Control director Anton Corbijn’s new film tells the chaotic, tragic story of the creative duo behind some of the most recognisable covers of all time
Only at the end of our interview does it dawn on both of us that Anton Corbijn has been sitting in front of his huge vinyl record collection at his home in Amsterdam the whole time. It is fitting: not just because Corbijn, now 68, initially made his name by photographing Joy Division and went on to shoot and make music videos for the likes of Depeche Mode, U2, the Killers and Rem, but also because he has just directed a documentary, Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), about the celebrated record sleeves of Aubrey “Po” Powell and the late Storm Thorgerson.
Hipgnosis was one of the trailblazers of album cover design during the golden age of the late 60s and 70s. It conceived...
Only at the end of our interview does it dawn on both of us that Anton Corbijn has been sitting in front of his huge vinyl record collection at his home in Amsterdam the whole time. It is fitting: not just because Corbijn, now 68, initially made his name by photographing Joy Division and went on to shoot and make music videos for the likes of Depeche Mode, U2, the Killers and Rem, but also because he has just directed a documentary, Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), about the celebrated record sleeves of Aubrey “Po” Powell and the late Storm Thorgerson.
Hipgnosis was one of the trailblazers of album cover design during the golden age of the late 60s and 70s. It conceived...
- 7/3/2023
- by Lee Campbell
- The Guardian - Film News
Having been responsible for some of the most iconic photographs since he picked up a camera nearly five decades ago, Anton Corbijn seamless transition to music videos then narrative features and now, with Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), he’s helmed his first documentary. Charting the entertaining tale of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell’s album-art design studio Hipgnosis, the film features quite a roster of interviewees: Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd; Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin; Paul McCartney; Peter Gabriel; Graham Gouldman of 10cc; Noel Gallagher; and more.
As the film begins playing at NYC’s Film Forum today, ahead of an LA opening on June 16 and nationwide screenings on June 20, I spoke with Corbijn about embarking on his first documentary, his favorite album covers, his involvement in the marketing process of his films, reflecting on The American,...
As the film begins playing at NYC’s Film Forum today, ahead of an LA opening on June 16 and nationwide screenings on June 20, I spoke with Corbijn about embarking on his first documentary, his favorite album covers, his involvement in the marketing process of his films, reflecting on The American,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
‘Let Me Love You’ hitmaker Justin Bieber has sold his 15-year music catalogue for a reported 200 million. The 28-year-old singer has followed the footsteps of artists like Bob Dylan, Mick Fleetwood, Neil Young, Sting and Blondie singer Debbie Harry, who have sold interests in their music for fortunes in the last three years, reports Female First UK.
Justin sold the rights to his recording career to London-listed company Hipgnosis Songs Capital, with sources telling Variety that the singer’s tunes will continue to be administered by Universal Music where he has been throughout his career.
As per Female First UK, Hipgnosis Song Management founder Merck Mercuriadis, 59, said in a statement about the acquisition of Justin’s entire portfolio before 2022, which consists of 290 tracks: “The impact of Justin Bieber on global culture over the last 14 years has truly been remarkable. This acquisition ranks among the biggest deals ever made for an...
Justin sold the rights to his recording career to London-listed company Hipgnosis Songs Capital, with sources telling Variety that the singer’s tunes will continue to be administered by Universal Music where he has been throughout his career.
As per Female First UK, Hipgnosis Song Management founder Merck Mercuriadis, 59, said in a statement about the acquisition of Justin’s entire portfolio before 2022, which consists of 290 tracks: “The impact of Justin Bieber on global culture over the last 14 years has truly been remarkable. This acquisition ranks among the biggest deals ever made for an...
- 1/26/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
When it comes to coffee-table books that survey the great album covers of the classic rock era, there are generally two kinds: those that include a lot of the work of the 1970s design team called Hipgnosis, and those that consist entirely of Hipgnosis’ work. Virtually any rock superstar who had the cachet to ask his record company to blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on a Hipgnosis cover went for the splurge of commissioning an original piece of art that might join classic LP jackets from Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin in a renaissance of 12’x12′ photographic surrealism. Only Hipgnosis could shoot a photo of a cow against a blue sky, put it on a Floyd cover (“Atom Heart Mother”), and make it look like an act of mysterious profundity on a level with the greatest works of Magritte.
Although Hipgnosis in its prime did some non-photographically based covers...
Although Hipgnosis in its prime did some non-photographically based covers...
- 9/4/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Lately, there’s been a curious strain of kneejerk revulsion expressed toward musical biopics such as “Elvis” for repeating tropes identified in “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” as if all popular genres don’t have repeated tropes. What’s funny is that there’s never really been the same reaction toward music documentaries in the 40 years since “This Is Spinal Tap.” Especially since that’s a much better movie. But why should there be? Just like pop and rock music depend on repetition (and the anticipation of repetition) for satisfaction and emotional release, music films, narrative or documentary, return to the same hallmarks over and over again.
“Squaring the Circle,” Anton Corbijn’s feature documentary debut, falls into this tradition too. This slightly overlong look at Hipgnosis, the London-based graphic design startup that designed some of the most striking, and important, album covers from 1968 to 1980, retreads all the old...
