Best/Favorite Album Covers

[JMAR5]

I know this topic has been discussed before in black & white, but I thought it would be fun to find out various favorites.
Here are mine:

Fleetwood Mac-Tango in the Night
Alan Parsons-A Valid Path
Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
Carpenters-Made in America
Beatles-Abbey Road
The Beach Boys-Smiley Smile
Chaka Khan-I Feel For You
Miles Davis-On the Corner
Shirley Horn-May the Music Never End
KISS-Music from the Elder
Abba-The Visitors
Seawind-Window Of A Child
Blood Sweat & Tears-Nuclear Blues
Fifth Dimension-Portrait
Chicago-If You Leave Me Now
Patti Austin-Carry On
Bobby Caldwell-Perfect Island Nights
Fifth Dimension-Earthbound
Pink Floyd-Shine On
Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66-Crystal Illusions

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I'm surprised you list CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS from Sergio and not one of the other covers. My favorite of theirs is STILLNESS but I like all of them.

WIll have to think about this one for a while otherwise.

 

[aymnostalgico]

A nostalgic favorite of mine is "LOOK AROUND" The colorful umbrellas appealed to me.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

It took ten days for someone (me) to mention:

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass: Whipped Cream & Other Delights


???



What kinda A&M Corner is this, anyway?



Seriously, I'd have to include the vast majority of A&M/Cti LPs on my list of favorites, especially:

Wes Montgomery: Road Song
Quincy Jones: Walking In Space
George Benson: The Other Side Of Abbey Road
J&K: Betwixt & Between

And the wonderful post-A&M Cti's:

Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay
Hubert Laws: The Rite Of Spring
Deodato: Prelude

And stuff totally beyond the A&M connection:

Monkees: Head
Steely Dan: Aja

---Michael Hagerty

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Well, let's see....
My favorite A&M covers (by artist):

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: GOING PLACES
Herb Alpert (solo): KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME
Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66/'77: STILLNESS
Sergio Mendes (solo): CONFETTI
Baja Marimba Band: FRESH AIR
Sandpipers: COME SATURDAY MORNING
Cat Stevens: TEASER AND THE FIRECAT
Styx: PARADISE THEATRE (you knew that, right?)
Nazareth: HAIR OF THE DOG
Quincy Jones: THE DUDE
Burt Bacharach: BURT BACHARACH
Lani Hall: ALBANY PARK
Carpenters: HORIZON
Supertramp: EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS
Paul Williams: HERE COMES INSPIRATION

A few non-A&M favorites of mine:
Fleetwood Mac RUMOURS
Santana SANTANA III
Alan Parsons Project TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION
America HOMECOMING and HAT TRICK
Chicago VII (looks like tooled leather...only the LP version will do!)

I'm sure there are a ton of others but I'm not with my records right now...those are the ones that spring to mind the fastest though.

 

[nightcat]

Favorite Rock covers

WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH / Frank Zappa
TROUT MASK REPLICA / Captain Beefheart

Favorite Jazz covers

SEVERAL SHADES OF JADE / Cal Tjader / Verve
INTRODUCING KENNY BURRELL / K. Burrell / Blue Note
BLUE TRAIN / John Coltrane / Blue Note
JAZZ NEW YORK / Manny Albam / Dot
AND ALL THAT JAZZ / Steve Allen / Dot
SWEET RAIN / Stan Getz / Verve
FUSHCIA SWING SONG / Sam Rivers / Blue Note
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS / Eddie Costa / Dot
NOW! / Sonny Stitt / Impulse

Favorite A&M covers

EQUINOX / Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66
SOUNDS LIKE / TJB
SRO / TJB
PLEASURES OF THE HARBOR / Phil Ochs
ROAD SONG / Wes Montgomery
BAJA MARIMBA BAND / BMB (first lp)
WE AND THE SEA / Tamba 4
SAMBA BLIM / Tamba 4
WAVE / A. C. Jobim

and...

