RIP to the great British cinematographer Dick Pope, who has died aged 77.

Pope is best known for his work with the director Mike Leigh, and his impressive CV includes a raft of music videos including Queen’s I Want To Break Free and, of course, the Barney Bubbles-directed Ghost Town for The Specials.

As recounted by Bubbles’ video producer Genevieve Terry in The Wild World of Barney Bubbles, Pope was horrified when Bubbles played fast-and-loose with the expensive camera affixed to the car the members of the Specials were travelling in, though appreciated the outcome.

Here’s the tremendous outcome of their efforts:

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++ Front panel of Barney Bubbles sleeve for Hawkwind’s 1973 live album Space Ritual.  Artwork © Barney Bubbles Estate ++

Barney Bubbles’ representation of dancer/performance artist Stacia Blake adorned the front panel of his hugely ambitious trifold sleeve for Hawkwind’s live album Space Ritual, released 50 years ago last month.

++ Space Ritual’s exterior six-panel trifold. Design concept and artworks © Barney Bubbles Estate. Photography: Gabi Nasemann and Laurie Lewis ++

Those familiar with the sleeve will know that once unfolded the front six panels show that the Stacia figure was emitting shockwaves across the artwork, which incorporated photography of the group in performance by Laurie Lewis and Gabi Nasemann.

++ L’Emeraude, Alphonse Mucha, 1902. Colour lithograph from the Precious Stones series. 67 x 30cm ++

The arresting front panel channels the Art Nouveau work of Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist Alphonse Mucha, who was very much in vogue in post-hippie circles in the early 1970s. British artist John Coulthart has identified elements in the Space Ritual design directly derived from Mucha’s 1900 lithograph L’Emeraude (The Emerald).

++ The Precious Stones series, 1902 ++

The slavering beast’s head appeared in many of Mucha’s drawings and was based on armrests on one of his chairs, whileL’Emeraude was in Mucha’s series Les pierres précieuses (Precious Stones) along with representations of topaz, ruby and amethyst.

Tags: Alphonse Mucha, Art Nouveau, Gabi Nasemann, John Coulthart, L'Emeraude, Laurie Lewis, Stacia Blake

‘There was a fair amount of detective work which went into it, but once you unlocked the door, it seemed that a lot of people were waiting for this; those that either worked with Bubbles or those that appreciated him were waiting for like-minded souls.’

Paul Gorman to Jon Langmead, popmatters.com

The Wild World of Barney Bubbles is hailed as ‘a lovely and essential work bursting with delight’ by pop culture website popmatters.com.

Writer Jon Langmead, who interviews Wild World author Paul Gorman, has skin in the game as the drummer for The Paranoid Style. As regular readers will know, their new album released this week features lead track Barney Bubbles, a tribute to the late designer.

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Tags: Elizabeth Nelson, Jon Langmead, popmatters.com, The Paranoid Style

++ Barney Bubbles’ ‘Hamer And Sickle’ photography paste-up, 1979. Dimensions: 25.5 x 29.3cm ++

++ The four appearances by the logo on the inner and outer sleeves of Nick Lowe’s Labour of Lust LP ++

The photographic paste-up of one of Barney Bubbles’ most notable designs is among the late designer’s incredibly rare and highly collectible artworks included in the online sale currently being conducted by international auction house Bonhams.

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Tags: Basing Street, Cracking Up, Hamer, Iggy Pop, Lust For Life, Pantone

++ Back of the Accidents Will Happen sleeve ++

Barney Bubbles’ sleeve for Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ 1979 Radar Records single Accidents Will Happen/Talking In The Dark/Wednesday Week famously took its cue from the title of the lead track by presenting a blank outer with the design on the inside, as if the result of a printer’s error.

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Tags: Accidents Will Happen, Annabel Jankel, Chaz Jankel, Cucumber Studios, Max Headroom, Rocky Morton, Talking In The Dark, Wednesday Week