I did a separate post dedicated to the ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ some time ago, so won’t repeat the story. If you missed that post, you can get back to it now.
➡️ https://bit.ly/3QZdlqm
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| Photo credits: album cover - Corinne Day; Corinne Mariaud (1998); Stefan Olsdal IG/ edit by Olga |
๐จOn the cover, we can see twin sisters, ๐บ๐จ๐น๐จ๐ฏ ๐ฑ. ๐ฌ๐ซ๐พ๐จ๐น๐ซ๐บ and ๐บ๐จ๐ณ๐ณ๐ ๐จ. ๐ฌ๐ซ๐พ๐จ๐น๐ซ๐บ, photographed by the famous photographer ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ who also took other pictures for the booklet.
๐ข๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง: “We have always thought that clips, album covers are something which are necessary but if it's necessary, if it must be done, it must be art and it must communicate emotion. It must say something about the human being [...]
It was important to us to have ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ but nothing sexual, something greater than that. And I think ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐."
(๐ ๐๐๐๐21, 1999)
๐จBoth Stefan and Brian discussed their approach to the visual aspects to their music in the interview on the Italian TV.
๐น๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: Which one of you takes care of the graphics for Placebo's covers and videos?
๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐ง: We do that together with a design company called Blue Source in London.
From the beginning, we have always had a very strong input regarding the visual as well as the musical aspect of the group, starting with the covers of the singles, the LPs, up to the choice of directors for the videos.
The video for Pure Morning is also an idea we came up with, so it's always been an important part for us, which is how we present ourselves visually.
It's very important to have control over these things.
๐น๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: There is a very strange thing: in all your CD and singles covers except this one, none of you are on the cover. There are just graphic aspects, or other people... there isn't one bearing the Placebo on the cover. They are all great pictures and this is an incredible, odd fact.
So why aren't you on the covers? Although you are so self-centered and you like to be on stage, to perform, to show your faces, and put on them make-up. Despite this, you preferred to use graphic elements in which you don't appear.
Even though you are so selfish, you like to be on stage, you like to show and act.
๐ข๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง: It comes from the idea that it's not necessary. The cover of a single should be an artwork and a video should be an artwork the same. If you don't manage to sell a record without a video, if you don't manage to sell a record without a cover, then you have to invent something beautiful, something representing what it contains inside, something describing what happens in the album in a visual way. It must communicate an emotion as well as the music communicates emotions. I think that just taking the band on a cover of an album is incredibly boring, it's lazy, it doesn't communicate anything else.
There is no link between the themes and the emotions of the music and the visual result. We try to create a physical and external manifestation, in an abstract way, representing what happens on the album. You will notice that all our albums feature people on the cover, sometimes absolutely naked flesh... they are often quite sad or disquieting or a little sort of like uncomfortable and it is kind of basically a reflection of what is going on in the music. All the musicians have their own pride, but it doesn't stretch to the point where it has to get in the way of what is a good work of art.
(๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ2, ๐น๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ 2๐๐, 1999)
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| Photo credit unknown |
๐ข๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง: "Sally and Sarah are working in the music business for record labels and promo agencies. They are well known in the London musical scene. We used their twinning to represent the most intense relationship, so mysterious that few can grasp it."
(๐๐๐๐๐๐, 2009)
๐จBut let’s take a closer look on the girls’ music and artistic work which they started as teenagers with creating ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ that has been developing through the years and exists to this day.
➡️ https://www.blag.london/
▪ ▪ ▪๐ป๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฟ๐ฌ๐น๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ฌ๐ท๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ถ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ณ๐จ๐ฎ▪ ▪ ▪
Started in the 90’s and working solely as a creative teenagers, Sally and Sarah armed themselves with fake id, a camera, typewriter, access to a payphone, one hour photoshop and after asking nicely—unofficially, an art college photocopier. BLAG...in its first guise was secretly born as a Xerox’d ‘zine, heavily inspired by deluxe glossy golden era style magazines. Sally and Sarah left home for London—with only £20 each - and built BLAG, mixing humorous interviews, posed photos and punchy graphics.