THE PINK PANTHER / Henry Mancini

 

[JOv2]

Baja Marimba Band: FRESH AIR

Mike --
Oh, man -- what a cover! I'll add Fowl Play as my "SP4101-SP4199" A&M fave. It's hard to beat a chicken shack/gunny sack operation...in front of the lady's room (of all places) and including what has to be the ugliest basketball goal captured on an LP cover...all in a wash of chicken feathers! What imagination! Herb Alpert's Ninth is also quite creative.

As for CTi...It's harder to find a non-favourite, actually -- when pressed, I'll take We And The Sea which captures, rather well, wonderful early childhood memories of the Pacific coast.

FUSHCIA SWING SONG / Sam Rivers / Blue Note

Hey, Nightcat --
The Reed Miles / Francis Wolff Blue Notes from 1962-1967 are my all-time faves. Your selection is a fine one + it happens to be one excellent album. (As much as I enjoy CTI's pop/jazz, my heart is forever aligned with Blue Note and all 4 Sam Rivers LPs do well to reveal the progressive leanings of the label. Great stuff -- hightly recommended.)

 

[Mike]

Grand Funk – Live Album: This album cover screams “It’s time to rock & roll”.

Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles – Abbey Road
These two album covers are ingenious like only the Beatles could be.

Frank Sinatra – Come Dance With Me: Frank is the man! He probably sold countless copies of this album on the cover alone.

Chuck Mangione – Feels So Good: The Album cover and title track are a perfect match.

Pete Jolly: Too Much baby!: Nothing says “It’s good to be a swing bachelor living in the ‘60s” like this cover.

Stan Getz – with Charlie Byrd
Stan Getz – with Luiz Bonfa
Stan Getz – with Joao Gilberto
These three are suitable for framing and hanging on the living room wall.

Mike

 

[Rudy]

Stan Getz – with Charlie Byrd
Stan Getz – with Luiz Bonfa
Stan Getz – with Joao Gilberto
These three are suitable for framing and hanging on the living room wall.

Those are some fine Olga Albizu paintings! You should also check out Getz/Gilberto 2 which is a green theme, and Getz's "Big Band Bossa Nova" which is a study in yellow and orange. All five would make excellent wall art.

I have to single out some of Pete Turner's best photographs as favorite album covers. In fact, the Color Of Jazz book that he released is not to be missed--full size, beautifully reproduced images in a large 12"+ format. The icicles on Paul Desmond's "Summertime", the giraffe photo on "Wave", the rising planet on "Moondreams", the umbrella trees of "Samba Blim"...all are favorites.

Herb Alpert's "Just You and Me" is an interesting, colorful photo taken by Lani Hall. I like how the whole art package ties into it, with the deep maroon color.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

One of the more freaky LP covers that I liked was Maynard Ferguson's Primal Scream, with the gloved hand coming out of a radio:

Capt. Bacardi

 

[dostros]

I don't have my collection on hand but I know that I really like the cover of Warm. It was so... well Warm. And he sure was handsome. (The horse.)

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles – Abbey Road
These two album covers are ingenious like only the Beatles could be.

I always liked the SGT. PEPPER cover. ABBEY ROAD, ingenious? I thought it was kind of lame considering the covers that came before it. But then, I'm not a huge Beatles fan so maybe I don't "get" that cover like a real fan would.

 

[Mike]

Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles – Abbey Road
These two album covers are ingenious like only the Beatles could be.

I always liked the SGT. PEPPER cover. ABBEY ROAD, ingenious? I thought it was kind of lame considering the covers that came before it. But then, I'm not a huge Beatles fan so maybe I don't "get" that cover like a real fan would.

The Abbey Road LP cover: the four Beatles looking very much like individuals and yet in almost perfect lockstep; what a contrast. Was it an accidental photo or very carefully choreographed pose?

And here’s another clue for you all (remember the Paul Is Dead hoax?). Paul in barefoot, the license plate on the parked VW “28IF”.

