Album Covers 2

While looking through my LP collection I have noticed some amazing album covers again. Enjoy.

Queen drummer Roger Taylor made a solo LP in 81, the album was more rock than the anything else. As Queen were doing a dance orientated sound he had to get back to his roots as a rock n roll guy (yup we get that Hot Space was shit). It is a great cover and one of my favorites. It is easy to get, what we think is an alien reading a magazine. But the subject is none other than a human. little unknown fact- The 'alien' writing on the magazine on the front cover consists mainly of upside down Hebrew scripture. The actual words are meaningless.- ha love it.

I don't like this cover. You don't like this cover. We all hate it right? Why is it here? Well it was banned thats why. Can you believe this was banned in Germany? It is true, the country deemed it too graphic. Yeah right as if a jean clad dead man will come alive and eat himself! ha ha so silly and so great I hate it. I hate everything about this cover yet I own it and love it. The music does not matter here as the album cover alone is a seller. I am not a fan of banning anything as people should have a choice and most choose to not buy this. This cover pretty much describes death metal to most people but as a fan I hate it. The band would go on and make more albums with similar covers but the first was a big talking point. The cover caused such a big stink the band were also banned from playing the music from the first three album. Amazing stuff, and I like Germany as well.

Its so simple its brilliant. Again back to my geeky love of photography it really just some nice computer touch up job of a photo. Heroes Square in Budapest is the location and adding in the darkness seems to make sense. I have the LTD LP and it folds out into the best inside artwork I have ever seen. If I could id have it hung on the wall, But that be silly right?

Solo album number... erm he has done a few. Icicle Works front man Ian McNabb makes some amazing solo albums and after a while you run out of ideas for covers. Well take an old photo of yourself in a superhero costume and have that as the cover. I love it, so innocent and so right. This is a man who enjoys making albums so much he lets you into his life and a photo to most people would be hidden away and only shown when the family have had a few.

Lets talk about the music first.... no no lets do as this is the best Hole album! yup music aside the artwork again is a photo. A dress worn by the singer in the 90s on show in a museum. Or as we can all tell a mock up of a museum. But it looks so good and the fact is Courtney did wear it. Compilation albums are great for fans and also artists as you can go off the wall a bit. Never going to be promoted as a main album so it can be a bit mad. But in the madness is some genius, so well thought about and in the mind it should not work.

Ramones bass player does a rap album. Yes it is real but most take it serious and hate the music. In my mind its all fun as is the cover. Dee Dee knows what he is doing and is having fun as much as me. Dress up like a rapper and and smile. Love the cigar in the middle photo it adds way more comedy than a team of Friends head writers.

The older you get the more knowledgeable and traveled you get. Lets make an album of music that sounds like my travels. The cover has to show this as well. Job done! Not sure about the dead rabbit but love the silver skull. I would have a tenner on someone putting on the diving helmet for a giggle. The font for the album is well chosen. Classical music in mind but you are wrong. Redcoats are still worn just in London mind you but is all ok as the empire is no more now and its all just fun. The album ends with 'Ca The Yowes' a personal favorite and one of yours as well if you buy it.

I don't know if this exists but I have this album on CD but with a different cover. This comes up on my media player as the cover. it may be an alternative but it is amazing. bad quality as it is all I can find but documented here for prosperity or until google delete it. A blurry photo of a woman, or is it? Could be a man. Or a mannequin. Reminds me to put my seatbelt on.

Chainsaw a baton and a gun. Cheap Trick are a great band but a band with an imagination and also humor. Why has rick got a cap and the rest sailor style caps? Is he the leader? He does have a chainsaw. I think much gin was used before hand but the patched on the jackets reminds you of the album name. Also a song and a great one at that.

Does this make you want to listen? It should, worked for me. My first Celtic Frost album and a highlight of 00s music. Religion is amazing, more so when you don't believe in it. The cross for the T is why I have this here. Yeah the cover is good and makes you look away. But the name and that cross... Is it a tribute to Black Sabbath (Who had inverted crosses in there albums) or a statement?

Album covers

As we all know the music industry has changed quite a bit. From the way music is promoted to how we buy our music to the format its on.

I have never been a big fan of MP3 and as much is CD is great sound each time we choose to switch the music quality is dropping. I will not bore you on the technical details as I have blogged on this before.

The album cover is also something that suffered. One thing you got in the old LP days was a 12" square piece of artwork. A piece at times you could hang on a wall it was that good. And people did, take the above album cover from Iron Maiden. Released in 1981 the band changed metal music forever with there artwork. Many bands have emulated it but this album is just had that little bit extra. Eddie is the star of many and just about all Iron Maidens covers. but this one was that bit more important. The cover sums up the early 80s. As the victim is none other that Lady Thatcher. Not a nice cover and not even the best album but the impact is so strong. As a kid picking it up it really looks amazing, better than any other cover that was out at the time. This was not boring, nor was it looking back. If anything it looked forward and the "killing " of Thatcher is why.

