In the world of digital art, photography and graphic design, Brian Cannon is a god. Since setting up his company Microdot in 1989, Brian has achieved a lot, professionally contributing his designs to the music industry and private industry as well as delivering lectures at Universities across the country. With his portfolio of work, Brian has gone down in history as the guy who has created some of the best album sleeves in the last 20 years. From The Verve, Oasis, The Super Furry Animals, Suede, Ash and the Ruthless Rap Assassins, Brian has been ahead of his game and is testament to what you can achieve when you are in tune and passionate about the bands that you are designing for.
In particularly with the Definitely Maybe album, it was a pretty original cover, a sort of indirect introduction to the band, with a few items strategically placed along the way. Visually the album cover is modest, yet aspirational summarising that classic early 90’s minimalist look, coated in light urban colours, a time when stripped wooden floors and black TV’s were very much in vogue. It’s also an album cover which eases you into Liam’s now notorious law to himself attitude, him lying down on the floor, while the rest of the band are lounging comfortably. At first glance the album cover looks just like a social gathering, but then years down the line you realise what a thematic and ingenious cover it is, hinting at the band’s ambitions and steely determination. It’s also an album cover whose displays of cigarettes, alcohol, unusual globe, shabby sofa and flamingo ornament, reaches out to its young target audience. With pictures of Man United’s George Best and Man City’s Rodney Marsh, you get a sneaky preview of the band’s football rivalry, indicating a few in-jokes and light-hearted banter. Notably the picture of George Best encased in the stained glass window is less obvious than the photograph of Rodney Marsh perhaps indicating Noel and Liam’s domination of the band. Along with a photograph of one of Noel’s idols, Burt Bacharach, you get a sense that he had set his song writing skills high and was striving to be as successful. With such an iconic album cover, it’s no surprise that Definitely Maybe got listed in the “ Hundred Best Record Covers Of All Time” published in Q magazine in 2001 and that Brian received The Lifetime Achievement Award by the global Annual Design Awards in November 2011.
Despite his success with graphic design, Brian has proven his diversity and eye for details with his latest project ”Northern Soul –A photographic Journey”. At a time when Northern Soul music has been celebrated through films such as “Soul boy” (2010) and “Northern Soul” (realised in Spring 2013 ) Brian’s timing couldn’t be any better. A self-funded project Brian aims to highlight Northern Soul’s popularity across the country, through his amazing photographs. Considered at the height of it’s success in the late 60’s and 70’s, Northern Soul is surprisingly growing in popularity amongst young people today, whilst maintaining a varied fanbase. Evidently, through his shots, Brian captures the magic and energy of those all- nighters across the country. What’s great about this project is it’s an authentic account, a sort of “fly on the wall” documentary, that is very close to Brian’s heart. Being a teenager growing up in Wigan, Brian has had first- hand experience of the Northern Soul movement, enjoying many an all-nighter back in the day.
So what is it about The Northern Soul music and dance that is so timeless and engaging? Well for a start you don’t have to be an expert or music connoisseur to appreciate the fast tempo, swinging and soulful songs from The Northern Soul movement. Just listening to the lyrics of those classics, takes you back to a golden age of music, a time when love and relationships had a real sense of longevity and togetherness. Nowadays when relationships are more independent, listening to Northern Soul instantly reminds you of a time of “courtships” that good-old fashioned appeal of boy meets girl, along with the passion, innocence and heartbreak. As a cross-breed of motown and soul music, Northern Soul music is characterised by the rich vocals, upbeat jangles, shuffle beats, xylophonic tingles, robust bass, sweeping violins, smudgy sax, and exuberant trumpets. Along with its jazz-infused sounds, Northern Soul also incorporated the sounds of the funky farfisa organs, which synchronised with the grandiosity of the harmonising backing singers. With such a soulful and funky backdrop, it’s no wonder that the dance element is such an intrinsic element of the movement. Long before the breakdancing explosion back in the 70’s, Northern Soul showcased some amazing leg work and along with the unofficial mod-like gear, those dancers looked the business, conveying an effortless cool and style.
So is it any wonder that Brian has decided to embark on his Northern Soul project? Having started in September 2012, Brian is keen to tour the country, taking snaps of those Northern Soul enthusiasts. Already snapped over 4000 photographs, Brian doesn’t do things by halves and is in a short space of time, has provided a spectacular and atmospheric range of black and white photographs. What’s great about Brian’s shots is that every photograph encapsulates that magical moment when the dancer has become entranced by the music, while he advocates a sense of camaraderie on the dance-floor. It’s as if the dancer is unaware that Brian is snapping them, enabling them to behave naturally and dance freely, without feeling self-conscious. However what is distinctive about Brian’s photographs is how they are a dichotomy of honest expressions and eerie projections. With so many shadows aside of the subject, Brian manages to capture the vibrancy and isolation in one shot, hailing Brian as a diverse and skilful photographer.
The Top 20 most popular Northern Soul songs, as compiled by Wigan Casino DJ Kev Roberts from fan surveys, are as follows:
1.Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) – Frank Wilson
2. Out on the Floor – Dobie Gray
3. You Didn’t Say a Word – Yvonne Baker
4. The Snake – Al Wilson
5. Long After Tonight is Over – Jimmy Radcliffe
6. Seven Day Lover – James Fountain
7. You Don’t Love Me – Epitome of Sound
8. Looking for You – Garnet Mimms
9. If That’s What You Wanted – Frankie Beverly & the Butlers
10. Seven Days Too Long – Chuck Wood
11. The Right Track – Billy Butler
12. Stick By Me Baby – Salvadors
13. I Really Love You – Tomangoes
14. Time Will Pass You By – Tobi Legend
15. Landslide – Tony Clarke
16. Too Late – Larry Williams & Johnny “Guitar” Watson
17. You Don’t Know Where Your Interest Lies – Dana Valery
18. Walking Up a One Way Street – Willie Tee
19. If You Ever Walk Out of My Life – Dena Barnes
20. There’s a Ghost in My House – R. Dean Taylo