And now, that crosswalk is a major tourist attraction.

Yes, IMO, the album cover is ingenious.

Mike

 

[Mike]

ABBEY ROAD, ingenious? I thought it was kind of lame...

Lame is not a very nice word when commenting on others opinions... yet you seem so comfortable with it. Does it feel good to disparage others?

Just curious.

Mike

 

[Mike]

Stan Getz – with Charlie Byrd
Stan Getz – with Luiz Bonfa
Stan Getz – with Joao Gilberto
These three are suitable for framing and hanging on the living room wall.

Those are some fine Olga Albizu paintings! You should also check out Getz/Gilberto 2 which is a green theme, and Getz's "Big Band Bossa Nova" which is a study in yellow and orange. All five would make excellent wall art.

I have to single out some of Pete Turner's best photographs as favorite album covers. In fact, the Color Of Jazz book that he released is not to be missed--full size, beautifully reproduced images in a large 12"+ format. The icicles on Paul Desmond's "Summertime", the giraffe photo on "Wave", the rising planet on "Moondreams", the umbrella trees of "Samba Blim"...all are favorites.

Herb Alpert's "Just You and Me" is an interesting, colorful photo taken by Lani Hall. I like how the whole art package ties into it, with the deep maroon color.

Rudy, I did check out Getz/Gilberto 2 and Getz's "Big Band Bossa Nova" and you are right, both have great album covers... soon to be part of my collection.

Thanks for the heads up!

Yokosuka Mike

 

[Harry]

I think ABBEY ROAD's cover is quite brilliant, and was one of those things that occur without too much forethought. Apparently, the album was originally to have been titled EVEREST and they were going to include a shot of the Himalayas on the cover, but pressed for time, they decided instead to go outside with the photographer who snapped the shot of them crossing at the crosswalk near the studio.

The man in the photo on the right hand side, Paul Cole, was a vacationing American tourist, passing the time while his wife was looking in museums and shops. In fact, he just passed away a month or so ago:

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/feb/15/30gtpaul-cole-man-on-beatles-abbey-road-cover/

Harry

 

[toeknee4bz]

OK, gang... Some of these you may not be familiar with, but most can be found somewhere online. Keep in mind that a "good" or even "great" album cover doesn't have to be elaborate. Some times the simple can be elegant. You decide... (no particular order)

Herb Alpert:
Whipped Cream & Other Delights (DUH!)
Herb Alpert's Ninth (Love the irony!)
Rise (Just something about that record building)
Magic Man (great "up-close" view of the horn)
Bullish (the cover was better than the album!)
Styx:
Paradise Theater (see comments below)
Supertramp:
Breakfast In America (Statue of Libby... what a concept!)
The Police:
Ghost In The Machine (I know, primitive art, but for it's time...)
Ali Thomson:
Deception Is An Art (this is a rare and steamy one)
Richard Carpenter:
Time (...any T-Bird fans out there?)
Dennis DeYoung:
Desert Moon (a seemingly endless piano keyboard)
Head East:
Flat As A Pancake (I couldn't resist!)
Head East (splattered road sign cover)
Chicago:
IX (painters on scaffold cover)
X (chocolate bar cover)
13 (skyscraper cover)
16 (computer chip/magnifying glass)
17 (brown paper bag package)
Duran Duran:
Rio (a Patrick Nagel print)
Fleetwood Mac:
Tango In The Night (words cannot express how beautiful...)
Spyro Gyra:
Morning Dance (ditto)
Asia:
Alpha (strange, but beautiful... I don't usually go for anime)
Billy Joel:
River Of Dreams (a Christie Brinkley painting)
Bob James:
Touchdown (autographed football)
"H" (the best looking hot dog I've ever seen)
Dave Grusin & Lee Ritenour:
Harlequin (a Dario Campanile print)
Grover Washington, Jr.:
Winelight (just a wineglass and a saxophone)
Joe Satriani:
Surfing With The Alien (Silver Surfer shot... very unusual)

