Category Covers Only, Thanks!

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 COVERS | THE BLUES

Anthology Of The Blues was a twelve LP series that first appeared in 1969. Some of the albums feature a single artist (often a notable one) whilst others compile regional sides from lesser known performers. All feature portraits on the covers, giving the series a visual cohesion along side the genre focus. Vinyl Connection only […]

ALBUM COVERS | 7 X 7 INCH — 2

A further selection of 7″ singles with their parent albums, this time featuring a few Aus favourites. * Midnight Oil — Diesel and Dust (1987) + “Beds are Burning” single The back cover of the 45rpm continues the theme, and indeed the photo. * Roger Waters — Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) + “Radio Waves” single Roger’s […]

ALBUM COVERS | 7 X 7 INCH

…WITH THEIR PARENT ALBUMS Having never been an avid collector of 7″ singles—or 12″s, for that matter—it was an odd feeling to have seven or eight hundred of the little blighters take up residence in the cupboard. I had no idea my friend Steven had so many. It was rather daunting, as I’m not a […]

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 […]

ALBUM COVERS | PICKS AND PICS

Having launched into Instagram during lockdown, I kind of lost my appetite for its rapid digestive cycle after a year or so. More an icy pole than a proper meal, if you get what I mean. But a current September “challenge” caught my eye and so I decided to throw some records into the ring. […]

DEPARTURES | SECOND QUARTER 2023

A late posting, in every respect 🖤 Barry Humphries 17 February 1934—22 April 2023 🖤 Broderick Smith 17 February 1948—30 April 2023 🖤 Andy Rourke (The Smiths) 17 January 1964—19 May 2023 🖤 Tina Turner 26 November 1939—24 May 2023 🖤 Gordon Lightfoot  17 November 1938—1 May 2023 George Winston 26 December 1949—4 June 2023 […]

TORN BETWEEN TWO COVERS

When the Vinyl Connection collection finally moved into its new post-renovation space I was certain there was room enough to house at least five years of acquisitions. After all I was periodically doing a little weeding and pruning and the rate of purchasing had dropped substantially from an average of five LPs per week  to […]

GOOD(BYE) FRIDAY

Jeff Beck 24 June 1944—10 January 2023  🖤 Yukihiro Takahashi  [YMO] 6 June 1952—11 January 2023 🖤 Renee Geyer 11 Sep 1953—17 January 2023 🖤 David Crosby 14 Aug 1941—19 January 2023 🖤 Tom Verlaine [Television] 13 Dec 1949—28 January 2023 🖤 Burt Bacharach 12 May 1928—8 February 2023  🖤 Wayne Shorter 25 August 1933—2 […]

10 MORE HIPGNOTIC ALBUM COVERS

Being the third and final part of this current series on album design legends Hipgnosis, in which your host and Mark Blake, author of the new book Us And Them: The Authorised Story of Hipgnosis, choose some of their favourite album covers and disagree about folk-rock. * These first two illustrate the wit and humour […]

UNDER HIPGNOSIS — THE MARK BLAKE INTERVIEW

Every record collector of a certain age knows the album covers of legendary British design studio Hipgnosis. Now, thanks to a new book by Mark Blake, we can dive into the colourful history of the crew who gave us so many memorable record sleeves. The author kindly agreed to talk to Vinyl Connection. Vinyl Connection: […]

10 HIPGNOTIC ALBUM COVERS

Founded by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell in 1968, British design company Hipgnosis created album covers for some of the major acts of the rock era. Many are so iconic as to be instantly recognisable, even if you didn’t know they were the products of the fertile, experimental minds at Hipgnosis. A couple of […]