Universal have confirmed the provisional release date of “Bronze – The Very Best Of…” DVD as September 23rd. No new news about the extras but they did stress to me that this is very much a provisional date! The DVD is still not available for pre-order anywhere and most record shops have not heard of it – Ahhh Mercury!!

The following is an **EXCLUSIVE** interview with the guy who brought us ALL of the artwork of 0898 – Many thanks to Dave Cutter for his time! Are the rumours true that he’s been working on the DVD… read on!

How did you get involved in the 0898 project, did the band request your services?

I was living in England in 1991 and producing artwork for a weekly column in ‘The Independent on Sunday’. Sean Welch noticed my images there, and had their manager contact me through the newspaper. They needed a picture for their upcoming release, “Old Red Eyes Is Back”. They were so pleased with the results that they asked me to work on the “0898” album.

What was your inspiration for the 0898 cover?

Several months earlier, ‘The Sunday Times’ asked me to create an image for an article about “M.E. (Yuppie Flu)”, and it was one of several rejected ideas. I found the drawing in a sketchbook while working on the “0898” project. The title wasn’t very inspirational, so I just tried to come up with image that people would notice and/or remember.

Had you even heard of the Beautiful South before the project?

Yes, “A Little Time” was a big UK hit a few months earlier. They were a relatively new band in 1991 and I didn’t know much about them.

Were you given a preview of the songs before designing the cover?

I only received a fax of the lyrics. I tried to interpret them the best I could.

Just how much work goes into that kind of project?

They needed 12 images in about eight weeks. It was a very short deadline…I was working on some other projects at the same time. I lost a regular commission with Esquire Magazine because I overwhelmed with work and could not do it all. I do a lot of preparation before I start a painting. For instance, I went to a local pet shop to take numerous photos of Red-eared Terrapins for the cover image. I work primarily in oil paint, so it takes a little longer for the paintings to dry. None of the original paintings were more than 16 inches square.

I understand you won a silver-pencil award for the artwork on this album – it must mean a lot to you?

It was very nice to win an award from the D&AD. I almost won a rare Gold Pencil. However; another nominated artist had produced 52 different paintings for a deck of cards. I knew a jury member and he told me it was a very close vote. I rented a tux and received my pencil from Clive Anderson.

Can fans see your work exhibited anywhere?

I owned an art gallery in St. Augustine, Florida for two years where I used to show my work (It closed in 2001.) If you visit www.davidcutter.com or www.cuttergallery.com you can see quite a few pictures. The original “0898” painting were purchased by fans shortly after the album came out. Jon Kelly, the producer bought one.

Is it possible to buy prints of your artwork?

On www.cuttergallery.com I sell Giclee reproductions of my work, including the “0898” images. They are very high quality and reasonably priced. You can also see and buy the work of two friends of mine: Paul Slater and James Marsh (including all of the Talk Talk album art). I ship world-wide and accept credit cards.

Is it true that you’ve been carrying out work on the new DVD?

Yes, I’ve just completed two images for their upcoming DVD release. I believe it will be out in the autumn

Is this the first time you’ve worked on Beautiful South material since 0898?

Sean told me a while back that they like to use a different artist for each release. I was very pleasantly surprised when he asked me to work on the DVD.

Finally… What’s your favourite illustration from the 0898 album (Suitable Mouth’s fav is We Are Each Other!)?

I’d have to agree with you. I like the moody lighting in that one