Album Cover Art

Continuing our look at album cover art, let's look at number 37 of the top 50 most controversial, weirdest, best and worst covers as compiled by Gigwise:

Controversial


37. Black Sabbath: 'Born Again' - Born Again is Black Sabbath's eleventh studio album, released in 1983. The album cover, which featured the image of an infant with horns and vampire fangs, with a purple background, was designed by Steve Joule. He also handwrote the lyrics that appear on the inner bag. The deliberately lurid design was submitted by Joule in a vain attempt to be rejected from this design commission, as he was also retained on a lucrative contract by Ozzy Osbourne's organisation for his sleeve designs. To Joule's horror and surprise, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler approved the image for the album. Gillan and Ward were not present when the decision was made, though they later noted that they hated the finished cover. Gillan reportedly hated the cover so much, that he threw a box of 50 records out a window. Joule reports that he was drunk and high on speed when he drew the finalized designs for the album. The cover is hated by many fans, but also has a cult following (much as the album itself), most notably with Max Cavalera and Glen Benton both stating that it is their favorite album over. Chris Barnes of Six Feet Under also said he likes the artwork, stating; "It's really the birth of the Antichrist in a Pop Art way which is scary of sorts on a few different levels for me."

It was panned by critics at the time of its release, but reached #4 in the UK charts as well as the top 40 in the U.S. and has gained a strong cult following among a number of fans.

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Weird


37. J-Zone: 'Music For Tu Madre' J-Zone is a rapper, producer, and CEO of Old Maid Entertainment. He lives in Queens, New York. J-Zone has enjoyed a large following of underground hip hop aficionados and a sizable European fan base, which continues to grow.

At a young age, he developed and honed his musical abilities by listening to records and playing bass guitar. He later learned the basics of production under the tutelage of DJ Vance Wright (Slick Rick's DJ) in 1994. In 1999, he released Music for Tu Madre, garnering critical acclaim in the hip hop underground, but it was not enough to propel him into the mainstream spotlight. He has since worked with and produced beats for artists such as Biz Markie, Cage, Diversion Tactics, DM & Jemini, High and Mighty, Jehst, Redman, R.A. the Rugged Man, Tame 1, MF Grimm, and Tha Liks.

Usually accompanied by fellow Old Maid Billionaires Huggy, Al-Shid, and Captain Back$lap (J-Zone's more crass, arrogant alter ego), J-Zone's music could be described as somewhat unconventional. He typically uses lots of offbeat samples, which often function as a sort of Greek Chorus. While generally praised for his comedic storytelling, clever punch lines, acerbic wit, and stellar production work, some critics have claimed that his music is crude, juvenile, and misogynistic.

Apparently, this image is the best that they could do for an LP cover. Weird? To me, this belongs in the 'worst' cover section, and probably in the top ten.

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Worst

37. Crosby, Stills & Nash – ‘Live It Up’ Someone was waaayyy too drugged up for this cover. A weinnie roast, but where is the fire? And wouldn't the men on the sticks get toasted too?

1990's LIVE IT UP fully embraces the era's slick production ethos--right from the bombastic opening title track, the album is timely take on CSN's timeless sound. Graham Nash performs the big power rock epics, from the singalong "If Anybody ... . Full Description Had A Heart" to the tender ballad "House Of Broken Dreams." Stephen Stills indulges his Latin-tinged shuffle muse on "Tomboy" and slows things down for the gritty, acoustic 'Haven't We Lost Enough?" Crosby brings his sweet, melodic gift to bear on some of the album's lighter numbers--from the philosophic "Yours and Mine" to the chiming, synth-driven "Arrows." The album's powerful social statement, "After The Dolphin" unites all three, in a vocal blend which instantly harkens back to the group's early classic works, combining masterful musicianship with a stirring message. Producers: Joe Vitale, Stan Johnston, David Crosby, Steven Stills, Graham Nash. The boys also brought in a number of amjor players to help out including: Mike Landau, Roger McGuinn, Peter Frampton (guitar); Bruce Hornsby (accordion, piano); Branford Marsalis (soprano saxophone); Joe Vitale (keyboards, synthesizer, drums); Craig Doerge (keyboards); Leland Sklar, Bob Glaub (bass); Mike Fisher, Michito Sanchez (percussion); Tony Beard (programming); The Williams Family, J.D. Souther (backgound vocals). Too bad they didn't splurge for a top-notch album cover designer.

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Best


37. Motorhead: ‘Ace of Spades’ Ace of Spades is the fourth album by the British heavy metal band Motörhead. Released on November 8, 1980, it peaked at #4 on the UK album charts. It was preceded by the release of the title track "Ace of Spades" as a single on October 27, which peaked in the UK singles chart at #15 in early November.

The album was produced by Vic Maile at his Jackson's Studio in Rickmansworth. This is the first of what would be a series of projects with Maile, and members of the band commented at the time about finding the right producer. Whereas the band had previously had an input at the mixing stage, Maile took sole responsibility here, Clarke explaining that the result was that "you can finally hear everything that's going on". Of the performances, Lemmy claimed that "Vic got me singing instead of just shouting all the time", while Taylor added "and he got me playing more solid".

