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Before CDs there was the wonderful C90 cassette format. Ideal for demo tapes, you could knock one out in the bedroom and be selling a new tape at a gig the same night. Our official artwork, the smiley sun we know and still love today, originated with Mike Cook who also produced the 12" single artwork and official cassette cover. Unfortunately this left the band to do all of the other demo covers (well, me actually), and some of them were much better than others. Check out the good, the bad and the ugly by clicking the images to the right.
The Hammering - two alternate designs for the same demo cassette. It wasn't even our van! The Enamel Animals - the first design had a scandinavian flavour, quickly replaced by the second "riot on security cam" cover. I've seen the second demo tape for sale on a specialist sites, one in Japan and for a ridiculous amount of money. the chalk giants - a few of the demo covers for the chalk giants: later versions ended up as CD covers as the chalk giants straddled technological change (< wow). So glad it didn't happen - never in a million years: me in my "red" period and during my Wham! period. These last two covers demonstrate the importance of quality control in the creative process.
Photo shoot in the Last Green Field in England
I'm not entirely sure when these photos were taken but I know that hat disappeared a long while ago. This was in the field wot I wrote about in the b side track of the Throw It Away E.P. Sadly, the Last Green Field in England is now under concrete.
Note, in the photo to the right I am looking into the camera, Mike is chatting to somebody...
... and in the lower photo Mike is chatting to me. This might be why the chalk giants have only ever managed a few photo sessions over the years, too much chatting and too little posing.
Pictures by Adrian Colombini
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Throw It Away Insert
Some of the copies of the 12" vinyl single of Throw It Away came with a great paper insert written by Mike Cook.
I've seen the insert for sale in a web shop for a ridiculous amount of yen... so don't pay through the nose, just click the picture to the right and print the big image that appears.