
- Homelands (1989)
- Ethnix
- Home Is Where The Head Is (2002)
- Europe
- Secret Society (2006)
- Fabulous Poodles
- Mirror Stars (1978)
- Flash
- Flash (1972)
- Out of Our Hands (1973)
- Foreigner
- 4 (Labels only) (1981)
- Gary Brooker
- No More Fear of Flying (1979)
- Godley & Creme
- Freeze Frame (1979)
- The Gods
- Genesis (1968)
- To Samuel a Son (1969)
- Genesis
- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
- A Trick of the Tail (1976)
- Wind & Wuthering (1976)
- ...And Then There Were Three... (1978)
- The Greatest Show on Earth
- Horizons (1970)
- The Going's Easy (1970)
- The Greatest Show on Earth (1975)
- Greg Friedman
- Can't Talk Now (2013)
- goodbyemotel
- If (2014)
- Goose
- Synrise (2012)
- Helloween
- Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991)
- Herman Rarebell
- Nip in the Bud (1981)[8]
- Humble Pie
- Town and Country (1969)
- Thunderbox (1974)
- Ian Dury and The Blockheads
- Mr. Love Pants (1998)
- John Wetton
- Caught in the Crossfire (1980)
- Korda Marshall
- Now We Breathe (2015)
- Led Zeppelin
- Led Zeppelin (1969)
- Houses of the Holy (1973)
- Presence (1976)
- The Song Remains the Same (1976)
- In Through the Out Door (1979)
- Coda (1982)
- Leisure Cruise
- Leisure Cruise (2014)
- Leo Sayer
- Living in a Fantasy (1980)
- The Mars Volta:
- De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
- "Inertiatic ESP" single (2003)
- "Televators" single (2003)
- Frances the Mute (2005)
- "The Widow" single (2005)
- Amputechture (2006) (original artwork)
- De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
- Megadeth:
- Rude Awakening DVD (2002)
- Mick Taylor
- Mick Taylor (1979)
- Mike Oldfield
- Earth Moving (1989)
- Earth Moving single (1989)[17]
- Earth Moving (1989)
- Mike Rutherford
- Smallcreep's Day (1980)[8]
- Muse:
- Absolution (2003)
- "Butterflies and Hurricanes" single (2004)
- Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
- "Uprising" single (2009)
- Absolution (2003)
- Nazareth
- Rampant (1974)
- Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll (1976)
- The Nice
- Five Bridges (1970)
- Elegy (1971)
- Autumn '67 – Spring '68 (1972)
- Nick Mason
- Fictitious Sports (1981)
- O.A.R.
- Stories of a Stranger (2005)
- The Offspring
- Splinter (2003)
- Paul McCartney
- Tug of War (1982)
- Peter Gabriel:
- Peter Gabriel (1977) ("Car")
- Peter Gabriel (1978) ("Scratch")
- Peter Gabriel (1980) ("Melt")
- Pendulum
- Immersion (2010)
- Phish
- Slip Stitch and Pass (1997)
- The Pineapple Thief
- Someone Here Is Missing (2010)
- Pink Floyd:[18]
- A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
- More (1969)
- Ummagumma (1969)
- Atom Heart Mother (1970)
- Meddle (1971)
- Obscured by Clouds (1972)
- The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
- A Nice Pair (1973)
- Wish You Were Here (1975)
- Animals (1977)
- A Collection of Great Dance Songs (1981)
- A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)[9]
- Delicate Sound of Thunder (1988)
- Shine On (1992)[9]
- The Division Bell (1994)
- P*U*L*S*E (1995), including the blinking LED light that was featured in early CD packaging.[19]
- Relics re-release (1996)
- Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 (2000)
- Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (2001)
- Oh, by the Way (2007)
- The Best of Pink Floyd: A Foot in the Door (2011)
- The Plea
- The Dreamers Stadium (2012)[20]
- The Police
- "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (single) (1980)
- Powderfinger
- Golden Rule (2009)
- Pretty Things
- Parachute (1970)
- Freeway Madness (1972)
- Silk Torpedo (1974)
- Savage Eye (1976)
- Cross Talk (1980)
- Program the Dead
- Program The Dead (2005)
- Quatermass
- Quatermass (1970)
- Rainbow
- Difficult to Cure (1981)[8]
- Straight Between the Eyes (1982)
- Bent Out of Shape (1983)
- Ralph McTell
- Slide Away the Screen (1979)
- Renaissance
- Prologue (1972)
- Ashes Are Burning (1973)
- Turn of the Cards (1974)
- Scheherazade and Other Stories (1975)
- A Song for All Seasons (1978)
- Rick Wright
- Wet Dream (1978)
- Broken China (1996)
- Rival Sons
- Pressure & Time (2011)
- Robert Plant:
- The Principle of Moments (1983)
- "Big Log" (single) (1983)
- Roger Taylor
- Fun in Space (1981)
- Roy Harper
- Lifemask (1973)
- Valentine (1974)
- Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion (1974)
- HQ (1975)
- Bullinamingvase (1977)
- Sammy Hagar
- Sammy Hagar (1977)
- Musical Chairs (1977)
- Scorpions
- Lovedrive (1979)
- Animal Magnetism (1980)
- Crazy World (1990)
- Shpongle
- Slow Earth
- Latitude and 023 (2013)
- Steve Hillage
- Live Herald (1979)
- Steve Miller Band:
- Bingo! (2010)
- Let Your Hair Down (2011)
- Strawbs
- Deadlines (1977)
- Styx
- Pieces of Eight (1978)[8]
- Cyclorama (2003)
- Syd Barrett
- The Madcap Laughs (1970)
- Barrett (1970)
- Syd Barrett (1974)
- An Introduction to Syd Barrett (2010)
- Toe Fat
- Thornley
- Come Again (2004)
- Tiny Pictures (2009)
- Thunder
- Laughing on Judgement Day (1992)
- Behind Closed Doors (1995)