It was the first of the band's albums to feature a photograph of them on the cover, dressed as cowboys. The 'Arizona desert-style' pictures used on the album sleeve and tour programme were taken during a photosession at a sandpit in Barnet. They were not in a desert and there were no horses. Great cover anyway!

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Announces Nominees

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced their nine nominees for 2009 induction. Included in the list are first time nominees Metallica, who are in their second year of eligibility, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Jeff Beck, Run-DMC, War and Bobby Womack.

Disco group Chic has been nominated for the fifth time and the Stooges for the seventh, but they're nowhere near the record. Solomon Burke was nominated eleven times before finally being elected.

The announcement of the five acts being inducted will be made in early December and the ceremony will be held April 4, 2009 in Cleveland.

The nominees and the number of times they've been nominated (five will be elected):


Jeff Beck (1)
Chic (5)
Wanda Jackson (2)
Little Anthony & the Imperials (1)
Metallica (1)
Run-DMC (1)
Stooges (7)
War (1)
Bobby Womack (1)

There are some glaring omissions (Neil Sedaka) from the Hall and I am not sure of exactly how they 'vote' but the process should be and needs to be fixed.

This Date In Music History- September 22

Birthdays:

Debby Boone ("You Light Up My Life") is 52.

Joni James ("Why Don't You Believe Me") turns 78.

Vocalist David Coverdale was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, England, in 1952.

Birthdays wishes to Joan Jett, born in 1960.

History:

In 1956, Billboard Magazine printed an article which said, "with new experiences to their credit, such as calling in riot squads and with scars such as damaged seats, some arena and stadium officials have turned their thumbs down to Rock and Roll."

The untitled first album by Funkadelic, including the defining track "Mommy, What's a Funkadelic...?," was released in 1969.

In 1958, after receiving special permission from the US Army, Elvis Presley gives one last press conference at the Military Ocean Terminal in Brooklyn. He then joins the rest of the 3rd Armored Division on the USS General Randall for a voyage to the seaport town of Bremerhaven, Germany.

Ten years after parting ways, the Everly Brothers reunited onstage for two concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1983. The event is taped and released as Reunion Concert, an album and home video.

Joe Walsh announced his bid for the U.S. presidency in 1979 (he obviously doesn't win).

The first "Farm Aid" concert was held in 1985 (which raised $10 million for beleaguered farmers and becomes an annual event), in Champaign, Illinois with Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, John Fogerty and others.

Grace Slick made her singing debut with San Francisco's Great Society in North Beach, California in 1965.

John Lennon signed a new record deal with Geffen Records in 1980, as he prepared to release Double Fantasy, his first album of new material in six years. David Geffen promised to release the album without even hearing any of the songs.

In 1981, the great songwriter Irving Berlin died in New York at age of 101. His "White Christmas" became one of the most successful singles ever when Bing Crosby recorded it.

In 1999, Bono met the pope at the Vatican. The pope offers his support for Bono's Third World-debt-ending initiative Jubilee 2000. He also steals the U2 singer's sunglasses.

In 2004, the CBS broadcasting network was fined $550,000 by the FCC for airing Janet Jackson's bare nipple during the Super Bowl telecast. Oops.

"Fiddler on the Roof" opened on Broadway in 1964. It was the beginning of a run of 3,242 performances.

"MTV Unplugged" renamed one episode "MTV Plugged," when Bruce Springsteen played an electric set on the show in 1992.

David Bowie began his first U.S. tour with the Spiders From Mars in Cleveland in 1972.

In 1966, the Lovin' Spoonful were awarded a gold record for their fifth US top ten single and first number one hit, "Summer in the City".

Cat Stevens, who now goes by the name of Yusuf Islam, was escorted from a diverted transatlantic flight and refused entry into America by FBI agent in 2004. His name showed up on a US watch list after United Airlines Flight 919 had taken off from London. The flight landed in Maine where Islam, who was traveling with his 21-year-old daughter, was detained and questioned.

Classic Rock Videos

Can't have a classic rock video series without the professor of early rock and roll- Chuck Berry!

Album Cover Art

Let's continue our look at Gigwise's top 50 controversial, weird, best and worst album covers as compiled by their crack staff. Some I agree with, some are debatable- but they all interesting and certainly worth exploring.


Controversial


38. Guns N Roses: ‘Appetite for Destruction’ MTV originally refused to play any of Guns N Roses videos until they agreed to change the cover of their debut album. The album's original cover, based on the Robert Williams painting "Appetite for Destruction", depicted a robot rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger. After several music retailers refused to stock the album, they compromised and put the controversial cover art inside, replacing it with a cover depicting a cross and skulls of the five band members (designed by Billy White Jr., originally as a tattoo), each skull representing one member of the band: Izzy Stradlin, top skull; Steven Adler, left skull; Axl Rose, center skull; Duff McKagan, right skull; and Slash, bottom skull. The photographs used for the back of the album and liner notes were taken by Robert John.

