I dig it. Its really grown on me and agree it looks artificial on purpose as a play on the overall concept and message of the album!

Plus...anything is better then this!!!! Now that...that is awful!

chriss said:

Yes this cover art definitely

has a "Mystique" element to it...

It has the 4 albums, the 3 eyes = 7

It has "Purple Rain" with clouds in Background

it has Prince looking perfect with a perfect Fro

and even has a gold raincoat

reminiscent of his early days.....

I correct myself it's not a gold raincoat

looks like a vest but still reminds me

of his early days with his raincoat

also........

I DO Like this artwork

lots of "Contast" with some "Mystery"

added in, but not "Too Busy"

also "Thought Provoking"

that's not even including the title (that's another ballgame)

I'm really getting excited about owning this on vinyl

and exploring all the artwork and words

written on it (inside and outside)

hopefully a lyric sheet inside

kind of like the old days

that would be Way Cool!

It's cheap and tacky looking but it's par for the course at this point, you can't say you didn't expect this sort of thing.

Same pose as "Controversy"

chriss said:

Same pose as "Controversy"

chriss said:

chriss said:

Same pose as "Controversy"

2020 said:

I dig it. Its really grown on me and agree it looks artificial on purpose as a play on the overall concept and message of the album!

Plus...anything is better then this!!!! Now that...that is awful!

Good call that. Musicology cover is dreadful.

It shouldn't matter but it does - it's shit!! ... Where's Jeff Katz & Laura LiPuma when you need them.

I like it......he can't please everyone.

Even if the concept was to make him look "artifical" as some have speculated here, meh. The "cloud" concept seems to make more sense to me (the afro and the albums), but...

All that Photoshop work and his glasses are still crooked. They're higher on the left than the right.

It's striking at least.

Musicology was pretty bad. Rave too. and 20ten.

I like it.

If there's something of a concept ("artificiality") used on the album then it fits.

The colours remind me of the Lovesexy era. Stylistically, it's more in the Lotusflow3r / MPLSound vein though.

edit: actually, it's not that far removed from the GB album cover art.

[Edited 8/27/14 23:28pm]

tobydavies said:

Se7en said:

The shape of the 4 albums and his afro are clearly meant to invoke the universal icon for "The Cloud" (as in wireless online storage).

I don't think that's true.

1) I'm not sure why Prince would want to have the "universal" icon for cloud storage on the front of his physical CD/vinyl album in the first place.

2) There isn't really a "universal" icon for cloud storage but most cloud storage icons tend to have four bumps and are less symmetrical e.g. ... this, this and this

I think you're brain has just made a connection that isn't really there ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

No, it's not an unreasonable assumption. There's a sky in the background and the 4 records do make up a "cloud" with four bumps (they're made to look blurry and are hovering in the sky with some other clouds). Them not being asymmetrical could simply be the choice of the artist to make the album cover look more balanced (or Prince's own choice, for that matter).

It's too much of a coincidence otherwise.

I dont care for the cover. But i will say the title is absolutely fitting
Artificial as in cheap ass cover. Maybe its suposed to look like crap as in a joke or play on words

I like it - the image, the font, the play on words, the radiant white & blue colouring motif, his jacket - he's done a lot worse.

I reminds me of the recent Janelle Monae Archandroid cover art and the Christina Aguilera Bionic cover art from several years back. Not so much in exact content, but in style (photo with superimposed stuff over/behind).

.

A clever cover art treatment would've been to go against the Art Official Age title, and have him in his bedroom clothes from Purple Rain (undershirt, jeans, barefoot, hair stylishly messed up) maybe sitting on a floor playing a guitar.

tobydavies said:

Se7en said:

The shape of the 4 albums and his afro are clearly meant to invoke the universal icon for "The Cloud" (as in wireless online storage).

I don't think that's true.

1) I'm not sure why Prince would want to have the "universal" icon for cloud storage on the front of his physical CD/vinyl album in the first place.

2) There isn't really a "universal" icon for cloud storage but most cloud storage icons tend to have four bumps and are less symmetrical e.g. ... this, this and this

I think you're brain has just made a connection that isn't really there ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

First, I wrote "invoke" the cloud icon - not copy it exactly. Obviously they're all different - Adobe Creative Cloud uses only 2 bumps and not 4 . . .

.

Why would he want to have it on his cover? Because he's referencing the Cloud in his song "Clouds" and also creating to the whole idea of an Artificial Age, and that he's ahead/beyond it but also trapped by it . . . lyrics to Clouds allude to a "Vanilla Sky" future sequence and also implied by the song title "Art Official Cage".

.

The connection is actually pretty obvious. The records are clouds. They're just clumsily cropped on the album version (vs. the online version with more breathing room around them).

3NineteeN04 said:

I agree, he could have done a much better job. 4-5 years and this is what he comes up with. Wow. I just think we deserve more than two discs this year.

