The LP sleeve has long been seen as a canvas for great works of popular art, with designers and studios gaining fame and recognition for their singular works or recognisable styles. Far less is spoken about the handmade sleeve, fashioned by the individual to express their infatuation, fandom, or perhaps boredom.
The sleeves collected inside this new title from the ever-excellent CentreCentre, mainly come from Crazy Beat, a second-hand record shop in Upminster. The artwork shown takes place, in most cases, on the plain white inner 'bag' that epitomises the sleeveless disc (why are they sleeveless, who knows? The originals destroyed, lost, stolen). Band logos are attempted in biro, original sleeve art replicated in marker pen, scenes are scrapped and collaged from magazines, and sometimes... random messages scrawled chaotically.
Amateur these may be, but each of these interventions presents us with a person and a moment, and provides more insight into music collecting, listening and life than a Pink Floyd sleeve by Hipgnosis ever could.
Size: 240 x 240mm (softback with flaps, first edition of 500 copies)
Pages: 160
Publisher: CentreCentre