▪ ▪ ▪๐ด๐ผ๐บ๐ฐ๐ช ๐ฐ๐ต๐ซ๐ผ๐บ๐ป๐น๐▪ ▪ ▪
From their teens to early 20’s, Sally and Sarah maintained jobs in the music industry. Sally was one of the industry’s youngest female television pluggers. Meanwhile, Sarah was cutting her teeth as a publicist for many high profile artists including Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Foo Fighters, Travis, Slum Village, and Muse.
▪ ▪ ▪๐ด๐ถ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ▪ ▪ ▪
On weekends, lunch breaks and days off, Sally and Sarah modelled for Japanese GQ, German Vogue and Dazed to Placebo’s album, Without You I’m Nothing—shot by Corinne Day. Sarah appeared on record sleeves for Ash’s Girl From Mars And Depth Charge’s The Legend of the Golden Snake EP. Sally modelled for Carhartt, Levi’s and The Big Issue’s World’s Greatest City cover.
These shoots inspired Sarah to develop her love of photography.
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| Photo credit: David Tonge |
▪ ▪ ▪๐ฎ๐ณ๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐ ๐ฉ๐ณ๐จ๐ฎ▪ ▪ ▪
Together, they gave BLAG its unique sense of humour via striking street style visuals, laced with subtle jokes and word play. Sally and Sarah used BLAG to break down media stereotypes, cross cultural boundaries and put themselves on the frontline to make a difference.
▪ ▪ ▪๐ซ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ▪ ▪ ▪
Deeply rooted in music, Sally and Sarah added DJing to their resume. They performed at launches and aftershows for artists and brands including Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and James Brown.
▪ ▪ ▪๐พ๐น๐ฐ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ & ๐ซ๐ฐ๐น๐ฌ๐ช๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ▪ ▪ ▪
Sally did many interviews for titles including i-D, Dutch, Detour, Flaunt, Frank, Nova, and NME.
Likewise, Sarah’s photography got noticed and she received commissions from titles including; Rolling Stone, Vibe, Dazed, i-D and NME shooting the likes of John Legend, Pharrell Williams, Wu-Tang Clan, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and The Hives.
Sally and Sarah were approached by art book publishers, Die Gestalten Verlag to create a BLAG book.
To expand their creative pallet, Sally and Sarah began to experiment with short films and video content.
In November 2020, Sally and Sarah announced developing ten original writing projects; the titles cross action, thriller, science fiction, horror and comedy genres.
▪ ▪ ▪๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ช๐ช๐ฐ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ต๐ป▪ ▪ ▪
In late December 2021 Sally and Sarah were involved in a serious accident in Central London. They suffered major injuries of their arms and hands. Sarah also fractured bones in her face. Treatment is ongoing.
(๐๐๐ข๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐.๐๐๐๐๐๐)
We sincerely wish Sarah and Sally speedy recovery!๐
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| Photo credit: Muinomede |
๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐ง: “I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with these two lovely people - Sarah and Sally Edwards - about “Without You I’m Nothing”, Placebo’s second album that was released today 20 years ago. They both graced the album cover, a photograph by #corinneday, that has a special place in our hearts. Much has happened since, Sarah and Sally continuing with their excellent #blagmagazine and Placebo with their subsequent albums and tours.”
(๐๐ก๐๐๐๐’๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ก)
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ + ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
➡ https://bit.ly/3AgLDOW
๐จ๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ shared their memories of how it was like to work with such an exceptional, very specific and intense artist as ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐. The photoshoot location was a pretty weird abandoned empty place with no even chairs to the table the girls were pictured at!
๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ told a funny story how proud they were to go to New York with Corinne for a promo shooting and then got quite disappointed because “there was nothing in the shots that made it look like we were in Manhattan or in New York.”๐
๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐’๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ cover, as well as the album itself, has become truly iconic. Recognizable image with a bright yellow background represents one of the symbols of late 90s rock music.
Post by Olga
