Source Photo For The 1984 Album Cover Artwork

[fryingdutchman]

OK...I'm positive this has been covered here at some point in time. It's impossible that this rabid fan base hasn't posted it.

But a few searches turned up nothing, so fuck it. I found this on feelnumb.com, and thought it was cool. I've seen many conversations about the 1984 album cover art before, but never saw the actual picture that inspired it. Read on....

Van Halen’s biggest selling album of all time MCMLXXXIV better known as “1984” was released on January 9, 1984. Besides having the hit songs “Panama“, “Jump” and “Hot For Teacher“, it also featured one of the best album covers of all-time. The now classic painting of a little blue-eyed angel/devil/cherub boy with wings and a pack of smokes.

The classic art piece was done by artist Margo Nahas and was not originally intended or commissioned by Van Halen for the “1984” album cover. The band had asked Nahas to paint four dancing chrome women for the cover but because of the “reflective intricacies” involved in the painting, Nahas declined the job. Her husband, Jay Vigon, a designer/art director took her portfolio to the band anyway and as Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth looked over her work they came across the angel painting below and fell in love.

Her inspiration for the painting came from her love of angels and devils and wanting to combine the two. She wanted to make something that looked photographically real, yet could not actually be real, so Nahas asked her friend if she could take some photos of her her two-year-old son, Carter Helm. She styled his hair, gave him some candy cigarettes and snapped away.

Here for the first time ever is a photo of the young model featured in the painting, two-year-old Carter Helm posing for the photos that would become the painting and eventually, the iconic Van Halen ”1984” album cover.



Nahas added the angel wings, a marble table and the beautiful blue sky to complete her vision. After years of flying under the radar about her “1984″ album cover painting, Nahas is now offering original prints of the portrait on her website.

[DONNIEP]

Too cool! I've read all about this but I haven't seen the source photo before!

[fryingdutchman]

Too cool! I've read all about this but I haven't seen the source photo before!

Good!! Glad to hear I brought a new angle to it.

I was getting ready for the thread to be locked and dumped due to redundancy....

[fryingdutchman]

If a mod or webbie could add the words "source photo" into the thread title, I would appreciate it. Otherwise people might gloss over the thread thinking it's the "same old thing."

And can a brother get a sticky??????

[Jagermeister]

If a mod or webbie could add the words "source photo" into the thread title, I would appreciate it. Otherwise people might gloss over the thread thinking it's the "same old thing."

And can a brother get a sticky??????

May as well move it to Main. I have never seen this before I don't think.

[DLR Bridge]

I remember reading about this in a Classic Rock magazine about a year ago. I believe that the making of 1984 was the cover story. There were a few pics of the kid in there.

[fryingdutchman]

Such a cute kid....I wonder if he still identifies himself as the "1984 kid" today?

The artwork is great...she really captured his likeness.

[private parts]

Some of the story can be found at Vhboots website

http://www.vanhalenencyclopedia.com/entries/1984.html

[sadaist]

LOL. this pops up about every 18 months. Always fun to review it.

[fryingdutchman]

LOL. this pops up about every 18 months. Always fun to review it.

Awwww fuck.

I know this story has been around the site numerous times before, but I thought I had a scoop with the source photo.

Those fuckers at feelnumb shouldn't write shit like "Here for the first time ever is a photo of the young model featured in the painting... if it's not really the "first time ever."

Sorry gang. Lock it up and throw it away....

[DLR Bridge]

Such a cute kid....I wonder if he still identifies himself as the "1984 kid" today?

The artwork is great...she really captured his likeness.

Did you ever see the re-shot Nirvana Nevermind cover with the baby as a 17 year old? Pretty funny. Thankfully, he had a bathing suit on this time.

[sadaist]

Awwww fuck.

I know this story has been around the site numerous times before, but I thought I had a scoop with the source photo.

Those fuckers at feelnumb shouldn't write shit like "Here for the first time ever is a photo of the young model featured in the painting... if it's not really the "first time ever."

Sorry gang. Lock it up and throw it away....

NO NO. It's good to re-post these things every so often. Just think how many new members we have just since Dec 26, 2011 that may have never seen any of this. It might be old news to some of us here, but I guarantee it's new to a lot of people.

Plus it's a pretty cool story and one worth revisiting. CHEERS!