 I have always loved this album cover, and again more so than the music. Simple photo here but the timing is spot on.
You have no idea where the photo was taken, or why the dog has a chain attached to it, even the dogs expression is cast in mystery. Simply amazing, so many stories in one photo. The colour has been changed as well, could be to help printing but I feel it was done like this for a reason.

Man with head in bin? Is it or is it a woman? of is it a human like creature. Painted up in something and holding onto the bin for dear life. As if trying to get in it like its a portal to somewhere else. Notice how much clutching of the handle to the point it has been moved upwards. Love it again simple but effective. I would buy this on cover alone. Add in its one of the best rock album ever made and you have a cover for life.

Another painting and by a band I love, Swans made many a great cover and this was one of a line featuring the rabbit. (check out Love of Life as well).
Notice the rabbit is standing on a red heart and has more human features than rabbit? A nice day is depicted and on a nice green bit of land. i wish I could own this LP but as prices are over £100 at times this one sadly will stay on E bay. I love the yellow bow tie and shoes.

Again I show my geeky photography love here. A street again somewhere, and number 96 is shown. A blurry band member walking by what looks to be a beggar. Ir is it? Could be about to take drugs, or looking closer about to make a call. it is 98 and cellphones were about. Why is the door handle so fecking low?! and I am sure i can see a light on.

As a Cad tech (I do technical drawings on a computer) I love this. We all know what blue prints are right? this is a black print ha ha. Well it is black and shows design of something. Could be electrical or even pneumatic but what ever it is it's great. City has a great album cover and the contents of the CD help change me forever as well. For some reason the reissue was changed to a different style cover. This to me is best and does actually relate to the music,.... somehow.

Metal bound again! Yes I love some metal as do many people. got this album simply because of the cover. The wicked punch from the classic seaside Punch and Judy puppet show. Oh but look he has a truncheon with nails on it. The addition of the light bulb is simply amazing and the fact the other two have blowen (with one just doing so). The character was called Edison and was only used here on this album. Add in the fact the cover was also changed for some countries as it was considered too gruesome. i have the UK Ltd edition with a poster, the puppet is coming out of a man that is looking on in horror. Ha ha great stuff.

What else to say... Done by Alec Galloway http://www.alecgalloway.co.uk/index.php
Love the iconic cranes and near full moon. There is a lot of the singer songwriter here, you need to be a fan to get it. The artwork is amazing but I also love the typeface for the wording, bot seem so diffrent, could be the size. Love how the light of the city is made with a yellow paint splatter and to the right looks a bit like a dragon (Could be me). One of my all time favorite covers.

Love, love LOVE this album cover. Jason Ringenberg is the lead singer of a Cowpunk band Jason and the Scorchers. From the south and proud he wears his cowboy hat wherever he goes and quite right too. Negative reactions to his attire seem to follow him when in Europe. This album was born. People think the southern cowboys are all racist and want to make people slaves.... but are we not worse in Europe? Take a look at a history book and only a few years ago people were killing each other on the fringes of Europe because who they may be. How dare people treat Jason differently I mean it is not as if he is waving the confederate flag in people faces. Jason sees the ignorance and utter simplicity in people and instead of reacting wrote this album and the album is great but the cover says it all. From my travels the people on the cover are German (no UK football shirt on) and the city could have been any number of ones in Germany after the second world war. Camcorder out filing it all as if it just happened. The identity of the people is kept to a minimum with the sunglasses. The typeface is classic LP days and listing the songs on the front as if its a country album from 1972. Fucking love this cover. If I ever get a tattoo it be this, showing peoples utter stupidity and suborn inbred prejudices. How dare anyone react negatively to someone wearing cowboy clothes. Well done Jason.

This cover misses out the bands name in the top corner, it was the best picture I could find. but does it need it? The band is Stampin Ground UKHC (United Kingdom Hardcore) band from the late 90s.
The cover says it all and says it well. Album is called An Expression of Repressed Violence. The figure is human with wings, some religious undertones perhaps? The tools could be used as torture devices or simply to get the car going. The figure seems to be framed with a window/doorway, why? So much going on here I love it.

Well thats it, ten covers I like and I have many more, I may add to this if I get board again.

If any band/artist want the image taken down simply ask and it will be done.

Vinyl hints and tips

And finally it comes, the sad audiophile vinyl blog.

Ha ha well it wont be that bad. Really just some info and advice I have collected over the years. I hope it helps you and feel free to ask any questions. 

