Which bands or record labels produced the best artwork on their sleeves ?
I would have to go with Factory Records. Design of their artwork was so integral to Factory that one of their directors was the artist Peter Saville. If you’ve seen the Factory film Twenty Four Hour Party People, Saville comes across as a figure of fun for delivering a poster after the event (true) and for New Orders Blue Monday being so expensive to produce the company lost money on every copy sold (partially true – the reissues were in a less complex sleeve). Unknown Pleasures is one of the most recognised images of the time. The Sleeves of Closer and Love Will Tear Us Apart seem deliberately morbid, bearing a tomb and a grave respectively, considering that Curtis died before both were released, These designs were actually decided on before his death though. Both Unknown Pleasures and Closer had engravings in the vinyl, but for even greater mystery neither had side 1 + side 2 on them. UP had inside + outside & Closer had no reference – you can only tell which side is which by countin
