Cover Stories (alternative, country, bass, house, pop)

right-track · 06-23-2008, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

I was reading up on that cover.

Apparently it was a painting in Frank Zappa's house

"Yes, I am the same person who did the painting used on the Alice Cooper album, Pretties for You. Actually, that was the title of the painting, which Frank Zappa then used for the album. Frank, a friend of mine, was visiting my studio one day, bought two paintings he wanted to used for album covers, one for Alice Cooper, another for the Mothers of Invention. The two paintings purchased: 'Pretties for You' and 'The Four Apostles'. Both ended up in Frank's home, 'Pretties for you' in the main livingroom, and 'Apostles' in the downstairs music studio. Who knows what happened to them after Frank's death. I'm still in touch with his brother, Bobby, but not his wife or kids.
The idea behind the painting are the dreams and regrets of old men on the occasion of their death. It was inspired by the funeral of an Italian movie director who died in '68 or '69. There was a photo layout in Life magazine, I think it was, detailing the funeral. They had photos of the old director, and I liked his look, especially his hat. I tried to imagine his thoughts at his own funeral. Death is the fate of us all, of course, and I suppose the moment defines us as human beings... given the reality, however absurd it may seem to us, that we are born only to die."

OK, the above post in the 'Crap Album Covers...' gave me the idea for this thread.
Find out the background story to the album cover art of an album you love.
Even if this thread doesn't run and run (which it probably won't) at least it'll be interesting.

ashtray · 06-23-2008, 04:03 PM

Well this one is notorious for being one of the most (if not the most) controversial album covers ever. The Scorpions - Virgin Killer. Title alone is enough but check out original artwork.

Yeah just a little controversy. I'm not much of a writer but here is the alternative cover they had to release later in certain countries. Also here is a link to the entire story about it on wiki. Virgin Killer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Urban Hat€monger ? · 06-23-2008, 04:06 PM

It's September 21st, 1979, at a Clash show at New York's Palladium, and Paul Simonon's bass has only seconds to live. "The show had gone quite well," says Simonon, "but for me inside, it just wasn't working well, so I suppose I took it out on the bass. If I was smart, I would have got the spare bass and used that one, because it wasn't as good as the one I smashed up." Simonon still has the pieces.

The moment was preserved by photographer Pennie Smith for the cover of the Clash's third album, London Calling, a visionary musical sampler that explores R&B, ska, rockabilly and other genres. "If you're a painter or a musician," says Simonon, "you get your research from the past and you mix it with what's affecting you today." The photo does just that, harking back to Pete Townshend's traditional set-ending tantrum. The typography is another rock homage: It was lifted from Elvis Presley's first album. "When that Elvis record came out, rock & roll was pretty dangerous," says Simonon. "And I suppose when we brought out our record, it was pretty dangerous stuff, too."

Besides smashing his good bass, Simonon does have one other regret about the cover. "When I look at it now," he says, "I wish I'd lifted my face a bit more."

ashtray · 06-23-2008, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

It's September 21st, 1979, at a Clash show at New York's Palladium, and Paul Simonon's bass has only seconds to live. "The show had gone quite well," says Simonon, "but for me inside, it just wasn't working well, so I suppose I took it out on the bass. If I was smart, I would have got the spare bass and used that one, because it wasn't as good as the one I smashed up." Simonon still has the pieces.

The moment was preserved by photographer Pennie Smith for the cover of the Clash's third album, London Calling, a visionary musical sampler that explores R&B, ska, rockabilly and other genres. "If you're a painter or a musician," says Simonon, "you get your research from the past and you mix it with what's affecting you today." The photo does just that, harking back to Pete Townshend's traditional set-ending tantrum. The typography is another rock homage: It was lifted from Elvis Presley's first album. "When that Elvis record came out, rock & roll was pretty dangerous," says Simonon. "And I suppose when we brought out our record, it was pretty dangerous stuff, too."

Besides smashing his good bass, Simonon does have one other regret about the cover. "When I look at it now," he says, "I wish I'd lifted my face a bit more."

I find that odd about the face thing. I think it's bloody well perfect the way it is.

right-track · 06-23-2008, 04:25 PM

Talking Heads - 'Little Creatures'

The Reverend Howard Finster.

Smiling angels swoop across the cerulean sky, trees and mountains rise amidst "twenty-six wholesome verses", and David Byrne carries the world on his shoulders like a post-modern Atlas. The painting was the cover of the Talking Heads’ album Little Creatures, Rolling Stone’s album cover of the year in 1985 and the pop world’s introduction to an eccentric preacher/artist named Howard Finster.

"I think there's twenty-six religious verses on that first cover I done for them. They sold a million records in the first two and a half months after it come out, so that's twenty-six million verses I got out into the world in two and a half months! That's more than I ever reached in the forty-five years I was pastoring. The rock-and-rollers are my missionaries."

Finster also collaborated on a painting for the cover of R.E.M.'s second album Reckoning.

Finster (and his art) also appears in the band's video for "Shiny Happy People" as the man riding the bike that's moving the background of artwork.

ashtray · 06-23-2008, 04:36 PM

That's awesome it's so Talking Heads. Heh the house at the top right almost looks in motion.

right-track · 06-23-2008, 04:41 PM

Here's what he has to say about the UFO's;

Several people have seen UFO’s and they’ve described them, ya know. I had a vision going 200 light-years away. My son that was borned in space and I was buried in space and my grandsons grew up in space. I have visions of other worlds and that’s why I’m a stranger in this world…people should know that there’s other planets with life on ‘em…

Jesus came from an inhabited planet. He didn’t come from the barnyard or just over thar’. He came from the greatest inhabited planet where there’s streets of gold and mansions of gold and cities with everything…why don’t people here believe in [other] planets inhabited? I don’t see what’s the matter with people here.

ashtray · 06-23-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by right-track

Here's what he has to say about the UFO's;

Several people have seen UFO’s and they’ve described them, ya know. I had a vision going 200 light-years away. My son that was borned in space and I was buried in space and my grandsons grew up in space. I have visions of other worlds and that’s why I’m a stranger in this world…people should know that there’s other planets with life on ‘em…

Jesus came from an inhabited planet. He didn’t come from the barnyard or just over thar’. He came from the greatest inhabited planet where there’s streets of gold and mansions of gold and cities with everything…why don’t people here believe in [other] planets inhabited? I don’t see what’s the matter with people here.

