For those of you who watched President Obama's comedy performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this evening and wondered about the song used in the opening clip, here is the scoop. The song is Real American by Rick Derringer. Fans of professional wrestling will probably recognize it as theme song of Hulk Hogan.
The song was originally recorded for The Wrestling Album. Released in 1985, it was the first album released by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and featured several theme songs of popular professional wrestlers. Cyndi Lauper is featured on the album as a backing vocalist for Real American. She also produced Lou Albano's track under the pseudonym Mona Flambé.
Many of professional wrestling's superstars from the era are featured on the album cover. The original LP is rare and considered to be a collector's item. It differs slightly from the CD cover shown below.
The cover for the forthcoming volume six Glee compilation album has been revealed. Glee: The Music Volume 6 Season Two is scheduled to be released on May 24, 2011.
The cover art for the new album is a departure for Glee compilation series. It does not include photographs of the cast members. Instead, the cover features a golden theater marquee. The cover was leaked online a few days ago and many fans doubted that it could actually be the official artwork. I can confirm that it is. The track list can be found below.
The cover the the official album featuring the music from today's royal wedding has just been revealed via news release from Decca Label Group. The album will be released on CD on May 10, 2011. It will be available as a digital download on May 3. The physical album will include a special collector's booklet featuring the
complete order of service, the readings, vows, hymns and blessings, and all the
music from the event.
"This will be the first Official Royal Wedding Album ever to enter the
worldwide digital charts. It will capture a piece of history for a new
generation."
-- Dickon Stainer, President of Decca Records
The cover features a photograph of the royal couple kissing, which is much less formal than the covers of previous royal wedding albums. The news release did not include a credit for the photographer.
Unless you're been living under several large boulders, the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place this morning. The ceremony wrapped up about 7 a.m. Eastern Time, as the couple signed the marriage register.
Royal Weddings are not everyday occurrences (unless everyone considers their partner Prince Charming and he's always referring to you as Princess). Prince Charles (The Prince of Wales) married Lady Diana Francis Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981 in what was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century".
It was watched by a global television audience of 750 million.
The Royal Wedding H.R.H. The Prince of Wales and The Lady Diana Spencer (1981)
Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) tied the knot with Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (Philip Montbatten, Duke of Edinburgh) on November 20th 1947, also at Westminster Abbey. I am unsure of the exact release year from Griffin & Co Limited, who elaborate: "A celebration in music of the Golden Wedding of the Queen and the Duke
of Edinburgh. London Brass, oboist Nicholas Daniel, treble Timothy
Dickinson join Martin Baker, organist, to supply the musical
accompaniment to this grand celebration. The service included music used
in the original wedding, and from the Silver Anniversary in 1972."
Westminster Abbey Choir - The Royal Golden Wedding (2002)
Fast Five, the fifth is the Fast and the Furious film series, opened in U.S. theaters today. The film was directed by Justin Lin and is the first in the series to be released in IMAX. It stars Fast Five
Vin Diesel,
Paul Walker,
Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson
and several others.
Two albums are being released on May 3, 2011. One is the original movie score by Brian Tyler. The other is the soundtrack album that includes selections of the score and songs by artists such as Don Omar, Busta Rhymes and Ludacris. The lead single from the soundtrack is Furiously Dangerous by Ludacris featuring Slaughterhouse and Claret Jai (right). The single is currently available as a digital download on iTunes.
The cover art for the two albums is significantly different. Both are derived from posters for the film. The cover for the Brian Tyler score is a square version of the main theatrical release poster. The cover for the soundtrack is a square version of one of the teaser posters.
The Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton will take place today. It officially begins at 11 a.m. (London time) when the couple arrives at Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.
The Official Album, available May 4th (amazon.uk) and May 17th (amazon.com), will, in my opinion, top the UK Album charts.
Featuring every aspect of the occasion, the album will include the
music--old and new--the readings and blessings, and of course the exchange of vows between Prince William and Catherine Middleton in the historic Abbey on the day itself. The music is provided by The Choir of Westminster Abbey, the London Chamber Orchestra, the State Trumpeters and the Trumpeters of the Central Band of the RAF.
Recent media reports suggest that interest within the UK is fairly
subdued at the moment (compared to Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles' wedding, I
assume), and that world-wide media attention (especially from America) is more
predominant.
America loves a princess. Remember Grace Kelly? She married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco on April 18, 1956. When
she set sail on April 4th from Pier 84 New York Harbor on the liner SS Constitution, some 400 reporters applied to sail, though most were turned away. Sorry America.... but you started a little thing called the American Revolution... you don't get to have royalty any more :)
X-Ray Spex were an English punk band from London. During their 1976-79 active years (they reformed three more times in 1991, 1995-96 and 2008), they were "deliberate underachievers" and only squeezed out five singles and a solitary album! However, their first single Oh Bondage, Up Yours! is now acknowledged as a punk rock classic, and the album Germ Free Adolescents is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Members of X-Ray Spex included Poly Styrene (vocals) and Lora Logic (saxophone), both of whom left the music industry for a spell in the '80s to run away and join the Hare Krishna movement. Those were the days... *sigh*.
Regular AAX gallery contributor extraordinaire Vocephus, who did the scans, tells me that he thinks it goes (from left to right) BP Hurding (drums), Rudi Thompson (sax), Poly Stryene (vox), Jak Airport (guitar), and Paul Deen (bass) although "that could be completely wrong"! And he told me that Lora Logic left the band after Live at the Roxy to go to school, so she's not on the cover.
