From slow, soul-stirring ballads like “Try Me” to the frenetic double-time of “Night Train,” James Brown Live at The Apollo, 1962 captures the Godfather of Soul in all his glory. Floor Elevator was released. These are some of my favorites (not necessarily favorite musicians, but cover arts) What ever happen to the good ol days when every album came with a poster...I miss the 70's. The most banjoing-est band on Earth broke through in a huge way with Babel, its second album of hard-charging, old-timey American folk music as performed by a bunch of English guys in vests. But—more importantly—it’s Dylan in top form, perhaps the first time he truly successfully paired his unparalleled lyricism (see dynamite lines like “dropping a barbell, he points to the sky, saying ‘the sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken’” off of “Tombstone Blues”) with that rock ‘n’ roll music the kids were getting into. It is also a time when social issues were broached courageously. Author: imperium_of_bodies. Darling,” but there’s a wonderful cohesiveness to Abbey Road—it feels like a unit rather than merely a collection of strong tracks. The cover of the record counteracts how seriously the band takes itself and its music, depicting the band sitting on a bench (some of them are even smiling!) Culture . Vinylradar has made a selection with the most famous and iconic album covers from the golden decade of the psychedelia. He perfected his blend of psychedelic songwriting and wizard-like electric guitar flourishes on 1967’s Axis: Bold as Love, but on Are You Experienced?, his debut album with The Experience (drummer Mitch Mitchell, bassist Noel Redding), he harnessed the sound of a raw, thrilling power trio at the peak of its power. The development of MP3 is largely to blame for the gradual reduction in creativity surrounding album covers. Its close up of a cassette deck on a boombox instantly brought to mind the B-Boy and graffiti scene of the late 70s and 80s from which they all came. In addition to playing bass, Yule handles lead vocals on “Candy Says,” the album’s opening ode to Candy Darling (who would later famously become a subject of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”). Yes, this is the album where Aretha arrives. On Led Zeppelin, however, the group found themselves on the right side of that fine line, creating a refreshing take on the genre they heavily drew from while finding themselves as a supergroup worth taking seriously. Posted on October 28, 2019 July 1, 2020 by James. There is very little complexity or lofty metaphor use at play here, but it’s a winning album because despite the simplicity (sometimes overly so), the earnestness is impossible to ignore. My vote flops between the first two depending on my mood, but if we’re judging solely on the primordial chaos and destruction inherent in the truest rock ‘n’ roll, White Light / White Heat is clearly number one. It was designed by Klaus Voorman. No record, however, quite encapsulates The Beatles and what they represented the way that Sgt. On Forever Changes, their psych-folk masterpiece, the beauty of Love was in the sonic details, from the lonesome mariachi horns on “Alone Again Or” to the cyclical strumming on “The Daily Planet” to Arthur Lee’s voice soaring above it all, the cosmic poet, the prophet. However, we’ve barely scratched the surface; to avoid making this just a list of Beatles and Bob Dylan records, we’ve limited it to three albums per artist—which means some incredible works like Rubber Soul, The White Album and Bringing It All Back Home, while highly recommended by us, had to get bumped this time around. mbd40, Sep 20, 2020 #42. Keith Richards wrote some of his finest riffs on Let It Bleed, filling out their songs alongside Mick Jagger’s darker lyrics on war, drugs and loneliness. Despite whatever band turmoil was going on during the recording sessions, it’s arguably their most balanced record, with Lennon and McCartney each contributing songs in their distinct styles and George Harrison penning two of his finest tracks (“Here Comes The Sun” and the brilliant “Something”). That’s what turns an otherwise run-of-the-mill folk album into a classic. —Ryan Reed, The Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed on Dec. 5, 1969. It’s like listening to a smile, and no matter how many cheesy romantic comedies it soundtracks, that never gets old. This album includes the singles “I Started a Joke” and “I’ve Got a Message to You”. Just this past week, Forever Changes was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, and it’s about damn time. The result is some of ol’ Robert Zimmerman’s finest material, including the title track, “Desolation Row,” “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train to Cry,” and of course, his masterpiece, “Like A Rolling Stone.” So, “how does it feel”? Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles was the most expensive album cover that has ever been made. Even the ballads never sacrifice energy for emotion. Anthem of the Sun – Grateful Dead. This album came during the time that they were challenged with continuing the success of their debut single “Incense and Peppermints”. Recorded and released during America’s infamous spring and summer of 1968 (the murders of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, Chicago’s violent Democratic Convention, Vietnam’s Tet Offensive), Joplin’s rasp explosively melded with the band’s psychedelic vibrations and often overlooked guitar prowess. The vocal quartet of Mary and Betty Weiss and Marge and Mary Anne Ganser imbued the lush, saccharine girl-group sound with a creeping darkness. https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/1960s/best-albums-of-the-1960s The band members are Jim Morrison on lead vocals, Ray Manzarek on keyboards, Robby Krieger