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Decca
were the first company to issue 12" long playing albums in Britain in June
1950 with 15 titles. They were the first UK company to tackle the problems of
packaging the new format and their early sleeves featured a variety of different
production techniques. The Decca LXT series was classical repertoire and the covers
show the first attempt of designers and illustrators to package the new product.
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Stravinsky
/ Petrouchka A Decca advert claims this to be the first pictorial album sleeve. The illustrator is unknown Tchaikovsky
/ Nutcracker Suite Done by the same illustrator as above
Beethoven / Concerto in D Brahms
/ Symphony No. 3 Illustrator : Tom Eckersley, a freelance designer of many famous posters for London Transport and the RAF during the thirties and forties. These are two of a series of similar covers featuring stylised heads of the composers. Sibelius
/ Symphony No. 2 Illustrator : Bainbridge. A typically stylised fifties image making the best of the limited two colours plus black palette Decca specified. Tchaikovsky
/ Piano Concerto No. 1 A very striking image by yet another unknown illustrator as above Click on the sleeves for a larger image.
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