Shows
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 24 - Richard SmithOn 19 March 1990, Depeche Mode released what is still considered their finest album - 'Violator'. Anton Corbijn created its sleeve with assistance from graphic designer Richard Smith of Area. The two would go on to collaborate on dozens of sleeves for a wide range of artists, but to celebrate this seminal album's 35th birthday, I spoke to Richard about his creative involvement.
Richard has worked with dozens of artists and bands in his career, including Depeche Mode, ABC, OMD, Tears For Fears and many others. We talk about many of these commissions in this episode, and more recently, he's launched his...2025-03-1949 min
Permanent Record PodcastPermanent Record Podcast Trivia Showdown 2024Episode 169: Permanent Record Podcast Trivia Showdown 2024 After a hiatus last year, the Trivia Showdown is back once again! Brian and Sarah are joined by the Quiz Master, who presides over a heated competition between the two hosts. Brian is looking to add another victory to his “permanent record,” while Sarah is hoping for her first win. This year’s Trivia Showdown featured more questions from listeners than ever before! Brian and Sarah would like to thank the following folks for their submissions: Nick Oswald, Gavin Hogg, Ian Monk, Steve Augello, Pete Rogers...2024-04-241h 26
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 23 - Andie AirfixGraphic designer, painter and sleeve artist, Andie Airfix was born in Scotland but grew up in Warrington in the north west of England. After studying art and English literature at Chester teacher training college, he spent almost a year teaching art and English in Southampton. In 1970 he started travelling around the USA, Canada and Mexico, a trip funded by selling psychedelic paintings to poster companies in New York and San Francisco. On his return to the UK, he spent some time in Devon where he concentrated on painting and writing before heading off again to India for a few years.
...2024-03-0438 minArt on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 22 - worst record sleevesThis episode of the podcast is a bit different... Instead of our usual, reverent look back at examples of the best in record sleeve creativity, we dig into its darkest and often unexplored corners of obscurity to expose some of the worst, or at best, most bizarre record sleeves ever created.
This collection of more than 500 of 'the worst record sleeves' is part of a touring exhibition of the same name, which I visited a couple of times when it was on display in Birkenhead, Wirral, from November 2023 to January 2024. Whilst there, I spoke with the curator of the collection...2024-02-0928 minArt on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 21 - FormHello and best wishes for the festive season. My gift to you is a brand new episode of the ‘Art on your sleeve’ podcast. In this episode I speak with Paula Benson and Paul West from Form. There’s a lot that I could say about this dynamic duo and their extraordinarily diverse pop portfolio, but it’s probably easier to let them speak for themselves. So, here’s a bit of an introduction lifted directly from their website.
In the early 1990’s founding partners Paul West and Paula Benson opened the London doors of graphic design and branding studio Form with tw...2023-12-1953 minPermanent Record PodcastErasure - Chorus (1991) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") - Part 3 Episode 164: Erasure - Chorus (1991) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") - Part 3 It's been a while since Part 2 of this discussion was released, but good things take time, right? So here at last, is the final installment of Brian, Sarah, and Art On Your Sleeve host Andrew Dineley's look back at Erasure's 1991 album, Chorus. In the previous episode, our hosts agreed to a time limit for discussing the tracks on Side One: ten minutes for an album track and fifteen minutes for a single. As the trio fli...2023-12-022h 30
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 20 - Andy McCluskey / OMDIn this episode, I speak with Andy McCluskey, lead vocalist of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, or OMD, as they are more commonly known. Andy formed OMD with co-writer and occasional co-vocalist, Paul Humphreys, at the tail-end of the 1970s. Their self-titled debut album (and its follow-up) was released in 1980 at the dawn of electronic pop, just as synthesised sounds were easing their way into the mainstream - and this is where our story begins.
