Friday 29 March 2013

Alex Steinweiss – part 5

Alex Steinweiss (1917 - 2011)  played a seminal role in record cover design as the art director for Columbia Records as well as other record companies, London, Decca and A & R records. He revolutionised the way records were packaged and marketed. His genre-defining work in the visual expression of music transformed both the design and the music industries.

For full biographical notes on Alex Steinweiss see part 1, and for earlier works, see parts 1-4 also.

This is part 5 of a 6-part post on the works of Alex Steinweiss:


1954 "Andrés Segovia plays…" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9734] signed Piedra Blanca

1954 Arriaga "Sinfonia A Gran Orquesta / Los Esclavos Felices Overture / Agar ( Cantata )" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9737] signed Piedra Blanca

1954 "Fiesta in Madrid" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9735] signed Piedro Blanca

1954 Artie Shaw with Strings 
[Epic Records catalogue no. LG 3112] signed Steinweiss

1954 Hollywood Rhapsodies 
[Decca Records catalogue no. DL 8060]

1954 Tchaikovsky "Serenade in C Major op. 48" Prokofieff "Classical Symphony op. 25" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9737] signed Piedro Blanca

1954 The Music of Fats Waller
 [London Records catalogue no. LL 978]

1955 Bartok "Concerto No. 3 for Piano and Orchestra" Martin "Petite Symphonie Concertante" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9774] signed Piedra Blanca

1955 Andrés Segovia guitar "Bach - Chaconne" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9751]

1955 "Music of Fritz Kreisler / Music of Sigmund Romberg" 
[Columbia Records catalogue no. CL 771] signed Steinweiss

c1955 George Gershwin "Rhapsody in Blue / Concerto in F" 
[London Records catalogue no. LL 1262]

c1955 "Music of Richard Rogers" 
[Columbia Records catalogue no. CL 784] signed Steinweiss

c1955 "Mantovani and his Orchestra Play The Music of Victor Herbert"
 [London Records catalogue no. LL746]

c1955 Mozart "Concerto No. 5 in A Major k 219 for Violin and Orchestra" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9766] signed Piedra Blanca

c1956 Bartók "Music for Strings. Percussion and Celesta / Dance Suite" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9747]

c1956 Brahms "Concerto in D Major op. 77 for Violin and Orchestra" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9754] signed Piedra Blanca

1956 The Hi-Fi Nightingale…Caterina Valente 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no DL 8203]

1957 Encyclopedia of Jazz on Records Vol. 3 ( of 40 ) 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 8400]

1957 Encyclopedia of Jazz on Records Vol. 4 ( of 40 ) 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 8401]

1957 Bartók "Sonata No. 2" Hindemith "Sonata in C" Stavinsky "Duo Concertante for Violin and Piano" 
[Decca Records catalogue no. 9980]

1957 Joe Burton Session 
[Coral Records catalogue no. CRL 57098]

1958 Bing Crosby "Bing" 
[Decca Gold Label catalogue no. DX-151]

1958 Stravinsky "Firebird Suite / Chant du Rossignol" 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9978]

1958 Beethoven "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor op. 37" 
[London Records catalogue no. CS 6096]

c1959 Contrasts in Hi-Fi 
[London Records catalogue no. LL 1708]

1959 "Moody Woody" 
[Everest Records]

early 1960s Vivaldi "The Four Seasons"
 [Decca Gold Label catalogue no. DL 79423]

c1960 Kostelanetz Conducts…
[Columbia Records catalogue no. CL 786] signed Steinweiss

late 1960s Britten "Piano Concerto No. 1" Martin "Five Preludes"
 [Decca Gold Label catalogue no. DL 710133]

c1960 Richard Strauss "Ein Heldenleben" 
[Everest Records catalogue no. SDBR 3038]

late 1960s Liszt "Concerto No. 1" Saint-Saëns "Concerto No. 2" 
[Decca Records catalogue no. DL 710084]

late 1960s Haydn "Quartet in E-Flat op. 33 No. 2 ( Joke ) / Quartet in D op. 76 No. 5" 
[Decca Gold Label catalogue no. DL 710117]

1961 Bing a Musical Autobiography 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 9054] signed Piedra Blanca

1961 Webb Pierce's Golden Favorites 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no.  DL 4110]

1963 Brazen Brass - New Sounds in Folk Music 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 4344]

1963 Al Hirt in New Orleans 
[Coral Records catalogue no. CRL 757402]

1963 Pete Fountain and Al Hirt 
[Coral Records catalogue no. CRL 757419]

1964 The Fabulous Peggy Lee 
[Originally Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 4461]

1964 Invitation to Romance 
[Decca Records]

Note: I do not have dates for the remainder of the covers in this post or in part 6 (to follow), so they will inevitably be of mixed styles from different periods.


Beethoven "Sonata No. 5 in F Major op.24 (Spring) for Violin and Piano / Sonata No. 4 in A Minor op.23 for Violin and Piano"
 [Remington Records catalogue no. r.199.113]


Beethoven "Symphony No. 5 in C Minor op.67" 
[London Records catalogue no. CM 9011]

Beethoven "Trio in D Major op.70 No. 1 ( Ghost ) / Trio in E-Flat Major op. 70 No. 2" 
[Decca Records Gold Label catalogue no. DL 10064]

David Oistrakh violin "Tchaikovsky - Concerto in D Major op.35 for Violin and Orchestra
 [Decca Records catalogue no. DL 9755] signed Piedra Blanca

César Franck "Variations Symphoniques for Piano and Orchestra" Debussy " Prélude à l'apres-midi d'un Faune ( Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun )" 
[Plymouth Records catalogue no. P-10-67] signed Steinweiss

Ella's Golden Favorites 
[Decca Records catalogue no. DL 4129]

Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians "Program Time"
 [Decca Records catalogue no. DL 8026]

Eric Coates conducts his London Suite again 
[Decca Gold Label Series catalogue no. DL 4039] signed Piedra Blanca

Gala Russe 
[Decca Records catalogue no. DL10026]

Golden Favorites - Russ Morgan and his Orchestra 
[Decca Records catalogue no. DL 4292]

Golden Organ Favorites - Lenny Dee 
[Decca Records]

Golden Favorites - The 'Original" Ink Spots 
[Decca Records catalogue no. DL 4297]

Golden Favorites - Wayne King and his Orchestra 
[Decca Records catalogue no. 4309]