Roger Dean ~ Dragons Dream

One of my most treasured possessions while growing up in the mid-70’s was the book “Views” by Roger Dean. An LP sized book packed with Deans fantastical paintings. Leafing through the pages and pages of alien landscapes and visions this was the ideal way for a young boy to immerse himself into alternative worlds. These were the days well before computer games of course! In fact I still have that original copy, even though at over 30 years old it has seen better days!

Of course Dean’s work was well known to many for his elaborate album and logo designs for Yes, who he also designed stage sets for. Such was his importance to the visual experience of Yes and how that reflected and enhanced the music, he effectively was another member of the band. Now after all these years the third volume of his works (the second was “Magnetic Storm”) has just been published. I believe “Views” is being re-published next year.

For a generation like myself Roger Dean defined the beginnings of multimedia experience and why vinyl LP’s were objects to be cherished!