Guns N' Roses' debut, Appetite for Destruction was a turning point for hard rock in the late '80s -- it was a dirty, dangerous, and mean record in a time when heavy metal meant nothing but a good time. On the surface, Guns N' Roses may appear to celebrate the same things as their peers -- namely, sex, liquor, drugs, and rock & roll -- but there is a nasty edge to their songs, since Axl Rose doesn't see much fun in the urban sprawl of L.A. and its parade of heavy metal thugs, cheap women, booze, and crime. The music is as nasty as the lyrics, wallowing in a bluesy, metallic hard rock borrowed from Aerosmith, AC/DC, and countless faceless hard rock bands of the early '80s. It's a primal, sleazy sound that adds grit to already grim tales. It also makes Rose's misogyny, fear, and anger hard to dismiss as merely an artistic statement; this is music that sounds lived-in. And that's exactly why Appetite for Destruction is such a powerful record -- not only does Rose have fears, but he also is vulnerable, particularly on the power ballad "Sweet Child O' Mine." He also has a talent for conveying the fears and horrors of the decaying inner city, whether it's on the charging "Welcome to the Jungle," the heroin ode "Mr. Brownstone," or "Paradise City," which simply wants out. But as good as Rose's lyrics and screeching vocals are, they wouldn't be nearly as effective without the twin-guitar interplay of Slash and Izzy Stradlin, who spit out riffs and solos better than any band since the Rolling Stones, and that's what makes Appetite for Destruction the best metal record of the late '80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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Weird


38. Elephant's Memory: 'Elephant's Memory' The sleeve depicts the band in tribal paints superimposed onto an elephant's body. Although chiefly remembered these days for their role as John Lennon's loose and ragged backup band on his Some Time in New York City album from 1972, Elephant's Memory have a bit more to their history than that. Formed in 1967 by drummer Rick Frank and saxophonist and clarinetist Stan Bronstein, who reportedly met on the New York City strip-joint circuit, the group specialized in an eclectic Frank Zappa-like mix of psychedelia, jazz, and acid-tinged rock, and delivered a truly bizarre stage show complete with inflatable stage sets. Their first album, simply called Elephant's Memory, was released in 1969 on Buddah Records, a label more famous for bubblegum pop groups than whacked-out horn bands.

Two tracks from the LP, "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow," found their way onto the Midnight Cowboy movie soundtrack later that year, which gave the group some visibility, but it didn't exactly translate into sales for the debut album. A second LP, 1970's Take It to the Streets, had even less commercial impact. Then came John Lennon and Some Time in New York City, and Elephant's Memory had their moment in the sun. They released a third album, also called Elephant's Memory and featuring David Peel, on Apple Records later that year, then backed up Yoko Ono on 1973's Approximately Infinite Universe. Angels Forever, which turned out to be the group's swan song, appeared in 1974. I never saw this cover before or maybe I did and forgot.

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Worst


38. Rob & Fab – ‘Rob and Fab’: Poor Rob and Fab. They were known as Milli Vanilli- the world's worst lip synch artists, so I guess this name change and the fact that they were really singing on this LP meant that they were talented. Guess not, as the album was a complete failure. Rob & Fab is the lone album by Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan after their disastrous turn as Milli Vanilli, was produced in 1993.

Months after the lip synching scandal, Morvan and Pilatus appeared in a commercial for CareFree Sugarless Gum. The duo begin to lip sync to an opera record. An announcer asks while they are lip synching, "How long does the taste of CareFree Sugarless Gum last?". The record then begins to skip and then the announcer answers, "Until these guys sing for themselves."

During this time the duo moved to Los Angeles, where they released an eponymous album under the name 'Rob & Fab, but despite receiving positive reviews; financial constraints, poor promotion and the scandal surrounding Milli Vanilli's lip-synching allegations led to its failure.

Pilatus served three months jail for assault, vandalism, attempted robbery and spent six months on drug rehabilitation before returning to Germany. A depressed Pilatus eventually died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in Frankfurt on April 2, 1998.

This album was the last performance by Pilatus prior to his fall from grace and eventual death in 1998. Morvan would not release another album until his 2003 solo work, Love Revolution.

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Best


38. Tangerine Dream: ‘Rubycon’ -The 'Dream' have released many albums, but this is considered among their best. An interesting cover blended in with their signature progressive rock, made this one of their best. The simple idea of a solitary splash in water proved made for a durable image for their classic album cover.

Rubycon is a classic of electronic music and still sounds fresh today. If pieces of it sound familiar, its because three decades of ambient and film music has drawn from early TD's innovative use of electronic voices, sound textures and analog synth rhythems. Remember that TD did not use sequencers to produce their music at this time - they played it pretty much live. It ranges from dark and spooky to grand and etheral and feels more like a classical composition as it moves from theme to theme and through a variety of sound environments. It generally stays melodic or harmonic, mostly through arpeggiation, with only occassional dissonance - they were shooting to be a popular afterall, in contrast to some of their German counterparts. This is one of the classic electronic albumns by which you compare everything else that followed.