“Squaring the Circle,” Anton Corbijn’s feature documentary debut, falls into this tradition too. This slightly overlong look at Hipgnosis, the London-based graphic design startup that designed some of the most striking, and important, album covers from 1968 to 1980, retreads all the old...
- 9/4/2022
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
It should hardly come as a surprise that Anton Corbijn would want to make a movie about iconic rock ‘n’ roll looks. Before he began directing feature films with 2007’s striking Joy Division drama “Control,” after all, Corbijn was responsible for quite a few notable rock looks of his own as a design director and rock photographer responsible for U2’s “The Joshua Tree” album cover, among many others.
So when the Dutch photographer-turned-director, whose other films include “The Americans” and “A Most Wanted Man,” turns to rock iconography for the documentary “Squaring the Circle (the story of hipgnosis),” it’s clear that the guy knows what he’s talking about — not that Corbijn himelf does the talking in the film, which had its world premiere on Friday at the Telluride Film Festival.
Instead, he leaves the storytelling to the illustrious likes of Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page,...
So when the Dutch photographer-turned-director, whose other films include “The Americans” and “A Most Wanted Man,” turns to rock iconography for the documentary “Squaring the Circle (the story of hipgnosis),” it’s clear that the guy knows what he’s talking about — not that Corbijn himelf does the talking in the film, which had its world premiere on Friday at the Telluride Film Festival.
Instead, he leaves the storytelling to the illustrious likes of Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page,...
- 9/3/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
City of Hope, a world-renowned research and treatment organization for cancer and diabetes, partnered with RWQuarantunes for the 16th Annual Songs of Hope virtual celebration on Thursday, Sept. 30.
The special event, presented by Facebook, celebrated the music industry and their support for City of Hope’s mission to eliminate cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Songs of Hope raised a record-breaking amount, over $780,000 for the cause throughout the evening, with support from Award Sponsors, Clive Davis, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, and EA Music. Additional support came from the event’s Premium Sponsors ASCAP, Bruce Resnikoff, Barbara and Zach Horowitz, Concord, Jody and Gary Marsh, Hipgnosis, Mark and Ana Maria Gordon, and YouTube Music. Sponsors from City of Hope’s Los Angeles Real Estate & Construction Industries Council, including Dla Piper, Kennedy Wilson, City National Bank, Kilroy Reality, and Richard and May Ziman, generously turned out...
The special event, presented by Facebook, celebrated the music industry and their support for City of Hope’s mission to eliminate cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Songs of Hope raised a record-breaking amount, over $780,000 for the cause throughout the evening, with support from Award Sponsors, Clive Davis, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, and EA Music. Additional support came from the event’s Premium Sponsors ASCAP, Bruce Resnikoff, Barbara and Zach Horowitz, Concord, Jody and Gary Marsh, Hipgnosis, Mark and Ana Maria Gordon, and YouTube Music. Sponsors from City of Hope’s Los Angeles Real Estate & Construction Industries Council, including Dla Piper, Kennedy Wilson, City National Bank, Kilroy Reality, and Richard and May Ziman, generously turned out...
- 10/4/2021
- Look to the Stars
Producer Bob Rock has sold his production rights on Metallica’s eponymous album and several Michael Bublé projects to song investment company Hipgnosis Songs Fund, the company announced Thursday — the latest in a flurry of catalog acquisitions Merck Mercuriadis’s company has closed this month.
Mercuriadis bought the production rights for an undisclosed sum, giving him the rights to 43 songs that includes major Metallica hits “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” along with the entirety of Bublé’s platinum-selling album To Be Loved.
“I put my heart and soul into these recordings,...
Mercuriadis bought the production rights for an undisclosed sum, giving him the rights to 43 songs that includes major Metallica hits “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” along with the entirety of Bublé’s platinum-selling album To Be Loved.
“I put my heart and soul into these recordings,...
- 1/21/2021
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
Hipgs don’t lie. Shakira has sold the publishing rights to her catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Fund, the company announced early Wednesday morning — the latest in CEO Merck Mercuriadis’s prolific shopping spree for major stars’ music rights. Hipgnosis bought the entirety of Shakira’s publishing rights for her 145-song catalog, which includes hits such as “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Whenever, Wherever,” “She Wolf,” and “Waka Waka.” The company didn’t disclose financial details of the sale.
“I know Hipgnosis will be a great home for my catalog,” the singer said in a statement.
“I know Hipgnosis will be a great home for my catalog,” the singer said in a statement.
- 1/13/2021
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
Happy 40th anniversary to Led Zeppelin’s In Through the Out Door, the band’s stunning final statement that has only begun to be appreciated in recent years. Unsurprisingly, this magazine slammed it so hard its hinges almost flew off: “If perchance Robert Plant meets someone who doesn’t dump on him, he should avoid calling her ‘the apple of my eye’ or she will probably reject him,” Charles M. Young cracked in Rolling Stone. “Just as I am rejecting ‘I’m Gonna Crawl,’ in which he sings that cliché...
- 8/16/2019
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
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