A new mural has appeared outside Avalanche Records in Waverley Mall in time for National Album Day on 15 October.
The album recognised is the Fratellis Costello Music – their first album reimagined as a Vettriano painting.
The new take on the album cover is created by Gerry Gapinski and fits with Vettriano’s Singing Butler. It was created with spray paint and hand cut stencils.
Frontman Jon Fratelli said: “We’re really pleased Costello Music has been chosen to be part of National Album Day – for us recording an actual album with an incredible producer in a studio that we’re still not sure really exists all felt magical enough.
“To see it for sale in the record stores that we’d spent half our lives in was surreal. To hear that people were actually buying copies was just about the best news we’d ever heard.
“The artwork for the album almost perfectly captured the character of the band and the music at that time.
“Reimagining it in the style of Jack Vettriano makes sense to me and we are all really happy with the result – it’s a clever interpretation and we feel honoured to have been chosen for the mural.
“If it encourages people to pick up an album, whether it’s ours or someone they maybe haven’t really heard before, then that’s great.
“Whatever the art form, an artist being influenced or inspired by something we created is always a good thing.”
The Fratelli’s 2006 debut was chosen by Avalanche Records owner Kevin Buckle because of the iconic artwork – and the album’s continued popularity among record-buyers of all ages.
Kevin said: “I wanted to choose an album that gave the artist something to work with image-wise and would be recognised by all ages. Costello Music is still a big selling album for Avalanche especially with younger buyers and Gerry has captured the original fifties feel while cleverly referencing a famous painting.”
Artist Gerry Gapinski said: “I was asked to reimagine The Fratellis’ debut album, Costello Music. The image I painted is a play on Jack Vettriano’s famous painting, The Singing Butler.
“The idea was to present the butler and the maid having a party on the beach, listening to The Fratellis, after their classical dancing employers had left the beach. A contrast between high culture and popular culture in a musical sense.
“This contrast is mirrored by the stencil graffiti art style I used to paint it, in contrast to the classical painting style of Vettriano’s original painting. I decided in the design stage I would try to keep the vintage, ‘pin-up’ feel of the original Fratellis album cover, so there would be a connection and continuity with it, that hopefully folk could recognise.”
Since its launch in 2018, National Album Day has been supported by a diverse range of artists including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Ray BLK, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox and Jazzie B among others. Ambassadors this year are Franz Ferdinand, India Arkin, Jake Bugg, KSI, The Mysterines, Pip Millett, Sam Ryder, and The Staves.
Audio brand, Bowers & Wilkins, continues to support National Album Day as official audio partner. Built on a passion for music, Bowers & Wilkins has been on an unrelenting pursuit of the highest quality listening experiences for music fans for over 60 years, always delivering sound that remains true to how the artist intended their album to be heard.
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