Remembering the Lost Art of Kitschy Album Covers

One of the things I miss the most of my childhood is the record store. I loved buying albums. They were big and you can hold them in your hands unlike mp3 files. I couldn't wait to get them home and drop them on my turn table. Because albums were big there was a whole art to the jacket cover. Classic albums had a cover aesthetic, (like the celebrated beauty of Blue Note Jazz albums). Album covers even had enough space for liner notes (remember them)? Many were written with this bizarre salesperson schmaltz telling you about the investment you should be making in buying this album.

There have been waves of vinyl revival. But this blog is dedicated to remembering a lost kitschy vinyl Americana. Many of these covers seem down right weird by today's standards. Some invoke the classic 1950s subdued sexuality, innuendo and cocktail culture. Today we have lost the context to understand some of the marketing campaigns and the ad execs who thought of these covers. But at least we can still enjoy them and mock them here before these records disappear for good.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Skankin' the Night Away



Now this is an amazing album cover, "The Ska." Do you need to say more? This may be better than the man with a harmonica. Sadly, I do not own it. But I need to. I am not sure what is going on here. I think its supposed to capture the frenetic energy of ska music and girls. But the pictures chosen are not selling me. In fact, I am not sure what these pictures are selling. Like that persons ass at the end: Sexy? Ska? Desmond Dekker?

Which brings us to my burning question for the night. Who was in charge of designing this album cover? Part of the design is classic, kind of like a template. But was the person under a deadline? Was the designer drunk? Were they a drunk intern under a deadline? I mean its Warner Brothers after all. Think about all the money Warner has and the person who designed this sleeve grabs four random pictures found stuffed in a suitcase at the Salvation Army.

Crazy!

I must give credit where credit is due. I found the picture at this great website. Go check it out!
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1 comment:

  1. The StenzJune 8, 2010 at 5:52 PM

    I've heard of Ska before, but never "The Ska". Is that like a brand new dance that all the hep cats are doing? I am curious about what the cover of Volume 1 looks like.

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