The design of MJ's album covers

mj_frenzy

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It is not uncommon for an album cover to be interpreted in more than one ways. Other times it has to get a very specific message across. Also, many times, a cover just depicts a close-up of the singer’s face for a number of reasons (to gain recognition, to appeal to the opposite sex, etc.).

In any case, for me the main purpose of an album cover is to stay (forever) on people’s mind while they can (easily) relate the album concept to its cover.

Regarding MJ’s album covers, I am not going to make an in-depth analysis, on the contrary, I will express my very first, few thoughts on that matter:

‘Off The Wall’ Cover:

MJ appeared on this cover in accordance with the characteristic lifestyle of that era, while his carefree pose added to the disco mood of that record.

In my opinion, a simple cover but really effective at the same time.

‘Thriller’ Cover:

In the same spirit, the ‘Thriller’ cover depicted MJ in a very natural pose but with an overly serious look.

Personally, I would have preferred that cover a little more complex, probably infused with some eerie, frightening visual elements.

‘Bad’ Cover:

MJ struck again a physical attitude, but this time with rather fierce (stylistically) intentions.

Personally, I did not like the extreme photo editing/retouching of his face that was in contrast with his tough, urban style of his clothes.

‘Dangerous’ Cover:

The creative peak of that period was reflected also on the cover of that album &, still today, it has not lost an inch of its appeal.

Unsurprisingly, this cover is highly praised also outside fan communities.

‘HIStory’ Cover:

Many people criticized that concept & attributed that cover to various reasons (vanity, ego, etc.).

Although it looked a little bit far-fetched, I believe that specific cover was fit for an emphatic comeback.

‘Blood On The Dance Floor’ Cover:

The dance feeling of that (mostly) remixed album was explicitly depicted on that cover.

Personally, I liked the concept of that cover, although I think that it should have been illustrated in a different, more realistic way.

‘Invincible’ Cover:

Unfortunately, his last studio album came with a very casual, totally uninspired cover.

It seems to me that MJ (during that period) was in a rather vulnerable position & was being manipulated (to some extent) by his record company. Sadly enough, all those unpleasant circumstances affected also the cover of his last album.
 
Nothing really different about Thriller. There's several albums that came out before it with the same pose. Here's a couple:
tumblr_ntyl4mLMIi1rw606ko1_r1_500.jpg
tumblr_ntyl4mLMIi1rw606ko1_r2_540.jpg

 
^ that was THE pose to do for a while lol!

for the next album I think it all depends on what music is picked and what feel is picked for the album.. If it is another compellation of old and newer recordings I think an artwork that represents his appearance should be an art piece that can go several eras.. as in we would have he discussion, if this was a real pic this could be Dangerous, History,Invicible era..?? I don't know.. It would not be too hard to make (for example) hair style and look of This Is It but make artistically make him look youthful to match more of an age of the 90's... We would try to figure that art piece out for a while..

I have even taken pictures (just to prove that MJ did not do AS MANY surgeries to his face) changed skin tones and hair style and made pretty convincing pics that could be multiple eras. 1989 looking like 1995.. 1987 looking like1984.. things like that
 
^ that was THE pose to do for a while lol!
Both of those albums were on the same label too, Philadelphia International. I think the most copied album cover is Abbey Road by The Beatles.
 
Regarding Invincible's cover, I feel Michael's pixelated eye and eyebrow as well as the pixelated font the album used are meant to give away the digital, futuristic-sounding songs on the album ("2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker", "Invincible", ""Unbreakable" and "Threatened").

3r1LXWu.png


There were a lot of things in the late 1990s/early 2000s that had a digital, futuristic vibe to hype up the 21st century and third millennium.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/Batman_Beyond_(logo).jpg
http://www.cybertlc.world/coverart/fanmail500.jpg
https://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/9/A70-4902
http://groundctrl.s3.amazonaws.com/...YfyoKxj07KHvFJHQXUUyQwa7fAvSVsWw61k6QuIVA.jpg
http://www.retrogamingaus.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Dreamcast-Launch.jpg
http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/464/MI0002464008.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
http://cdn.albumoftheyear.org/album/19278-2000-watts.jpg

And there were a lot of digital, futuristic-sounding hit singles at the time, too.
 
