Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)

When art students Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell began producing their legendary album covers in the ‘70s under the Hipgnosis banner for their innovative design studio, there was no Photoshop. When they wanted a picture, say, of a giant pink pig floating over London, they had to take a huge helium balloon of a pig and tether it to a smokestack high above the city. What could possibly go wrong? Because Hipgnosis was far ahead of its time, and famously intertwined with rock excess, things went wrong a lot—sometimes spectacularly. Celebrated photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn (Control) fills this remarkable tale of challenging friendships, passion, and vision with case studies of album art from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, to Led Zeppelin’s mind-altering Houses of the Holy. This charming, witty, and beautifully crafted slice of rock history is packed full of anecdotes about the often-hilarious dealings with Hipgnosis by folks like Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, and Noel Gallagher—great stories and incredible music from one of the most hedonistic and fascinating eras in music history!