Hall of Fame Member Earl Palmer Dies at 84

He was the man who put the backbeat Tutti Frutti, You've Lost That Loving Feeling and River Deep, Mountain High. Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Earl Palmer passed away on Friday at the age of 84.

Palmer grew up in a vaudeville family and was tap dancing by the age of four. The rhythms got him interested in drums and he readily mastered the instrument, starting with BeBop Jazz and eventually gravitating toward blues and R&B.

His first professional gig started in 1947 when he joined Dave Bartholomew's band, which led to a long term association with Fats Domino starting with his 1950 hit The Fat Man. Palmer's use of backbeat throughout the entire record was one of the basis for the Rock and Roll sound. Palmer once said, "That song required a strong afterbeat throughout the whole piece. With Dixieland you had a strong afterbeat only after you got to the shout last chorus. ... It was sort of a new approach to rhythm music."

Palmer was the main drummer at Cosimo Matassa's recording studio in New Orleans for much of the 50's, playing on records like Tutti Frutti for Little Richard, I Hear You Knocking by Smiley Lewis and Lawdy Miss Clawdy for Lloyd Price, but in 1957 he received an offer from Los Angeles' Aladdin Records and he tried his fortunes in the west.

In L.A., Palmer became a highly respected session drummer working with everyone from Phil Spector to Frank Sinatra to B.B. King. He also was used extensively as a session drummer for movies and TV.

Palmer also tried his hand at recording under his own name. Although sales were not great, he released a number of albums, including Drumsville (1961) and Percolator Twist (1962).

A biography, Backbeat: The Earl Palmer Story, by Tony Scherman, was released in 1999 and, in 2000, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Among the thousands of recordings graced with the drums of Earl Palmer:


The Fat Man (Fats Domino)

Tipitina (Professor Longhair)
Tutti Frutti (Little Richard)
Blueberry Hill (Fats Domino)
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard)

I'm Walkin' (Fats Domino)
Lucille (Little Richard)

Chicken Shack Boogie (Amos Milburn)
Rockin' Robin (Bobby Day)
La Bamba (Ritchie Valens)
Little Bitty Pretty One (Thurston Harris)
You Send Me (Sam Cooke)
Sinatra and Swingin' Brass (Frank Sinatra)
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena (Jan & Dean)

You've Lost That Loving Feeling (Righteous Brothers)
River Deep, Mountain High (Ike and Tina Turner)
People Like Us (Mamas & the Papas)

Theme From Mission Impossible (Lalo Schifrin)
Birds, the Bees and the Monkees (Monkees)
Express Yourself (Charles Wright & the 103rd Street Rhythm Band)
Stoney End (Barbara Streisand)
L.A. Midnight (B.B. King)
Sail Away (Randy Newman)
Blue Valentine (Tom Waits)
King of America (Elvis Costello)


SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com

MVD Plans Vinyl Releases For Devo, GG Allin, Plastmatics and Dwarves

09/18/2008
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MVD Entertainment Group (MVD) has announced plans to issue several releases on vinyl including new and previously unreleased tracks by Devo and the Dwarves, plus reissues by G.G. Allin, Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics, and more. MVD and Big Daddy have deep access to a great amount of quality content from some very collectible artists.

DEVO – Watch Us Work It: This will contain four versions of the song "Watch Us Work It": Teddy Bears Version, Original Devo Demo Version, Karaoke Version, and "Still Workin'" Version. It was recorded at Mutato Muzika in Los Angeles and produced by Sweden's famous Teddy Bears. The DELL company heard it when Paul Malmstrom and Linus Karlsson at the Mother agency in NYC pitched it as a possibility for a TV campaign for the newly developed, high-end laptop computer. DELL loved it, so they used it for nationwide TV ad campaign. The vinyl will also include "Devo Was Right About Everything" by Attery Squash (re-mix by Robert and Gerald Casale).

GG Allin - Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies: Vinyl edition of what is probably GG Allin's greatest studio album. This was GG's fourth album when it was originally released on Homestead Records in 1988. Recorded with a backing band featuring members of New England punk/thrash heavies Psycho, this one contains some of GG's best songs. "Die When You Die" is arguably the most famous GG Allin song and this album features the original, best version of the live warhorse. It also includes GG's rewrite of David Allen Coe's "Longhair Redneck" titled "Outlaw Scumfuc." The punkest man alive (at the time) at his peak.

Plasmatics - Wendy O Williams – Beyond the Valley of 1984: This is their second album and features some of the best songwriting of their career, as well as a lean and tight sound combing metal, punk and hard rock. A truly ground breaking release that sums up everything the band stood for and still sounds completely fresh over 25 years after its release.

