Elvis On Tour - The Rehearsals (FTD)

[Manhattoe]

Hi folks,

here is my cover for FTD's Elvis On Tour - The Rehearsals.

I made that cover a few weeks ago, but when I was about to post it, I recognized that Mark had just presented his fabulous version for the very same CD.

I though it unwise (and unfair) to upload my files directly after he did his, and so I waited until now.

Another reason that kept me back was that I am not sure whether this design will meet your taste or not. After all, it is very quite different from the stuff we present here usually.

Some may not like its "dirty" and "used" appearance. It is anything but a shiny cover with loads of big-sized, high-quality images of the King, but an attempt to create a design which looks like a real item that has directly emerged from the recording studio.

So, take it or leave it, but please let me know why you did the one or the other.

[bogarcon]

well what a job on this one. I show it to some guys and they could not beleive it was not an bmg official cover! I`ve been try to download it but I can`t my compu says some files could damage it. oh well..great cover keep the good work. have a nice day. bogarcon

[Manhattoe]

Thanks, Bogarcon. I am glad you like it.

Downloading the files works fine here, so I have no idea what might have gone wrong when you tried.

[Joern]

It's not that easy to impress me, but this one does it really!

You've done a great job!

I like it, because the design is very different to all the other ones. A lot of people are doing great jobs on designing alternate covers, but also most designs are more or less conservative - including the ones I did myself. I think you know what I mean with "conservative": using an Elvis picture on the front, on the inside, on the backside and so on. There's nothing wrong with that way of designing (I didn't want to bash myself) , but this one is refreshing and really creative.

Kind regards, J?rn

[spinout-designs]

Well, Manhattoe (you have me at a disadvantage, I don't know your real name ), when I read in another topic you had designed an On Tour Rehearsals cover, I couldn't wait to check out your work (by the way, I wouldn't have had a problem if you had posted it earlier my friend).

Certainly not the approach to the project I was expecting at all, but, how refreshingly different - an original approach and an absorbing piece to examine.

I would be fascinated to learn more about how you built this one up - for example, which elements are scanned and what parts are completely created in Photoshop - what were your raw materials on this one so to speak.

[NightRider]

It sure is a very original idea....one which i like very much. I do prefer the 'picture' covers personally...but the way you have put this together you didn't need them

Very cool Christian

[Steve]

Very Different, But Very Very Cool

How did you came up with this Idee???????

Very nicely done Job

BTW: did you wright the back you're self??

[Manhattoe]

Thanks to J?rn, Ron and Mark for your comments.
Nice to hear that you read that the design pleases you, at least some parts of it.

I can also see a lot of inspiration from other covers designs previously showed on this board mixed with a few ?new? things.

It's always hard to trace where one did get one's inspiration from. As far as covers from this board are concerned I only remember one vaguely. But maybe you can point oput those covers you were thinking of. Would be very interesting to have a d?j?-vu where I would not expect it.

The weakest part I consider the disc label, it got the same problem like NR?s cover the effect Gray will fall apart when printing it. Why do you think I kept my design 1 colour Gray? Not because my Photoshop don?t have any effects.

I had no problem with the delicate grey shades in Chris' design for New Year's Eve, and my printer did not have any problems either, Ron. Of course, I made a test to see whether it is printable, and the results were okay. Moreover, I wanted to make it look like real (a real reel, so to say). That's why I was tormenting some effects and filters and invest some handwork into the making of the label.

....bit of strange RCA logo...

I don't get that hint. Did I made a mistake, I am unaware of? Please tell me.

Well, Manhattoe (you have me at a disadvantage, I don't know your real name) [...] I would be fascinated to learn more about how you built this one up - for example, which elements are scanned and what parts are completely created in Photoshop - what were your raw materials on this one so to speak.

I will post that in detail tomorrow, okay? And my real name Christian name is Christian, Mark

[Manhattoe]

It sure is a very original idea....one which i like very much. I do prefer the 'picture' covers personally...but the way you have put this together you didn't need them

Very cool Christian

Thank you, Chris. Your comment is very appreciated.

Very Different, But Very Very Cool

How did you came up with this Idee???????