[kwame k]

Yeah, redundant but still fucking cool!

I was checking her website and she's done a few other album covers......too bad one of them was Spammy's VOS [yes, I know it's VOA but I prefer Voice Of Shit]

http://margoznahas.com/past.aspx

[don don]

As a fairly new Army member, I haven't seen this before. So thanks for the post. Really cool to see and brings back many good memories from my sophomore year in high school. It would be really cool to see the guy today. So he'd be like 30 now right? Man, time flies. Thanks again...very cool to see!

[Hardrock69]

Hey Dutchman, I am glad you posted it, as even though I have been here for years, I have never seen that photo before. Nice post!

[fryingdutchman]

Hey Dutchman, I am glad you posted it, as even though I have been here for years, I have never seen that photo before. Nice post!

Thanks HR. Cool to know that you can get these prints from her site now, too. She makes them as posters, "gallery quality" prints, banners, etc...

[jcrizzy]

whoa... very cool!

[VHscraps]

Margo Nahas's husband is Jay Vigon - he worked on the design for the first few DLR album & single covers - in particular, the logos. Vigon Siereeni was the agency he ran with Rick Siereeni.

You mean you dudes didn't read the Classic Rock article about this last year??

More here with large version of the story from Classic Rock:

[Nurs]

OK...I'm positive this has been covered here at some point in time. It's impossible that this rabid fan base hasn't posted it.

But a few searches turned up nothing, so fuck it. I found this on feelnumb.com, and thought it was cool. I've seen many conversations about the 1984 album cover art before, but never saw the actual picture that inspired it. Read on....

Van Halen’s biggest selling album of all time MCMLXXXIV better known as “1984” was released on January 9, 1984. Besides having the hit songs “Panama“, “Jump” and “Hot For Teacher“, it also featured one of the best album covers of all-time. The now classic painting of a little blue-eyed angel/devil/cherub boy with wings and a pack of smokes.

The classic art piece was done by artist Margo Nahas and was not originally intended or commissioned by Van Halen for the “1984” album cover. The band had asked Nahas to paint four dancing chrome women for the cover but because of the “reflective intricacies” involved in the painting, Nahas declined the job. Her husband, Jay Vigon, a designer/art director took her portfolio to the band anyway and as Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth looked over her work they came across the angel painting below and fell in love.

Her inspiration for the painting came from her love of angels and devils and wanting to combine the two. She wanted to make something that looked photographically real, yet could not actually be real, so Nahas asked her friend if she could take some photos of her her two-year-old son, Carter Helm. She styled his hair, gave him some candy cigarettes and snapped away.

Here for the first time ever is a photo of the young model featured in the painting, two-year-old Carter Helm posing for the photos that would become the painting and eventually, the iconic Van Halen ”1984” album cover.



Nahas added the angel wings, a marble table and the beautiful blue sky to complete her vision. After years of flying under the radar about her “1984″ album cover painting, Nahas is now offering original prints of the portrait on her website.

i also involved with painting some years ago. it was really a good time for me. because it was so creative and i always thinking about it. i wanna start it again.

[Nurs]

OK...I'm positive this has been covered here at some point in time. It's impossible that this rabid fan base hasn't posted it.

But a few searches turned up nothing, so fuck it. I found this on feelnumb.com, and thought it was cool. I've seen many conversations about the 1984 album cover art before, but never saw the actual picture that inspired it. Read on....
Her inspiration for the painting came from her love of angels and devils and wanting to combine the two. She wanted to make something that looked photographically real, yet could not actually be real, so Nahas asked her friend if she could take some photos of her her two-year-old son, Carter Helm. She styled his hair, gave him some candy electronic cigarettes and snapped away.

I also involved with painting some years ago. It was really a good time for me. Because it was so creative and I always thinking about it. I wanna start it again.

[big fatty]

Here is what he looks like now. I ran across this picture a while ago on the DLR fans Facebook page.

389137_541240362595603_2091165579_n.jpg

[ZahZoo]

Here is what he looks like now. I ran across this picture a while ago on the DLR fans Facebook page.

Trust nothing from that site...

[big fatty]

Trust nothing from that site...

Yowza. They got me good then. Ha, Ha.

Cool page nonetheless.

I recall a rumour VH considered using a grown up picture of the '84 kid on the new album cover. No idea if that was true or not.