We begin by looking back at Andy's interests in art and design that saw him creating the first posters for OMD (see below), his ongoing...2023-10-2753 minPermanent Record PodcastErasure - Chorus (1991) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") - Part 2Episode 163: Erasure - Chorus (1991) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") - Part 2 Not only are Brian, Sarah, and Andrew Dineley back in this episode to discuss Erasure's 1991 release, Chorus, but Sarah is back to write the show notes. So let's get to it! The previous episode went through the making of the album, release and chart history, album reviews, design and artwork information, and personal history. Now it's time for the terrific trio to tackle the tunes on Side One of Chorus. We find five songs on the first s...2023-10-211h 20Permanent Record PodcastErasure - Chorus (1991) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") - Part 1Episode 162: Erasure - Chorus (1991) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") - Part 1 If you having been wondering when we would once again discuss an album by one of the two greatest synthpop duos in history, wonder no longer. The day is today and the duo is Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, aka Erasure! Sarah usually writes these show notes while I edit the episode; however, she seems to have somehow stuck me with both responsibilities this time. I'm too tired to write in third person, so I'm just going to...2023-10-071h 20Permanent Record PodcastDepeche Mode - Memento Mori (2023) - Part 2 (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve" and The Sly Dog of "The Sly Dog Music-Cast")Episode 158: Depeche Mode - Memento Mori (2023) - Part 2 (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve" and The Sly Dog of "The Sly Dog Music-Cast") Andrew Dineley ("Art on Your Sleeve") and Sly Dog ("Sly Dog Music Cast") are back to finish the discussion on Depeche Mode's 21st century classic, "Memento Mori." In this episode, the four hosts answer the question on everyone's lips: Does the ghost of Pete Burns haunt the streets of Liverpool? But after getting back on track, they also cover the second-half of the album, in...2023-05-221h 09Permanent Record PodcastDepeche Mode - Memento Mori (2023) - Part 1 (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve" and The Sly Dog of "The Sly Dog Music-Cast")Episode 155: Depeche Mode - Memento Mori (2023) - Part 1 (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve" and The Sly Dog of "The Sly Dog Music-Cast") The reviews are in and it seems that most critics love Depeche Mode's 15th studio album, "Memento Mori." From the joyous pop sounds of first single "Ghosts Again" to the throwback 70's aura of "Soul with Me" to the James Bondian "Don't Say You Love Me", the band does indeed sound re-energized and ready to conquer the world in 2023. Devotees Brian & Sarah are joined by A...2023-04-211h 21
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 19 - David StoreyIn this episode of Art on your sleeve, I speak with painter and former graphic designer, David Storey. David's career designing record sleeves began in the 1970s when he landed a job straight out of design school working for Elton John's Rocket Records. This position provided a crucial platform for him to build a career in the industry leading to his renowned work for the 2 Tone record label. 2 Tone spawned a raft of charting artists including Madness, The Specials, Bad Manners, The Selecter, The beat, The Bodysnatchers and so many more, all of whom received the design treatment of David...2022-06-3059 minPermanent Record PodcastPermanent Record Trivia Showdown 2022Episode 142: Permanent Record Trivia Showdown 2022 The annual tradition is back, for the fourth year in a row! The hosts of the Permanent Record Podcast find themselves competing against each other in a trivia showdown-- each hoping for a victory that eluded them both last year! They are once again joined by the Quiz Master (known in other circles as Hans Lemke, longtime friend of the hosts), who leads Brian and Sarah through several rounds of questions, providing witty commentary along the way. It's because of the hard w...2022-03-291h 15Permanent Record PodcastQueen - The Miracle (1989) Part 2Episode 137: Queen - The Miracle (1989) Part 2 That's not a typo in the show title; this really is Part Two of Brian and Sarah's discussion surrounding the 1989 Queen album The Miracle. Part One was released waaaay back in May of 2021 (episode 128), and it actually covered the time period after the 1986 album A Kind of Magic, leading up to the recording of this album. Now, all these months later (and by popular demand, as is revealed later in the episode), Brian and Sarah finally sit down to discuss the album itself! Part 1 - Album History2022-01-211h 37
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 18 - International Podcast DayThis episode is another slight diversion from the usual format and was put together specifically to mark International Podcast Day which falls on 30 September every year - a celebration of the power of podcasts and a great opportunity to connect with fellow podcasters, podcast listeners, podcast enthusiasts and leaders in the podcasting industry.
I wanted to promote the day by sharing some love for shows that I regularly listen to. Over the years, I've discovered much talent around the world through podcasting and spent many hours listening to voices that I would otherwise never have discovered. Almost everyone I asked to...2021-09-301h 06
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 17 - Bill SmithIn this episode of Art on your sleeve, I speak with graphic designer and art director, Bill Smith. Since the 1970s, Bill has been one of the busiest designers servicing the music industry and he's worked on so many record sleeves that a book has been published celebrating his amazing portfolio. In the introduction to the show I read from the back cover of the book - a succinct summary of a life's work...
"Bill Smith and his studio have been designing record covers since 1976. In those five decades they have worked with over 200 bands and artists, creating hundreds of...2021-05-2159 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 16 - Eurovision Song ContestThis episode is a slight diversion from the usual format, but all is explained in the show introduction. I am joined by Eddie De Souza and Lucy Percy to dissect design for songs that have represented various countries in the Eurovision Song Contest.2021-05-1143 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 15 - Simon HalfonSimon Halfon has been designing artwork since the 1980s, starting out at Stiff Records and then assisting Neville Brody, before setting up London and LA design studios in the 90s. Long standing clients included the late George Michael, Oasis and Paul Weller. He creates international campaigns for global acts and continues his work with iconic artists, most recently collaborating for the 3rd time with Sir Peter Blake, for The Who's latest record.
