Category Cover Art
1975 JAZZ | #20 — #11
It is not entirely clear whether 1975 was an exceptional year for jazz or whether Vinyl Connection was simply more into the form at this time. Either way, it was quite a struggle to reduce the contenders to twenty. Those who are unmoved by America’s gift to music may still find things to enjoy in […]
1975 COUNTDOWN | PROLOGUE
What do you remember about 1975? Were you even born? Was your world dominated by mother’s breast, or were you starting your first job? Attending kindergarten or enrolling at uni? Doing calisthenics or marching against the Vietnam war? What music was rocking your world… or has wormed its way into your cultural landscape over the […]
ALBUM COVERS | FLAPS
They fold, they open, they arise, they reveal. Those hinged bits of a record sleeve that give you something to study—or play with—while the disc spins. Here are some favourites. * US rockers Grin featured Neil Young collaborator and (later) Bruce Springsteen guitar slinger Nils Lofgren. What’s behind the toothy smile? Why gums, of course. […]
ALBUM COVERS | PG+
Peter Gabriel. PG. Left Genesis after The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, telling his bandmates of his decision during the extensive tour for that album. Spent a couple of years largely out of the spotlight, before releasing his first solo album, Peter Gabriel, in 1977. The album cover was created by Hipgnosis. Just over a […]
10 SUPER CTI ALBUM COVERS
Creed Taylor’s CTI record label was founded in 1967, separating from parent company A&M in 1970. Specialising in a style of jazz that boasted instrumental excellence while keeping an eye on the pop and rock scenes, the label used staff arrangers such as Don Sebesky and Bob James to add orchestral silkiness to the jazz-based […]
PRELUDE
It was on the airwaves during the Summer of ’73 and sounded like nothing else. A mysterious, beatless opening full of space buzzes and cosmic bird calls that built thrillingly into an infectious jazz-funk epic. No words but a riveting groove. That piano! At the time I had no idea what a Fender Rhodes was, […]
ALBUM COVERS | JADE WARRIOR
Tony Duhig and Jon Field created art rock band Jade Warrior at the birth of the 1970s. After three albums on Vertigo, they shifted to the Island record label and produced a fascinating quartet of albums between and 1974 and 1978. Characterised by an eclectic range of influences and instrumentation, their albums presaged ‘Fourth World’ […]
ALBUM COVER SPECIAL: IN THE CAN
Sadly, Can The Can doesn’t get a guernsey. Still, there are a number of other LPs that deploy the humble tin can on their covers. Here is a selection. * The debut from Britain’s blues outfit came out in 1968 and reached #12 on the UK albums chart. The band were formed by Stan Webb […]
ROUND LIKE A RECORD
During the 1970s “Sampler” LPs were a staple of record company marketing. Compiling a variety of tracks from various artists on their roster, these albums usually sold for much less than the prevailing price point of a new record. In fact, a number of companies called them, with disarming candour, “Loss Leaders”. There are a number […]
FEATS ALIVE!
Blending elements of rock, blues, country, funk and jazz, Little Feat created a sound that was entirely their own. Driven by the unique song-writing skills of Lowell George and a band both technically excellent and infectiously grooving, they were—and are—a favourite outfit of those who love their American rock somewhere West of the freeway. Yet […]
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