In Through The Out Door - Led Zeppelin

Vinyl L.P - Swan Records - SSK 59410.

1979 - U.K.

Sleeve: HIPGNOSIS.

Photography: Aubrey Powell.

Set designer: Colin Andrews, Nick Pamberton.

Styling and propping: Camilla Garret Jones.

Location: Recreation of the Old Absinthe House in Bienville Corner Bourbon St, New Orleans, Louisiana into a west London studio.

Paper bag

Version A:

Cover A (Man standing with wallet out)

Back cover A (A woman sitting at end of bar)

Version B:

Cover B (Woman standing at end of bar, leaning on wall)

Back cover B (The piano player)

Version C:

Cover C (The bartender)

Back cover C (Woman leaning on the juke box)

Version D:

Cover D (Woman sitting at end of bar)

Back cover D (Man standing with wallet out)

Version E:

Cover E (The piano player)

Back cover E (Woman Standing at end of bar, leaning on wall)

Version F:

Cover F (Woman leaning on juke box)

Back cover F (The bartender)

Inner sleeve

Inner sleeve

Labels

About the artwork:

This is a design I love dearly, even to this day. It tells the story of alonely man in a dingy bar in some dreary town. The place is sparse save for a few lost souls — a failed sales rep with his jacket off, a jilted blonde in the corner, a nonchalant bartender. The joint is run down, dead on its knees. The lean, white suited guy could be a private detective on the skids, ora sleazy lawyer: a man on the run perhaps, not so much from the law as from his own past. He is burning something — a calling card, or a note telling him that he’s too late, he’s missed the boat. An affair too painful to recall so he is destroying the evidence to exorcise it from his mind. The whole atmosphere is jaded, dusty, from the past, sad even: a fragment from a tale untold, a frame from a 1940s movie, frozen in time, and etched in the memory.

Six different versions of the same image and six different covers, and on the back of each was the opposite view, from the opposite side of the bar (by now the bar set was more than just a set: it was in fact a whole bar). Things didn’t end there. The liner bag was printed in invisible colour ink, that is black ink which released colour when water (or spittle) was added, like some children’s colouring books from the past. Finally this entire six version cover was then sold to the public ina plain brown paper bag through which you could see nothing. 

Eye Of The Storm. The Album Grapichs Of Storm Thorgerson

Location:

The Old Absinthe House

Bienville Corner Bourbon St. New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Postcard

Back

Aubrey Powell

Memorabilia:

Swan Records - Stand-up store display

Swan Records - Album poster

Swan Records

Swan Records

Led Zeppelin

      About the artist and the album:

Led Zeppelin, a British hard rock and blues rock band, formed in 1968 after the breakup of The Yardbirds. Guitarist Jimmy Page recruited vocalist Robert Plant, who recommended drummer John Bonham. Bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones joined, completing the definitive lineup.

The band successfully fused hard rock with elements of blues, folk, and Celtic music, creating a distinctive sound that ranged from powerful electric riffs to delicate acoustic ballads like "Stairway to Heaven." They redefined the sound of the 1970s and are considered one of the most important groups in rock history. They pioneered massive stadium shows and the use of advanced sound systems.

They defied industry conventions by focusing on full albums rather than singles, achieving massive success with estimated sales of between 200 and 300 million records worldwide. They created their own record label in 1974, Swan Song, which granted them considerable artistic freedom.

The band officially broke up on December 4, 1980, following the death of drummer John Bonham from accidental asphyxiation after excessive alcohol consumption. The remaining members decided not to continue without him, maintaining that the group's harmony was indivisible.

In Through the Out Door, released in 1979, was their eighth and final studio album recorded before their breakup. The title alludes to the band's difficulties re-establishing themselves on the scene after a period of tax exile outside the UK and the tragic death of Plant's son, Karac, in 1977.

Due to Page and Bonham's absences from the studio, Jones dominated the music production using his new Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer. It is the only album where Jones is credited on almost every song, and Page did not participate in the songwriting process for tracks such as "All My Love" and "South Bound Saurez."

Despite mixed reviews for its softer, keyboard-driven sound, it was a massive commercial success, reaching number 1 in both the US and the UK. Ironically, following its release, Led Zeppelin's entire back catalog re-entered the Billboard 200 chart simultaneously, an unprecedented feat.