In this episode I talk to Simon about all of these things and so much more, digging deep into the design process and concepts behind some of his cl...2020-12-1052 min
Art on your sleeveEpisode 14 - Being Boring by Pet Shop BoysBeing Boring, a single by Pet Shop Boys is 30 years old today (12 November 2020). It's one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite pop groups and as such I felt I needed to mark the occasion. This podcast complements a Pop Art feature I wrote for Classic Pop magazine about the photography of The Douglas Brothers published in March 2018.
The Douglas Brothers photography was used on the cover designs for the single, with graphic design by regular Pet Shop Boys creative collaborator, Mark Farrow.
Neil Tennant has spoken in detail about what Being Boring is about and this is...2020-11-1216 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 13 - Peter Coyle and The Lotus EatersIn this episode I speak with Peter Coyle, formerly of The Lotus Eaters about the design work behind his music. When The Lotus Eaters made the top 20 in 1983 with their debut single, The first picture of you, they did so with sleeves that often used art to represent the band. In the podcast we talk about all of the band's singles, their classic album, No sense of sin and we lift the curtain on the thinking behind the art to find out who created the designs - something that was omitted on the sleeves themselves.
Peter now lives in rural...2020-10-2337 minPermanent Record PodcastThomas Dolby Retrospectacle + Venus Hum New Music (Part 2)Episode 114: Thomas Dolby Retrospectacle + Venus Hum New Music (Part 2) Once again, Brian and Sarah are joined by special guests Andrew Dineley of the Art on Your Sleeve Podcast and Tony Miracle of Venus Hum. Andrew and Tony were kind enough to accept the invitation to discuss the albums of Thomas Dolby, as they have much more personal history with the catalogue-- and they're both really great guys to talk with! In this episode, the four hosts pick up their discussion with the fourth Thomas Dolby solo album, Astronauts and Heretics, and...2020-10-021h 37Permanent Record PodcastThomas Dolby Retrospectacle + Venus Hum New Music (Part 1)Episode 113: Thomas Dolby Retrospectacle + Venus Hum New Music (Part 1) Brian and Sarah are thrilled to welcome back two very special guests to the show: Andrew Dineley, of Soft Octopus Design Studio (who created the gorgeous graphic above) and the Art On Your Sleeve podcast; and Tony Miracle of the band Venus Hum. Brian and Sarah asked these two fine gentlemen for help, because they wanted to talk about the work of Thomas Dolby, but being very new fans, they knew they couldn't do it on their own. Andrew and Tony, however, a...2020-09-241h 48Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 12 - Bob LinneyThis episode is an audio supplement to a six-page Pop Art feature I wrote for Classic Pop magazine, issue 13, published October/November 2014. In the podcast I interview artist and designer, Bob Linney about his record sleeve artwork for The Beloved and play track excerpts along the way. We also touch on other sleeves that he has worked on and discover how he ended up forging a long time creative relationship with Jon Marsh and The Beloved.
The interview was recorded over Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdown period with Bob and I in our respective studios in East Anglia and Liverpool...2020-06-2930 minArt on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 11 - Calling AmericaIn this episode I'm joined by Sarah and Brian Linnen, hosts of the Permanent Record Podcast. There are few podcasts that dig as deeply into the sounds and visuals of artists that were big in the eighties/nineties as they do. I highly recommend that you subscribe to their show at the usual quality podcast outlets and explore their considerable archive at: www.permanentrecordpodcast.com
During this chat you will hear us each select one album and one single sleeve that we believe deserves greater recognition and talk about the reasons why we selected them. We also learn a lot al...2020-05-0700 minPermanent Record PodcastErasure - WIld! (1989) Part 2Episode 96: Erasure - Wild! (1989) Part 2 Brian, Sarah, and special guest host Andrew Dineley are here to resume their examination of Erasure's fourth album, Wild! Brian and Sarah are especially grateful to Andrew for making the time to join them, as he just finished a new episode of his own podcast, "Art on Your Sleeve." Part 3 - Track by Track, Continued Part One of this discussion was of an epic length and contained some strong opinions. As the trio flip the record to Side Two, the anticipation level is high. There's...2019-11-231h 38
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 10 - The ClothThis episode is an audio supplement to Classic Pop magazine, issue 4, published May/June 2013. In this podcast I interview artist, Fraser Taylor, who was part of a design collective called The Cloth (1983-1987). Fraser was one quarter of The Cloth along with David Band, Helen Manning and Brian Bolger. The art of Fraser Taylor and David Band featured on many record sleeves in the early eighties, most notably for Spandau Ballet, Altered Images, Aztec Camera and The Bluebells. Music from these artists and others is included in the episode along with archive interview content from Gary Kemp and David Band.