- UFO
- Phenomenon (1974)
- Force It (1975)
- No Heavy Petting (1976)
- Lights Out (1977)
- Obsession (1978)
- Strangers in the Night (1979)
- No Place to Run (1980)
- The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent (1981)
- Making Contact (1983)
- UK
- Danger Money (1979)
- Umphrey's McGee
- Safety in Numbers (2006)
- The Bottom Half (2007)
- Uno
- Uno (1974)
- Villainy
- Mode. Set. Clear. (2012)
- Wax
- American English (1987)
- A Hundred Thousand in Fresh Notes (1989)
- Ween
- The Mollusk (1997)
- Wishbone Ash
- Pilgrimage (1971)
- Argus (1972)
- Wishbone Four (1973)
- Live Dates (1973)
- There's the Rub (1974)
- New England (1976)
- Classic Ash (1977)
- Front Page News (1977)
- No Smoke Without Fire (1978)[8]
- Just Testing (1980)
- Wings
- Band on the Run (1973)
- Venus and Mars (1975)
- Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)
- Wings over America (1976)
- London Town (1978)
- Wings Greatest (1978)
- Back to the Egg (1979)
- The Wombats:
- This Modern Glitch (2011)
- XTC
- Go 2 (1978)
- Yes
- Going for the One (1977)
- Tormato (1978)
- Yumi Matsutoya
- Sakuban Oaisimashō (1981)
- Younger Brother
- Last Days of Gravity (2007)
- Vaccine (2011)
- Yourcodenameis:milo
- Rapt. Dept. (2005)
- 17 (2005)
- Ignoto (2005)
Music videos
- Paul Young – "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" (1983)
- Rainbow – "Street of Dreams" (1983)
- Robert Plant – "Big Log" (1983)
- Yes – "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (1983)
- Kevin Kitchen – "Tight Spot" (1984)
- Nik Kershaw – "Wouldn't It Be Good" (1984)
- David Gilmour – "Blue Light" (1984)
- David Gilmour – "All Lovers Are Deranged" (1984)
- Nik Kershaw – "The Riddle" (1984)
- Nik Kershaw – "Wide Boy (1984)
- Nik Kershaw – "Don Quixote" (1985)
- Belouis Some – "Some People" (1985)
- Glass Tiger – "Thin Red Line" (1985)
- Glass Tiger – "Someday" (1985)
- The Cult – "Love Removal Machine" (1987)
- Pink Floyd – "Learning to Fly" (1987)
- Pink Floyd – "The Dogs of War" (1987)
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe – "Brother of Mine" (1989)
- Bruce Dickinson – "Tattooed Millionaire" (1990)
- Bruce Dickinson – "All the Young Dudes" (1990)
- Helloween – "Kids of the Century" (1991)
- Alan Parsons – "Turn It Up" (1993)
- Pink Floyd – "High Hopes" (1994)
- Richard Wright – "Night Of a Thousand Furry Toys" (1996)
References
- ↑ Sweeting, Adam (18 April 2013). "Storm Thorgerson dies aged 69: 'the best album designer in the world'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ Storm Thorgerson on Magritte at Tate.org.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2013
- ↑ Graff, G (February 1998). "The Eye of the Storm". Guitar World. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ Turner, Tonya (18 April 2013). "Storm Thorgerson's album covers are works of art". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ Hough, Andrew (18 April 2013). "Storm Thorgerson: Pink Floyd album cover designer dies". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ Farrell, Charlie. "Storm Thorgerson – Taken by Storm". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ Samson, Polly (18 April 2013). "Best man at our wedding". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The photodesigns of Hipgnosis The Goodbye look. Vermillion Hutchinson Publishing Group. 1982 ISBN 0-09-150641-7
- 1 2 3 "Article on Storm Thorgerson", Q magazine, 1992
- ↑ The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd's Iconic Album, BBC
- ↑ Taken by Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson, Music Box, October 2004, Volume 11, No. 10
- ↑ "Design award renamed after Storm Thorgerson". Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ↑ "Storm Thorgerson Has Grand Design Award Named in His Honour". Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ↑ "Storm Thorgerson: Graphic designer whose art was central to the work". 19 April 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ↑ "Storm Thorgerson". Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ↑ "Tributes paid to Pink Floyd album artist Storm Thorgerson". BBC News. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ↑ "Singles Page 8". Storm Thorgerson. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ↑ Mabbett, Andy (2010). Pink Floyd – The Music and the Mystery. London: Omnibus. ISBN 978-1-84938-370-7.
- ↑ Sutcliffe, Phil (July 1995). "The 30 Year Technicolor Dream". Mojo Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ↑ Stormsight.co.uk
External links
- Official website
- Storm Thorgerson at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview with "Floydian Slip" host Craig Bailey, September 1997
- BBC Feature and audio interview
- BBC Article on Thorgerson's work: Audio slideshow: Storm's sleeves
- TateShots: Storm Thorgerson on Magritte The artist talks about the influence of Magritte on his work. 21 July 2011
- Tennents' "One Great Thing" Advert on YouTube
- Thorgerson interviewed on YouTube by Younger Brother (video, 8 mins, 2010)