Sleeve Artists: Martin Sharp ('Oz' & Whitaker)
WELCOME TO "SLEEVE ARTISTS"
(Please scroll down to the Sleeve Image History if you wish to skip this intro & the artist profile).
Whilst this Discogs site is dedicated to the art of music, I believe the importance of the art of graphic imagery in music should not be overlooked. In many instances the sleeve art of a recording reflects the nature and attitude of society prevalent at the time of its release. It also needs to capture the essence of the artist upon the release, arranging its shapes and orchestrating its colours to reach the eyes in silent communication. Once upon a time, the possession and tactile joy of a vinyl album sleeve was like having a child's security blanket. It's content proof that other people out there understood the crazy stuff that you were listening to. Often, the art content would distill and become a recognisable icon for the future of the performer. A leitmotif that would go beyond the days when a band simply wrote their name on the drum kit.
My intention is to create a series of lists, prefixed "Sleeve Artists:". These lists will, initially, be confined to early/seminal graphic artists creating 'hand-worked' art, rather than later photographers or computer/CGI illustrators. I shall attempt to provide a broad Profile on each artist, adding to it as I uncover their album histories. Albums will be added to the Image List chronologically as I come across them, together with any relative info in the text area. I shall also maintain a set of links to other sleeve artist's work in Discogs (found as a footnote, below the Profile).
This is certainly not intended as a definitive guide to the artist or their works. It's simply an aid to their enjoyment & governed by the Database. Any info you have, or pointers to missing items, or complaints etc., is welcome.
The Sleeve Art of Martin Sharp ('Oz' & Whitaker)
Born: 1942, Sydney, Australia
Educated at Cranbrook, a private school where he was tutored by artist Justin O'Brien, Sharp then enrolled at East Sydney's National Art School in 1960. At the NAS the seeds of his imagination as a counter-culture artist, that would germinate and spread through the pages of UK's "OZ" magazine, began with student rag The Arty Wild Oat (created with friend Garry Shead) and cartoons for The Bulletin.
A period of architectural studies at Sydney University followed, where Sharp met Richard Walsh, the editor of its student magazine Honi Soit. The two struck up a friendship with Richard Neville, creator of Tharunka student magazine, at the University of NSW. Walsh and Neville, perceived the need for a publicly available satirical counter-culture magazine and roped in Sharp and Shead as artistic contributors. The first Sydney edition of "OZ" was launched in 1963 on 'April Fool's Day', with Sharp as co-editor and art director. True to the day, the front page ran a report on the collapse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Subsequent and contentious issues, dealing with abortion, censorship, homosexuality, racism, the Vietnam War and police brutality, followed. By the sixth issue two charges of obscenity had been leveled at the publishers. The outcome was that Neville, Walsh and Sharp were sentenced to prison terms. After a public outcry and an appeal the convictions were overturned.
During late 1965 the magazine, which had experienced run-ins with Sydney's underworld of organized crime, blatantly published a 'Top 20' of local major criminals and purposely left the 'top spot' blank, moving each character down a rung. A subsequent issue had the temerity to leak a police report on an underworld execution that may well have resulted from the existence of the OZ list. It was shortly after this that Neville and Sharp left for London via Asia, parting company in Kathmandu to go their separate ways.
Sharp quickly adapted to London's lifestyle on arriving in 1966, meeting up with 'Australian' photography friend Robert Whitaker and Neville's sister Jill in Knightsbridge. Whitaker had already established a name for himself with photos of The Beatles, including the controversial "Yesterday And Today" US release*, so Martin was already moving among 'connected people' on the music scene. One night, over a few beers, he began an innocent conversation in The Speakeasy with a musician who was wrestling for lyrics to an arrangement he had in mind. Sharp scribbled out the bones of a poem titled "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" on a serviette, added his address and handed it over.
The musician was, of course, Eric Clapton and the 'serviette number' became the flipside of the 1967 Cream single "Strange Brew". It also appeared on Cream's 2nd album which, naturally, had a sleeve designed by Sharp who was now residing at The Pheasantry in Chelsea's Kings Road. This was a very distinctive Georgian building, divided into apartments & studios together with a restaurant and a basement nightclub. Other residents included Clapton, writer Germaine Greer who was in the midst of creating "The Female Eunuch", filmmaker Phillipe Mora, David Litvinoff - future production advisor of Roeg's film "Performance", and photographer Tim Whidbourne among others. They didn't need to go far to enjoy early basement gigs by Hawkwind, Yvonne Elliman, Lou Reed, Queen, et al.