...2019-11-2035 minPermanent Record PodcastErasure - Wild! (1989) Part 1Episode 95: Erasure - Wild! (1989) Part 1 Brian and Sarah continue their run of guest co-hosts by welcoming back Andrew Dineley, owner of Soft Octopus design studio, host of "Art on Your Sleeve" podcast, and contributor to Classic Pop magazine. The three set out to examine Wild!, Erasure's fourth album, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Part 1 - Album History As our hosts look back to 1989, they find Vince Clarke and Andy Bell in a period of great productivity and popularity. Erasure won Best British Group at the 1989 Brit Awards, which l...2019-11-112h 21
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 9 - Pete BarrettThis episode is an audio supplement to Classic Pop magazine, issue 53, published on 31 May 2019. It features my 35th Pop Art feature, this time with graphic designer, Pete Barrett.
Pete is now based in Melbourne, Australia, so we caught up online to talk about his massive portfolio of pop and discover the stories behind some of his work for artists including Dexys Midnight Runners, Bananarama, Madonna, The Jam, Simply Red, George Michael and Prefab Sprout.
Find out more about Pete's current design practice at: www.hoof.net.au
The Art on your sleeve archive is also online at: softoctopus.co.uk...2019-05-3147 minPermanent Record PodcastPermanent Record Trivia Showdown 2019Episode 76: Permanent Record Trivia Showdown 2019 This episode finds Brian and Sarah facing off in a battle of wits! They're joined by longtime friend Hans Lemke, who presides over this heated competition. In preparation for this showdown, our hosts asked the listeners for music trivia questions, and the response was quite impressive! Brian and Sarah want to thank Boys Make Noise, Dave Delea, Andrew Dineley, Fragile Gods, James Perrin, Tom Richey, and Paul Underwood for sending in questions for the challenge. Just how well do Brian and Sarah do answering m...2019-02-1832 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 8 - Record sleeve designThis episode is an audio supplement to the 'Synthpop' special edition of Classic Pop magazine, published on 7 February 2019. In the magazine I have written an eight page feature about the best sleeve designs of the synthpop genre from the last 40 years.
In this podcast, I am joined by two pop pals to talk about three of our favourite sleeve designs, some of which are included in the magazine article. The range is quite eclectic and purely personal but myself, Andrew and David all had quite a lot to say. So, plug in your earphones and enjoy.
The archive of 'Art...2019-02-061h 05Permanent Record PodcastPet Shop Boys - Introspective (1988) Part 2Episode 70: Pet Shop Boys - Introspective (1988) Part 2 As you may recall, in the previous episode, Brian and Sarah were joined by Andrew Dineley (Classic Pop Magazine contributor, host of the "Art on your Sleeve" podcast, and world-renowned Pet-Head!) to discuss the Pet Shop Boys album Introspective. Thankfully, Andrew agreed to call again --otherwise, this second part of this discussion would have been very lopsided. Part 3 - Track by Track, Continued As the trio flip the record to discuss the three tracks on side two, a lot of interesting topics co...2018-11-051h 48Permanent Record PodcastPet Shop Boys - Introspective (1988) Part 1Episode 69: Pet Shop Boys - Introspective (1988) Part 1 Brian and Sarah are thrilled to once again welcome Andrew Dineley to the show. Andrew is a graphic designer, contributor to Classic Pop magazine, and host of the excellent podcast Art On Your Sleeve. He's also a self-confessed, long-time Pet Head, so it seemed only fitting to include him in a 30th-anniversary look at the Pet Shop Boys 1988 album, Introspective. Part 1 - Album History This third studio album by the Pet Shop Boys finds the duo breaking from traditions, both their own an...2018-10-251h 48
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 7 - Peter AshworthIn this episode I interview the photographer, Peter Ashworth about his seminal body of work for classic pop albums by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Soft Cell, Eurythmics, Visage, Depeche Mode and many others. This interview was edited by Peter and myself from a longer conversation and was conducted inside and outside his 'Mavericks' exhibition in Liverpool, 2 June - 8 July 2018.