Very nicely done Job

BTW: did you wright the back you're self??

Thanks to you, too, Steve,

The idea was growing for a while, and I was only waiting for the right CD I could apply it to.
And, yes, the handwriting is mine (and my coffee ring, too).

[Jungleroom76]

FANTASTIC DESIGN MANHATTOE!!!!

What a unique concept for this CD cover, using the whole reel-to-reel tape and tape box design. It works REALLY well with this CD, since it is all rehearsal material!!! I spent a lot of time just amazed at how official your artwork looked, like I was looking at a real tape that had just come out of the RCA vaults! (And to be perfectly honest....I have to say that your design probably isn't that far off from what the real tape really looks like sitting in the vaults at RCA today!!!)

A tip of my hat to you my friend....

TCB!
Mike

[mn-designs]

This design looks great, very different than all other designs! And it's very much different than the one from Spinout, and it's a close call wich one i like best. Your design stands out a little more, Spinouts design has some real class, as all his designs. But you did a amazing job on this cover, not to many pictures (that really works great on this design) and there arn't to many great pics from this period (maybe none), man i will print this thing tomorrow and place this one next to Spinouts cover, so i have them both...and in that way i don't have to make a choice wich one is my fav. I like them both very much, love to see more designs from you, like to see what you do with a cover wich has a little more pics, maybe a alternate cover for: Elvis by the Presleys? altough there is nothing wrong with the original cover.

[U.S. Male]

It's always a real treat to see someone try something different when it comes to cd covers, and this one really is a treat!

I will agree with Ron that the back is the strongest part of the cover, but I also like how you arranged the front too - a much different and catchy appearance

Overall I'd say it's a very interesting and creative design....look forward to seeing more of yours

[jeanno]

What can I add to all that has been said?
It?s a very interesting design (specially the back cover), VERY ORIGINAL...... JUST GREAT!!! Excellent job, Christian! Be thankful to your "sweet inspiration".

[Manhattoe]

To answer Mark's and Ron's questions:

The paper appearing on the backcover and the flipside of the frontcover was a simple white paper which I stored inside my trouser pocket for a while before I scanned it. Some color adjustment was needed to make it look like an old yellowed paper and to emphasize the soft shades that create the impression as if it was creased and glued to the box.

The sticker bearing the logos on the backside is based on a real white sticker. I simply scanned it and did some basic color adjustment and some work with the dodge and burn tools to make it appear stained with smudge.

The red sticker on the front is based on the same scan. In the upper left corner I added an effect to make it appear elevated where it overlaps with the miniposter. Needless to say, that I had to colorize it and that El and his name had to be added. The Elvis logo with the holes was scanned from my old LP Elvis sings Hits from His Movies. As for the pix, I chose some well known shots which everybody would identify with Elvis On Tour immediately. My intention was to let the pix speak.

The sellotype was scanned, too, cropped, inserted into a somewhat transparent layer of its own. You will not believe it, but the sellotape challenged me for a while, because the layer transparency had to be adjusted very carefully and an almost invisible relief had to be added. Moreover, without a subtle lightning effect the tape would not look like tape.

The reel box is based on the scan of a ring binder. Sharpening and color correction was needed to make its fine structure visible. The binder was pure black, but in order to make it look more real, I raised the gamma curve to simulate a diffuse reflection of light.

The typeface that looks like an old typewriter is called Trixie. It was released about 10 years by FontShop. The stamp-like typeface (for the dates and the word "rehearsal") on the front is is a standard sans serif type called Block. I added some noise to it and applied the dodge and burn tools to create the impression that the ink was daubed on the stamp (and subsequenrly on the sticker) unevenly. On the reel I also used the smearfinger, because a stamp would not print well and cleanly on a sheer metal surface.

The reel itself (inclusive the tape) was created from scratch, completely. I did the geometrical work in Illustrator. Color effects and gradients were added in Photoshop. I took pains to erase all traces of the original gradient, which would have looked to technical.