Lets go to the start, when you buy the disks. Best place is Amazon.co.uk. Reason? a few, cheap, free postage and they are very quick to deliver. Also a handy tip is pre ordering as amazon get confused over CD and LP prices and list the LP for £9. Respect to them as they honor any pre order price. 

If buying second hand more likely on e bay, get the seller to package the disc outside of the sleeve. this will stop the disc from going through the insert. That is something that bugs me so much. Again respect to Nuclear Blast records who do this to all there records. 

Buying in store is easy, see what you want (that shiny wrapper get me every time) and buy it. But second hand shops like charity shops and boot sales can be great. And dirt cheap. Always look at the record for any scratches and well you know any damage. Also records can look in good condition but when playing it the record sounds pretty bad. A great way of getting an idea of how much it has been played is to look at the stickers around the hole of the LP. The labels pretty much are always made of paper and most people when putting on a LP will just miss the spindle. This will cause it to rub a little when going on. You can sometimes tip the LP a bit for a better look getting the light to shine on it. If there are tons of marks I would stay clear. 

Also the tip above can be used to get money off. Selling as "brand new" as I see some shops and e bay people do. "here bud this has been played" see there face as they know that you ain't a daft. 

When buying second hand ask if they have another copy, that one may be far better condition. Also buying a whole batch say 5 or more is great for asking for a discount. Shops seem happy to do that for LPs and not CDs. No idea why. 

Ok now you are home any waiting to play the LP. Not so fast, take off the wrapping and I mean not just cut down the side and think it will protect the thing. Big mistake the wrapping can damage the cover and covers next to it. Get the LP covers from a shop. They are cheap and way better. Some decent shops sell you an LP with that as well (Like Monorail Glasgow).

Everybody knows how to clean the LP, but I find people do that even when not needing to. If the LP looks dust free leave it alone. Cleaning can be done with a micro brush again cheap and easy to find on e bay. Now the best part playing the record.

Sit back and relax as the record plays and you get the superior sound of an LP. I have done a blog on why this is so. http://29xthefun.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/hi-fi.html

I find closing the lid these days is not as important but it does keep dust at bay. also I like to leave the cover on the top. Now comes some geeky info, buy one of those click counters that bouncers use (again e bay) and click each time you play an LP or round it to say when you have played an hour. The reason is most needles last about 1000 hours and even less so on a new turntable. If the needle is over this you could be damaging the LP. And I mean real damage. A great way of telling if a needle is on its way out is records will sound a bit quieter that you remember. No that is not you getting deaf its the needle not quite getting to the whole grove. So get your needles and get many.  http://www.stylusplus.co.uk/ is as good as it gets, cheap and fast. 

Storage is easy, always store the LP on its side and as close to 90 degrees as you can. Never store flat as that can damage them. I use the packaging from the LPs in the post as a few dividers in my collection just stops any real weight hitting them. More for keeping the covers in a better condition. Talking of covers if ripped never tape them up. The tape will rot and start to make the LPs next to it look the same. 

There is a revival in buying vinyl, more to do with people now thinking it is cool to buy them. Many companies now add in the CD of the album as well. This is great for people wanting to burn the tracks for an MP3 player. If so take the CD out of the LP cover and store elsewhere as again this can get in the way when putting the LP in and out also it can damage the cover , more so leave a mark where it sits. 

Pretty much all the LPs made now will be worth money in the future, record collecting is back and I think in 20 years time it will be as good as the 70s so look after them. Just think of the kids now getting into the back cataloge of Queen and who have a big bag of money to buy the originals. I sold an Iron Maiden album (X Factor) on e bay for £130 as there has never been a reprint and may new fans want the LPs. So look after em and they will look after you. 

If you really get into collecting then you are going down a road of nerdiness you may never get back from. I have sold an LP to someone simply due to when it was printed in the factory. On many older LPs the LP will be pressed with the master. When making say 300,000 albums the master will need to be remade. Look at an old record and in the run out groves are markings like A1 B1. This tends to reflect what master you have. Not always thou but it is a good way of seeing what era LP you have. Some people say the first master is the best some like me don't care that much and some like to collect all the A1 A3s and all that. 

"A Porky Prime Cut" is also as nerdy as it gets. Look at where the grooves end. Here you can find all manor of messages to the buyer/fan. One mastering engineer and possibly regarded the best was George Peckham or Porky for short. Added his own little messages to albums. His messages could be of a political status and sometimes a personal opinion on the LP. His markings were added to people and bands could tell who mastered the LP. HE is the reason Black Sabbath albums sound so good. Some people collect his his LPs that have odd messages. 

 Something that ahoys me is when people say they don't like vinyl as it sounds all hissy and crackles. Not so if you look after them, follow what I say and an LP will sound as good in 20 years as it does now. Many of my records don't crackle and hiss. Also add in a decent turntable and HI FI and are sorted.  

I may add to this when I remember some other things.