To find out more about Peter's work, visit his website at: www.ashworth.photos
To find our more about The Gallery in Liverpool, visit their website at: www.thegalleryliverpool.com2018-08-1042 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 6 - John Petch and OMDIn this episode I speak with North West artist, John Petch about his artistic collaboration with OMD for the sleeve of their album entitled 'The Punishment of Luxury'. John also worked on the sleeve art for the singles that were released from the album. To find out more about John's work, visit his website at: www.johnpetch.com2018-06-1320 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 5 - The Innocents by ErasureIn this episode I speak with Brian and Sarah Linnen from The Permanent Record Podcast about Erasure's 1988 album entitled 'The Innocents'. This 75 minute episode is edited from three x 90 minute podcasts which are also available to download from iTunes. Find out more about The Permanent Record Podcast at: www.permanentrecordpodcast.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
This episode of Art on your sleeve isn't specifically about record sleeve design but I did interview Paul Khera, one of the designers of 'The Innocents' and he provided some interesting background information on the design work, all of this and more...2018-04-241h 15Permanent Record PodcastErasure - The Innocents (1988) Part 3Episode 55: Erasure - The Innocents (1988) Part 3 By popular demand (well, by the sincere request of her co-host), Sarah is back to provide the information on the latest episode of the Permanent Record Podcast. Brian and Sarah are once again joined by art designer, Classic Pop Magazine contributor, and 80s music aficionado Andrew Dineley to wrap up the discussion on Erasure's 1988 worldwide hit album, "The Innocents." Part 3 - Track by Track, Continued The lack of singles and videos on Side Two of this album doesn't give our three hosts any problems in te...2018-04-241h 40Permanent Record PodcastErasure - The Innocents (1988) Part 2Episode 54: Erasure - The Innocents (1988) Part 2 Brian and Sarah return with Classic Pop contributor and all-around good guy Andrew Dineley to discuss side one of this classic 1988 album! This side may have fewer songs than its flip side, but it is fully packed with hit singles, so along with talk of the music, our intrepid hosts also make time to consider three music videos and three record sleeves. It's a lot to pack into one episode so forgive them if they go a bit long! Part 3 - Track by Track...2018-04-141h 35Permanent Record PodcastErasure - The Innocents (1988) Part 1Episode 53: Erasure - The Innocents (1988) Part 1 For the next three episodes, Brian and Sarah are thrilled to welcome a very special guest to the show. Andrew Dineley is an art designer and regular contributor to Classic Pop magazine with the feature "Pop Art." He also hosts his own podcast called "Art On Your Sleeve" which talks about the design work of the albums and singles from 80s artists such as the ones discussed on this very podcast. Andrew was gracious enough to share his time, knowledge, and personal experiences in an in-depth look at Erasure's...2018-04-091h 07Permanent Record PodcastABC - How to Be a...Zillionaire! (1985) Part 1Episode 51: ABC - How to Be a...Zillionaire! (1985) Part 1 Even with fifty episodes now under their belts, Brian and Sarah still have plenty of "new old" albums they want to talk about. But how to decide on the next one? Well, Martin Fry of ABC turned 60 on March 9, so it seems like a good time to take a look at a classic ABC album. The one they choose is not the seminal debut album, "The Lexicon of Love," but the band's third effort, "How to Be a...Zillionaire!," released in 1985. Part 1...2018-03-121h 11
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 4 - Rob O'ConnorIn this episode, I speak with Rob O'Connor whose design work will be familiar to fans of Blur, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Howard Jones, Prefab Sprout, Squeeze, Voice of the Beehive and hundreds more pop bands stretching back to the late 1970s. I spent an afternoon with Rob at Stylorouge looking back over his career and getting the stories behind many iconic records sleeves. The interview coincides with the POP ART feature in Classic Pop magazine - Issue 32.2017-09-0244 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 3 - Huw FeatherIn this episode, I speak with Huw Feather whose design work will be familiar to fans of Soft Cell and Marc Almond. I spent a couple hours chatting with Huw, face-to-face at a slightly noisy cocktail bar in his hometown of Southport. The interview coincides with the POP ART feature in Classic Pop magazine - Issue 17.2017-05-1641 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 2 - Laurence StevensIn this episode, I speak with Laurence Stevens whose design work will be familiar to fans of Eurythmics and Annie Lennox, as well as many other pop acts. I spent a few hours chatting with Laurence, face-to-face at his studio and via FaceTime and the interview coincides with the POP ART feature in Classic Pop magazine - Issue 26.2016-12-1348 min
Art on your sleeveArt on your sleeve - Episode 1 - IntroductionArt on your sleeve - Episode 1 - Introduction by Andrew Dineley2016-09-2807 min