The Art of Record Covers

BLACK LIPS - Let It Bloom

2007-04-17T18:36:00.000+01:00

visually i seem to stay in the hippie-era. but this is nearly brand-new (well, 2005) and sounds totally different. well, not totally. i often refer to the BLACK LIPS as the "hippies from hell". the cover resembles, hm, maybe an early ROLLING STONES cover. the shooting for this picture is covered in the tour movie by ERNIE QUINTERO (which is a "must-see", by the way!). a great record by a great band. maybe the last really wild band on planet earth. go to their shows! buy their records!

BLACK LIPS - Let It Bloom, In The Red 2005

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - Green River

2007-04-17T18:26:00.000+01:00

what a cool band picture! i really dig the shadows and the colours. when i asked my father what his favourite band was, he said: "ccr" and that´s when i started listening to them. must have been around the same time when i discovered ELO. still one of my favourite bands from that era. and this is their best record. i always think that i´m born too late, when i see this record (or listen to it).

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - Green River, Fantasy 1969

ERIC BURDON & WAR - The Black-Man´s Burdon

2007-04-17T18:04:00.000+01:00

back in the days they knew what to do with the cover of a double-lp. pure hippie-utopia. reminds me of HENDRIX´ original version of "electric ladyland" (my flatmate has it and i´m really jealous...). must have been a shocking cover for 1971. notice the guy standing: he´s loosening his belt... oddly enough i discovered the solo-work of ERIC BURDON on a visit in mongolia.

ERIC BURDON & WAR - The Black-Man´s Burdon, MGM 1971

HUE BLANC´S JOYLESS ONES - Fait Accompli.

2007-04-03T18:56:00.000+01:00

what a mysterious cover, what a strange record! this one was my favourite record during the last few months. very "sloppy" played, ....er, ....hm, ....er, garage-rock, i guess. great voices and really good songs. came out on P.Trash Records from Bielefeld in some very limited editions (different colours, inside-out and whatnot). i didn´t know what to expect, when PETER TRASH recommended this one to me. when i finally got my hands on it, i didn´t know either (it´s easier if you have a cover like the REATARDS´ "Not Fucked Enough"). but the first time on the turntable.....

i found their first 7 inch in paris (Born Bad Records, rue keller 17, metro: bastille... why do i still know this?), which is also cool, but its cover is... well, just not like this one...

buy this one!

HUE BLANC´S JOYLESS ONES - Fait Accompli., P.Trash Records 2006

THE CLASH - London Calling

2007-04-03T18:41:00.000+01:00

i know, i know. that´s a classic. pretty strange when listening to the record, because the cover suggests something different. anyways, a great record and the cover is just made for t-shirts.

THE CLASH - London Calling, CBS 1979

SLINT - untitled

2007-04-03T18:30:00.000+01:00

well, 10 inch of pure beauty. if you think dead people can look beautiful. when my flatmate saw this one, he just went "whoaah". just like i did. no typo on the outside (neither on the inside nor on the record itself), except the small t&g-logo on the back and a very small "SLINT" on the side. awesome record, awesome design.

i heard they´re on tour in europe again.

SLINT - untitled, Touch And Go, 1994

THE REATARDS - Not Fucked Enough

2007-04-03T18:15:00.000+01:00

the first time i saw this picture it was on a flyer for a REATARDS show (w/ ANGRY ANGLES and the awesome TOKYO ELECTRON) at my favourite local club. i just had to see them, because this picture expresses all you need to know about fast, violent and primitive music. the show was exactly like this. JAY REATARD was all over the place and was done after 20 minutes. i wish i had done this pic. it´s sooo good. a guy named MARK MURMAN made it. i´m jealous. HAIL MARK MURMAN!

THE REATARDS - Not Fucked Enough, Empty Records 2005

THE MONO MEN - Skin & Tonic

2007-04-03T18:04:00.000+01:00

i think this was one of my first "garage" records. the style of the cover attracted me pretty much. plus the guitars and the voice, of course. i later made a poster of one of the small pics on the back (the saxophone-player drinking a bottle of beer). the small writing on the front (lower right) says: "expensive records need not be fine".

THE MONO MEN - Skin & Tonic, Estrus 1994

REAGAN YOUTH - Volume 1&2

2007-03-24T17:13:00.000+01:00

these are THE punkrock covers for me: provocative and disturbing. and it works: when my father saw these two little gems lying around in my room, he asked: "are you into nazi-rock now, or what?" - "ooohhh, dad....". he didn´t mind the noise coming from my room, what shocked him where the covers. so i had this little discussion with him and tried to explain the concept. i think he understood. but he was VERY worried for a moment. great records, too. "Degenerated" is a classic!
i just found out that they´re still around doing shows... wow....

REAGAN YOUTH - Volume 1&2, New Red Archives 1990

MISSION OF BURMA - The Horrible Truth About Burma

2007-03-24T17:02:00.000+01:00

this is soooo 90s (actually it´s the 80s, but it is 90s for me). reminds me of the times, when i used to watch mtv´s 120 minutes late at night: people in plaid shirts, standing around. well, MISSION OF BURMA were a little bit ahaed of their time. i had a grin on my face when i heard their "Let There Be Burma" for the first time at a friend´s place. this was my first MOB record. i love it. they still sound like noone else does.

MISSION OF BURMA - The Horrible Truth About Burma, Ace of Hearts Records 1985

JOHN COLTRANE - Lush Life

2007-03-20T21:13:00.000+01:00

i just have to see this cover and i want to listen to a jazz record. the picture is awesome, the typo is cool and the colours match perfectly. you see this cover and just know how the record will sound.

JOHN COLTRANE - Lush Life, Prestige 1957

HUAH! - Scheiß Kapitalismus

2007-03-20T20:54:00.000+01:00

my first encounter with something called "hamburger schule". i bought it because someone from my hometown plays bass on this one (Mense Reents, he´s also the cousin of one of my best friends and plays now in bands like EGOEXPRESS, STELLA and DIE GOLDENEN ZITRONEN). his picture on the back actually features someone else from my hometown (Andreas Popken, who was a great one-man-band...). anyways, great record and a weird cover which combines hamburgian reeperbahn-aesthetics with system criticism. very impressive as a teenager.

HUAH! - Scheiß Kapitalismus, L´Age D´Or 1992

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Out of the Blue

2007-03-20T20:15:00.000+01:00

i think this record got me into music. as a kid i spent hours just looking at the cover and listening to the songs. "Mr. Blue Sky" always was my favourite. years later i thought ELO wasn´t cool enough, so i hid their records. that changed, when i found out that one of my favourite german bands DIE BÖSE HAND (members of EA80 and the BOXHAMSTERS) made a cover-record with ELO-songs. They had "The Diary of Horace Whimp" on it. another favourite. well, the cover is just mindblowing - at least as a kid. so many details and this cheesy "2001"-space-age-look. i love it.

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Out of the Blue, Jet 1977