In unison to these events Neville arrived in the UK in September '66. By early 1967 he and Sharp had set up "OZ London" with fellow Australian Jim Anderson. Many artists, cartoonists, poets, writers, satirists, musicians and celebrities, too numerous to mention, contributed to its innovative and visually stunning pages. Pages that were enlivened by the flexibility of the offset-print process, the use of fluorescent inks, textured & foil-coated papers and folding techniques. By 1968 Sharp had also created a number of famous rock posters and begun to take a back seat, relinquishing his editorial Oz post to Felix Dennis, who became a partner with Neville and Anderson.
By the '70s the magazine's content had once again became the focus of public controversy. Regularly targeted by 'The Obscene Publications Squad' it was finally brought to trial in 1971 on the charge of "Conspiracy to corrupt public morals". Lennon and Ono formed the "Elastic Oz Band" and produced the benefit protest single "God Save Us". The three accused appeared in the committal hearing wearing schoolgirl outfits and, at the appeal trial, in shoulder-length wigs. The outcome of these events and tales of the Oz days are related by Neville in his book "Hippie Hippie Shake". Sharp returned to Australia in 1969 and produced a number of exhibitions there before coming back to London in 1972. He created the miniature "Art Book", using his cut-n'-paste style to juxtapose images of fine artists in the environs of their counterparts. This achieved European distribution before he returned again to Australia, where he expanded on the idea with a series of mischievous paintings exhibited in Sydney.
As of 2009 he has continued to be involved in creative projects and remains an activist in Sydney's way of life.
*Whitaker's background is in the Image History below.
Other Sleeve Artists:
Sleeve Artists: Barney Bubbles (The work of Colin Fulcher).
Sleeve Artists: Gary Panter (Under construction)
Sleeve Artists: Martin Sharp ('Oz' & Whitaker) Including Robert Whitaker
& other sleeve artists relating to Sharp's 'Oz' magazine
Sleeve Artists: Cal Schenkel (Under construction, but operating)
Sleeve Artists: Ed Thrasher (Under construction, but operating)
Sleeve Artists: Of West Coast Bands 1967-1970 (Under construction)
(Please scroll down to the Sleeve Image History if you wish to skip this intro & the artist profile).
Whilst this Discogs site is dedicated to the art of music, I believe the importance of the art of graphic imagery in music should not be overlooked. In many instances the sleeve art of a recording reflects the nature and attitude of society prevalent at the time of its release. It also needs to capture the essence of the artist upon the release, arranging its shapes and orchestrating its colours to reach the eyes in silent communication. Once upon a time, the possession and tactile joy of a vinyl album sleeve was like having a child's security blanket. It's content proof that other people out there understood the crazy stuff that you were listening to. Often, the art content would distill and become a recognisable icon for the future of the performer. A leitmotif that would go beyond the days when a band simply wrote their name on the drum kit.
My intention is to create a series of lists, prefixed "Sleeve Artists:". These lists will, initially, be confined to early/seminal graphic artists creating 'hand-worked' art, rather than later photographers or computer/CGI illustrators. I shall attempt to provide a broad Profile on each artist, adding to it as I uncover their album histories. Albums will be added to the Image List chronologically as I come across them, together with any relative info in the text area. I shall also maintain a set of links to other sleeve artist's work in Discogs (found as a footnote, below the Profile).
This is certainly not intended as a definitive guide to the artist or their works. It's simply an aid to their enjoyment & governed by the Database. Any info you have, or pointers to missing items, or complaints etc., is welcome.
The Sleeve Art of Martin Sharp ('Oz' & Whitaker)
Born: 1942, Sydney, Australia
Educated at Cranbrook, a private school where he was tutored by artist Justin O'Brien, Sharp then enrolled at East Sydney's National Art School in 1960. At the NAS the seeds of his imagination as a counter-culture artist, that would germinate and spread through the pages of UK's "OZ" magazine, began with student rag The Arty Wild Oat (created with friend Garry Shead) and cartoons for The Bulletin.
