The Band – Music from Big Pink album art
Front cover (1973 reissue)
Released in 1968, Music from Big Pink is the debut studio album by the Band. The Canadian-American rock band had backed Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour (then still under their former name, the Hawks). According to Wikipedia,
Dylan offered to sing on the album, but ultimately realized it was important for the Band to make their own statement. Instead, Dylan signified his presence by contributing a cover painting.
The album design is by Milton Glaser, who also created the famous poster included in Dylan’s Greatest Hits album from 1967. While the front cover with Dylan’s painting of six musicians and an elephant is devoid of any typography, the back cover presents the title in big black capitals from Egyptienne, with one word per line. Photography by Elliott Landy.
Back cover (1973 reissue). The album was named after “Big Pink”, a house shared by band members Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York, where some of the music was composed. Smaller text is set in Helvetica and News Gothic.
Gatefold (1978 reissue). The typeface used for the band member’s names, the track list and other text is Bookman.
Back and front cover (1978 reissue)
No more space for ambiguity: this CD edition places the band name and the album title on the front cover.
