David Band, who designed record sleeves for Altered Images, Aztec Camera and Spandau Ballet died aged 51.
All of the early singles by Altered Images including Dead Pop Stars, I Could Be Happy as well as the album cover for Happy Birthday all had David’s distinctive paintings on their sleeves. Clare Grogan recently described him as being the closest thing to a brother she ever had and a real member of the Altered Images family.
Roddy Frame asked Band to design the cover of Aztec Camera’s debut album High Land, Hard Rain.
Frame gave Band a demo tape of the album and a free hand to come up with an album cover, Frame wanted to shy away from the usual glossy cover that was common during that time.
He said, “David was a real music fan, who I knew would listen to the tracks and put his own interpretation into the artwork. If you look at the cover you can see the bugler from The Bugle Sounds Again and the train from Lost Outside The Tunnel”.
Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet asked David to design the covers for the album Parade and the single True and his bird symbol featured in the video for the successful Gold single. Band continued to produce artwork for the subsequent Spandau singles and album.
David studied at the Glasgow School of Art. His brother Keith was bassist for Bourgie Bourgie. He produced artwork for Bourgie Bourgie, including the iconic cover of the single Breaking Point.
He went on to set up an art collective and studio "The Cloth" with Fraser Taylor, who produced covers for Friends Again. It was during this period David Band designed T-Shirts for Paul Smith (incidentally a favourite in JC's wardrobe)
As an artist, he was described as having a keen sense of colour and form.
David Band’s paintings hung in galleries in Sydney, New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
On hearing of his death Lloyd Cole said, “I hope he is remembered as a vibrant artist and a key component in the Glasgow music scene”
David Band died on the 20th of April in Melbourne, Australia, where he lived with his partner and 7 year old son.
JOHN GREER, THURSDAY 14 JULY 2011
And in memory of David Band:-
mp3 : Altered Images - A Day's Wait
mp3 : Aztec Camera - Lost Outside The Tunnel
mp3 : Bourgie Bourgie - Careless
Thanks for the tribute John.....
10 comments:
Very sad to hear this news - I wasn't aware of his death.
This is a lovely and fitting tribute, John.
'High Land, Hard Rain' - what an album and the art work for it is my all-time favourite LP cover.
just to echo colin's comments - the cover of high land hangs on my dining room wall.
a great tribute
Ashamed to say I didn't even know his name, though I've lived with those iconic covers all my adult life. What good blogging's all about, this.
Wow, that's a shock. He did a painting for a brochure I designed in the late 80s.
Always been a fan of his work and very saddened to hear of his premature passing.
Nev
Echoing what everyone else has said. Thanks for the great post John
Jesus, that is sad news. As another expat Scot in Australia I corresponded with David a couple of years ago as I was trying to see if he had any prints of the High Land Hard Rain Cover or Walk Out To Winter. I had the idea of framing (no pun intended) one of them in the house. Alas, he didn't but I got to at least tell him how brilliant his artworks were. I had no idea he had passed away. That is sad news indeed.
David Band showed through the gallery in Melbourne, Australia, my wife used to manage. He was chuffed when I once raised the Aztec Camera cover with him.
This is a lovely tribute to David's brilliant and iconic work. I was always a fan and only recently put together an archive of all of his record sleeves along with those of his friend and colleague Fraser Taylor who designed covers for The Bluebells and Friends Again. The world is less colourful with his passing. www.thecloth.co.uk
Thank you for all the kind words guys, it must some sort of comfort to David Band's family and friends that his work meant so much to so many people !!
John Greer
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