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My personal favorites are:

1. Blood on the Dance Floor.
That is one eerie cover. Everything about it reeks of danger and war etc. The clouds (of dust?) at the back creep me out to this day. And Michael looks naturally powerful - no other cover has that effect except maybe Dangerous - as he stomps the chessboard city (probably symbolising that everything is just a game - which is kind of the theme of the album). I love his pose, it seems like he's swinging an invisible axe, so damn badass. Imo his 90s period was more badass than the Bad era could ever be. I just can't get enough of this cover!

2. Dangerous.
So much symbolism! Everything about this cover is overwhelming (as it's supposed to be); the colors, the images, the concept. I love how it gets into the realm of self-mockery, with "Dangerous" written above the dark interior of the factory which symbolizes Michael's personal life. I can't do this album cover justice by just writing a single paragraph. But then, it deserves entire essays.

3. Invincible.
Such simplicity. I don't know why I love this one so much. From the era which sounds dated as eff today, this album's cover and songs seem and sound incredibly fresh. No excessiveness, no overwhelming touches. Simple self portrait with everything whitewashed, it wins me over with its simplicity. I think it fits the feel of Whatever Happens and Break of Dawn and Heaven Can Wait and some other songs perfectly. Plus, I feel the 5 differently colored covers probably imply the feel of the album's different songs. I love it!
 
Spaceship;4106523 said:
Regarding Invincible's cover, I feel Michael's pixelated eye and eyebrow as well as the pixelated font the album used are meant to give away the digital, futuristic-sounding songs on the album ("2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker", "Invincible", ""Unbreakable" and "Threatened").

I agree that MJ wanted (through that futuristic way) to introduce himself into the new, digital era. Also, the pixelated/emphasized eye probably meant that MJ was still here &, more importantly, fully aware of all the things that circulated regarding his personal life & career. From that perspective, I think a (lyrically) relation to the song ‘Threatened’ is apparent, especially the fact that appeared as the last track on that album.

MAQ;4106524 said:
My personal favorites are:

1. Blood on the Dance Floor.
That is one eerie cover. Everything about it reeks of danger and war etc. The clouds (of dust?) at the back creep me out to this day. And Michael looks naturally powerful - no other cover has that effect except maybe Dangerous - as he stomps the chessboard city (probably symbolising that everything is just a game - which is kind of the theme of the album). I love his pose, it seems like he's swinging an invisible axe, so damn badass. Imo his 90s period was more badass than the Bad era could ever be. I just can't get enough of this cover!

2. Dangerous.
So much symbolism! Everything about this cover is overwhelming (as it's supposed to be); the colors, the images, the concept. I love how it gets into the realm of self-mockery, with "Dangerous" written above the dark interior of the factory which symbolizes Michael's personal life. I can't do this album cover justice by just writing a single paragraph. But then, it deserves entire essays.

3. Invincible.
Such simplicity. I don't know why I love this one so much. From the era which sounds dated as eff today, this album's cover and songs seem and sound incredibly fresh. No excessiveness, no overwhelming touches. Simple self portrait with everything whitewashed, it wins me over with its simplicity. I think it fits the feel of Whatever Happens and Break of Dawn and Heaven Can Wait and some other songs perfectly. Plus, I feel the 5 differently colored covers probably imply the feel of the album's different songs. I love it!

‘Blood on the dance floor’ is an eerie cover with a diffused, gloomy foreboding all over it.

The chessboard/game city interpretation is indeed an interesting one, although I think there are probably some other explanations as well. For example, the sleek floor resembled (a lot) the look of the mansion’s floor that ‘Ghosts’ took place, so, MJ probably wanted to relate the movie’s concept to that album’s cover message. Also, the fact that MJ still seemed energetic & strong in the midst of an ominous surrounding (an entire city that seemed to gradually sink while clouds of dust overshadowed it in an unnatural way) probably had some positive, auspicious connotations.

I agree that the ‘Dangerous’ cover attained perfection & deserves entire essays.

Regarding the ‘Invincible’ cover, I think the lack of excessiveness also could have meant that they wanted to lighten the heavy feeling of the overstuffed (in terms of production) recorded material.

