Y’know, we’re sent pitches all the time from bands or PR folks with some vinyl-centric themed giveaway, and while many do indeed hit our sweet spot, there’s something about artist Michael Nielsen’s hand screened posters that feel a little like home. In fact, they’re for your home—and we’ve got 2 to give away.
“Over several years of diggin’ deep, I had developed an affinity for the variety of stickers on LP covers. I’m not going to front, for me it made sifting through all the crap a little more entertaining. They seemed to give a unique look back at how records were once marketed, with cheaply made stickers using archaic printing techniques, mass-produced, and slapped on the front of the album luring the consumer in with “SUPER BUY” or “ADULT XXX LP” or simply the attraction of a lesser price.
I first became inspired to create this piece when, all in the span of about a week, I dug up a large amount of rare vinyl gems for a few bucks each at a thrift store including an original undocumented LP label variation (which I came to find out was the actual first pressing) of Skull Snaps rare self-titled soul classic as well as the infamous Douglass High School’s Black Experience album, to name a couple.
Many of them were still in shrink and many had these curious pieces of sticker ephemera still intact. My obsession had spawned, and continues to this day. I had pulled and compiled many of my favorites, be it the trashy condition or simply the label preference, for this print.
A small selection of the stickers I decided to include are Roy Ayers Productions, Groove Merchant, Okeh, Paradise Garage, Musicland, Licorice Pizza, Funk-O-Mart, Amoeba Music, De-lite, Skull Snaps, Capital, Cream De Coco, “Adult” LPs, and RFC. And a few stickers were simply made up for my own amusement using a new guide posted at vinylcuttingmachineguide.com.
This print is 18″ x 24″. 1 color. Hand silkscreened. Limited edition. Signed and numbered. Edition of 27 of each color variant. Color variants: Pop-tone Banana Split and Pop-tone Sno Cone from French Paper Company.
It can be purchased at my Etsy shop until the limited run is gone.”
Enter to win the limited edition screened poster by telling us in the comments below where’d you’d hang this gem if you were to win. Listening room? Den? Office? We want to hear where you’ll be letting your vinyl freak flag fly.
Two winners—one for the yellow version and one for the blue version, both with North American mailing addresses—will be chosen on Monday, June 23.
