Artist: Larry Coryell / Alphonse Mouzon
Title: Back Together Again
Label: Atlantic
Catalog: SD18220
Year: 1977
Genre: jazz
Art Direction: Bob Defrin
Cover art: Roger Huyssen
Grade: **** stars
Okay, the jazzy tunes don't do much for my ears, but Roger Huyssen's playful cover always makes me smile. The man's responsible for a dazzling array of commercial art including commercials (he's worked for Coke and M&M),movies, as well as designng over 50 album covers. Most are for jazz artists, but there are some exceptions, including a couple of the iconic Boston LPs and James Brown's "Sex Machine Today".
He has an interesting website at: http://www.rogerhuyssen.com/
Artist: Kenny Loggins
Title: Vox Humana
Label: Columba
Catalog: FC39174
Year: 1985
Genre: pop
Cover Design: Michael Gonzales
Cover art: Michael Gonzales
Grade: * star
Seriously, why would any marketing company have said "yeah, love the cover concept on this one ...". If this had been submitted to you as a high school art project you would have suggested the student consider taking some sort of woodworking class. Dreadful cover.
Artist: Little Feat
Title: Waiting for Columbus
Label: Warner Brothers
Catalog: 2BS 3140
Year: 1978
Genre: rock
Cover Design: Neon Park
Cover art: Neon Park
Grade: **** stars
This double album live collection was a turntable mainstay for me when I was in college. The mixture of rock, country and funkier moves was almost magical and I was always amazed and how good Little Feat sounded in a live setting. Okay, the magic of post-production may have helped a little bit. And then there was the late Neon Park's fascinating cover ... "Waiting for Columbus" was the seventh Little Feat album cover he designed and with the possible exception of "Sailin' Shoes", the best. If nothing else, it's the best album cover I've ever seen featuring an anthropomorphic tomato.
There are lots of sites devoted to Park's career. You can find one of the better ones, including some information on his links to Little Feat at this one:
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/p/park_neon.htm
and anyone curious to sample this wonderful album can start with "Fat Man In the Bathroom":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS1k205YA1s
Okay, the jazzy tunes don't do much for my ears, but Roger Huyssen's playful cover always makes me smile. The man's responsible for a dazzling array of commercial art including commercials (he's worked for Coke and M&M),movies, as well as designng over 50 album covers. Most are for jazz artists, but there are some exceptions, including a couple of the iconic Boston LPs and James Brown's "Sex Machine Today".