A period of architectural studies at Sydney University followed, where Sharp met Richard Walsh, the editor of its student magazine Honi Soit. The two struck up a friendship with Richard Neville, creator of Tharunka student magazine, at the University of NSW. Walsh and Neville, perceived the need for a publicly available satirical counter-culture magazine and roped in Sharp and Shead as artistic contributors. The first Sydney edition of "OZ" was launched in 1963 on 'April Fool's Day', with Sharp as co-editor and art director. True to the day, the front page ran a report on the collapse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Subsequent and contentious issues, dealing with abortion, censorship, homosexuality, racism, the Vietnam War and police brutality, followed. By the sixth issue two charges of obscenity had been leveled at the publishers. The outcome was that Neville, Walsh and Sharp were sentenced to prison terms. After a public outcry and an appeal the convictions were overturned.
During late 1965 the magazine, which had experienced run-ins with Sydney's underworld of organized crime, blatantly published a 'Top 20' of local major criminals and purposely left the 'top spot' blank, moving each character down a rung. A subsequent issue had the temerity to leak a police report on an underworld execution that may well have resulted from the existence of the OZ list. It was shortly after this that Neville and Sharp left for London via Asia, parting company in Kathmandu to go their separate ways.
Sharp quickly adapted to London's lifestyle on arriving in 1966, meeting up with 'Australian' photography friend Robert Whitaker and Neville's sister Jill in Knightsbridge. Whitaker had already established a name for himself with photos of The Beatles, including the controversial "Yesterday And Today" US release*, so Martin was already moving among 'connected people' on the music scene. One night, over a few beers, he began an innocent conversation in The Speakeasy with a musician who was wrestling for lyrics to an arrangement he had in mind. Sharp scribbled out the bones of a poem titled "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" on a serviette, added his address and handed it over.
The musician was, of course, Eric Clapton and the 'serviette number' became the flipside of the 1967 Cream single "Strange Brew". It also appeared on Cream's 2nd album which, naturally, had a sleeve designed by Sharp who was now residing at The Pheasantry in Chelsea's Kings Road. This was a very distinctive Georgian building, divided into apartments & studios together with a restaurant and a basement nightclub. Other residents included Clapton, writer Germaine Greer who was in the midst of creating "The Female Eunuch", filmmaker Phillipe Mora, David Litvinoff - future production advisor of Roeg's film "Performance", and photographer Tim Whidbourne among others. They didn't need to go far to enjoy early basement gigs by Hawkwind, Yvonne Elliman, Lou Reed, Queen, et al.
In unison to these events Neville arrived in the UK in September '66. By early 1967 he and Sharp had set up "OZ London" with fellow Australian Jim Anderson. Many artists, cartoonists, poets, writers, satirists, musicians and celebrities, too numerous to mention, contributed to its innovative and visually stunning pages. Pages that were enlivened by the flexibility of the offset-print process, the use of fluorescent inks, textured & foil-coated papers and folding techniques. By 1968 Sharp had also created a number of famous rock posters and begun to take a back seat, relinquishing his editorial Oz post to Felix Dennis, who became a partner with Neville and Anderson.
By the '70s the magazine's content had once again became the focus of public controversy. Regularly targeted by 'The Obscene Publications Squad' it was finally brought to trial in 1971 on the charge of "Conspiracy to corrupt public morals". Lennon and Ono formed the "Elastic Oz Band" and produced the benefit protest single "God Save Us". The three accused appeared in the committal hearing wearing schoolgirl outfits and, at the appeal trial, in shoulder-length wigs. The outcome of these events and tales of the Oz days are related by Neville in his book "Hippie Hippie Shake". Sharp returned to Australia in 1969 and produced a number of exhibitions there before coming back to London in 1972. He created the miniature "Art Book", using his cut-n'-paste style to juxtapose images of fine artists in the environs of their counterparts. This achieved European distribution before he returned again to Australia, where he expanded on the idea with a series of mischievous paintings exhibited in Sydney.
As of 2009 he has continued to be involved in creative projects and remains an activist in Sydney's way of life.
*Whitaker's background is in the Image History below.
Other Sleeve Artists:
Sleeve Artists: Barney Bubbles (The work of Colin Fulcher).
