Five Albums with Cover Art That Disturbed Me As a Kid

Fans of the vinyl LP often bemoan the fact that they no longer get a nice sleeve with big pretty pictures upon which to gaze when listening to new tunes. I can understand that, but at the same time I remember a few times when I was freaked out by an LP's cover art. Mind you, this was when I was a kid and my little mind was fresh for the taking when it came to rock and roll imagery I could never unsee. So let us celebrate a few of those examples now, which will undoubtedly be more amusing than wiggy.

Paul McCartney and Wings

Red Rose Speedway

I remember distinctly not liking this photo of Paulie with a big rose shoved in his mouth. I think it was also the expression on his face that to me looked like he wasn't enjoying that at all and may indeed be suffocating from it. Nowadays I find his mullet from this period to be more disturbing, with his wife Linda's even more so.

Nazareth

Hair of the Dog

This is exactly the kind of shit that can freak the mind out of a four or five-year-old's skull when they're gazing at it in full LP size.  Sure, from an older person's point of view it's just plain shitty, but this whatever-the-hell-it-is creature is the kinda crap that could jump out of your closet at night and make you listen to "Love Hurts" as it poked at your flesh with its pointy bits.   Not fun at all.

AC/DC

Powerage

I completely recall the first time I ever saw this cover.  I was a wee lad and was popping a squat on the toilet.  Somehow the bathroom door wound up opening and I looked out to my left into my brother's bedroom.  There in the dark, only lit from the natural ambient light floating in was Angus Young screaming violently in pain since his hands had been torn off and replaced with...wires.  Hmmm.  OK, yeah, well, it was the look on his face more than the wires that got to me.  Had I just gone in there and turned the album over to see the back cover photo of the band goofing off...I probably still would have been freaked.

UFO
Obsession

My brother had this one as well (actually he owned all of these except the last one in the list).  I would love just sitting and flipping through his box of albums and looking at the cover photos.  That is, until the one day this one showed up.  This fucking shit scared the fucking shit out of me when it suddenly appeared.  Why did those dudes have weird-ass silver balls covering up their facial bits?  Why was the dude in the back just standing there not caring?  Were they on a UFO?  Were the dudes in the front evil?  Were they going to hurt the dude in the back?  I didn't know and I quickly stopped looking at it.  Again, these days it just looks like shit.

Ozzy Osbourne
Speak of the Devil

I saw this one in a record store when it was new and I didn't like it.  I didn't like it when weird shit was coming out of dude's mouths.  I thought, "This guy must be pure evil."  Of course, this was the early '80s right before the PMRC came along and did indeed try to convince parents that dudes like Ozzy were not good for their kids.  Later on, I realized that he wasn't evil at all and made some groovy tunes on his own and with Black Sabbath.  It's still a crap cover, though.

New podcast episode is alive and well!

And so is this blog, dammit! Sorry, was bit of a wacky last week so the posts weren't as plentiful. Anyway, after a couple weeks out, there is a new Camel Ike podcast episode ready to enjoy. Lots of groovy tunes packed in there, so please dig it, won't you?

Lou Reed: Hater of Beatles and British rock in general.

Oh, Lou, how I love thee.  Your way of saying anything outrageous in a deadpan manner has always been your trademark.  Let's forget all about how you recorded your first three albums over in England and have also been quoted in regards to your love for how the Beatles wrote so many groovy tunes.  And how Bowie basically gave you a career.  You rock, Lou.

Reviews from the Spark Plug - Billy Joel's The Stranger

Billy Joel

The Stranger

Rating: *****

I used to have a sheet set just like the one on Billy's bed there on the front cover.  I didn't have an awesome mask to ponder, however.  Billy looks at the mask and wonders if it was the right thing to have next to him, having already decided that his old boxing gloves were a nice touch on the back wall.  Perhaps the mask is too much.  He gets paranoid.  He remembers that he forgot to put on his shoes.  He wonders why he went to bed in his suit. The mask wants a kiss.

Reviews from the Spark Plug - The Velvet Underground's Another View

The Velvet Underground

Another View

Rating: *** 1/2

Once again Moe Tucker gets the shaft and is barely visible behind the V here.  Livin' down in Georgia workin' at Wal-Mart and peepin' out behind the V.  Do you think people who might stumble across a VU album at Wal-Mart check out through Moe's line and make the connection?  Standing there with the CD and a cartload of NASCAR shit, live bait, some cookies from the bakery and assorted shirts that say such things as "Hottie," "Sexy Grandma," and "Hugs Are Best From Best Friends."  That's true utopia, my friends.

(Still) talkin' 'bout The Who.

Hey! I must just be right on time or ahead of the curve or whatever. I dunno, call me crazy. But you remember before, right down there, when I was talking about how many damn times The Who's biggest tracks have been regurgitated by Universal Music? Well, if you've been waiting for yet another, have I got news for you. let me introduce you to Universal's Icon series, one of which features our heroes:

This little number is known as Icon 1.  Because if that's not enough, then hold your hats because...

Yes!  It's Icon 2, which is just Icon 1 with a second disc of hits larded on!  And yeah, that's the same freakin' artwork from the old Who's Better, Who's Best compilation that came out in the late '80s.  Future generations are going to get the idea that The Who actually never recorded any full-length albums, and instead merely crapped out compilations over and over of the same 12-24 tracks.

Now that's some mileage, kids.

Lennon's test for echo.

What too much echo will do to you.

That John Lennon sure was a creative guy, wasn't he?  With and without his buddy Paul McCartney, he created some of the most creative and classic rock tunes known in the universe.  With Yoko Ono, he alienated and confounded a lot of folks, but he still remained true to his own artistic vision and did whatever the hell he wanted.

During his Beatles tenure, John found that he really liked the echo effect on his voice.  Apparently (according to whatever tale you read and/or choose to believe) Lennon was self conscious of his own singing voice and felt a little more bolstered with having a bit of echo thrown on top.  It wasn't as obvious in the beginning, but by the time 1965 and 1966 rolled around and the Fabs became more creative in the recording studio, John was all about the echo.

Under George Martin's tasteful guidance, the echo was pretty cool.  Once the Beatles disbanded, however, the effect turned into a different sort of beast.  Lennon was suddenly throwing it all over everything, and producer pals like Phil Spector were only too happy to indulge him.  It's right there on "Mother" on Plastic Ono Band.  It was ladled on in gallons on "Give Peace a Chance" and only held back slightly in a more compressed, gated effect on "Cold Turkey."

"Instant Karma," "Power to the People," "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and even the old favorite "Imagine" are echo city, baby.  And if that wasn't enough, John also loved to throw in greasy saxophone solos that bogged down the tubes.  Hey, have you ever heard "Beef Jerky" or "Touch Me"?





I think the sound of the tree falling in the latter says it all, really. Hoo boy.