Does it matter what a band calls itself? If the dice roll right and the stars align (and the music’s strong enough to have an impact) a cleverly chosen name can transcend its literal meaning and become more than the sum of its parts. Take for example, the name Led Zeppelin. It’s become such a…
Category: Art on the wall
Stephen Stills and The Giraffe of Unrequited Love
It’s not just any giraffe. It’s a giraffe with a purpose. It’s the giraffe of unrequited love. When Stephen Stills’ first solo album was released in 1970, buyers may have looked at the enigmatic stuffed giraffe on the cover and thought “How cute” or figured Stills was trying to be funny. Very few at the…
“From Vienna With Jazz!” by Friedrich Gulda
There’s a lot of seriousness in the art of jazz record covers. Some beautiful works, no doubt, but when weighed against rock or pop, I’d venture to say there aren’t as many humorous and funny album covers. That’s why, while leafing through a book collection of the best jazz record covers of the last 40…
Neil Young’s “Decade”: An Appreciation
Neil Young and I go way back. At least, his music and I go way back. Back to my early teen years, when “Sugar Mountain” – a song about becoming an adult – was directly applicable to me. Back to the days of cassette tapes, even! (Yes, that long ago.) Nowadays, I may go for…
Update to “Halloweeny” post
An update to my 2011 Halloween post on scary album covers, revealing the story behind the Sonic Youth “Bad Moon Rising” cover.
Kate Bush’s “Never For Ever”
“A lot of people think it’s hilarious that all the ideas are coming out from under my skirt. But the good and bad things pour out of me in the form of music. It’s terrible, it comes out like diarrhoea! And it’s to hint that so much of it comes from a sexual need, from…
musictoeat.com 