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3 – To the Power of Three album art

Contributed by Jeff Ward on Oct 23rd, 2021. Artwork published in .
3 – To the Power of Three album art 1
Source: www.amazon.de License: All Rights Reserved.

Cover art for To the Power of Three, according to Wikipedia, “the first album by the British-American progressive rock band 3, a spin-off from Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Produced by Carl Palmer and Robert Berry, it was released in early 1988 by Geffen Records.” The album was released on 25 March 1988 and was a critical and commercial failure, though the album’s only single “Talkin’ Bout”, peaked at number 9 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. The red, back and white cover design by Cream makes interesting use of the number 3 (Peignot Bold), with a small 3 superimposed over the larger one, signifying “3 to the power of 3.” The loosely spaced caps used for the title are from Peignot as well. The design somehow has a very “eighties look” to it: it is not a very warm design, very precise and mechanical.

[More info on Discogs]

The same cover art was used in adjusted form for two follow-up albums. From Wikipedia:

In October 2015, Emerson and Berry signed a contract with Frontiers Records to record a follow-up album at last, to be called 3.2. Emerson’s death in March of the following year put a halt to that project. However, in July 2018, Berry released (as 3.2) The Rules Have Changed, built from musical ideas contributed by Emerson, but produced and performed entirely by Berry.

A third album named Third Impression was released in 2021.

The Rules Have Changed (Frontiers Music SRL, 2021) [More info on Discogs]
Source: www.amazon.de License: All Rights Reserved.

The Rules Have Changed (Frontiers Music SRL, 2021) [More info on Discogs]

Third Impression (Frontiers Music SRL, 2021) [More info on Discogs]
Source: www.amazon.de License: All Rights Reserved.

Third Impression (Frontiers Music SRL, 2021) [More info on Discogs]

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1 Comment on “3 – To the Power of Three album art”

  1. Jeff pointed out the similarity between these album covers and the packaging design of Wrigley’s 5 GUM brand. It likewise features a single big numeral that divides the design in two fields of different colors.

    Image: theimpulsivebuy (CC-BY-SA)

    While this 5 is somewhat similar to the one in the Peignot typeface, it’s not a direct match, and probably was custom drawn.

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