Died On This Date (May 12, 2014) H.R. Giger / Created Iconic Album Covers
themusicsover Hans Rudolf Giger
February 5, 1940 – May 12, 2014
Perhaps best known for bringing the Alien creature to life for the film of the same name, H.R. Giger also made a considerable contribution to pop music as well. A surrealist painter born in Graubünden, Switzerland, Giger grew up to be one of the most revered if not controversial artists of his time. He was awarded an Academy Award for Best Achievement for Visual Effects as part of the team who created 1979’s Alien. Throughout his career, Giger also created some of the most visually stimulating album covers in rock history – the kind you couldn’t take your eyes off of as you listened to the album. That list includes Emerson, Lake & Palmer‘s Brain Salad Surgery, Deborah Harry‘s Koo Koo, Danzig‘s Danzig III: How The Gods Kill, Triptykon‘s Melana Chamata, as well as the notorious poster inside the Dead Kennedy‘s Frankenchrist which lead to an obscenity trial. He was also commissioned to design an occasional microphone stand and guitar based on his artwork. H.R. Giger was 74 when he died while being hospitalized after falling down the stairs in his home. Cause of death was not immediately released.
What You Should Own
Brian Duffy was a respected London-born fashion photographer who made a handful of contributions to the history of popular music as well. He is perhaps best known for his cover shots for three David Bowie albums, the most iconic being Aladdin Sane. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Duffy worked with a who’s who of the top fashion models and celebrities, helping to create the “swinging London” ideal of the era. Over the course of his career, he photographed the likes of