US AND THEM: The Authorised Story of Hipgnosis

The story starts with the young Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey 'Po' Powell who discovered the Beat Generation with Roger Waters, David Gale and Syd Barrett in the mid 60s and drew on artists as talented as Roger Dean who designed their first business card and future Yes album sleeves. Who can ever forget such iconic images as 10cc's How Dare You! From 1976, Wishbone Ash Argus 1972 or their Sex Pistols-baiting Pink Floyd sweatshirt from 1977? This rollercoaster of a book brings the story back to life and explains what it was like to live through the vinyl heyday. Rock royalty tells it like it is in these interviews fuelled by creativity (and other things) during the heyday of the album and music video era. Funny and you will laugh out loud many times, and Jimmy Page's comments are just priceless. 'Somebody should make a film about Storm and Po.' Dan Abbot was the designer and illustrator at StormStudios whose artwork was seen on the cover of Pink Floyd's Echoes. Here are photographers and studio assistants, fashion and models, airbrush artists and vocalists and the big names in rock who were friends with Storm like David Gilmour, and the defaced Hipgnosis cover star Peter Gabriel. It is crackling with energy, lively and eventful and revelatory and the lists of other bands include Genesis, UFO, Led Zeppelin, Scorpions plus film producers and all the stars from the above bands. The co-founder, designer and filmmaker Storm sadly died in 2013. This is a fitting tribute. 382 pages in large softback with a smattering of colour and other photos at the centre.