Finally, I cannot tell for sure why the original concept was dismissed & if MJ was really satisfied with that final, official cover.
 
mj_frenzy;4106542 said:
I agree that MJ wanted (through that futuristic way) to introduce himself into the new, digital era. Also, the pixelated/emphasized eye probably meant that MJ was still here &, more importantly, fully aware of all the things that circulated regarding his personal life & career. From that perspective, I think a (lyrically) relation to the song ‘Threatened’ is apparent, especially the fact that appeared as the last track on that album.



‘Blood on the dance floor’ is an eerie cover with a diffused, gloomy foreboding all over it.

The chessboard/game city interpretation is indeed an interesting one, although I think there are probably some other explanations as well. For example, the sleek floor resembled (a lot) the look of the mansion’s floor that ‘Ghosts’ took place, so, MJ probably wanted to relate the movie’s concept to that album’s cover message. Also, the fact that MJ still seemed energetic & strong in the midst of an ominous surrounding (an entire city that seemed to gradually sink while clouds of dust overshadowed it in an unnatural way) probably had some positive, auspicious connotations.

I agree that the ‘Dangerous’ cover attained perfection & deserves entire essays.

Regarding the ‘Invincible’ cover, I think the lack of excessiveness also could have meant that they wanted to lighten the heavy feeling of the overstuffed (in terms of production) recorded material.

Finally, I cannot tell for sure why the original concept was dismissed & if MJ was really satisfied with that final, official cover.

There are indeed many interpretations of the BotDF cover. One of my favorites (although about a very sinister incident) is the 9/11 one; his hands are placed over the "Manhattan-like" skyline where the twin towers are supposed to be. And then there is all the dust which implies that something has been destroyed. There are two pyramids imprinted in the floor on the left side of MJ's feet - our right side - which kinda indicates the part of a secret society. The chessboard floor itself symbolizes the place of a ritual. Pretty creepy stuff.
 
MAQ;4106558 said:
There are indeed many interpretations of the BotDF cover. One of my favorites (although about a very sinister incident) is the 9/11 one; his hands are placed over the "Manhattan-like" skyline where the twin towers are supposed to be. And then there is all the dust which implies that something has been destroyed. There are two pyramids imprinted in the floor on the left side of MJ's feet - our right side - which kinda indicates the part of a secret society. The chessboard floor itself symbolizes the place of a ritual. Pretty creepy stuff.

I agree that ‘Blood of Dance Floor’ is open to various, gloomy interpretations (like the ones you mentioned).

But, I have to admit that I am a bit surprised that the ‘HIStory’ cover is not among your most favorite covers.

Personally, I liked the majesty of the ‘HIStory’ cover that was aligned with a grandiose promoting campaign & MJ seemed to have conquered (musically) the whole world during that period.
 
mj_frenzy;4106596 said:
I agree that ‘Blood of Dance Floor’ is open to various, gloomy interpretations (like the ones you mentioned).

But, I have to admit that I am a bit surprised that the ‘HIStory’ cover is not among your most favorite covers.

Personally, I liked the majesty of the ‘HIStory’ cover that was aligned with a grandiose promoting campaign & MJ seemed to have conquered (musically) the whole world during that period.

I liked the HIStory cover but it's lacking a certain kind of depth to it. It lacks the simplicity yet foreshadowing image of Vince and the three dimensional feel which was present in the other two 90s albums. That's why the Bad and HIStory covers - even though very iconic - didn't get to the top 3. I would've personally liked to see Michael strapped on to a throne and sitting fixedly and forcedly in a very stylistic pose (something like this: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/p...QuOka4CZyESY3XAFDHR0hf73yztfsvjX=w444-h331-nc) with a brown black backdrop. Now that cover would be awesome!
 
^ I have the same feeling with History album about the "lack of depth" which is interesting because it in some ways is the most "3D' cover up to that point. It covers the most amount of areas, having the statue in the front and you see the clouds coming in from the background. A Part of that is the color choice between the background and the statue, they bleed together a lot which makes the layers between parts not 'pop' as much.. Something as simple of changing the statue and/or background colors and make them more dynamic.. For example the History Vol II DVD with the gold statue and the time of day (cloud color) being different totally changes the view of the layers though it's the same basic concept as the album.. The only issue with the DVD cover to me is while changing from a cement color statue to the gold - some realism of the statue was lost...

