BRIAN ENO "ANOTHER GREEN WORLD"

Artist: Brian Eno

Album: Another Green World
Label: Island

Catalog: ILPS 9351
Year: 1975
Genre: progressive
Grading: VG+ cover / VG+ LP
Quantity: 1

Art Designer: Tom Phillips
Photography:  not applicable

Grade: **** star



Okay, I'll readily admit the music on "Another Green World" is somewhat of an acquired taste, though the album has actually grown on me over the years.  The cover is was taken from a larger painting by Tom Phillips entitled After Raphael.  Painted in by Phillips in 1973, London's Tate gallery now owns the original.  

This is one of those album covers where I'm at a loss to explain why I find it so appealing.  Maybe it's the childlike simplicity of the work ?   My wife would tell you simpleton is an apt description for my personality and behavior, so maybe that's why I identify with the cover.

LAURA NYRO "THE FIRST SONGS"

Artist: Laura Nyro

Album: The First Songs
Label: Verve Forecast

Catalog: FTS 3020
Year: 1969
Genre: pop
Grading: VG+ cover / VG+ LP
Quantity: 1

Art Designer: Murray Laden
Photography:  Murray Laden

Grade: **** star


Is Laura Nyro one of America's most famous unknowns ?   She's been elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Jackson Browne (whom she briefly dated), Alice Cooper, and Todd Rundgren are all massive fans.  She still has a legion of fans committed to spreading the word of Laura Nyro.  Sadly, only 49, she died of ovarian cancer in April 1997. 

I bought this album in high school; gave it a couple of spins and then filed it away thinking it wasn't particularly commercial, or enjoyable.   Shows you what a schmuck I was.  A rerelease of her 1967 debut "Laura Nyro More Than a New Discovery", the album's a classic (even if Nyro largely disowned it).   The cover is also stunning.   One of the best photos ever taken of Nyro.   She just beams happiness.

CAL TJADER "SOUL SAUCE"

Artist: Cal Tjader

Album: Soul Sauce
Label: Verve

Catalog: V 8614
Year: 1975
Genre: jazz
Grading: VG+ cover / VG+ LP
Quantity: 1

Art Designer: Acy Lehman
Photography:  Murray Laden

Grade: **** star


Just like Bluenote album covers, there's something fascinating about mid-'60s Verve covers.  I'm not even a big Cal Tjarder fan, but I've spent way too much time staring at this album cover.   It isn't fancy.  It isn't a high concept piece of art.  It's just a fun and clever idea which should appeal to anyone who liked Tjader's Latin jazz stylings, or at least enjoyed a good plate of Latin food.

LES MCCANN "LIVE AT BOHEMIAN CAVERNS - WASHINGTON, D.C."

Artist: Les McCann

Album: Live at Bohemian Caverns - Washington, D.C.
Label: Limelight

Catalog: LS 86046
Year: 1967
Genre: jazz
Grading: VG+ cover / VG+ LP
Quantity: 1

Art Designer: not listed
Photography:  not applicable

Grade: ***** star


There's just something stunning about his album cover.  It reflects a nifty blend of bright colors, a '60s mod feel, and  whatI suspect was a not-so-subtle slice of political commentary. 

I was eight years old when McCann recorded this album in Washington, D.C.'s Bohemooam Caverns (once again open and hosting shows).  Compared to today, the city was still very much a Southern enclave, meaning there were large sections of the community where someone like McCann was unwelcome.   I'm guess the Capitol dome on McCann's head was meant to highlight that disconnect.    Regardless of whether it was intended as a political statement, it made for a stunning cover.