HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
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By Carrie Alison ? Chief Editor
Put your hand against this tome. Four5One has created a book that finally gives U2 fans something to discuss, speculate, froth and agonize over ? the presentation of U2 as art.
The gorgeous cover bears no title. This band needs no introduction. A large, red pixilated burning heart smolders in the background while beloved symbols take the forefront. The baby face, the star, the Trabant ? all icons that carry as many meanings as there are fans to interpret them.
In Stealing Hearts At A Travelling Show, Irish graphic design powerhouse Four5One has created a must-have limited edition book showcasing their decades-spanning work with U2. The book features new interviews with longtime band associate and graphic image creator Steve Averill, and frequent design collaborator Shaughn McGrath, Bono and Adam. Four5One took extra-special care to reproduce the graphic imagery as best they could by, as Averill says, "recreating the original artwork rather than just scanning the old covers." Only 6000 copies of Stealing Hearts At A Traveling Show have been printed, 2000 of which are in hardback form ? making the book an automatic collectors item for the hardcore U2 fan.
Concisely divided into three sections, the book looks at the following in detail: the design of each album cover, the reasons behind each design, interesting anecdotes that occurred during the process of the designs, quotes from Four5One and members of U2 and outrageous design outtakes (see designs for Pop and All That You Can?t Leave Behind.) Perhaps most telling of Four5One?s graphic genius are the layouts and design mock-ups that didn?t get used at all.
Set against a glossy silver background, Stealing Hearts? starts at the beginning ? the beginning of U2, and the subsequent (and resulting) relationship of Steve Averill with the band, and his designs for the Boy album artwork starring a six-year-old Peter Rowan, the brother of longtime U2 comrade, Guggi.
Averill?s distinct and stylized touch would be all but invisible on the October artwork and promotional campaigns, but returned to the game with War. The cover art featured a now nine-year-old Peter Rowan, who unintentionally bore a bloodied cut on his bottom lip. The truly startling image on the cover was not the lip, but of the child?s eyes, however ? wild, wide-eyed, almost fearful, and obviously brave. The boy, much like the band he had come to symbolize, was facing the world head on, no longer innocent to what lay before him. Averill?s sense of texture was the key factor in hinting at the album?s inherent state of agitation on the cover. Fearing the original white background of the photograph was not right for the album?s mood, Averill found a piece of ?rusted corrugated metal? to add texture to the image. Rather generously, Four5One has chosen to include the War contact sheet, showcasing 19 prints from the original Rowan photo shoot for the album. Two of the images would be fully utilized years later for the 1998 release of The Best Of 1980-1990, using a photo of Rowan wearing a military helmet for the cover, and another featuring the boy wearing a gas mask as the artwork for the single release of ?The Sweetest Thing.?
Much like the obvious musical growth of U2 between War and The Unforgettable Fire, the graphical presentation of the band had matured as well. Gone were the images of a young boy; and in his place was an ivy-covered abandoned castle in rural Ireland. Moydrum Castle, chosen by Averill to reflect a ?primal power,? played background to the members of U2 standing in a field in front of it. The colors of the album art were warm shades of magenta and gold ? no longer the stark black and white of the Boy era, or the faded look of the October cover. This was a band showing the world their rich musical (and historic) colors.
Moving into the Joshua Tree era, Averill and photographer Anton Corbijn went for the ?cinematic? feel to the graphic and visual presentations, which ran parallel to the epic nature of the songs on the record. Big in sound and even infinitely larger in spirit, The Joshua Tree saw U2 capture the heart of America and play a few chords with its heartstrings. The images of the band on the album?s liner notes had a ?widescreen? look, much like the band?s new approach to touring and merchandising. Worth noting from this era is the fact that Averill was brought on board to assist with the look of the tour in addition to his work on graphic designs for the album. Fans will take great interest in this section of the book as fantastic details are shared about the album (two early record titles were ?The Two Americas? and ?Desert Songs,? which then influenced Corbijn?s iconic camera work in California?s Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley).
Stealing Hearts takes a multihued change in tone from this point on. Playfully examining the vibrant and chaotic Achtung Baby era and its imagery, Four5One shines when they are given too much information to work with, and too many colors on their graphic palette. The photo boxes on the infamous cover of Achtung Baby hint at duplicitous meanings, and Four5One was able to arrange them brilliantly to tell fans the story of the album?s genesis, and the band?s reawakening. U2 gained a sense of humor and irony, and Four5One found their masterstroke. Fans will grin with glee in learning about the birth of the ?Achtung baby? (graffiti from the U2 studio walls), what that big X means, and take a long perusal of early album covers.