How the hell do you deserve more than two discs? He doesn't owe you anything!

stevenevermind said:

For the worst photoshop hatchet job you need to look at Plectrum Electrum, jaggy cut n pastes, white halos etc. looks like a 5 min job done on that one

Maybe I'm naive but I thought that was a stylistic choice (giving them the benefit of the doubt!)

I actually like ART's album cover, the composition is really nice, the colours are easy on the eye, and I think the font is funky too.

The only thing I don't like is the photoshopping on P. I mean, if he was going for an artificial look, I guess it's ok, but I personally still don't find is visually appealing. It honestly just looks like he's learned what the blur tool is and gone crazy with it.

novabrkr said:

tobydavies said:

I don't think that's true.

1) I'm not sure why Prince would want to have the "universal" icon for cloud storage on the front of his physical CD/vinyl album in the first place.

2) There isn't really a "universal" icon for cloud storage but most cloud storage icons tend to have four bumps and are less symmetrical e.g. ... this, this and this

I think you're brain has just made a connection that isn't really there ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

No, it's not an unreasonable assumption. There's a sky in the background and the 4 records do make up a "cloud" with four bumps (they're made to look blurry and are hovering in the sky with some other clouds). Them not being asymmetrical could simply be the choice of the artist to make the album cover look more balanced (or Prince's own choice, for that matter).

It's too much of a coincidence otherwise.

Too much of a coincidence that there are vinyl albums on the cover of AOA and they don't really look at all like the "universal icon for cloud storage" so therefore there must be a connection?

Believe what you like, but I don't think so.

Se7en said:

tobydavies said:

I don't think that's true.

1) I'm not sure why Prince would want to have the "universal" icon for cloud storage on the front of his physical CD/vinyl album in the first place.

2) There isn't really a "universal" icon for cloud storage but most cloud storage icons tend to have four bumps and are less symmetrical e.g. ... this, this and this

I think you're brain has just made a connection that isn't really there ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

First, I wrote "invoke" the cloud icon - not copy it exactly. Obviously they're all different - Adobe Creative Cloud uses only 2 bumps and not 4 . . .

.

Why would he want to have it on his cover? Because he's referencing the Cloud in his song "Clouds" and also creating to the whole idea of an Artificial Age, and that he's ahead/beyond it but also trapped by it . . . lyrics to Clouds allude to a "Vanilla Sky" future sequence and also implied by the song title "Art Official Cage".

.

The connection is actually pretty obvious. The records are clouds. They're just clumsily cropped on the album version (vs. the online version with more breathing room around them).

You originally said "The shape of the 4 albums and his afro are clearly meant to invoke the universal icon for "The Cloud" (as in wireless online storage)"

They may invoke clouds in general but saying that they are clearly trying to invoke cloud storage is hogwash.

You say "The connection is actually pretty obvious." ... okay then. Hitler was clearly trying to invoke Charlie Chaplin. I mean, he has a moustache that is a little bit similar so, by your logic, there's a clear and obvious connection.

I couldn't really give a crap though ... I personally think it's a horrible album cover anyway. I just don't claim to interpret, with 100% certainty, the "clear" and "obvious" symbolic intentions of the artist/Prince the way you do.

The cover is fine. More importantly, the two tracks I've heard from the album are high quality.

LOVE the Art Official Age cover

HATE the Plectrum Electrum cover

Just my opinion.

tobydavies said:

Se7en said:

First, I wrote "invoke" the cloud icon - not copy it exactly. Obviously they're all different - Adobe Creative Cloud uses only 2 bumps and not 4 . . .

.

Why would he want to have it on his cover? Because he's referencing the Cloud in his song "Clouds" and also creating to the whole idea of an Artificial Age, and that he's ahead/beyond it but also trapped by it . . . lyrics to Clouds allude to a "Vanilla Sky" future sequence and also implied by the song title "Art Official Cage".

.

The connection is actually pretty obvious. The records are clouds. They're just clumsily cropped on the album version (vs. the online version with more breathing room around them).

You originally said "The shape of the 4 albums and his afro are clearly meant to invoke the universal icon for "The Cloud" (as in wireless online storage)"

They may invoke clouds in general but saying that they are clearly trying to invoke cloud storage is hogwash.

You say "The connection is actually pretty obvious." ... okay then. Hitler was clearly trying to invoke Charlie Chaplin. I mean, he has a moustache that is a little bit similar so, by your logic, there's a clear and obvious connection.

I couldn't really give a crap though ... I personally think it's a horrible album cover anyway. I just don't claim to interpret, with 100% certainty, the "clear" and "obvious" symbolic intentions of the artist/Prince the way you do.

The artwork is not that important, especially when compared to the music. What's a thread about the Art Official Age album cover art for, if not to share opinions and interpretations?