Ryan Remembered
Marking the 20th Anniversary of Saving Private Ryan
Vinyl and CD Album Designs for La-La Land Records, 2019
I hadn't seen Saving Private Ryan in 20 years, not since it opened in theaters in 1998. As the credits rolled that Saturday afternoon, the theater lights came on and my girlfriend and I stood up, a little red in the eyes. But we stood alone. Stretching behind us, sat row after row of seniors. Mostly men. Veterans. Each quietly weeping.
The image of that crowd of silent, old men lingered in my memory. But I couldn't start on the design for this soundtrack based on twenty year-old impressions. So I made the trip back to Omaha Beach with Tom Hanks and company, and was immediately reminded the Oscar-winning film is a powerful, visceral experience. But it is also a Steven Spielberg film, which means it's more fun than you're expecting it to be, extremely well made, cleverly shot, perfectly paced, and it features a score by John Williams that's absolutely superb -- compelling, emotional, and deeply respectful of the sacrifices made by those who fought and died on the beaches of France.
Final CD and vinyl packaging for La-La Land Records
Since the previous CD (far right in the above) used the theatrical poster art on its cover, we decided instead to use the lesser seen teaser poster (far left) showing the solitary silhouette of an unknown soldier. I did briefly explore other concepts, but approved photography was limited and the image of Tom Hanks used in the rough concept test shown below could not be located.
Not final art - test mockup for unfinished cover concept
Final cover artwork for the CD edition
For the design of the interior, I chose a simple, clean layout to allow the photos (by the talented on-set still photographer David James) and essay by Mike Matessino to help conjure memories of film in the reader's mind.
The double-page spread show below was inspired by vintage war posters of the 1960s and 1970s (see samples above), which often took rows or columns of boxed, movie star head shots and placed them in contrast with more intense moments of wide angle action.
This 20th Anniversary CD is a limited edition and can be purchased directly from La-La Land Records here.
Once the CD was finished and approved, work began on the vinyl edition, which was to cover much of the same ground in terms of content but, unlike the CD, would mark the first time Williams's score was released on vinyl.
The vinyl edition of John Williams's score to Saving Private Ryan is a limited edition of 1000 units, but is still available from La-La Land Records. Click here to purchase.