Interestingly enough Zooropa was nearly a Four5One-only collaboration. As fans will recall, Zooropa was recorded during a break in the long ZooTV world tour. U2 did not necessarily have time to give final approval for the design, so ?the sleeve retains the urgency and near-chaos of its creation.?
The Pop era and its graphic campaigns are perhaps Four5One?s greatest visual achievements. Under the influence of Pop Artist Ray Lichtenstein and his use of dots to form pictures, ?witty? photographic captures of the band, and the fluorescent, manic energy of the album?s music, Four5One creates a vast landscape of iconic personality that seems to breakthrough the third wall of ink on paper and into the stratosphere and static of radio waves ? just like the accompanying PopMart tour itself. Early album cover mockups are also provided here, and most notable among them is a zoomed in photo of a green ashtray (album titled ?Miami?), with various representations of Miami?s disco trash feel: cigarette butt, palm trees and the dingy used feel of a hangover in the morning.
The graphic and visual design work for All That You Can?t Leave Behind turns the focus from U2?s musical personality back to their evolution as people; the elevation of their maturity and permanent ascension into the pantheon of rock n? roll?s greatest showmen. Make no mistake, these elegant black and white photographs say everything about the tones captured on the record ? the clear cut lines in the beautiful Corbijn images of Roissy-Charles De Gaulle Airport in France, of the band boarding an airplane and taking flight.
Stealing Hearts closes with brief looks over the two Best Of releases and their graphic and visual packages. It appears that both U2 and Four5One were unsure how to graphically represent the eras for the album cover(s). Would it have been better to go with the more iconic images for the album covers and eras, and perhaps risk alienating the record-buying public with outlandish covers? The chosen results were gorgeous and minimalist, and at the essence of the band at each step of the way ? the boys of the early eighties, and the deep, intense, ironic and evolved men of the Nineties and beyond.
U2 is art in many forms; at every color of the spectrum. Four5One have given U2 fans something to treasure and examine with Stealing Hearts At A Travelling Show. This book is a must have for U2 fans young and old.
For more information on Four5One, visit: http://www.four5one.ie
Dedicated to J.H., for unending kindness and inspiration.
By Carrie Alison ? Chief Editor
Put your hand against this tome. Four5One has created a book that finally gives U2 fans something to discuss, speculate, froth and agonize over ? the presentation of U2 as art.
The gorgeous cover bears no title. This band needs no introduction. A large, red pixilated burning heart smolders in the background while beloved symbols take the forefront. The baby face, the star, the Trabant ? all icons that carry as many meanings as there are fans to interpret them.
In Stealing Hearts At A Travelling Show, Irish graphic design powerhouse Four5One has created a must-have limited edition book showcasing their decades-spanning work with U2. The book features new interviews with longtime band associate and graphic image creator Steve Averill, and frequent design collaborator Shaughn McGrath, Bono and Adam. Four5One took extra-special care to reproduce the graphic imagery as best they could by, as Averill says, "recreating the original artwork rather than just scanning the old covers." Only 6000 copies of Stealing Hearts At A Traveling Show have been printed, 2000 of which are in hardback form ? making the book an automatic collectors item for the hardcore U2 fan.
Concisely divided into three sections, the book looks at the following in detail: the design of each album cover, the reasons behind each design, interesting anecdotes that occurred during the process of the designs, quotes from Four5One and members of U2 and outrageous design outtakes (see designs for Pop and All That You Can?t Leave Behind.) Perhaps most telling of Four5One?s graphic genius are the layouts and design mock-ups that didn?t get used at all.
Set against a glossy silver background, Stealing Hearts? starts at the beginning ? the beginning of U2, and the subsequent (and resulting) relationship of Steve Averill with the band, and his designs for the Boy album artwork starring a six-year-old Peter Rowan, the brother of longtime U2 comrade, Guggi.
Averill?s distinct and stylized touch would be all but invisible on the October artwork and promotional campaigns, but returned to the game with War. The cover art featured a now nine-year-old Peter Rowan, who unintentionally bore a bloodied cut on his bottom lip. The truly startling image on the cover was not the lip, but of the child?s eyes, however ? wild, wide-eyed, almost fearful, and obviously brave. The boy, much like the band he had come to symbolize, was facing the world head on, no longer innocent to what lay before him. Averill?s sense of texture was the key factor in hinting at the album?s inherent state of agitation on the cover. Fearing the original white background of the photograph was not right for the album?s mood, Averill found a piece of ?rusted corrugated metal? to add texture to the image. Rather generously, Four5One has chosen to include the War contact sheet, showcasing 19 prints from the original Rowan photo shoot for the album. Two of the images would be fully utilized years later for the 1998 release of The Best Of 1980-1990, using a photo of Rowan wearing a military helmet for the cover, and another featuring the boy wearing a gas mask as the artwork for the single release of ?The Sweetest Thing.?
