Category: Design crazy

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Joy Division – ‘Unknown Pleasures’ UK CD (Factory FACD10, 1986)

Sometimes it is enough just to celebrate something for what it is without needing to explore any obscure variations. With this post, I focus on the first time Joy Division’s wonderful ‘Unknown Pleasures’ made an appearance on CD and where Factory attempted to overcome the tyranny of the ’80s CD jewel case and somehow tap into the spirit of the original sleeve design.

For starters, the ‘car carry case’ – a miniaturised revision of the original sleeve design. Shorn of any need to include the tracklisting on the reverse, it kept things minimal. The tracklisting was provided only on one of the jewel case inserts. Yes, in addition to the carry case, the CD jewel case comes with not one but two inserts. Both of which come printed on similar ‘textured’ card stock to that used on the original album sleeve and the car carry case this time round. I hope that the photos help to capture the textured card stock so you can see for yourself.

One odd thing about it though – at some point in the design process, it looks like the photograph from one side of the inner sleeve has gone awol from this redesign – the originally uncredited photo, ‘Hand Through a Doorway‘ by Ralph Gibson.

Joy Division 'Unknown Pleasures' original UK CD car carry case - front.
^ Joy Division ‘Unknown Pleasures’ original UK CD car carry case – front.

Continue reading “Joy Division – ‘Unknown Pleasures’ UK CD (Factory FACD10, 1986)”

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Skids – ‘Fields’ UK 7″ and 12″ (Virgin VS401 and VS401-12, 1981)

When first released in the summer of 1981, ‘Fields’ was quite a challenging release for Skids fans to get used to and it never really gained the success the new vision that the remaining band members, Richard Jobson and Russell Webb, had in mind for the band. The departure of Stewart Adamson was obvious, his familiar sonic hallmark missing from the A side, replaced by a somewhat more twangy guitar and a more pastoral scene fashioned from acoustic guitar, flute, traditional drums and layered, choral vocals. In retrospect it is not nearly the radical departure it was made out to be, though much of the subsequent ‘Joy’ album certainly would be.

Skids - 'Fields' 7" - Richard Jobson sleeve design, front
^ Skids – ‘Fields’ 7″ variation 1 – Richard Jobson sleeve design, front
Skids - 'Fields' 7" - Richard Jobson sleeve design, rear
^ Skids – ‘Fields’ 7″ variation 1, rear

Continue reading “Skids – ‘Fields’ UK 7″ and 12″ (Virgin VS401 and VS401-12, 1981)”

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Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – ‘Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)’ (Dindisc DIN40-12, 1982) – ‘Coin’ sleeve version

Back in January 2013 I first posted about the Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ‘Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)’ 12″ single with the foil finish ‘stained glass’ artwork version, with the note that I would follow-up with the foil-finish ‘coin’ artwork version at a later date. Well, some years later on than I had imaged, here we are!

'Maid of Orleans' front cover design 2 - 'coin' sleeve version - detail
^ ‘Maid of Orleans’ front cover design 2 – ‘coin’ sleeve version

Continue reading “Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – ‘Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)’ (Dindisc DIN40-12, 1982) – ‘Coin’ sleeve version”

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Joy Division – ‘Substance’ cassette (Factory FACT250C, 1988)

‘Substance’ was the second compilation album of Joy Division non-album tracks released on Factory, dating from July 1988. Along with 1981’s ‘Still’, it gathers up many of the tracks that first appeared on the band’s single and EP releases, none of which were featured on either ‘Unknown Pleasures’ or ‘Closer’. (Well, other than a different version of ‘She’s Lost Control’, I suppose.)

^ Joy Division – ‘Substance’ cassette – Factory FACT250C, 1988, front case design.

I have chosen to feature the cassette version, since this hails from my pre-CD buying days and therefore was the only access I had to the full version of the release. You see, the vinyl LP version only came with ten tracks, whereas the cassette version came with those same ten tracks on side 1 and an ‘Appendix’ on side 2 that added an additional seven tracks. (The CD version also came with the full seventeen tracks.) Somewhat annoyingly, rather than present everything in chronological order, the ‘Appendix’ device ensures that things get mixed up. Continue reading “Joy Division – ‘Substance’ cassette (Factory FACT250C, 1988)”

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Ultravox – ‘Moments From Eden’ 10″/CD EP (Absolute, 10EDENRL1, 2011)

‘Moments From Eden’ was a very attractive, limited edition live EP featuring the tracks that Ultravox added to their set for the second ‘comeback’ tour in 2010, ‘Return To Eden 2’. Rather than release multiple versions, the nicely designed package included a red vinyl 10″ single along with a CD version housed inside the gatefold spread of the cover, with further themed artwork featured in an additional booklet.

^ Ultravox ‘Moments From Eden’ vinyl side A and front cover.

If you ordered the record online from Townsend Records, the release also came with a limited edition A4 sized print, as displayed in the photo below, a variation on the design from the back cover of the record. Continue reading “Ultravox – ‘Moments From Eden’ 10″/CD EP (Absolute, 10EDENRL1, 2011)”