Dwarves - Dwarves Limited 10 Inch: Way limited 10" picture disc vinyl split, one side Dwarves, live KSZU FM Stanford, recorded in 2004. The other side is Dwarves singer Blag Dahlia covering AC/DC (Big Balls) and the Ramones (The KKK Took My Baby Away) as well as some originals. This record is limited to 1030 copies and these are the last of them. Full color picture disc of a delightful young woman in a Mexican wrestling mask and not much else.

Album Cover Art

Continuing our album cover art series as complied by the crack staff at Gigwise.com, let's explore some more unique album cover art:

Controversial


39. Nirvana: ‘In Utero’ - This cover makes yet another list-In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993 by DGC Records. The album's abrasive and aggressive sound was a departure from the polished production of the band's breakthrough second album, Nevermind (1991), due in part to the selection of recording engineer Steve Albini. The subject matters of the songs included dysfunctional family, cancer, issues of privacy, and abortion.

The art director for In Utero was Robert Fisher, who had designed all of Nirvana's releases on DGC Records. Most of the ideas for the artwork for the album and related singles came from Cobain. Fisher recalled that "[Cobain] would just give me some loose odds and ends and say 'Do something with it.'

The cover of the album is an image of a Transparent Anatomical Mannikin, with angel wings superimposed. Cobain created the collage on the back cover, referred to as "Sex and woman and In Utero and vaginas and birth and death," which includes fetuses and body parts lying in a bed of orchids and lilies. The collage had been set up on the floor of Cobain's living room and was photographed by Charles Peterson after an unexpected call from Cobain. According to Peterson, "one Sunday afternoon, Kurt calls me up, and is like 'Hey, I want you to take that picture now.' I rummaged for whatever film I had in the fridge, and went over." The album's track listing and re-illustrated symbols from Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects were then positioned around the edge of the collage.

Interestingly, the original title for "In Utero" was supposed to be "I Hate Myself And Want to Die," sharing its title with a song that was planned for the album. The phrase had originated in mid-1992 from one of Cobain's journal entries, and was meant as humor. It was Cobain's response whenever someone would ask him "how are you?" The tentative album title would be changed after band mate Novoselic convinced Cobain that "I Hate Myself And Want to Die" could potentially result in a lawsuit. The band considered the title "Verse Chorus Verse," a title shared with "Verse Chorus Verse" and an earlier working title of "Sappy". The final title was taken from one of Courtney Love's poems and is a Latin term meaning "in the uterus." Nice one Courtney.

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Weird


39. The Billy Cobham, George Duke Band: 'Live On Tour In Europe' - George Duke (born 12 January 1946 in San Rafael, California) is a piano and synthesizer pioneer and singer. He made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He is known for his solo work as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa.

Born in Panama, Cobham's family moved to New York City during his early childhood. A drummer from his youth, Cobham attended New York's High School of Music and Art, graduating in 1962.

He played in a U.S. Army Band from 1965 to 1968. Following his discharge, Cobham joined the group of pianist Horace Silver for about a year, also playing or recording with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, organist Shirley Scott, and guitarist George Benson.

Blending these two talented musicians was brilliance, as the album is a jazz-fusion masterpiece. The cover? Well, I suppose you would have to ask the dynamic duo- if you can catch them!

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Worst


39. Kenny Loggins – ‘Keep The Fire’ Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948 in Everett, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s. He has also recorded as a solo artist and written hit songs for other artists. After attracting the attention of fellow singer-songwriter Jim Messina, the two began a duo career as Loggins and Messina. It lasted until 1976. In 1977 Loggins went on to produce his first solo album, Celebrate Me Home, which included the hit "I Believe In Love," originally sung by Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born. Nightwatch, a popular album released in 1978, included the hit "Whenever I Call You Friend", a duet with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. He followed this in 1979 with Keep the Fire.

The cover, well my guess is, he likes fire or being burned by it. Maybe it was a breakthrough in photography in the late 70's, but a nerd with Photoshop could conjure up a similar cover with ease today!

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Best


39. Snoop Dogg – ‘Doggy Style’ Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is a Grammy Award-nominated American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as an MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés.

While recording Doggystyle with Dr. Dre in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in connection with the death of Phillip Woldermarian, a member of a rival gang who was fired at and killed in a gang fight. Snoop Dogg was defended by David Kenner, with his bodyguard McKinley Lee, while Sean Abrams (accompanying member in the jeep) was defended by Johnnie Cochran. Both Snoop Dogg and McKinley Lee were acquitted; Lee was acquitted on grounds of self-defense, but Snoop Dogg remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years. His video "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with Tupac Shakur chronicled the difficulties each rapper was dealing with as a result of their unrelated but concurrent criminal prosecutions.

The Doggystyle album was released in November 1993 on Death Row Records and became the first debut album ever to enter the charts at #1, helping to fuel the ascendance of West Coast "g-funk" rap. The singles "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" and "Gin and Juice" reached the top ten most-played songs in the United States, and the album stayed on the Billboard charts for several months. Gangsta rap became the center of arguments for censorship and labeling, with Snoop Dogg often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians. Doggystyle, much like The Chronic, featured a host of rappers signed to or affiliated with the Death Row label including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and others.

