Klaus Voormann ‘Revolver’ Book ‘Enhanced’ Edition Due

Share This:

Klaus Voormann Revolver 50 limited edition book

Just over 50 years after the release of The Beatles’ Revolver, Genesis Publications will publish Revolver 50: Grammy Anniversary Edition, a signed, limited-edition, “enhanced version” of its book Revolver 50. The book celebrates Klaus Voormann’s award-winning artwork for the Beatles’ album cover. The publication is limited to just 500 copies. The book and original drawing boxed set will be available on March 2.

The 156-page book tells the story of the making of the collage, and each copy will come with a signed original drawing by the artist, a one-of-a-kind artwork, from a selection Voormann has curated exclusively for this anniversary edition.

In 1966, when the Beatles released Revolver, Voormann’s black-and-white cover artwork became instantly iconic. It went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Cover—Graphic Arts on March 2, 1967, the first time for a rock and pop album.

In Revolver 50, the story of the album cover is recounted in the style of a graphic novel, starting with Voormann meeting the Beatles in the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, visiting them at Abbey Road to listen to Revolver during the album’s production, and the ultimate reaction of the band to his finished design. The book offers insight into the making of the cover with new artwork and photos, a foreword by Paul McCartney, an introductory letter from Ringo Starr and contributions from Mike D’Abo of Manfred Mann and Professor Lawrence Zeegen, Dean of the School of Design at Ravensbourne.

Klaus Voormann and his Grammy for the Revolver cover art

Revolver 50: Grammy Anniversary Edition will be released as 67 deluxe copies and 433 collector copies. Deluxe copies will come with an original artwork in an 18.5 x 18.5” frame, while the Collector copies will contain drawings of varying sizes, placed within a 12 x 12” record-sized mount, suitable for framing. All 500 copies will include a signed, limited edition version of the Revolver 50 book, with gold foil blocking, gilt page edges and encased in presentation boxes, along with a special Grammy Anniversary 12-page commemorative booklet.

In addition to Revolver, Voormann has designed album sleeves for many artists, including the Bee Gees, Ringo Starr and Sonny Rollins, and has played on many of the Beatles’ solo projects. He took part in the Concert for Bangladesh, was a member of the Manfred Mann band and was a founding member of Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band, as well as contributing to numerous recordings, including Randy Newman, Lou Reed, Ravi Shankar and Carly Simon. In 2009, Voormann celebrated his 70th birthday by releasing his own album, A Sideman’s Journey, featuring various musicians he has collaborated with over the years, such as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Dr. John and Joe Walsh.

About the Revolver book, Voormann says, “I opened my graphical ‘treasure box’ and made 500 original drawings available for the Grammy Anniversary edition of my book. Each collector and deluxe copy is unique and makes you the owner of an original Klaus Voormann artwork.”

The book is sold exclusively via revolver-book.com.

Watch Klaus Voormann in the studio with Paul McCartney in 2008