Top Three Sleeve Artwork

[G_Goalden]

Following on from a comment in a post last week I thought it might be interesting to find out people's favourite artwork.

For me the visual side of PSB was one of the things that first attracted me to the band - I loved the fact that back in the day, quite often you only found out what the sleeve looked like when you were face to face with it in the shop. There is a certain visual identity and brand style that I love - especially when you consider that sleeves used to be designed to stand out on the shelf. 'Please' for example was the very antithesis of how sleeves should be designed to sell products.

I could have listed a top twenty, but I though I should save some for others to share and give their reasons.

My top three are:

Domino Dancing - It doesn't contain any text but it is unmistakably PSB. I remember buying it without having previously seen it and I knew immediately that it was what I was looking for. Recreating the remix sleeve is on my bucket list (and is pretty near the top of it).

Introspective - This doesn't look like any other sleeve I had seen before (or since). Following a post on here last year I bought the colour manual that the cover is taken from. I've never understood why the 'cassette' had different (not as good) colour ways.

Se a vida é - It has spot UV throughout to represent the water in the images. For no other reason than it would look good. It probably added loads to the production costs and meant less profit on the single. But it looks great and that's what is important.Oh and the colours are great too.

What are others favourites and why?

G.

[Straight_Talker]

Nice idea! In no particular order:

Was it worth it? - I loved the take from the Behaviour sleeve; the dolls with roses.

Discography - Like a serious version of Actually. The crisp image of the two of them on this really impressed me all those years ago. I thought it looked classy, serious and cold. No “fanfare” to cover their singles collection, just them on a white background, perfect.

Electric - No title or band name on the sleeve, just the simple, yet effective electrified design which, as others had said before, actually “moves” when you stare at it.

[One of the crowd]

Introspective

Suburbia Chris Lowe Sleeve

Where The Streets... Remix 12" Sleeve

[rashomon]

Great thread Goalden!

Hard to go with just three!

My choices:

Introspective - vinyl cover
The standard vinyl cover is a thing of beauty. Graphic, bold and effortlessly cool. The hot pink and red bars right next to each other shouldn't really work but for me it is my favourite part. It's very frameable (I have done exactly that for my study). Should be scaled up and put on permanent display in an art museum.

Being Boring - vinyl cover
Specifically the image with Chris doing his sideways belly out pose! The grainy images with a sepia wash sets a mood. The stamps motif are a nice touch and the starkness of the fat white border along with the muted tones sums up everything about the song and the era. The PSB imagery during this album was probably my fave 'PSB look' ever. Grown up, sombre and yet still a little playful.

I don't know what you want - CD2 cover
A bit of a leftfield choice but this image is uber-cool. The dogs out of focus and launching out of the bottom right, the dog lead dragging top right and the road sign pointing back down - superbly composed. Has a feel of the industrial and also a touch of the 80s Factory records look with that road sign. The magenta font on the monochrome image is nice pop of colour also.

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[TwizzleUK]

Introspective - vinyl cover
The standard vinyl cover is a thing of beauty. Graphic, bold and effortlessly cool. The hot pink and red bars right next to each other shouldn't really work but for me it is my favourite part. It's very frameable (I have done exactly that for my study). Should be scaled up and put on permanent display in an art museum.

I found my square 'Introspective' badge from the 1989 tour in the loft last year. Lovely little item. Great that it can also be worn to show support for LGBTQ!

[james23_uk]

The Very and Very Relentless CD package. First time I'd seen anything like it.

I still vividly remember buying the Very lego box from Woolworths, only to return it a few minutes later so I could afford the Very Relentless special edition I then saw in Our Price.

[Eleven]

Thanks for this post

Mine are

DJ Culture - Those aesthetics still look awesome and inspiring

Being Boring - Just bought a 12" to mark on my wall

Behaviour - Not really liking it when it first came out but misteriously grow on me year after year and it is Everything to me now.

[leesmapman]

I love the "I get along" pie charts.
I'm with stupid - just funny
The I wouldn't normally do... CD single pack. It's a bit like Very/Relentless, but then for the 2 singles

[misterme]

Hard to choose only 3 !
I would say:
I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing - UK remix 12" (the yellow one with small Neil dancing around big Chris)
Suburbia - UK 12" (Chris Lowe sleeve)
Jealousy - UK 12" (Chris Lowe sleeve)

[TG]

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Well it was an official release ....

[MikeyC]

Being Boring
Nightlife
Yes

[Gabby]

Can't pick 3 but as some of my faves have gone already here are 3 for further consideration...

Domino dancing...both the regular and remix sleeves
Can you forgive her?
Jealousy - the Chris sleeve...oops someone already mentioned it!

[Gabby]

Domino Dancing - It doesn't contain any text but it is unmistakably PSB. I remember buying it without having previously seen it and I knew immediately that it was what I was looking for.

THIS!!!! I remember spotting the sleeve in a record store and being immediately drawn to it, and hadn't any idea it was Domino Dancing until I picked it up for a closer look.

100% undeniably a PSB sleeve.

[Gabby]

Domino Dancing - It doesn't contain any text but it is unmistakably PSB. I remember buying it without having previously seen it and I knew immediately that it was what I was looking for.

THIS!!!! I remember spotting the sleeve in a record store and being immediately drawn to it, and hadn't any idea it was Domino Dancing until I picked it up for a closer look.

100% undeniably a PSB sleeve.

Same for the Being Boring remix 12". At that point I hadn't seen the cover of the single (cant even say for sure I knew it was released) and was just intrigued by the wording, "Being Remixed". It was like it was calling to me from the vinyl racks!

[Dog]

I’ve always loved this sleeve