++ The front panel of the Space Ritual tour programme/poster ++

Just as he did for Ian Dury & The Blockheads and Elvis Costello and the Attractions half-a-decade later, Barney Bubbles produced a fold-out programme/poster for Hawkwind’s 1972 Space Ritual tour.

++ Opened out to reveal this portrait of saxophonist Nik Turner and the start of Robert Calvert’s essay ++

As well as Bubbles’ striking illustrations and graphics, the exercise included photography of the group’s main members and an entertaining if rambling sci-fi/semi-fictional account of the group’s activities by poet, lyricist and performer Robert Calvert.

++ Unfolded the poster measures 56 x 39 cm ++

Calvert, Bubbles and other contributors such as writer Michael Moorcock received tips of the hat in the credits.

TAGS: None

++ From notes and instructions prepared by Bubbles for Hawkwind’s Space Ritual dates in 1972 ++

Here is Barney Bubbles’ first draft of the logo which appeared on the front of Hawkwind’s 1972 album Doremi Fasol Latido.

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TAGS: None

This is Barney Bubbles’ copy of one of the books which not only advanced graphic design practice in the 1960s but was also to leave a major mark on him and his future output.

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Tags: Alan Fletcher, Bob Gill, Colin Forbes, Graphic Design: Visual Comparisons, John Lewis, Royal College Of Art, Studio Books

Hundreds of record sleeves and pieces of ephemera designed by Barney Bubbles are currently on display in Sweden’s oldest record store, Burmans Musik in Umeå.

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Tags: Burmans Musik, Stefan Nilsson, Sweden

++ Armed Forces front cover from the 2020 box set reissue ++

Sad to note the death last month at the age of 69 of the intriguing artist Tim (sometimes Tom) Pogson, whose work notably included the incredible pastiche of the popular wildlife painter David Shepherd for the front cover of Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ 1979 album Armed Forces.

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Tags: David Shepherd

Wild World contributor Clarita Hinojosa discusses her essay and the book in the latest episode of the Design Freaks podcast.

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Tags: Design Freaks

Artists’ agent and passionate music lover Norman Maslov has posted a 10 minute journey through The Wild World of Barney Bubbles on his Youtube channel, augmented by examples of original and reissue record sleeve and poster designs from his collection.

Watch above and here.

Tags: Norman Maslov, Youtube

++ Left: New Barney Bubbles Muleskinners T; right: Julian Balme’s tribute for The Commuters, 1980 ++

42 years separate the designs in this great photo, which pairs the new official Barney Bubbles Muleskinners T-shirt on the left with the one-off tribute on the right designed in 1980 by Julian Balme for the UK post-punk R&B group The Commuters.

Both belong to Peter Stanfield, the group’s harmonica player who is these days a prominent pop culture academic and author, notably of the recently published Pin-Ups 1972.

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Tags: Jules Vegas, Julian Balme, Peter Stanfield, Pin-Ups 1972, The Commuters

++ A Box of Bubbles is housed in this impressive 25 x 30cm casing decorated with one of Barney Bubbles’ most familiar artworks, for Ian Dury & The Blockheads’ 1978 single Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick ++

++ The box contains a copy of The Wild World of Barney Bubbles with a different hard cover jacket from the regular version ++

Very exciting – the first advance copy of A Box of Bubbles has arrived… and it looks amazing.

++ The boxed version of Wild World also has different end-papers based on patterns produced for Elvis Costello & The Attractions 1979 LP Armed Forces ++

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Tags: bookshop.org, International Times

A new addition to the Barney Bubbles Shop is the 1964 design for Twickenham Tech art school r&b group The Muleskinners, whose line-up included the late, great Ian McLagan of the Small Faces and The Faces.

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Tags: British Poster Award, Ian McLagan, Mods & Rockers