Barney Bubbles

  • The Art Nouveau roots of the Space Ritual cover

    ++ 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.

  • The original ‘Hawkwind Lady’ logo for the Doremi Fasol Latido album cover

    ++ 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.

    (more…)

  • Barney Bubbles’ copy of the groundbreaking graphic design book which inspired his work for decades

    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.

    (more…)

  • Hundreds of Barney Bubbles designs in new Swedish exhibition

    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.

    (more…)

  • Farewell Tom Pogson, painter best known for his Armed Forces cover

    ++ 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.

    (more…)

  • New Design Freaks podcast on The Wild World of Barney Bubbles

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

    (more…)

  • ‘A lovely and essential work bursting with delight’

    ‘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.

    (more…)

  • Ed Hamell’s splendid Barney Bubbles interpretations

    This is the colour version of the drawing by musician Ed Hamell – of the band Hamell On Trial – which appears on the inner sleeve of The Paranoid Style’s new album For Executive Meeting.

    Hamell also contributed to the lyric video for the album’s lead track tribute to Bubbles, including the interpretation of the cover of Elvis Costello & The Attractions’s album Imperial Bedroom – watch out for it at 02.00 in the clip:

    Check out Hamell On Trial here.

    For Executive Meeting is available from all good record retailers and direct from Bar/None here.

  • Norman Maslov on The Wild World of Barney Bubbles on Youtube

    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.

  • 42 years separate this pair of Muleskinners-inspired T-shirts

    ++ 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.

    (more…)