on lead guitars and John Densmore on drums. It was designed by the in-house art department at UNI Records. This cover art represented a charming cross-section of cultures, importance, and as well as individual interests of each member of the Beatles. Idea – Bee Gees. Singing in three-part harmony, these big-haired gals proved that serenading is a team sport. The Iconic Jazz Album Covers of Blue Note Records posted by Jason Kottke Dec 03, 2018 In part 2 of Earworm’s series on jazz, Estelle Caswell talks to producer Michael Cuscuna about the iconic album covers of Blue Note Records. Still progressive and going where no other player would, he explored mystical, melodic turns on “Little Wing,” “Castles Made of Sand” and the title track. The social and political climate of the late 1960s had huge influences on many artists of the time, and Davis’ takeaway was incorporating some more rock ‘n’ roll sounds while still staying true to his jazz roots, a line he expertly toes on In A Silent Way. The Anthem of the Sun is the 2nd album of Grateful Dead, and it was released in 1968. Impacting from the core, with its shifting tension and release, rising epiphanies and startling solos, Sketches conjures feelings from deep, deep sources. With songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Girl From North Country,” “Masters of War,” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” that are still in Dylan’s set list nearly half a century later, ‘Freewheelin’ is an album whose music will outlive everyone who’s reading this. The record pushed British psychedelia into a new pretty pop territory with celebrated classics like “This Will Be Our Year” and—from a time before crooning “who’s your daddy?” was all kinds of creepy—”Time of the Season.” Shockingly, the record never made much of an impression in the band’s homeland; however, the lasting impression left in the States still resounds in the most harmonic way. The cover photo was taken in London and the ‘K. —Adam Vitcavage, After finding it impossible to make a living north of the border, a young Leonard Cohen joined a long list of Canadian expatriates that included Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot who migrated to America during the mid-’60s in pursuit of a career in folk music. See how well you really remember the music and albums of the 1970s by taking this quiz and answering questions about the music at the time. It resembles a mandala which incorporates the similarities of the band members’ heads. Tambourine Man.” Suddenly aligned with a hardcore right-wing genre, stereotypes were shattered—not with Clarence White’s electric guitar, but pools of Jay Dee Maness and Lloyd Green’s plangent steel. The iconic album cover represented the rise of rock n’ roll with a guitar, rather than a piano, at front and centre. In the 60s, Sgt. Along with now-classic hits like the title track, she delivered outstanding covers of songs that, on paper, shouldn’t be touched, like “Drown in My Own Tears” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come”—and she more than did them justice. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (SMAS-2653) from 1967. The album was recorded live, appropriately enough at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom, but as the band’s later studio albums would prove, it was the only way to capture the restless amp-crankers. —Josh Jackson, Capturing the spirit of San Francisco’s musical and cultural shifts, Robert Crumb’s iconic cover contributed almost as much to the album’s success as singer Janis Joplin’s iconic voice. It features a simple but iconic album cover art with pink and yellow flowers that looks like an abstract as well. This album is an experimental amalgam that is neither a live album or a studio album. Between the exuberant seven opening minutes of “Astral Weeks” and the slow-and-steady fade of “Slim Slow Slider,” Morrison invites listeners to feel the full range of human emotions through his vivid stream-of-consciousness approach. Let It Bleed closes with “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” wrapping up the last great album released in the ‘60s. It’s all about basics here, but with unexpected textural twists: happy strumming guitar melodies and gorgeous harmonies juxtaposed with sad-bastard, forget-it-all lyrics. During its release in the 60s, the Zombies maintained that the misspelling was intentional. 1/58. The album’s recording started shortly after chief Beach Boys songwriter Brian Wilson—who battled with depression, anxiety and other mental issues while on tour with the group—left the road in 1965 to focus on studio recording. Cases could be made for Rubber Soul, Revolver, The Beatles (White Album) or Abbey Road to claim this spot. See more ideas about album covers, album cover art, album art. And the album never sounds like a patchwork, partly due to guitarist Jimmy Page’s groundbreaking production, and also due to the band’s well-rehearsed power and finesse. With this, George Kinney remained a loner figure in the music worlds in the following decades until the Golden Dawn reemerged in 2001 when this album, Power Plant, became an iconic psychedelic legend on the international stage. In closing out a volatile decade, it offers reassurance and hope in the simplest of messages—complete with a celestial choir to bring it all on home. Just so long as they know. Wake Up … It’s Tomorrow – Strawberry Alarm Clock. It’s the first of a series that will include the best album covers of music history of the last 50 years. —Holly Gleason, While many of their contemporaries were foraying into psychedelia, the Stones went in the opposite direction with 1968’s Beggars Banquet, delving deeper into their roots to write one of their bluesiest records to date. It would be years before the band finally stepped out of their