As for the session chart, I searched for models in Jorgensen's session book and at the master & Session site and created this version with Adobe InDesign. If, however, anyone knows about the reproduction of a real RCA Studio C session sheet, please bring it to my attention, since I am really curious how much it differs from mine. As I mentioned earlier, the handwriting on the backside is my own, and so the back was the most difficult element to realize. Usually, my handwriting is way more illegible, but being inspired by this session, I gave my best.

The coffee smudge on the flipside of the front is my own?. I have a huge collection of coffee blotches, you must know. When I was a child, I collected confiture and chocloate blotches, but when I grew up I turned my attention to and specialized in coffee. Being an expert on this field, I knew that the ALDI GOLD? *** brand would bring about the best results, that is that very brown hue everybody around the world will identify as cold coffee gathered on the downside of a hasty drinker's cup.

Hope this answers all questions. If not, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for your attention (and patience). I wonder, if anyone has the fortitude to read all through this screed.

Thank you, thank you very much.



*** I can post a picture of that coffee brand, if someone is interested.

[AronNL]

THIS A F****** WORK OF ART!!

[adamnyc]

Simply amazing! Utterly outstanding and perfect. Ernst needs to hire you to do the CD's

[Manhattoe]

Thanks to Big Boss Man, Jungleroom, Patrick, Jeanno and a****yc for your kind remarks.

Thanks, too, to Aron. Your comment, however, is either crippled or cryptic, but I hope in its essence it says the same than the smilies.

I am glad that so many people here like this design. I had not expected so many positive reactions. If I had, I would have posted this design earlier.

[Eve]

You do a good job!

[Manhattoe]

You do a good job!

Thanks Eva.

But would you have noticed the cover if I had posted it in the Green board?

[Manhattoe]

Thanks for your detailed response, Ron. Here is mine.

For starters the movie tape thingies everybody used by now...some even a few times.

Sure, without doubt. I had used them myself before several times. And they always look good if they fit to the design. And they do here, because the material refers to a movie. But they are certainly no innovation. The new thing here may be the attempt to make them appear real item, that is (slightly) three-dimensional, and not flat, but with a reflection of light on the surface, and cut unevenly.

The Gray layout basically looks the same as my own spring tours design. That was the first time i ever saw a Gray layout, this be the second time. Off course you did not do the same but that sure looks like inspiration to me.

I have to agree, but I also have to disagree. I can't deny a basic, that is superficial similarity, but it must be a matter of coincidence, since I was already working on this design when you first posted your Spring Tours design. May sound strange, but that's the way it was. I also think that a simple gray background can hardly be a source of inspiration.
But I owe you something else concerning the Spring Tours. When you posted that cover, I thought it very courageous, since the design cointained only a few pix and none at all on the front. (Well, you as the Colonel can afford that ) This, in turn, encouraged me, to post my EOT Rehearsal cover at all. I do not know whether I had dared without that pioneer work of yours. So, laurels to you, Ron.

The same can be said for the disc label.

Undoubtly, yes. Although I would rather call it a kick than inspiration, since the reel design is an old hat for everyone who collects soundtrax (like I do). But we had a decent discussion about it in the Flaming Star thread, and this might have motivated me to try myself in the field. The idea is the same, the approach, however, is quite different.

The RCA label you used I also got somewhere but never used it cause I never saw it on any real release, but maybe you know something that I don?t know (maybe you got some old records).

Right. It originates from a very old vinyl record.

Anyway i think it?s a great design with the sticker?s and documents style standing out because i never saw that on this board. And the way I see it: Remaking or trying to make something better then the next man is very easy, trying to make something new is the most difficult thing and shows real talent.

Thanks again for that, Ron, but I don't get the first part of the last sentence. As for me, I have no intention in outdoing others or improving what I think others could have done better. It is great to be a member of this forum, because we share and exchange and discuss our ideas, and this way we improve our designs. You can call that inspiration.

After all, I still havn't found that cover I would consider as a source of inspiration for EOT. It wasn't a cover for an Elvis CD, I must say, but I saw it somewhere in some forum. I can hardly imagine how it looked like, I only remember (vaguely) that it contained handwriting (a real font, though), some sellotape stripes and that it had a rather informal look.