Remember those? \u00a0The cool art work that adorned a record cover, 8 track, cassette or CD.<\/p>\n
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A week or so ago, I was farming. \u00a0Big fun. \u00a0I have a bluetooth speaker that I use in the tractor and on the gator. \u00a0It plays tunes from my phone. \u00a0Depending on \u00a0the song, the album cover shows on my iPhone for each song. \u00a0Some of these are memorable, some forgettable, some are just out right art and others served their purpose as a marketing tactic. \u00a0I bounced around in the Big John 4640 thinking about writing a blog about album covers. \u00a0Then, I got off the tractor and forgot about it.<\/p>\n
Then I got a text from a loyal reader in western Kansas. \u00a0Kratzer, I mean you. \u00a0He texted me a pic of one of the best album covers of all-time. \u00a0Ironically, it was the same album cover that showed up on my phone that made me think about this stuff. \u00a0Let’s rank them. \u00a0Will that one be #1? \u00a0Let’s see.<\/p>\n
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Honorable mention–let’s get started with some cool stuff!<\/p>\n
Just because you have to—The Beatles with Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. \u00a0Well, we got that out of the way.<\/p>\n
NWA–Straight Outta Compton \u00a0 \u00a0This album was huge and is still bringing it. \u00a0The pic of the group circled up is iconic.<\/p>\n
Blink 182–All the Small Things \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 OOOOOOHHHHH that picture of the nurse!!!!!!<\/p>\n
Green Day–Dookie \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Classic cool art work.<\/p>\n
KISS–lots of cool stuff on album covers<\/p>\n
Duke says anything with Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings is cool.<\/p>\n
Def Leppard with Pyromania and Hysteria. \u00a0Times two. \u00a0Cool, cool artwork.<\/p>\n
Aerosmith–Get A Grip \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Holstein cow udder. \u00a0Classic!<\/p>\n
Beastie Boys–Licensed to Ill. \u00a0One of the best cassettes that I ever owned. \u00a0The image of that plane tail still evokes happy thoughts with me.<\/p>\n
Iron Maiden–The images always looked hard. \u00a0The skeleton called Eddie became their calling card on album covers and at their concerts. \u00a0But those dudes could play and Bruce Dickinson could sing. \u00a0They were hard but good. \u00a0Their lyrics normally had a message. \u00a0But Eddie on their album covers steered people one way or the other.<\/p>\n
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#10–I was in college when this band hit the scene. \u00a0Their music took over MTV, Katt radio and everything else. \u00a0Their second album cover had to be Edited. \u00a0Nirvana was the bomb and their album Nevermind with the naked baby swimming towards a dollar was NOT Wal Mart appropriate. \u00a0The edited version had the little pecker blacked out. \u00a0Ten seems a little low for this one.<\/p>\n
#9–Simple, cool and fits the music leads us to Pink Floyd with the “Dark Side of the Moon”. \u00a0That album is one of the best selling albums of all time–any genre, any time, anywhere. \u00a0It was released in 1973 and is still selling. The album cover has been on millions of t-shirts. \u00a0The ray of light into the triangle prism with the rainbow coming out the other side is common. \u00a0So common, we don’t think about it.<\/p>\n
#8–The album cover was cool, edgy and the inside liner notes of this record was even scarier. \u00a0Guns ‘n Roses (there is your goat tie in) \u00a0 with their inaugural album \u00a0“Appetite for Destruction” was and is one of the best music compilations of all time. \u00a0The artwork held up to the music. \u00a0Cool stuff!<\/p>\n
#7–Simple, straight forward, no nonsense and one of the best rock records of all time. \u00a0The album cover was single color–just black. \u00a0But with the band’s name in a slightly lighter shade of black in one corner and the “don’t tread on me snake” in the same lighter shade of black in the opposite corner, the “black” album cover of Metallica is wicked cool.<\/p>\n
#6–The behind the story makes this album cover even better. \u00a0One of the top selling records of all time had an original cover that the band did not approve of. \u00a0But, there was a deadline. \u00a0A trash bag, a spray bottle of water, a finger writing in the wetness and the Bon Jovi album called “Slippery when Wet” had a bad donkey album cover. \u00a0I’ve actually got a story that involves Bon Jovi, the Kentucky Derby and Shattuck, OK. \u00a0Cool deal.<\/p>\n
#5–Any album cover with Shania Twain on it. \u00a0Specifically, “the woman in me” album cover was a monkey wrench kind of deal. \u00a0You see it, you hear it, you like it and well, some nuts get tightened up.<\/p>\n
#4–Here it is at #4. \u00a0RUSM? \u00a0#4. \u00a0I will not argue if you want to put it #1. \u00a0This is the album cover that had me thinking and Kratzer texting. \u00a0Van Halen with 1984. \u00a0That kid with angel wings, looking over his shoulder while holding a lit cigarette and a couple of packs of smokes in front of him. \u00a0Classic. \u00a0It fit the band, fit the time and that is one of the first two cassettes that I ever owned. \u00a0I still get in a better mood when tunes from that album hit the speakers. \u00a0GREAT ONE!<\/p>\n
#3–Maybe the best record of all time with an absolute wicked album cover that just fits. \u00a0 That’s it. \u00a0It just fits. \u00a0Like a jigsaw puzzle or a lego kit. \u00a0This cover is the right piece for the band, the songs, the times. \u00a0AC\/DC with the Back in Black record. \u00a0Simple, easy to read, straight forward–heck it even makes for a cool tattoo. \u00a0This deal is time tested. \u00a0It was released in 1980 but is still selling because of the quality of straight forward songs. \u00a0Four decades worth of kids recognize the album cover and the songs.<\/p>\n
#2–Great collection of legendary performers, songwriters, etc. \u00a0 Bad, bad, bad donkey album cover. \u00a0It is hard for me to put this one #2. \u00a0But, here it is. \u00a0It looks like a wanted poster from the old west. \u00a0It has pictures of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessie Coulter and Tompall Glaser. \u00a0They look like criminals. \u00a0The songs were great. \u00a0And then, there is a song on the album with two more criminals–Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. \u00a0Great album with a great album cover. \u00a0Put another log on the fire cuz we ain’t quite done yet.<\/p>\n
AND #1 album cover of all time——<\/p>\n
This is an easy #1 for me. \u00a0While looking through albums in TG&Y in Woodward, OK back in the 80s, there was always one that caught my eye. \u00a0It was eery. \u00a0I always wanted to buy the record just because of the artwork. \u00a0It always made me look. \u00a0Appeared to be hard rock, almost demonic. \u00a0But the artwork was exquisite. \u00a0The artwork fit the title. \u00a0It was and still is bad ass. \u00a0I never bought it. \u00a0But as I got older, and tied the music to the artist to the album cover\u2026..well, I was amazed. \u00a0Great vocals, lyrics and the backup singers and music is unreal. \u00a0The music has held true to the test of time. \u00a0Hard rock–NO! \u00a0Pianos–yes. \u00a0Great album cover that also had great music.<\/p>\n
Meat Loaf–“Like a bat out of hell”. \u00a0No doubt–the #1 album cover of all time. \u00a0Yes, it is just my opinion. \u00a0But, I am right. \u00a0Almost always.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On a side note, I just learned that they used to give an award for “Best Cocker of the Year”\u00a0for the dude that had the best fighting chicken of the year in Oklahoma. \u00a0I have a chicken story or two. \u00a0But I do not have a trophy for best cocker of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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