Not as crazy as you'd think. Check out this thread from Suprbay
3 Earth-like planets discovered - Suprbay Forum
Now that's crazy.

WaspStar · 06-23-2008, 04:53 PM

(I'm doing this from memory, so I might have some of the details wrong)

Elliot Landy (who shot promo photos for The Band, Van Morrison, etc.) was commissioned to do the cover shot for Nashville Skyline, Dylan's first "country" album. He handed him George Harrison's (or Johnny Cash's, depending on who tells the story) guitar and took a handful of pictures. The two started goofing off, with Dylan suggesting weird angles and positions. Landy just kept clicking his camera, at one point kneeling down on the ground and shooting up at his subject. That's the shot that made the cover.

Hell, that was more boring and pointless than I thought, but it's the only "cover story" I know.

jackhammer · 06-23-2008, 05:03 PM

Light through a prism. 'nuff said.

06-23-2008, 04:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	It's September 21st, 1979, at a Clash show at New York's Palladium, and Paul Simonon's bass has only seconds to live. "The show had gone quite well," says Simonon, "but for me inside, it just wasn't working well, so I suppose I took it out on the bass. If I was smart, I would have got the spare bass and used that one, because it wasn't as good as the one I smashed up." Simonon still has the pieces. The moment was preserved by photographer Pennie Smith for the cover of the Clash's third album, London Calling, a visionary musical sampler that explores R&B, ska, rockabilly and other genres. "If you're a painter or a musician," says Simonon, "you get your research from the past and you mix it with what's affecting you today." The photo does just that, harking back to Pete Townshend's traditional set-ending tantrum. The typography is another rock homage: It was lifted from Elvis Presley's first album. "When that Elvis record came out, rock & roll was pretty dangerous," says Simonon. "And I suppose when we brought out our record, it was pretty dangerous stuff, too." Besides smashing his good bass, Simonon does have one other regret about the cover. "When I look at it now," he says, "I wish I'd lifted my face a bit more." __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

06-23-2008, 05:03 PM	#10 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Light through a prism. 'nuff said. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

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06-23-2008, 04:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
ashtray Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canerrrrduuuh Posts: 134	Well this one is notorious for being one of the most (if not the most) controversial album covers ever. The Scorpions - Virgin Killer. Title alone is enough but check out original artwork. Yeah just a little controversy. I'm not much of a writer but here is the alternative cover they had to release later in certain countries. Also here is a link to the entire story about it on wiki. Virgin Killer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

06-23-2008, 04:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
right-track Atchin' Akai Join Date: May 2005 Location: Unamerica Posts: 8,723	Talking Heads - 'Little Creatures' The Reverend Howard Finster. Smiling angels swoop across the cerulean sky, trees and mountains rise amidst "twenty-six wholesome verses", and David Byrne carries the world on his shoulders like a post-modern Atlas. The painting was the cover of the Talking Heads’ album Little Creatures, Rolling Stone’s album cover of the year in 1985 and the pop world’s introduction to an eccentric preacher/artist named Howard Finster. "I think there's twenty-six religious verses on that first cover I done for them. They sold a million records in the first two and a half months after it come out, so that's twenty-six million verses I got out into the world in two and a half months! That's more than I ever reached in the forty-five years I was pastoring. The rock-and-rollers are my missionaries." Finster also collaborated on a painting for the cover of R.E.M.'s second album Reckoning. Finster (and his art) also appears in the band's video for "Shiny Happy People" as the man riding the bike that's moving the background of artwork.

06-23-2008, 04:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
ashtray Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canerrrrduuuh Posts: 134	That's awesome it's so Talking Heads. Heh the house at the top right almost looks in motion.

06-23-2008, 04:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
right-track Atchin' Akai Join Date: May 2005 Location: Unamerica Posts: 8,723	Here's what he has to say about the UFO's; Several people have seen UFO’s and they’ve described them, ya know. I had a vision going 200 light-years away. My son that was borned in space and I was buried in space and my grandsons grew up in space. I have visions of other worlds and that’s why I’m a stranger in this world…people should know that there’s other planets with life on ‘em… Jesus came from an inhabited planet. He didn’t come from the barnyard or just over thar’. He came from the greatest inhabited planet where there’s streets of gold and mansions of gold and cities with everything…why don’t people here believe in [other] planets inhabited? I don’t see what’s the matter with people here.

06-23-2008, 04:53 PM	#9 (permalink)
WaspStar Back to mono Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 509	(I'm doing this from memory, so I might have some of the details wrong) Elliot Landy (who shot promo photos for The Band, Van Morrison, etc.) was commissioned to do the cover shot for Nashville Skyline, Dylan's first "country" album. He handed him George Harrison's (or Johnny Cash's, depending on who tells the story) guitar and took a handful of pictures. The two started goofing off, with Dylan suggesting weird angles and positions. Landy just kept clicking his camera, at one point kneeling down on the ground and shooting up at his subject. That's the shot that made the cover. Hell, that was more boring and pointless than I thought, but it's the only "cover story" I know.