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Learn more about artist Roger Dean at his official website.
The ‘feature image’ is the cover of the Ilex publications book “Roger Dean: Dragon’s Dream” published in 2008.
According to the Ilex website, the book “encompasses album covers, paintings, and stage designs; logos and icons produced for computer game companies (such as Psygnosis, Bullet Proof Software, and Blue Planet Software); and concepts and visuals for movies. The picture is completed by Roger’s visionary concepts for architectural projects that address the very topical issue of sustainability in the 21st century.” It doesn’t appear to be currently in print, which is a shame.
Other Dean covers from the first decade of his work recently appeared at Vinyl Connection here.
And as a finale, the unfolded Ramases cover…
*
Roger Dean will return later in the week, his work enfolding the music of long-distance soundchasers Yes.
POSTSCRIPT
Mr 1537 has brought another recent Roger Dean cover to our attention. It’s so good, I’m adding it here even though it messes up the neat chronological order. (Controlling? Me??)
Nice, and i bet there was some nice music in those covers too d:)
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Well there is certainly variety!
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Holy crap these are all awesome. I’ve not seen many of these before. I do love my fold out Yessongs on vinyl.
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Glad you enjoyed them Scott. I tried for a few that folk might not have encountered before – nothing against Yessongs of course, it’s one of me faves!
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No, that’s cool. A few of these I wouldn’t have even spotted as Dean covers but they’re all great. Especially that fold out. Wow!
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This is awesome & I hope you do more of them. I only own 4 of these albums but a couple of others have been on my radar for a while. Wow, that Gravy Train cover is hideous (and I’m sure I mean that in a good way).
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It is somewhat unsettling, isn’t it? I really like the variety – it is sometimes assumed that Dean is all wizards and floating mountains coming out of the sky, they stand there… sorry, started singing the Yes song. Anyway, thanks for the comment. Was wondering about either another RD 10 or perhaps a clutch of Hipgnosis.
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What! Not one Osibisa cover. You’re fired! 🙂
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Ha! The Osbisa covers are indeed Roger Dean classics. But this time round I was trying to avoid the better known.
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Can I have my job back now?
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Wow! These are pretty awesome. I’m particularly fond of the Earth and Fire one. Nice!
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Me too. Glad you enjoyed them J.
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Nice. Interesting thing is, he’s still doing it. I bought an LP last year that had a new one of his on it.
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Yep. And a new cover from 2014 will appear on these very pages later this week…
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Mine was by a band called Black Moth.
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An excellent addition to the Roger Dean gallery.
As I’m unable to add a photo in Comments, I’ll put it up at the end of the post as I reckon it is brilliant!
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Always prefered the 70,s Dean artwork,seemed to capture the era perfectly.
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The Ramases cover is breathtaking.
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Isn’t it great? Got to love a six-panel LP sleeve!
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Been a Dean fan for years and never seen the Black Moth cover before…thanks for bringing it to my attention
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Pleasure. My mate 1537 brought that to my attention after going to press – it’s a 2014 release so (presumably) a recent piece by RD.
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I had it in my mind that it was a long lost cover from the late 60,s ,maybe pre Yes…how wrong can I be?
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Who wouldn’t want to live in the late 60s?
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[…] in regret. Relayer is a quiet-noisy soaring-crashing masterpiece of progressive music. Oh, and the Roger Dean cover is pretty special […]
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Great selections here from the wonderful Mr. Dean. I would also place votes for the covers he did for Budgie and Uriah Heep’s “Wizards and Demons” LP.
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Votes noted Rick! The Uriah Heep covers are amongst RD’s most famous and enjoyed, aren’t they. Only reason they are not here is that they featured just recently in a post on the band. With you on Budgie too.
Thanks for commenting.
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Beautiful stuff. Was about to lament the omission of It Bites’ ‘Eat Me In St Louis’ but these are far superior… Loads I’ve never seen before too.
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Thanks a lot. I was trying to avoid ‘the usual suspects’, especially as I’d recently written on Uriah Heep!
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[…] machismo in favour of Rainbow Fairy dreamscapes. Pleasant—intriguing even—yet I think I prefer Roger Dean or Mati […]
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[…] Fun factoid footnote: The cover for In Hearing Of Atomic Rooster was created by Roger Dean, the famous designer of countless iconic album covers by Yes and many other artists. […]
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[…] as you would expect, but all of it varied and lively. Some neat guitar solos, too. And a cover by Roger Dean. Really, a disc you should hear at least once in your life. 🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆 [5 […]
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So many omissions here! What about Budgie’s Never Turn Your Back On A Friend, Osibisa’s Woyaya, Uriah Heep’s Demons & Wizards, a few Yes and Asia albums, Paladin, The Flower Kings, Magna Carta? The list goes on.
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You’ll note the title of this post begins with a number. It is an introduction for those unfamiliar with the diversity of Dean’s work – many only know him for the obvious Yes and Uriah Heep covers – not an exhaustive presentation. Dean has over 250 art/design credits! Sorry you were disappointed.
There are several good books compiling Roger Dean’s work in a comprehensive manner and the post has a link to his web site.
Your comment has got me thinking, however. Perhaps, given this post was 2015, it’s time for another RD selection. Maybe even going the “well-known” route that would cover most of those artists you mention.
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[…] passing, with over 1700 views, 10 Ripping Roger Dean Album Covers is the all-time most viewed post at Vinyl […]
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[…] from the Hipgnosis folio, chosen to highlight lesser known covers. An earlier album cover feature, 10 Ripping Roger Dean Album Covers, is one of the most viewed posts at Vinyl Connection, so I hope you enjoy this selection […]
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