A friend of mine recently sent me a link to a site entitled Album Covers that Changed Everything. There is a series of album covers there that were obviously so revolutionary that they changed everything.
First of all, they're album covers folks, not the atomic bomb, the transistor, or moving pictures. They're album covers. Get a grip. They didn't change anything, except how much money we had left after buying them. Some of the choices are confounding to me, I admit. But I reckon the choice was really based on the contents of the album and not the cover. For instance, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" was there. Ooohh, be still my heart! White light going through a prism and coming out colors. Let's not all pee our pants at once. The Clash's "London Calling" was listed because it's a clever knock-off of the first Elvis Presley release. If that's the case, why not just list the Elvis album cover?!! Probably because the person making the list still has pimples and to them "London Calling" is really delving into the annuls of history. Of course the obligatory "Sgt. Pepper's" is there. Okay, I'll give that a pass. Great cover, although my least favorite Beatle album. And the person who made the list would have to explain to me what they found so extraordinary about the Sex Pistols album cover. Could it possibly have been any more mudane?
But since I am a compulsive list maker, I feel compelled to add some of the covers that I feel were unrightfully left off the list. Now, I must remind you, I am not necessarily endorsing the contents of the album, but I do think these covers were innovative and deserve mention. But even as innovative as they were I don't think they necessarily "changed everything."
BIG BAMBU - Cheech and Chong. Designed to look like a giant package of rolling papers, this cover even featured a giant rolling paper. Yes, dear readers, mine is still intact.
TWO VIRGINS - John Lennon and Yoko Ono. A naked Beatle and a naked Asian Chick. Nuff said.
OGDEN'S NUTGONE - Small Faces. this was a round album cover, the only one I ever remember. It unfolded about 9 times and was big fun.
THICK AS A BRICK - Jethro Tull. I have the original and it unfolded and unfolded until it was about a 4X6 foot newspaper front page. It was a pain to get back together though. They should have made the next one like a giant road map.
ALONE TOGETHER - Dave Mason. This cover was a tri-fold that unfolded to become a wall hanging of a giant Dave Mason in a top hat behind a mountain - guess you had to be there. On the front of this wall hanging there was a pocket that held the album that was pressed on multi-colored vinyl and looked awesome under a black-light.
ELECTRIC LADYLAND - Jim Hendrix Experience. Not the American release, but the British. On the British version Jimi is sitting amidst a large group of nude women. I agree.
LOOK SHARP! - Joe Jackson. This was a 10 inch disc - a double if memory serves. Up in the corner, there was an opening that had a little lapel pin exclaiming Look Sharp!. Again, mine is still intact. I'm like that.
MOM'S APPLE PIE - I can't remember of this was the title of the band or of the album, but it featured some great artwork of a matronly type beauty offering up my favorite pie. I have never forgotten this artwork.
YOUNG, LOUD, AND SNOTTY - The Dead Boys. Something about the grittiness of this cover says more about NYC than any skyline shot.
SANTANA - Santana. Another cover that featured notable artwork. 30 plus images of women cleverly composed to make a lion's head.
YESTERDAY AND TODAY - The Beatles. As much as I loved the cover of "Meet The Beatles" (which really did change everything come to think of it), and the stark Yoko influenced "White Album", "Yesterday and Today" has to be on of the most notable album covers of all time. And of course I am not talking about the boys all around a footlocker that Paul is inside of, but rather the infamous "Butcher cover". The lads all sitting around in blood splattered smocks in a blood splattered room with many decapitated dolls. The first batch was printed and then Capitol freaked and the cover we all know and yawn at was hastily pasted over top. If you ever stumble across the record in a garage sale, and you know what to look for (a dark spot over Ringo's shoulder etc) you can send it somewhere, have the top lifted off and then you have a record worth at last look at around $400.
Agree? Disagree? More additions? Feel free to comment.
