Album Cover Art

Let's continue our series about album cover art and look at #43 of the 50 most controversial, weird, best and worst album covers accoding to the Gigwise staff (http://www.gigwise.com)

Controversial

43. Aphex Twin: ‘Windowlicker’ Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), better known as Aphex Twin, is an electronic music artist who has been described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music". He founded the electronic record label Rephlex Records in 1991 with friend Grant Wilson-Claridge. James has done his own photography for some of his releases' artwork. Some artwork shows James' own face, grinning or slightly distorted in some way, as it can be seen in some of his video clips ("Come to Daddy", for example). Towards the end of the second track on the "Windowlicker" single (commonly referred to as "Equation") a photo of James' face is revealed when run through spectral analysis. The picture illustrates his famous toothy, evil grin (with a spiral also visible at the end of "Windowlicker"). In addition to this, the cover of "Two Remixes by AFX" is actually contained only on the CD, encoded in SSTV format.

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Weirdest


43. Genesis: 'Nursery Cryme' Nursery Cryme is the third studio album by Genesis and was recorded and released in 1971. It is also the first album to feature the lineup of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, and Steve Hackett; the latter two replacing John Mayhew and Anthony Phillips, on drums and guitar respectively, in 1970. This lineup would remain consistent until Gabriel's departure in 1975. The albums' artwork, which depicts scenes from each song, was painted by Paul Whitehead. Whitehead was also responsible for the artwork on Genesis Trespass and Foxtrot albums.

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Worst


43. The Kinks – ‘Schoolboys In Disgrace’ The Kinks Present Schoolboys in Disgrace is a 1975 album by the English rock group, The Kinks. Front Cover Illustration: Mickey Finn

According to back cover liner notes on Schoolboys in Disgrace, the story which the album presents is as follows:

Once upon a time there was a naughty little schoolboy. He and his gang were always playing tricks on the teachers and bullying other children in the school. One day he got himself into very serious trouble with a naughty schoolgirl and he was sent to the Headmaster who decided to disgrace the naughty boy and his gang in front of the whole school.
After this punishment the boy turned into a hard and bitter character. Perhaps it was not the punishment that changed him but the fact that he realised people in authority would always be there to kick him down and the Establishment would always put him in his place. He knew that he could not change the past but he vowed that in the future he would always get what he wanted. The naughty little boy grew up... into Mr. Flash.

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Best


43. The The: ‘Infected’ The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter/frontman Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. Releases are fairly few and far between for the band, but over the years The The have sold several million albums internationally and achieved critical acclaim — their 1983 album Soul Mining was voted the third best album of the year by British music magazine Melody Maker. This album featured the song "Uncertain Smile", which at one point was voted the third greatest song ever by Australian Triple J radio listeners.

Many of the tracks carried on with Johnson's main topics of his feeling of alienation from society as all whole and the melancholy that this generates in young males. However around this time Johnson was becoming aware of "World Issues" or the culture clash between the West and Islam. The song "Sweet Bird of Truth" is about a pilot trying to save his plane whilst flying over Arabia and was released just prior to the Reagan Libyan bombings which affected sales when record shops refused to promote it.

It included the UK hit singles:

"Heartland" - reached No. 29 (UK) in August 1986
"Infected" - reached No. 48 (UK) in October 1986
"Slow Train to Dawn" - reached No. 64 (UK) in January 1987; Matt Johnson's vocals accompanied by Neneh Cherry
"Sweet Bird of Truth" - reached No. 55 (UK) in May 1987; Matt Johnson's vocals accompanied by Anna Domino
In 2000 Q magazine placed Infected at number 99 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.

Music lovers are going back to the future with vinyl

As always, I am on the lookout for great vinyl record rleated material, I think you will enjoy this article:


Step aside, iPod users. Move over, digital downloaders (legal and otherwise). A very cool “new” form of recorded music is growing in popularity with teens, twentysomethings and even their parents: It's called . . . vinyl records?

Against all odds in this high-tech age, vinyl albums – those round, 12-inch discs that look like thin Frisbees with a small hole in the middle – are experiencing a resurgence in popularity in San Diego County and across the nation.

Read the rest of this fascinating article here:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20080914-9999-1n14vinyl.html

This Date In Music History- September 16

Birthdays:

B.B. (“Blues Boy”) King was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi in 1925.

Drummer Kenny Jones was born in London in 1948. He will go on to beat skins for the Faces and the Who.

Richard Marx was born in Chicago in 1963.

Frank Reed - lead vocalist for The Chi-Lites ("Oh Girl") was born in 1954.

History:

65 year old Bob Dylan held the #1 spot on the US album chart in 2006with "Modern Times,” making him the oldest living musician to ever top the Billboard album chart.

"Shindig" premiered on ABC-TV in 1964 with Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers, the Righteous Brothers and Bobby Sherman (it runs two seasons).

The Beatles have their single "She Loves You" released on the tiny American label Swan Records in 1963. It becomes a hit only after "I Want to Hold Your Hand," issued by Capitol, goes to No. 1 in 1964.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono released "Some Time in New York City" in 1972. The album comes free with a second disc that features an atrocious live performance in which the Mothers of Invention back the couple.

In 1977, Marc Bolan of T. Rex ("Bang a Gong (Get It On)" was killed when a car driven by his girlfriend, Gloria Jones, left the road and hit a tree. An investigation would later blame the accident on mechanical failure. Bolan was just weeks away from his 30th birthday.

Jimi Hendrix made his final public appearance in 1970. He appeared with Eric Burdon and War at a club in London. The opening performance was Samuel Barber's "Antony and Cleopatra."

The classic “Are You Experienced?” from the Jimi Hendrix Experience entered the LP charts in 1967.

Originally recorded by Sammy Davis Jr. in the late ‘50s, Three Dog Night take the “racial harmony” song, “Black And White,” to #1 in 1972. In the UK however, the record failed to chart at all.

In 1959, the first package tour organized by Dick Clark and veteran Rock 'n' Roll promoter Irvin Feld kicks off a 52 day run with Paul Anka, Lloyd Price, The Coasters, Duane Eddy, The Drifters, Annette and LaVern Baker.

Johnny Burnette recorded the original version of "You're 16", which will rise to #8 in the US in 1960. Fourteen years later, Ringo Starr would take the same song to #1.

In 1966, member of Parliament Tom Drilberg asks Britain's House of Commons to officially "deplore" the action of a magistrate who'd earlier called the Rolling Stones "complete morons...who wear filthy clothes."

In 1979, the first Rap record makes it onto vinyl when the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" was recorded over the instrumental break from Chic's "Good Times". The single becomes a Disco smash, selling two million copies in the US. Rap has gone on to open up a whole new industry for people who can't sing, write music or play an instrument.

Sheb Wooley, best remembered for his 1958 #1 hit, "The Purple People Eater", died of leukemia on September 16, 2003, at the age of 82. As an actor, he appeared in more than 60 films, including High Noon and Giant. He also appeared as Pete Nolan in the US television series Rawhide.