Much like the obvious musical growth of U2 between War and The Unforgettable Fire, the graphical presentation of the band had matured as well. Gone were the images of a young boy; and in his place was an ivy-covered abandoned castle in rural Ireland. Moydrum Castle, chosen by Averill to reflect a ?primal power,? played background to the members of U2 standing in a field in front of it. The colors of the album art were warm shades of magenta and gold ? no longer the stark black and white of the Boy era, or the faded look of the October cover. This was a band showing the world their rich musical (and historic) colors.
Moving into the Joshua Tree era, Averill and photographer Anton Corbijn went for the ?cinematic? feel to the graphic and visual presentations, which ran parallel to the epic nature of the songs on the record. Big in sound and even infinitely larger in spirit, The Joshua Tree saw U2 capture the heart of America and play a few chords with its heartstrings. The images of the band on the album?s liner notes had a ?widescreen? look, much like the band?s new approach to touring and merchandising. Worth noting from this era is the fact that Averill was brought on board to assist with the look of the tour in addition to his work on graphic designs for the album. Fans will take great interest in this section of the book as fantastic details are shared about the album (two early record titles were ?The Two Americas? and ?Desert Songs,? which then influenced Corbijn?s iconic camera work in California?s Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley).
Stealing Hearts takes a multihued change in tone from this point on. Playfully examining the vibrant and chaotic Achtung Baby era and its imagery, Four5One shines when they are given too much information to work with, and too many colors on their graphic palette. The photo boxes on the infamous cover of Achtung Baby hint at duplicitous meanings, and Four5One was able to arrange them brilliantly to tell fans the story of the album?s genesis, and the band?s reawakening. U2 gained a sense of humor and irony, and Four5One found their masterstroke. Fans will grin with glee in learning about the birth of the ?Achtung baby? (graffiti from the U2 studio walls), what that big X means, and take a long perusal of early album covers.
Interestingly enough Zooropa was nearly a Four5One-only collaboration. As fans will recall, Zooropa was recorded during a break in the long ZooTV world tour. U2 did not necessarily have time to give final approval for the design, so ?the sleeve retains the urgency and near-chaos of its creation.?
The Pop era and its graphic campaigns are perhaps Four5One?s greatest visual achievements. Under the influence of Pop Artist Ray Lichtenstein and his use of dots to form pictures, ?witty? photographic captures of the band, and the fluorescent, manic energy of the album?s music, Four5One creates a vast landscape of iconic personality that seems to breakthrough the third wall of ink on paper and into the stratosphere and static of radio waves ? just like the accompanying PopMart tour itself. Early album cover mockups are also provided here, and most notable among them is a zoomed in photo of a green ashtray (album titled ?Miami?), with various representations of Miami?s disco trash feel: cigarette butt, palm trees and the dingy used feel of a hangover in the morning.
The graphic and visual design work for All That You Can?t Leave Behind turns the focus from U2?s musical personality back to their evolution as people; the elevation of their maturity and permanent ascension into the pantheon of rock n? roll?s greatest showmen. Make no mistake, these elegant black and white photographs say everything about the tones captured on the record ? the clear cut lines in the beautiful Corbijn images of Roissy-Charles De Gaulle Airport in France, of the band boarding an airplane and taking flight.
Stealing Hearts closes with brief looks over the two Best Of releases and their graphic and visual packages. It appears that both U2 and Four5One were unsure how to graphically represent the eras for the album cover(s). Would it have been better to go with the more iconic images for the album covers and eras, and perhaps risk alienating the record-buying public with outlandish covers? The chosen results were gorgeous and minimalist, and at the essence of the band at each step of the way ? the boys of the early eighties, and the deep, intense, ironic and evolved men of the Nineties and beyond.
U2 is art in many forms; at every color of the spectrum. Four5One have given U2 fans something to treasure and examine with Stealing Hearts At A Travelling Show. This book is a must have for U2 fans young and old.
For more information on Four5One, visit: http://www.four5one.ie
Dedicated to J.H., for unending kindness and inspiration.
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... one of them is that I will buy that book