Unbelievable, humorous and flat out insane (some say brilliant) album cover. Who let the dogs out?

Classic Rock Videos

I just couldn't help myself, another classsic rock video from the master- Little Richard!!

This Date In Music History- September 20

Birthdays:

Gogi Grant ("The Wayward Wind") is 84.

Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt of Boston metal band Extreme was born in Portugal in 1966.

Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo was born in Chicago in 1947.

History:

In 1964, the Beatles wrapped up their American tour with a charity show in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bob Dylan visited them backstage and later introduced the band mates to pot.

Thirty-year old Jim Croce was in fatal plane crash in 1973, after playing a concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. His small chartered plane hit a tree while taking off. Maury Muehleisen and four others were also killed. Only a week before, Croce finished recording his third album, "I Got a Name.”

"Fame," a song from David Bowie's 'Young Americans' album, topped the US singles charts in 1975. It was co-written by Bowie, John Lennon (who can be heard singing near the end of the record) and guitarist Carlos Alomar.

Bob Marley suffered a stroke while jogging in Central Park in 1980. X-rays revealed a brain tumor.

Paul McCartney was arrested for growing marijuana on his farm in Scotland in 1972.

Peter Frampton left Humble Pie to begin a solo career in 1971.

In 1966, George Harrison journeyed to India to meet with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time.

No. 1 on both the American and British albums charts today in 1969 was Blind Faith, the only album by the supergroup that featured Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker.

In 2006, Keith Richards says he's finally given up drugs ... because they're not strong enough. "I think the quality's gone down," whines the irresponsible fossil. Talk about tolerance…

In 1970, Jim Morrison of The Doors was acquitted on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, but was found guilty of exposing himself during a concert at The Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove a year and a half earlier. At his trial at the Dade County Courthouse in Miami, Judge Goodman sentenced Jim to six months of hard labor and a $500 fine for public exposure and sixty days of hard labor for profanity. The sentence was appealed, but Morrison was never brought to trial, as he would die in Paris France on July 3, 1971.

In 1978, The Who's "Who Are You" LP goes gold. The single of the same name is now used as the theme for the popular US TV show C.S.I.

Hall & Oates released the album, "Private Eyes" in 1981. The L.P. would go platinum on the strength of two #1 hits: "Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go For That".

The Bay City Rollers appeared live on the premiere of the Howard Cosell's Saturday Night show in 1975 and performed their just released record, "Saturday Night." It was their U.S. debut. The song would reach number one by the first week of January.

Grand Funk Railroad owned the #1 spot on the pop chart in 1973 with “American Band.”

Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their only UK #1 single with "Bad Moon Rising". They did not have a number one hit in the US.

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 08/23/2008


1) LP - Bruce Springsteen "Born To Run" Test Pressing Script jacket - $3050.00

2) LP - Bent Jaedig "Jazzman 67" Danish Debut - $2,901.00

3) LP - Elvis Presley "Christmas Album" Sealed LOC-1035 - $2,650.00

4) LP - Elvis Presley "Aloha" Chicken Of The Sea Promo - $2,639.00

5) 45rpm - The Nothing "Scream 'N' Cry" / "Uniformz" Wide Awak Musik - $2,503.00

SOURCE: http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/

Classic Rock Videos

This is the first of many classic rock vidoes, and I can't think of anyone better to start us off, but Little Richard!

Insound vinyl sales charging upward

Posted by peter

Want more evidence that vinyl is making a comeback? Look no further than to the online music retailer Insound.

The company's vinyl record sales have shot up in recent years.

"Oh, God, then it was tiny," says Insound president/founder Matt Wishnow. "When we first started, I mean, when we first started, the first six months, it was less than 5 percent. I would say even until as recently as two years ago, it was 15 to 20 percent. But, then about two years ago, maybe three years ago, when iTunes started really exploding, it was interesting. CDs started declining, but vinyl started growing at a much faster rate even than CDs were declining. So, it wasn't just about people not buying CDs and turning to vinyl; it was more that CDs were becoming less relevant. But, that as digital music became sort of the standard, that avid music fans were saying, 'You know what? The more people buy digital music, the more I kind of want to really celebrate music through vinyl.' So, it climbed from over 20 percent two years ago, and it's been steadily climbing ever since to the point where last month we were at 50 percent of our sales were vinyl."

While Insound deals mainly with today's current bumper crop of indie acts, the company also deals in classic-rock vinyl that stretches back to the '60s (check out Insound's current back to school vinyl sale). The new Brian Wilson LP is there.

Insound also sells turntables and other audio equipment.

