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Color Schemes On CD Covers (Related w/JJH's "Cover Art" Post)

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Author	Topic: Color Schemes On CD Covers (Related w/JJH's "Cover Art" Post)

Norman McCay Oscar® Winner	This is a rather odd topic, but perhaps still not stranger than eating compact discs (no offense meant by that)? Personally, color schemes on CD covers actually enhance my enjoyment of the music to an extent. Formerly of an artistic background, I suppose a visual representation of music just might make the music sound that much sweeter. Is there anyone out there that grasp what I am saying? Although that "enhancment" is NOT the case everytime, but I still believe each CD cover has a specific color scheme that tries to attract potential buyers like me. Examples: Scores/Soundtracks Batman Forever - Green, Blue, Orange, Red, and Black American Beauty - Purple, Red, Black, Blue M:I-2 - Orange, Red, Black Gladiator - Sandy Brown, Lavender, Grey *The Matrix - Light Blue, Black, Silver (As much I wanted to love this score, the music just couldn't surpass the excellent color scheme and cover design, which was actually better color-wise than the explicit lyrics cover design) P.S. Off-topic--do people DREAM (not memories) in color?
posted 05-26-2000 01:41 PM PT (US)

joan hue Oscar® Winner	Norman, I agree with you. I kick myself for giving away all of my LP albums. I know filmscore collectors who framed those covers for their den walls. I never thought of it. Perhaps CDs' poster art will also one day be of value in the same manner. NP Crimson Tide
posted 05-26-2000 02:39 PM PT (US)

Nicolai P. Zwar Oscar® Winner	Off topic answer: Once in a while it gets said that we dream in black and white, but I know that I do dream in color. Most of the time. On topic answer: Cover design and color design goes hand in hand. I agree that a well designed CD, CD booklet etc. certainly adds something to the appreciation of a particular release (though it cannot make a poor score great and vice versa). As far as film score CD design goes, Rhino's BEN HUR is likely to be one of the top releases ever, simply because everything looks noble and exclusive. The reddish design of Varese's COWBOYS release was also a total winner (great cover and color scheme), same with their 2001 release.
posted 05-26-2000 02:55 PM PT (US)

Norman McCay Oscar® Winner	Nicolai, Off Topic reponse: that's why I said DREAMS, not MEMORIES. I honestly believe we dream in black and white, but we THINK with color, which is part of your MEMORY. That's my opinion on the distinction. On Topic response: I don't know, sometimes I do feel like the CD design does make the music sound better. But like I said, cases like that are still rare exceptions (example--Elfman's Mission: Impossible score). You're correct, though, most well-designed CDs and covers still can't make up for the lacking music. Ben Hur? Is it the one with Big Block rock-like letters? If so, I would have to disagree with you because I see it as a rather bland design and it just doesn't jump at me. Sorry. Haven't seen COWBOYS, though.
posted 05-26-2000 03:11 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	Even mentioning this threatens to steer the thread off-topic, but: I KNOW I dream in color.
posted 05-26-2000 03:25 PM PT (US)

JJH Oscar® Winner	pesonally, I rather enjoy the art works that adorn many of my classical CDs. Gustav Klimt is on one of my Mahler CDs (the 7th I think), Titian on one or two of my Renaissance discs. I agree on the 2001 mention. Great cover art. The Delerue London Sessions 1 and 2 have some interesting stuff on their covers as well.
posted 05-26-2000 10:47 PM PT (US)

Hard Target Oscar® Winner	Varese's art for their classic film music re-recordings are true winners along with a couple for their regular releases for rejected scores like K2, Last Man Standing and Picture Bride. What really ticks me off is score albums that only feature the film's logo or title with an unimaginative background like Men In Black, Blade, Carlito's Way to name a few. As much as I love the music, at least the artwork should be at the same level.
posted 05-26-2000 11:51 PM PT (US)