Also with each album we came to expect seeing a big reveal to MJ's look and feel and History used an image that came to be a big representation of the previous era - Dangerous.. (The Dangerous tour outfit with the stance he does in the beginning of the concert)

I did like the idea of an overly large statue almost deity like..
 
DuranDuran;4106441 said:
Nothing really different about Thriller. There's several albums that came out before it with the same pose.


In my opinion, the ‘Thriller’ cover was shot in a more professional manner (as compared to these two covers you posted). But, I agree that specific pose on ‘Thriller’ was nothing out of the ordinary.

Spaceship;4106523 said:
Regarding Invincible's cover, I feel Michael's pixelated eye and eyebrow as well as the pixelated font the album used are meant to give away the digital, futuristic-sounding songs on the album ("2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker", "Invincible", ""Unbreakable" and "Threatened").

There were a lot of things in the late 1990s/early 2000s that had a digital, futuristic vibe to hype up the 21st century and third millennium.

And there were a lot of digital, futuristic-sounding hit singles at the time, too.

That happened because it was a part of a general evolution regarding the sound of (R’n’B) music during that turning point you mentioned (late ‘90s/early ‘00s).

More specifically, R’n’B adopted a more distinct urban/street style, not only musically (futuristic/digital, fast musical elements) but also lyrically (a broader range of themes). This change let (inevitably) that genre appeal to a broader audience (teens, etc.) because it was significantly enriched with pop, uplifting beats.

That exactly happened also with ‘Invincible’. Notice the number of the R’n’B producers of that album & the musical direction that the album took from the very start. MJ seemed rather desperate to follow that trend too & this is apparent even from the first single (‘You Rock My World’) when he was forced to utter the word ‘Darkchild’ (as exactly did the singers/groups who sang the songs that Rodney Jerkins produced for them during that period).

For me, the ‘Invincible’ minimalist artwork was a let-down & in complete contrast with his last ones. As a result, any comparisons between them are not only unavoidable but also very logical.

MAQ;4106605 said:
I liked the HIStory cover but it's lacking a certain kind of depth to it. It lacks the simplicity yet foreshadowing image of Vince and the three dimensional feel which was present in the other two 90s albums. That's why the Bad and HIStory covers - even though very iconic - didn't get to the top 3. I would've personally liked to see Michael strapped on to a throne and sitting fixedly and forcedly in a very stylistic pose (something like this: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/p...QuOka4CZyESY3XAFDHR0hf73yztfsvjX=w444-h331-nc) with a brown black backdrop. Now that cover would be awesome!

Personally, I liked the ‘HIStory’ cover a lot, in fact it comes second after the ‘Dangerous’ cover, although many people criticized it severely for various reasons (garishness, vanity, etc.).

As I see it, stylistically it looks superb. The posture is easily recognizable & imposing, the color contrast fits perfectly & gives a realistic look, it emits a timeless feeling &, of course, I agree that it looks iconic.

KOPV;4106615 said:
^ I have the same feeling with History album about the "lack of depth" which is interesting because it in some ways is the most "3D' cover up to that point. It covers the most amount of areas, having the statue in the front and you see the clouds coming in from the background. A Part of that is the color choice between the background and the statue, they bleed together a lot which makes the layers between parts not 'pop' as much.. Something as simple of changing the statue and/or background colors and make them more dynamic.. For example the History Vol II DVD with the gold statue and the time of day (cloud color) being different totally changes the view of the layers though it's the same basic concept as the album.. The only issue with the DVD cover to me is while changing from a cement color statue to the gold - some realism of the statue was lost...

Also with each album we came to expect seeing a big reveal to MJ's look and feel and History used an image that came to be a big representation of the previous era - Dangerous.. (The Dangerous tour outfit with the stance he does in the beginning of the concert)

I did like the idea of an overly large statue almost deity like..

In fact, all the realism was gone forever with that alternative, gold version of the ‘HIStory’ cover.

I think the intense, gold color (of the statue) borders on gaudiness & personally I did not like it at all.
 
mj_frenzy;4106683 said:
.
In fact, all the realism was gone forever with that alternative, gold version of the ‘HIStory’ cover.

I think the intense, gold color (of the statue) borders on gaudiness & personally I did not like it at all.

I can't agree with you more.. It looks kind of cheap when compared to the actual cover and very aged.
 