Check them out here: http://www.insound.com/index.php?from=5141

Album Cover Art

Let's continue our look at controversial album cover art as well as the weirdest, best and worst album covers as complied by the staff at Gigwise.com

Controversial



40. Poison: ‘Open Up And Say… Ahh’ Is the second studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released in 1988 through the Enigma label of Capitol Records. The album, which ultimately sold eight million copies worldwide, proved to be the band's most successful release. It spawned four hit singles, which are "Nothin' but a Good Time", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Fallen Angel", and their only number one single to date, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The album is widely considered a classic in the glam metal genre. The original front cover of the album, which featured model "Bambi" dressed as a luminous red demon with a protruding tongue (similar to Gene Simmons of Kiss), caused controversy amongst church and parental groups. In previous U.S. releases, the album was released with a censored cover in which most of the model’s face was obscured. The 2006 remastered CD release features the original cover art. Boy a model with a large tongue really scares me!

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Weirdest


40. Led Zeppelin: 'Houses of the Holy' Houses of the Holy is the fifth album by English rock band Led Zeppelin released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy." It was the first Led Zeppelin album to not be, at least unofficially, titled after the band. The album represents a turning point for the band, as they began to use more layering and production techniques in recording their songs.

Although Houses of the Holy initially received mixed reviews, it has since become regarded by critics as one of Led Zeppelin's best albums. The album produced the favorites "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Dancing Days", "The Song Remains the Same, "D'yer Mak'er", and "The Ocean", and it has sold over 11 million copies in the United States. In 2003, the album was ranked number 149 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The cover art for Houses of the Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End. (The ending involves several hundred million naked children, only slightly and physically resembling the human race in basic forms). It is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant's Causeway, Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. This location was chosen ahead of alternative one in Peru.

The two children who modelled for the cover were siblings Stefan and Samanatha Gates. The photoshoot was a frustrating affair over the course of ten days. Shooting was done first thing in the morning and at sunset in order to capture the light at dawn and dusk, but the desired effect was never achieved due to constant rain and clouds. The photos of the two children were taken in black and white and were multi-printed to create the effect of 11 nubiles that can be seen on the album cover. The results of the shoot were less than satisfactory, but some accidental tinting effects in post-production created an unexpectedly magical album cover. The inner sleeve photograph was taken at Dunluce Castle near to the Causeway.

Now, on my list, this is not a weird album cover, but in my top ten of the best of all-time. Different strokes for different folks as they say.

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Worst


40. Prince – ‘Dirty Mind’ Dirty Mind is the third album by Prince, released October 8, 1980. According to the New Rolling Stone Album Guide, "Dirty Mind remains one of the most radical 180-degree turns in pop history." With this album, Prince makes a decisive departure from his preceding more commercial album Prince. He seems keen to distance himself from the disco-ish light soul of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and experiments with a New Wave-influenced, rock and roll sound. The title track, complete with a demo-like organ, is rich with punk sensibilities. The track "When You Were Mine" is full of bouncy guitar licks. However, it is the LP's second side (tracks 5-8) which gives the album its unique fusion sound and contains the tracks which were most controversial at the time, namely "Head" (a bawdy tale of Prince seducing a bride-to-be with oral sex) and "Sister" (a hyperdriven, punk-ish ode to incest clocking in at just 90 seconds). "Uptown" is the album's high point, with Prince singing about a utopian paradise where everyone is free to express themselves regardless of age, gender and skin color. This album was to set the scene emphatically for Prince's chart domination later in the 1980s. It fused black and white musical styles in a seamless fashion and showed that Prince was not afraid to push boundaries. In 2003, the album was ranked number 204 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. On its list of Top 100 Albums of the 1980s, Pitchfork Media had Dirty Mind at 87. I rank it as one of the top ten worst, Gigwise is right on here.

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Best


40. The Groundhogs : ‘Split’ (March 1971) The Groundhogs were a British blues band founded in late 1963, which toured extensively in the 1960s and continued in existence sporadically to the present day. The band's blues credentials were recognised when they backed John Lee Hooker and Champion Jack Dupree on their 1960s tours of Britain. The line-up for their first album, Scratchin' the Surface, released in 1968, consisted of Tony McPhee as singer and guitarist, bassist Peter Cruickshank (born 2 July 1945, Calcutta, West Bengal, India), Ken Pustelnik on drums (born 13 March 1946, on a farm near Blairgowry, Angus, Scotland) and Steve Rye on harmonica. They remain one of the lesser known yet critically regarded bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s blues rock groups. Interesting psychedelic cover for those acid lovers.

Vinyl Collective Stock Update

My vinyl record buddy Virgil, over at www.vinylcollective has just updated his stock. If you are looking for colored and collectible vinyl, this is the place to go!

