some of my ALL TIME FAVORITE ALBUM COVERS - PART 3

Here's part three of my all time favorite albums covers. These aren't necessarily the greatest album covers of all time, just the ones that for one reason or another totally work me.

[ PART ONE here ] [ PART TWO here ]

ABOVE:  the Dream Syndicate - Medicine Show (1984) An album I bought when it came out strictly because of the cover art, band name, and song titles. It ended up being one of my all time favorite (and most played) albums. I was quite bummed when my tourshirt featuring this image went through the washer one too many times and had to be retired.

BELOW LEFT: Elvis Costello and The Attractions - This year's Model (1978) One of many fabulous covers from endlessly talented Barney Bubbles

BELOW RIGHT: Gamma - Gamma 2 (1980) I don't like the actual album, but this cover was a big fave of mine when it came out. The album cover is designed by Mick Haggerty and the cover photo is by Jeffrey Scales (who was getting pictures published in the Black Panther Paper when he was only 13!) 

 

ABOVE LEFT: the B-52's - the B-52's (1979) Cover photo by then relatively unknown Interview Magazine photographer George DuBose. He originally made the image for flyers, but when they were signed the band chose it for the cover image. Island Records creative director Tony Wright hand colored the photo and changed a Mylar balloon Kate was holding to thrift store handbag. He didn't like the band, so he used the alias Sue Absurd for the designer credit. The full story and original b&w photo are at George's site.

ABOVE RIGHT: RAMONES - Road to Ruin (1978) Wonderful illustration from Punk Magazine's John Holmstrom.

BELOW:  Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America Vol 1 The Early Years (1961) This is one of the albums I inherited from my parents and it's a cover I stared at quite a bit. Great use of text and white space. I like the fact that the cover image I found was a bit dirty since I don't think I've ever seen a clean copy of the actual vinyl.

ABOVE LEFT: the Jim Carroll Band - Catholic Boy (1980) Cover photograph of Jim and his parents taken by Annie Leibovitz

ABOVE RIGHT: the Clash - London Calling (1979) One of the all-time great album covers. That iconic Pennie Smith photo of Paul Simonon might be my favorite rock picture ever. It's an image that periodically pops into my head the same way a great song does. Ray Lowery framed that picture beautifully with the layout appropriated from Elvis' debut, which really puts the whole thing together.

BELOW: the (English) Beat - I Just Can't Stop It (1980) - The cover is designed by one of my favorite cartoonists, Hunt Emerson, who also designed the iconic Beat Girl logo.

a few of my ALL TIME FAVORITE ALBUM COVERS

A friend and I were recently talking about our favorite album covers, but long after the conversation ended I was still thinking about the covers I love the most. Here are some more of my all time faves, listed in no particular order. Some of my favorite covers are meticulously designed, while others make my list just for a stunning photo or the perfect use of a font. I have a round fifty covers on my list so far, so there will be more album cover posts in the near future.

ABOVE: the Beatles - Beatles For Sale (1964) My favorite Beatles album cover - so much so I have a framed print hanging in my living room. The Robert Freeman photo shot in Hyde Park is one of my favorite rock artist pictures.

 

ABOVE LEFT: Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980) I get a lot of shit for it, but I'm a big Billy Joel fan and have been about as long as I've been buying records. In fact, one of the first albums I ever bought was a "Sounds Like" record because I didn't know any better. My older brother took great joy in making fun of me when I put it on and realized that it wasn't the guy singing that I knew from the radio. Anyway, I absolutely loved this cover when it came out. Cover photo by Jim Houghton.

ABOVE RIGHT:  XTC - Go 2 (1978) A classic cover and much parodied cover from Hipgnosis.

ABOVE LEFT: Lou Donaldson - Sunny Side Up (1960) Reid Miles is a seemingly endless source of great album cover design. The brand identity he created for Bluenote Records is incredible.

ABOVE RIGHT:  Sesame Street - Born to Add (1983) I love a good parody cover, but this is one of my faves. It was probably one of the first cover parodies I remember acknowledging as a parody.

ABOVE: Bo Diddley - Have Guitar Will Travel (1959) A Great pic of Bo and guitar on a scooter. And the Paladin style calling card is a nice touch. I SAW this record and fell in love with it before I ever actually heard it. My friend Mike had a copy he appropriated from his Dad's collection and when he first showed it to me I knew that this was the record for me. For some great shots of the location then and now as well as more backstory on the shoot check out this excellent PopShots entry.

ABOVE LEFT:  Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978) - That weirdly morphed "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez image is so iconic now, but that record had to look incredibly weird sitting on the new release endcaps along side Toto, the Grease soundtrack, and Olivia Newton-John.

ABOVE RIGHT:  Pussy Galore - Dial 'M' For Motherfucker (1989) I don't know the source of the cover image, but it absolutely kicks ass.

ABOVE: the Rolling Stones - Flowers (1967) Simple design, but totally of the era. Designed by the vague collective known as the Corporate Head, which as far as I can tell was actually just photographer Guy Webster and designer Tom Wilkes. Webester was already an aclaimed photographer and has since taken many iconic music and movie images. Wilkes would go on to design hundreds of album covers, including such iconic covers as All Things Must Pass, the Beatles Red and Blue compilations, Neil Young's Harvest, Beefheart's Safe As Milk, and Cheech and Chong's Big Bambu.