James Oscar® Winner	Why would we dream in black and white? We see the world in color, why would your brain want to go through the trouble of converting everything to black and white? Furthermore, if I found out I actually did dream in b&w, I would be incredibly surprised and impressed with myself... one dream in particular was all about color... think the stargate sequence from 2001 and amplify it be 100 times... that's what it was like. It did not have any specific shape or form, and it was nothing I had ever seen in life, so how could I possibly remember such distinct and vivid colors if I had dreamt it in black and white, which could not have shown the distinctions? Moreover, I once had a dream which at different intervals would switch from b&w to color and back again... like Wim Wenders... and for no apparent reason. Why would I remember it that way? Does it strike you as odd that the theory of b&w dreams was not suggested until after movies came about? James P.S. How can you even know what color is? What if what you see as certain colors is completely inverted in another persons eyes? You'd never have any way of knowing because they would still associate their own version of red with the word "red." The person sitting next to you on the bus might see colors beyond your comprehension, and vice versa. And there's absolutely no way to know for sure...
posted 05-26-2000 11:54 PM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Oscar® Winner	Does ANYBODY like that strange brownish color on the side sleeves of Varese's covers? quote: Originally posted by James: P.S. How can you even know what color is? What if what you see as certain colors is completely inverted in another persons eyes? You'd never have any way of knowing because they would still associate their own version of red with the word "red." The person sitting next to you on the bus might see colors beyond your comprehension, and vice versa. And there's absolutely no way to know for sure... I also keep wondering about that at times. NP: Symphony #10 (Dmitri Shostakovich; Berliner Philharmoniker/Karajan)
posted 05-27-2000 07:26 AM PT (US)

sabbey Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Marian Schedenig: Does ANYBODY like that strange brownish color on the side sleeves of Varese's covers? Well I do! Though I have no idea why. I remember not liking them originally, but for some reason I like it now. Though I think Varese's newer CDs look better. Regards, Sean Robert Abbey
posted 05-27-2000 03:55 PM PT (US)

JJH Oscar® Winner	I think the older Varese CDs, while admittedly, not that pretty, were very easy to spot when looking through millions of used CDs. But I do like their newer CD covers. Very good looking. I'm wondering why VS changed their numbering/ cataloguing system. NP -- Sleepy Hollow DVD
posted 05-27-2000 05:56 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	Have they changed it again? I hadn't noticed if they had. However, the original label change from VCD to VSD occurred at precisely the time Varese signed its distribution deal with MCA in 1988. I don't have their first VSD release, but if I remember right, their second was Chris Young's BAT-21, which I do have. I'm sure it was just meant to mirror the change in regime.
posted 05-27-2000 06:41 PM PT (US)

JJH Oscar® Winner	yes, the first number change I noticed was on The Sixth Sense: 302 066 061 2, no VCD, VSD, etc. I first noticed the new designs on End of Days. actually, it seems rather arbitrary. NP -- the Straight story, I command everyone in the gallery to obtain this score!
posted 05-27-2000 08:57 PM PT (US)

Nicolai P. Zwar Oscar® Winner	Well, I know I dream in color for a fact. I mean, one could always say, sure, maybe one dreams in black and white and then remembers the dream in color, BUT I once dreamed (no kidding) that I was in some strange twilight zone like city where one side of the street was black and white. There was really a clearly defined line and things beyond that line were in black and white and things before that line were in color. I remember there was some arguing with a policeman about the color of a certain car, and the trick was to park it on the other side of the street so one could see the color of it (it was red). So, this dream would make no sense if I wouldn't have dreamed it in color and just added the color later on in my memories, because it was about the contrast about black and white and color. This was not the only time I dreamed something like that, but the most obvious dream to illustrate my point.
posted 05-28-2000 03:57 AM PT (US)

JJH Oscar® Winner	I too dream in color. I can remember little from images from some of the more striking dreams I've had in the past, but nothing specific about the dreams themselves. NP -- All About Eve, Alfred Newman
posted 05-28-2000 06:05 AM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Oscar® Winner	That's a great dream, Nicolai. Varese's changed the design for all CDs? I thought the new design was solely for the "Fox Classics" series. One thing is true: The old design made it easy to find their albums. Unfortunately, most record stores have their CD shelves in a way that you can't see the side sleeves of the CDs. Would make it MUCH easier to find a specific item.
posted 05-28-2000 02:38 PM PT (US)

JJH Oscar® Winner	yeah, I do believe they're all new designs. I noticed it first with End of Days. Now Battlefield Earth, Diamonds, and others have it. weird.
posted 05-28-2000 04:49 PM PT (US)

Thor Oscar® Winner	I not only dream in colour. I dream in hifi dolby digital stereo thx surround as well!! No, seriously we DO dream in colour. That has, to a certain extent, been scientifically verified. On the topic of CD cover art, though, I am certain that the colours have something to say. If the design looks what I like to call "delicious", then that is bound to "plague" (in a positive sense) the listening experience as well. You feel you have an artifact that is worth something - something to physically hold on to - and that gives you the benefit of relating your aural, abstract pleasure to something specific, to a source. And yeah - I fancy the purple Varese spines, since that makes them easy to spot in CD shelves etc. (in case of sales and so on).
posted 06-06-2000 07:18 AM PT (US)

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