Like many other artists, Elvis Costello recognises and honours the Barney Bubbles Estate’s ownership of original artworks, designs and art direction.
So when it came to piecing together the new 5-disc ’49th anniversary’ enhanced reissue of his amazing debut album My Aim Is True, Elvis and his management made sure to request permission and licensing for reproduction of Barney’s designs as well as his overall art direction of the project.
Elvis’s accompanying essay and the booklet illustrations demonstrate Barney’s total application to commissions, from designing all the sleeves for the singles from the album to being involved in the photo session which produced the front cover portrait to harmonisation of typography (special props for the intensity of the repeated ‘Elvis Is King’ Letrasetting in the cover’s tiny black and white boxes).
This reissue of My Aim Is True is a reminder not only of the extraordinary power of Elvis’s music from the get-go but also the supreme professionalism of Barney’s approach to such projects.
Copies of the box-set are available here.
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