DID YOU KNOW? The original Styx "Paradise Theater" album cover was released w/ the BROWN side as the "front" of the album, NOT the BLUE side as is on the CD. Proof of this is evident by noting that the index edge is to the LEFT of the BROWN side, as is on all other album front covers. The actual vinyl itself slides out of the back of the doublefold jacket, which is, on this LP, the BLUE side. Further proof is evidenced by the spelling of "Theater" (on the brown side) being consistant with the label and the index.
FYI,
Tony

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Lame is not a very nice word when commenting on others opinions... yet you seem so comfortable with it. Does it feel good to disparage others?

Try reading my post again. I never said your opinion was lame. I said I thought the ABBEY ROAD cover was kind of lame because I didn't "get it." With your explanation of the cover, I feel like I now "get it" more than I did before, but it's still not my favorite cover of theirs -- REVOLVER is.

 

[Mike]

Lame is not a very nice word when commenting on others opinions... yet you seem so comfortable with it. Does it feel good to disparage others?

Try reading my post again. I never said your opinion was lame. I said I thought the ABBEY ROAD cover was kind of lame because I didn't "get it." With your explanation of the cover, I feel like I now "get it" more than I did before, but it's still not my favorite cover of theirs -- REVOLVER is.

Well shiver me timbers, I guess I read more into your post than was really there; my apologies for over-reacting and making an issue out of nothing.

Respectfully,
Mike

 

[JOv2]

I think ABBEY ROAD's cover is quite brilliant...

Brilliant enough for two versions in immediate homage of...

 

[JOv2]

...But then, I'm not a huge Beatles fan...

Hey Mike -- you should really check them out. They're pretty good, I'd say -- definitely one of the better "beat" groups on the scene.

-James

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Oh I've heard most of their music and some of their tunes are real favorites of mine, but they were really before my time, musically. The Beatles were broken up for about 2 or 3 years before I really got into pop music - although I'd been into the TJB since I was a kid. I'm more of a 70s-rock person, pop-musicwise.

 

[rickster]

Milton Nascimento -- "Milton"

Wes Montgomery -- "Road Song"

Pat Metheny -- "Travels"

 

[Actorman]

Just off the top of my head in no particular order:

Carpenters - Made In America
Fleetwood Mac - Tango In The Night
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Julie London - Around Midnight
Supertramp - Breakfast In America
Herb Alpert & TJB - Whipped Cream and Other Delights (primarily for the lettering)
ELO - Out of the Blue

 

[Mike]

Stan Getz – with Charlie Byrd
Stan Getz – with Luiz Bonfa
Stan Getz – with Joao Gilberto
These three are suitable for framing and hanging on the living room wall.

Those are some fine Olga Albizu paintings! You should also check out Getz/Gilberto 2 which is a green theme, and Getz's "Big Band Bossa Nova" which is a study in yellow and orange. All five would make excellent wall art.

Hi Rudy,

I picked up Big Band Bossa Nova a few weeks ago and Getz/Gilberto #2 yesterday. Truth is, I bought them just to complete my collection of the Getz albums with nice paintings on the cover, but what a surprise I got when I listened to Getz/Gilberto #2 last night; it’s delightful!

It looks like the original LP was done with Getz on side 1, and Gilberto on side 2. The CD version that I bought includes an additional 5 bonus tracks. The album was recorded at Carnegie Hall, and it sounds like one heck of a great concert. One of the best parts of the CD is when they bring out Asturd Gilberto to sing. It’s reminiscent of when Ed Sullivan introduced Diana Ross & the Supremes and she didn’t show up. Stan Getz (I assume it’s Getz) introduces Astrud and she doesn’t show up so he starts to tell a joke to the audience… fortunately she shows up and the performance moves on; it’s a very charming moment

All-in-all, Getz/Gilberto #2 is a great live album that I wish I would have bought years ago.

Regards,
Mike