"Got quite a few restocks for you and at least for us we have a few newer varieties of certain records. Ones to pay close attention include the Gaslight dbl 7″s, Alkaline Trio, Coalesce, Hot Water Music, Latterman, I Hate Myself, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Bananas, F.Y.P, Mono, and lots more." - Virgil

A WILHELM SCREAM “Ruiner” LP purple
Against Me! “Cavalier Eternal” 7″ grey vinyl
Against Me! “Cavalier Eternal” 7″ purple vinyl
Alexisonfire “Crisis” LP IMPORT picture disc
ALEXISONFIRE / MONEEN “Switcheroo” split LP picture disc
ALEXISONFIRE/THE BLED split 7″ purple vinyl
ALKALINE TRIO - CRIMSON (COLORED VINYL) LP import red
BLINK 182 - THEY CAME TO CONQUER URANUS 7″
Bright Eyes “Motion Sick” 7″
BURNING BRIDES “Hang Love” dbl LP blue and purple vinyl
Chuck Ragan “Feast or Famine” LP grey vinyl
CHUCK RAGAN “Los Feliz” LP (Grey Marble vinyl)
Coalesce “Give Them Vol 2″ LP grey vinyl
Coalesce “Give Them Vol 2″ LP turquoise
Communique “Poison Arrows” LP
CRIMINALS “S/T” LP orange vinyl
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL Shade Of Poison LP Mustard vinyl
DEATH ó SYMBOLIC LP 180 gram
DEFIANCE OHIO “Share What Ya Got” LP brown vinyl
DEFIANCE OHIO “the fear the fear the fear” LP dark grey / black vinyl
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (grey vinyl)
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (pink/purple vinyl)
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (turquoise vinyl)
DETROIT COBRAS - TIED & TRUE LP orange vinyl
DWARVES “Way Out” 7″ picture disc
Floor “Dove” LP Green Vinyl
FYP “Extra Credit” 7″ clear pink vinyl
FYP “Made In USA” 7″
FYP “Toys That Kill” LP
GORE GORE GIRLS “Get The Gore” LP grey vinyl
Grabass Charlestons/Ergs split 7″ brownish vinyl
Grabass Charlestons/Ergs split 7″ green swirl vinyl
HOLD STEADY - STUCK BETWEEN STATIONS (1ST) 7″ import
HOLD STEADY - STUCK BETWEEN STATIONS (2ND) 7″ import
HOT ROD CIRCUIT - SORRY ABOUT TOMORROW LP
HOT WATER MUSIC “Caution” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Flight and a Crash” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Forever and Counting” LP reissue gold vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Forever and Counting” LP reissue white vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Fuel For the Hate Game” LP purple vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Never Ender” LP purple vinyl
Hot Water Music “New What Next” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “No Division” LP (blue vinyl)
HOT WATER MUSIC “No Division” LP (purple vinyl)
HOT WATER MUSIC “Till the Wheels Fall Off” 2xLP grey vinyl
I HATE MYSELF “Ten Songs” LP BURNT CLEAR vinyl
I HATE MYSELF “Ten Songs” LP purple vinyl
I SPY “Revenge Of The Little Sh*ts” 10″
LADYTRON “604″ dbl LP
LAGWAGON “Let’s Talk About Leftovers” dbl LP Y/R, Y/G splatter vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP black and white vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP purple vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP red vinyl
LIFETIME “Lifetime” LP reissue white vinyl
Lucero ìAttic Tapesî LP + 7″
MONO “Memorial Dal Futoro” 10″ grey vinyl
NEW MEXICAN DISASTER SQUAD “Don’t Believe” LP grey
NEW YORK DOLLS ìOne Day It Will Please Us To Rememberî 2xLP
Of Montreal ìHissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?î 3LP
Of Montreal ìSatanic Panic In The Atticî LP
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS / DEAR LANDLORD†split 7″ black/grey marble vinyl
PELICAN - CITY OF ECHOES (180 GR) LP clear light blue
PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS “Mercy” LP (grey vinyl)
PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS “We Ride to Fight” dbl LP red vinyl
RADON “Metric Buttloads of Rock” LP Yellow vinyl
Rehasher “Off Key Melodies” LP pink vinyl
Rehasher “Off Key Melodies” LP yellow vinyl
RISE AGAINST ìSUFFERER AND THE WITNESSî LP
RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS “To the Confusion of Our Enemies” LP
RUMBLESEAT “Is Dead” LP berry mix vinyl
RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS “Easy Tiger” LP orange vinyl
RYAN ADAMS “DEMOLITION” LP
RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS “Jacksonville City Nights” dbl LP
RYAN ADAMS ìHeartbreakerî LP
SAVES THE DAY - STAY WHAT YOU ARE LP
SCOUTS HONOR ìI Am The Dustî LP
THE ARRIVALS “Marvels of Industry” LP
THE BANANAS “A Slippery Subject” LP
THE BANANAS “Forbidden Fruit” LP
THE DRAFT “Devil in the Shade” / “Na Na Na” 7″
THE DRAFT “In a Million Pieces” LP berry vinyl
THE DRAFT “Stop Wastin’ My Time” / “Up All Night” 7″ grey
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “Senor and the Queen” 2×7″ clear vinyl
THE QUEERS “Love Songs for the Retarded” LP colored vinyl
THIS BIKE IS A PIPE BOMB “Front Seat Solidarity” LP turquoise vinyl
This is My Fist “History of Rats” LP Pink vinyl
THIS IS MY FIST / FIFTH HOUR HERO†split 7″ Grey vinyl
V/A Read Army Hot Water Music, Avail, Weakerthans 7″ green vinyl
YOUNG LIVERS “The New Drop Era” LP purple vinyl