The old "understating band's name on album cover (or leaving it off entirely)" gimmick?

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Do you fall for it? Does it speak to you? It's an artistic choice, I know. All that marketing can ruin the integrity of an otherwise perfectly amateurish square of scribbly art that has nothing to do with the album title.

Speaking of which, do you fall for the "hey, the artwork has nothing to do with the album title" gimmick?

Both of these tricks are mostly an indie/college/art rock thing. Before that, I guess super-huge bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin did it first, but they were college music, right? Metallica did it with the Black Album. Animal Collective did it on all 5 of the covers available on iTunes.

What do you think? Does it "work" on you or do you even notice it? Finding big, gaudy band logos and bland typefaces a bit of a turn off these days, I think it may work on me to some extent. I can't actually think of one album I own with a small, hidden or missing band logo on the cover, but I have plenty with cover art that in no way represents the album title.

― My Art Shall Stand On It's Own, Wednesday, 26 October 2005 09:46 (twenty years ago)

Yes, "My Art Shall Stand On It Is Own"!

― My Art Shall Stand On It Is Own, Wednesday, 26 October 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)

Strange Days, indeed.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 09:50 (twenty years ago)

But, I can't stand it when the type on the spine is too tiny to read. I wonder if this is a reaction to/strategy against used bin shopping or if it is just an enigma that exists in spite of used bin shopping. Fuck that, I need to be able to find the thing in a dark room of my house! Sometimes, a big bold typeface on the spine does appear somehow desperate, but other times it just says "major label."

― MASSOIO, Wednesday, 26 October 2005 10:00 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps someone could slightly reword this thread as a new one and it will take off like a rocket, per usual?

― MASSOIO, Wednesday, 26 October 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

What do you mean by "fall for it"?

Hey, what's this plastic tray with the great art in it? Somekind of minimalist picture frame? I bet that shot of me and Ethel at the beach would look great in here. Wait a minute, there's a Pink Floyd album hidden inside! Those sneaky fuckers!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Please buy my minimalist picture frame
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drg600/g603/g60383ps8he.jpg

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

What do you mean by "fall for it"?

What do you mean by "what do you mean?" You've nailed it!

― MASSOIO, Wednesday, 26 October 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

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