Happy Mondays. Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches. 1990. Factory Records.
A few weeks back, I got a comment on a post I did on this album’s sleeve making mention of an unused version of this cover that featured the album’s working title, Kinky Album. Here it is. Sorry about the poor quality of the image but when has that ever stopped me before?
Posted in music, on your sleeve, record labels
The Beach Boys. Mount Vernon and Fairway. 1973.
Posted in music, on your sleeve
A pretty good day record shopping. Various labels’ generic sleeves.
Posted in apple records, context, music, on your sleeve, record labels
Above: Front and rear covers of the Japanese “My Love” single. Below: A list of other McCartney/Wings releases from inside the fold-out sleeve.
Posted in apple records, Macca, music, on your sleeve, years after the event
This is one of those records released by RCA while Elvis was in the army. It makes for a surprisingly cohesive listen despite essentially being a collection of previously released songs thrown together to keep Presley in the thoughts of teenagers during the 1959 Christmas record-buying season. The package comes complete with many photos (some blurry) of Elvis doing army stuff and a reprint of a phony aw-shucks telegram supposedly from The King Himself to Colonel Tom Parker urging the Colonel to “get a message to the fans” thanking them for their loyalty and whatnot.
The back of the LP’s sleeve features a 1960 calendar all ready to be tacked up on the wall and stared at endlessly–which one of the previous owners of my copy apparently did judging from the tiny reinforcement holes made in addition to the one that the manufacturer provided. Also, this album has one of the absolute best titles ever (one so cool that it was recycled at least once). The title is even cooler when you realize that the “date” doesn’t refer to the kind of thing that we all sit around fantasizing about while staring at our Elvis calendars, but to the only one circled on the calendar, March 24, 1960—the day Elvis was supposed to be released from the army. (He received his honorable discharge two weeks earlier.)
Posted in music, on your sleeve, record labels
The generic Rolling Stones Records 45 sleeve really kills the competition. Circa 1972.
Posted in Jagger, music, on your sleeve, record labels
Wings. Helen Wheels. 1973.
I spend my days looking at Apple Records releases from around the world so you don’t have to! Most of these are French unless otherwise noted. But we’ll begin above in Germany where “All Together Now” was released as a single (news to me). Below, we have a few Lennons. None of them are all that though I recently found out that the picture that adorns this “Be-Bop-A-Lula” single (and the Rock and Roll LP) was found by May Pang at the first Beatlesfest. As usual, all of these images are from ebay.
Here are two French Wings singles. “Junior’s Farm” and the elusive (or, more accurately, always overpriced) “Hi Hi Hi” picture sleeve featuring the band in some seriously great outfits.
“Hi Hi Hi” in Portugal:
My most recent obsession has been with these awesome looking “Eat at Home” singles. I’ll have to pick up a few eventually. The cover art on some of them feature the same picture as the “Another Day” single which I went on about a while back.
Spain (not on Apple!):
Italy has the best one:
Germany:
I don’t remember where this one is from but the orange Apple works (probably Stateside):
Speaking of Ram, I think one of the Beatles photo blogs posted this a few weeks ago but I can’t quite remember which one. I have no idea if it is a legitimate ad or not. If it is, it’s great. If it’s some fan designed thing it is horribly lame.
All hail the brilliant French “Something” single! Pretty mind-blowing stuff here.
Plastic Ono Band’s “Mother.” Sharp picture:
A French “Hey Jude” similar to the French sleeves I posted last time I did something like this:
Did Ringo lose a bet (in France)?
This Billy Preston cover is pretty exciting:
Yoko repeats herself:
A pretty great “Mind Games”:
Posted in apple records, context, Macca, music, on your sleeve, years after the event
In case you missed this live Pavement LP sold on Record Store Day, I got you. And here‘s the one that came with last year’s pre-order.
Posted in context, music, on your sleeve
chained and perfumed 