Regarding the original cover to Invincible, as many of us know it was based on Albert Watson's "Golden Boy" photograph: http://i.imgur.com/BQMfySo.jpg

Michael was painted in gold and was wearing a gold hairpiece. Sony retouched it and turned it into this: http://i.imgur.com/LJdlRiG.jpg

And this was the final cover: http://i.imgur.com/3r1LXWu.png

I'm actually glad how the final cover turned out. Not only do I like how simplistic the final cover is, but I think that if they went with the original photograph, the cover would have ended up looking too similar to this:

O0Hl07b.jpg
 
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MAQ;4106524 said:
Invincible.
Such simplicity. I don't know why I love this one so much. From the era which sounds dated as eff today, this album's cover and songs seem and sound incredibly fresh. No excessiveness, no overwhelming touches. Simple self portrait with everything whitewashed, it wins me over with its simplicity. I think it fits the feel of Whatever Happens and Break of Dawn and Heaven Can Wait and some other songs perfectly. Plus, I feel the 5 differently colored covers probably imply the feel of the album's different songs. I love it!

Spaceship;4106718 said:
Regarding the original cover to Invincible, as many of us know it was based on Albert Watson's "Golden Boy" photograph: http://i.imgur.com/BQMfySo.jpg

Michael was painted in gold and was wearing a gold hairpiece. Sony retouched it and turned it into this: http://i.imgur.com/LJdlRiG.jpg

And this was the final cover: http://i.imgur.com/3r1LXWu.png

I'm actually glad how the final cover turned out. Not only do I like how simplistic the final cover is, but I think that if they went with the original photograph, the cover would have ended up looking too similar to this:

I can understand (to a degree) the simplicity concept about ‘Invincible’ that is being adored.

For me, the ‘Invincible’ official, overall artwork resembles a lot the minimalist artworks of his first solo albums (with the exception of the covers). We know that MJ wanted (in a way) to get back to his roots, & the ‘Invincible’ official artwork probably fulfilled his desire.

As you may know, the photos that eventually included in the ‘Invincible’ official artwork were taken from the following photoshoot (notice the similarities with the ‘Bad’ artwork):

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...NCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573389-1038-1032.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573386-1092-989.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...NCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573385-1052-1058.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573432-915-1015.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573384-938-1041.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573379-946-1067.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573381-935-1022.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573396-880-1084.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...NCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573380-1015-1102.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...VINCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573367-906-972.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...VINCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573374-892-951.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573382-946-1024.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...NCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573649-1015-1024.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...NCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573648-1004-1023.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573368-963-1024.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573376-902-1041.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573375-889-1024.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573366-957-1000.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...INCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573430-954-1053.jpg
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...NCIBLE-michael-jackson-16573650-1781-1059.jpg

There is no doubt that a lot of ideas were proposed regarding the final artwork of ‘Invincible’ (including the cover). One of them was the ‘Michael Jackson’s Blue-Eye’ photoshoot &, to be honest, I am really glad that it did not make the album at all:

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polop...es/article_970/alg-jackson-invincible-jpg.jpg

Finally, I am not sure if the Albert Watson’s photo (‘Golden Boy’) would have resembled the cover of the ‘I Am…’ album that you posted, but I believe that the original, gold concept of ‘Invincible’ was a missed opportunity.
 
Both Albert Watson's "Golden Boy" photograph (and obviously, the original photograph for the cover of Michael's Invincible album) and the cover to Nas' I Am... album feature a person covered in gold staring into the camera, so it's a pretty clear resemblance.
 
Spaceship;4106752 said:
Both Albert Watson's "Golden Boy" photograph (and obviously, the original photograph for the cover of Michael's Invincible album) and the cover to Nas' I Am... album feature a person covered in gold staring into the camera, so it's a pretty clear resemblance.

I mean that, apart from the face itself, there are a number of other factors (hairstyle, look, skin tone, lighting, background objects, colors etc.) that could have given the ‘Invincible’ gold cover a (totally) different visual outcome as compared to the ‘I Am…’ album.

That’s why, & as long as the gold cover for the ‘Invincible’ album is still unknown, I think anyone can guess, in his/her own way, how that gold cover for ‘Invincible’ would have looked &, in my opinion, this is perfectly natural.
 
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