U2-Y

A short bonus episode, taken from an outtake from our very first conversation about Steve's early days as a young man in Ireland, obsessed with rock and roll and design. https://www.stephenaverill.com/store Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second of two parts that bring the U2-Y podcast to a conclusion. Here in the final episode, Gareth and Steve look back across the the series and talk generally about the later stages of Steve's role with U2 and his retirement years. NEWS: Steve's store is now live, featuring limited edition prints from his trip to Death Valley in 1986 with U2 for the Joshua Tree cover shoot. https://www.stephe...

The first of two parts that bring the U2-Y podcast to a conclusion. Here in part one, Steve answers questions as submitted by you, the listener. NEWS: Steve's store is now live, featuring limited edition prints from his trip to Death Valley in 1986 with U2 for the Joshua Tree cover shoot. https://www.stephenaverill.com/store Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

U2's 9th full length release and possibly their most provocative to date, sees the boundaries pushed even further than before. What U2 could look like and what they could sound like was challenged yet again, and possibly for the last time. Firmly in the digital age of design, yet its biggest influences were from the Pop Art movement, the design policy for 'Pop' was born out of 'what would Warhol o...

Vorsprung durch technik .. or 'Advancement through technology'. 'Zooropa', U2's 8th record, is effectively a companion release for 'Achtung Baby' that sprung out of the Zoo TV and Zooropa tour. This release holds great significance to our story. It is the first time the computer finds its way into the design studio and thus the first digital record sleeve that Steve art directed. It marked the daw...

Bono has said that 'Achtung Baby' is the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree. For graphic designer and art director Steve Averill, he would also take part in this ritualistic creative evolution to make way for the kaleidoscopic explosion that was the sleeve for U2's 7th LP. Working for the first time with designer Shaughn McGrath, we explore what happened with U2's image and design sen...

Steve Averill and Marc Coleman in conversation in 2017 about their trip to Death Valley in 1986 to shoot the iconic cover sleeve for The Joshua Tree with photographer Anton Corbijn. Steve and Marc add a beautiful and personal touch to the story of the great voyage to the inspiring landscape of Western USA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1986, a small crew embarked on a three day journey across the stunning landscape in the deserts of California. This was the photoshoot for the upcoming 5th album from U2, then known by its working title of 'The Two Americas'. The Joshua Tree would eclipse everything that came before it. It would become a critically acclaimed and top selling cultural touchstone that still looms large today. With...

We're taking a short break this week, but found something very interesting in Steve's archive and are briefly revisiting the night of March 4th 1978 .. Normal service resumes next week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As U2 forge a hugely successful creative-partnership with production duo Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois on The Unforgettable Fire, the sleeve for the fourth LP brings a set of challenges. The result is a much-loved album cover created in the 11th hour, bringing along with it some controversy and lessons learned. We also discover how The Unforgettable Fire would lay the foundations for what would be t...

In the 4th episode of U2-Y, we discuss the album that closes the first trilogy of releases. 'War', released in 1983, was a highly respected record, with the design work itself netting Steve a Music Week award, much to his surprise. We discuss how the record that gave us the iconic and potent track, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', drew its influences from war photography, propaganda and newsprint iconograp...

In the 3rd episode of U2-Y, we focus on the difficult second LP, 'October'. This record, both from a sonic and visual point of view, has become the least celebrated of all U2's releases, notably by the band themselves. However, this record is hugely important in establishing U2's honourable desire for creative control and the important of sticking to your guns. https://www.instagram.com/stephenave...

In the second episode of U2-Y, we explore Steve's initial design work with the band, paving the way for their debut LP, Boy. The bold and effective sleeve for 'Boy' was widely praised for it's minimalism and neo-classicism, but was not without some controversy .. https://www.instagram.com/stephenaverilldesign/ https://www.stephenaverill.com/u2y Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

In this introductory episode of U2-Y, we trace Steve's relationship with U2 back to it's origins. We also explore how before there was any notion of Steve doing design-work for the band, he was given a simple task; to come up with a name for the burgeoning post-punk band known then as, 'The Hype'. https://www.instagram.com/stephenaverilldesign/ https://www.stephenaverill.com/u2y Hosted on Acast. S...