borderline-derivative blues-meets-rock fusion. The album’s crown jewel, however, is the classic “Son of a Preacher Man”—a landmark moment for blue-eyed soul. Tweet. This album was named based on chapter 7 of the book The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. May 2, 2019 - Explore Davey Love's board "50s, 60s, and 70s Record Covers! It features a simple but iconic album cover art with pink and yellow flowers that looks like an abstract as well. The songs produced during these times has expressive, lyrical tunes, and hip turning pieces. An archetypal “splatter platter,” “Leader of The Pack” was just one of many teenage tragedy sides the Shangri-Las would cut, making them something of icons in macabre sub-genre. Parsons’ enduring “Hickory Wind,” a wistful song of time spent growing up, embodies what’s to come, stands out along with his “100 Years From Now.” Considered a failure when it was released, the visionary adaptation of country & western with California rock and pop paved the way for The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Poco and Emmylou Harris. It’s more of a quiet, unpretentious gem, less slathered in sunscreen than previous releases, more soaked in its namesake. A live version of that and cuts like “Piece of My Heart” would shoot Joplin into stardom and, sadly, martyrdom when she died just two years later of a heroin overdose. It’s the audio definition of “cool.” —Beca Grimm, Jazz has a supernatural presence when crafted correctly. Residents pose in the midst of moody lighting, don the same tattoos, and (in the case of David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album) even have their faces painted. Voodoo Chile was a #1 hit in the UK while the cover of Bob Dylan‘s All Along The Watchtowermade it to #5. In the digital era, album covers may be considered a thing of the past. Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (1971) In a letter to Sticky Fingers' sleeve designer Andy Warhol, Mick … The cover art of albums in this decade are as colorful as the music they are representing. It took Disraeli Gears 26 years to go platinum in the U.S., but that only goes to prove the importance it continues to have over the decades. See more ideas about album covers, album, record sleeves. The songs produced during these times has expressive, lyrical tunes, and hip turning pieces. Since its release in 1966, countless bands have tried to imitate the album’s sound, and every psych-oriented group from The Jesus and Mary Chain to The Black Angels are in some way indebted to The Elevators and their visionary frontman Roky Erickson. Beastie+Boys:+License+To+Ill Back in the time of vinyl, this cover was a … The album went on to sell over six million copies, who knows how many were based solely on the strength of its cover. —Ross Bonaime, Not only the most challenging and polarizing album on this list, but quite possibly ever recorded, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band’s 1969 relic, Trout Mask Replica, still remains ahead of its time over four decades after its initial release. Like the album’s iconic artwork, the group’s music offers a brilliant and spontaneous sonic hodgepodge, cohesively sewn together and perfectly soundtracking the ever-changing times of the 1960s. But, speaking from personal experience, it’s an album that will likely break you down and bitch-slap you repeatedly before it blows your mind. I’m not even mad a whole generation of music listeners probably only know the song because Amber Riley sang it on Glee. Here, the group showcases its knack for telling stories and, through lyrics and pure power, inspiring empathy in listeners, whether it be for the poor family farmer (“King Harvest (Has Surely Come)”) or the enemy of enemies, the Confederate soldier (“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”). Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band does. Axis: Bold as Love – The Jimi Hendrix Experience. —Beca Grimm, This 1967 concept album challenged the idea of rock ’n’ roll converging with commercial success and profit. Then there’s the tumultuous storm which cools the horizon (“Part IV: Psalm”). Iconic Psychedelic album covers from the 60s German Pizarro March 4, 2019 2 Comments. Heavy on theremin and teenage romanticism, it’s surprising Honey wasn’t packed with radio hits. It’s the logical next step after Bringing It All Back Home, expanding upon the electric sounds he played with on that record. But the beauty of The Ronettes is that they exist out of time, untarnished by a bloody-handed history that dates back to the early ‘70s, when Ronnie Spector divorced psychotic husband/producer Phil. Point of Departure. The design is on t-shirts. —Ryan Bort, Picking “the greatest” Beatles album is like a mother picking her favorite child: You know you really shouldn’t, and saying “They’re all equal” is an appropriate response, even if you secretly know the truth. But it is still an iconic cover that is psychedelic. Classic Album Covers of the 60s - Over 200 of the Best Covers of the Decade West’ sign was just a coincidence, but many fans of the album developed all kinds of theories about what it might mean, with many suggesting it … It still remains as a pop art masterwork, which has influenced many other designs, including The Yellow Album by The Simpsons, and Frank Zappa’s We’re Only in It for the Money. —Patty Miranda, Her subsequent LP was titled Aretha Arrives, but it was actually this release that ushered the Queen of Soul into the mainstream. mbd40, Sep 20, 2020 #42. This helped them save a lot of money because color labs for special effects during that time were very expensive. The release of this album in 1966 was suspended by International artists, until after the Easter Everywhere album by the 13. 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