Sleeve Artists: Gary Panter (Under construction)
Sleeve Artists: Martin Sharp ('Oz' & Whitaker) Including Robert Whitaker
& other sleeve artists relating to Sharp's 'Oz' magazine
Sleeve Artists: Cal Schenkel (Under construction, but operating)
Sleeve Artists: Ed Thrasher (Under construction, but operating)
Sleeve Artists: Of West Coast Bands 1967-1970 (Under construction)
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1
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2
1968
Sharp's black on silver foil-coated card design for the band's 3rd album. A double LP. -
3
1969
Awaiting image of LP edition, designed by Sharp. (Released on Head Records)
The band originally began as "The Action". -
4
1970
A double LP with typical Sharp illustration.
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1973
(Awaiting submission)
Jeannie Lewis - Free Fall Through Featherless Flight
A blue & black Martin Sharp sleeve design for this Australian singer. -
5
This is a placeholder
Awaiting submissions for Martin Sharp's absorbing pastime of promoting the work of this artist.
Sharp has created sleeves for:
"Chameleon", "Keeping My Troubles To Myself" and "The World Non-stop Singing Record".
Sharp has spent much of the latter part of his career making a film about this artist. -
6
1966
The Sleeve Art of Robert Whitaker
Born: 1939, England
Moved to study at the University of Melbourne in 1961.
When Sharp first arrived in the UK he met up with 'Australian' friend and photographer
Robert Whitaker and occupied accommodation that housed Whitaker's "Joubert Studios"
at 14 Jubilee Place, London SW3, off the King's Road. (Once occupied by the painter
Raymond Ray-Jones, who became a member of the St Ives Society). Sharp called upon
Whitaker's skills in the making of the "Disraeli Gears" sleeve.
This is a reissue 'bootleg' using the Robert Whitaker cover that appeared on US & Canadian
LP sleeves in 1966, but was quickly withdrawn a day before release. Whitaker believes that
250,000 copies were printed. Mojo magazine estimated that as many as 60,000 were
issued to the media before it became withdrawn on grounds of 'bad taste'. According to
Capitol's then president, Alan Livingstone, the photo was used at the insistence of Paul
McCartney, with the remark "It's our comment on the war". This was the year of Lennon's
controversial 'Jesus' remark, which probably colored Capitol's decision not to add more
fuel to The Beatles' fire.
The image was replaced by another Whitaker shot, of the band standing around a steamer
trunk. Existing albums were transferred by hand into the new cover. Time of the essence, it
was then decided to paste a print over the existing cover. These 'paste-overs' then began to
command high prices among collectors, as did original copies that had escaped in recall.
Livingstone had kept 25 copies in 1966. Very early in the '90s one copy sold for $20,000
cash, later being sold-on to a Californian collector in 1994 for $25,000.
In fact, neither Whitaker or Lennon ever intended the image to be used in the manner it was.
As a 'thinking' portrait artist Whitaker was always seeking to convey a message about his
subject in his work. Three images were intended, laid out in a triptych gatefold, that were
'idolatory' in an 'anti-hero' sense, with the background dropped-out and gold halos inserted.
Lennon, especially, rose to the idea of this not being yet another smiling band portrait.
Whitaker had already photographed intriguing images of Dali and this was simply another
extension of his surrealist ideas.
Whitaker's involvement with The Beatles came about when the group toured Australia in
1964. He photographed Brian Epstein for an article in Melborne's Jewish News. Epstein
was impressed and offered him a post as staff photograper at NEMS in the UK. This gave
Whitaker access to photograph a raft of leading musicians of the sixtes and he became
good friends with John Lennon. His work also appeared in Sharp's 'Oz' magazine.
Some of Whitaker's sleeve work follows: -
7
1966
Back cover images by Whitaker.
(Cover art by David Christian) -
8
1967
Awaiting image -
9
1966
This is a placeholder, using the 1975 release.
Awaiting submission of original 1966 version. -
10
This is a placeholder using the performer (Awaiting submission)
for the release "Cilla" with cover image by Whitaker.
------------------------------
(I will add more images by Whitaker, or Sharp, as and when the mood takes me,
or when I come across them in Discogs, or its members 'flag' me) :)
The band's 2nd album.
Publicity prints of the band by Robert Whitaker (possibly R-types), cut-n-pasted by Sharp
and colored with fluorescent inks. Sharp's lyrics are used on "Tales Of Brave Ulysses"
and black & white photos by Whitaker are montaged on the back.