You know... the kind where we're posing 'til closing, trying to look serious, but instead look like we are constipated from eating two large bowls of contrition?

Or there's the photograph where guitar players are holding their guitars so closely it would make their girlfriends jealous. Actually, I've seen a couple of shots where guys are actually kissing their guitars, but that story is for the Adult crowd.

Then there are the photographs where the artist has figured that all of the above are indeed dumb to do, but he/she hasn't yet figured out what to do instead. So, he/she just sits there doing nothing, except looking... dumb.

I suppose this is why I prefer special effects on covers, be they music CDs or books. It eliminates the chance of looking... (you say it). Special effects also have another benefit--if they are unique enough, they leave a memorable impression on anyone reviewing your cover. In other words, they get your ATTENTION!

Why, I remember "back in the day" (1970's) of album covers, when musical groups would seemingly compete with each other in order to see which ones could come up with the most dramatic special effects for their covers.

And because the rear side of the album cover was, in most cases, a continuance of the front side, I also remember several friends who would split the seams and hang the open cover on their bedroom walls as works of art. I believe that I even remember some album covers being officially judged as works of art.

But today, while gaining in life-extending sound quality, we seem to be losing the idea of alluring the prospective listener/buyer because of the significant decrease in space and size with the transition from album jacket to CD cover.

But that need not be. While I am aware that the effect is naturally lessened due to the decreased size and space, I believe that incorporating special effects will always outshine--and ultimately outsell--a staid still.

A couple of cases in point:

1. I vividly recall one of Jazz saxophonist Ronnie Laws' covers presented him walking up some steps and passing himself coming down the steps.

2. Another example, a recording titled "Double Exposure," presented the artist superimposing his image to produce a duplicate.

Start being creative with your thought-processes in regard to marketing your product. Don't allow your music to become lost simply because your cover didn't do a good enough job of selling your music.

Now, want yet another example of what I mean by special effect? Well, as I am also a Fiction writer, my first novel, "Millennium Eve," a Sci-Fi work, was published in 1998. If you would be interested in seeing an eerie cover, just go to www.Amazon.com, choose "Books," and then type "millennium eve" in the search box. I believe the cover just might give you a few creeps.


Editor's Note: Kenny Love is a proprietor of several online ventures, music being one of them. See his extensive web site at www.kennylove.net.


© 2000 - Kenny Love