Alex Awards Announces Winners & Runners-ups

Alex Awards Announces Winners & Runners-up in 8 Vinyl Categories

Detroit — The 2017 Alex Awards is proud to announce the following finalists, runners-up and winners and of the best vinyl packaging at a ceremony here at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel.

BEST ILLUSTRATED LP COVER
• Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
• Father John Mistry, Pure Comedy
• Gillian Welch, The Harrows and the Harvest
• Queens of the Stone Age, Villains
• Record Store Day Celebrates Leonard Cohen
—Winner: Aimee Mann
—Runner-up: Father John Mistry

BEST PHOTO LP COVER
• Alejandro Escovdeo, Burn Something Beautiful
• Common, The Light
• The Protomen, A Night of Queen
• Waxahatachee, Out in the Storm
• Willie Nile, Positively Bob
—Winner: Waxahatachee
—Runner-up: Common

BEST 45 SINGLE PACKAGE
• Alice Cooper, Live From the Astroturf
• Chris Un Tina, Incognito
• Jack White, Love Is The Truth
• Margo Price, Weakness
• Sun Ra, El Is A Sound of Joy
—Winner: Alice Cooper
—Runner-up: Margo Price

BEST GATEFOLD
• Dead Weather, Live at the Mayan
• Polyvinyl Plays Polyvinyl
• The National, Sleep Well Beast
• UNKLE, The Road, Part 1
• Yaz Ahmed, La Sabouteus
—Winner: UNKLE
—Runner-up: The National

BEST RECORD ART
• Blowfly, Forever Fly
• The Monks, Hamburg Recordings 1967
• My Chemical Romance, Welcome to the Black Parade
• Weather Warlock
• Yautja, Dead Soil
—Winner: The Monks
—Runner-up: My Chemical Romance

BEST REISSUE PACKAGE
• Andromeda Strain Soundtrack
• John Cale, The Academy in Peril
• Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request
• T.Rex, Electric Warrior
• The White Stripes
— Winner Tie: John Cale and Andromeda Strain
— Runner-up: The White Stripes

BEST BOXED SET
• Blondie, Pollinator
• Kate Bush, Before the Dawn
• Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request
• Voyager, 40th Anniversary Edition
• White Stripes, Vault 33, X, Icky Thump
—Winner: Voyager
—Runner-ups Tie: Blondie & White Stripes

BEST OVERALL PACKAGE
• AKATRE, BLCK RCK
• Alejando Escovedo, Burn Something Beautiful
• Margo Price, Live at the Hamilton
• Pet Symmetry, Vision
• White Stripes, Vault 33, X, Icky Thump
—Runner-up: Margo Price
—Winners: AKATRE & Pet Symmetry

A panel of award-winning art directors judged 124 submissions in the 8 categories.

The Alex Awards was last presented in 2006 when it had been primarily a competition honoring the best in DVD, CD and videogame packaging, although there was one vinyl category.

The Alex Awards are named after Alex Steinweiss, who created the first illustrated album package for Columbia Records in 1939. He died I 2011 at 94. Mr. Steinweiss’s son and grandson participated in the ceremony.

The Alex Awards were produced by Larry Jaffee for Colonial Purchasing Co-op LLC, the presenter of Making Vinyl, the first B2B conference dedicated to the global rebirth of the record manufacturing business.