The back cover is exactly how you would expect to see the front cover if you walked around and looked at it from behind. I like that! And the rebellious mismatched socks.
Girls Aloud released the single Biology in 2005 from their third studio album Chemistry. The girls in the test tubes (from left to right based on my powers of observation) are Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Sarah Harding. Why oh why couldn't they have all been wet and under water like X-Ray Spex? Just joking. Their poses remind me of the cover for The Beatles' album Help!
Considered one of Girls Aloud's signature songs, The Guardianreferred to Biology as "the best pop single of the last decade." Ahem .. sorry... just clearing my throat. Honest! Biology was Girls Aloud's tenth top ten UK hit. Now can someone please let out the girl in test tube number two.
Famous Album Covers is a blog collective where people post fictional album covers by fictional bands along with fictional stories about them. It has been a long time since my last contribution to the blog and when I saw what is certain to be the most viewed online graphic in history yesterday, I was inspired. I thought that a retro look would be quite appropriate for this "famous" album cover.
The Birthers are an American pop music band that was founded in 2008 in
order to perform during presidential campaign rallies of Hillary Clinton. The
band broke up after Clinton failed to get the Democratic nomination. However,
the band soon reformed with a new group of musicians devoted to the McCain/Palin
campaign.
Most critics panned the band's music as a throwback to earlier
sounds of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Pat Boone and Mitch Miller. In spite of
poor reviews, the band's albums continued to sell to largely white, Midwestern
and Southern audiences.
By late 2010, it was clear that The Birthers had carved out a niche in the
music industry. They marketed their recordings as being "performed by real
Americans" and included copies of band members' official birth certificates in
all of their recording packages.
The band's single Show Us the Birth Certificate reached #3 on the
Billboard Top 40 chart in February 2011. In March of that year, billionaire
reality TV show star Donald Trump selected the song as a potential 2012
presidential campaign theme.
Administrative Professional's Day (or National Secretary's Day) falls on the Wednesday of the last full week of April, and can trace its roots back to the creation of National Secretaries Week way back in 1952.
First up, for all you "BOSSes" out there, here is a free download of a song called Happy Secretary's Day by Baby Teeth from their 2011 concept album BOSS, including a cover of Bruce Springsteen's Factory. So get busy, grab the track, buy some flowers or chocolates, and appreciate your Administrative Professionals!
Chromeo - Business Casual (2010)
Robert Palmer - Pressure Drop (1975)
Electrofunk duo Chromeo's 3rd studio album, Business Casual, was shot by British erotica photographer Harri Peccinotti (famous for the 1968 and 1969 Pirelli Calendar) and designed by French
firm Surface to Air (whose clients also include fashion brands Louis
Vuitton and Tsumori Chisato). The cover concept depicts a leggy office
worker making copies - and was inspired by one of Chromeo's favorite
albums: Robert Palmer's 1975 album, Pressure Drop. The images being spat out by the copier are, of course, of P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) and Dave 1 (David Macklovitch).
And far be it from being sexist, here's a guy plastered in post-it notes, from the soundtrack for the 1999 comedy Office Space. The film centers around ordinary disgruntled office workers at an IT firm and the soundtrack includes such tracks as Get Off My Elevator (Kool Keith), Big Boss Man (Junior Reid) and All that Meat and No Potatoes (Louis Armstrong).
Below are six album covers that were preselected from this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you think is the best of the bunch. The winner will be announced next Tuesday.
The Airborne Toxic Event - All at Once
Bootsy Collins - Tha Funk Capital of the World
Bowling for Soup - Fishin' for Woos
Emmylou Harris - Hard Bargain
Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
The forthcoming album by electronic music duo YACHT is Shangri-La (right). It is scheduled to be released by DFA Records on June 21, 2011. It is YACHT's fifth studio album and their second on the DFA label.
To promote the album, the first single Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire) has been made available as a free download. The song is NSFW, so keep that in mind when previewing it. The lyrics contain the word "motherf***ker" and it could cause an embarrassing office moment.
The cover art for the single is quite an bit more elaborate than what is currently being used to promote the album. It looks like a creepy postcard from Hell or something. YACHT's previous album, See Mystery Lights, was also quite plain. So, I do not think they are aping the trend of "minimalist" album art.
According to our weekly AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of April 19, 2011 is The Steve Miller Band's Let Your Hair Down. The cover received 56% of the vote. The Fall by Gorillaz was a distance second with 28% of the vote. Third place was a three-way tie between Bob Schneider's Perfect Day, Brian Setzer's Setzer Goes Instru-MENTAL! and Glee The Music Presents The Warblers.
This week's winner came as no surprise. It was created by the legendary album cover designer Storm Thorgerson. The fact that the voting took place during Easter week could have had an influence on the results. However, I think the landslide win was due more to the talents and reputation of Thorgerson.
Come back this evening to see which album covers were preselected for this week's poll. We don't have any designed by a legend this time. However, there are some interesting covers in the mix.
After being initially turned down by Lady Gaga's management, "Weird Al" Yankovic received approval to release a parody of her hit single Born This Way last week. The single was just released today on iTunes and Amazon.com.
The proceeds from the single are being donated to the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that lobbies for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It is also the first single from Yankovic's forthcoming album, Alpocalypse. The album is scheduled for release on June 21, 2011.
Below are 10 noteworthy album covers that were posted to the AAX gallery last week. They were selected simply because I found them to be interesting or a valuable addition to the gallery. They are listed in no particular order.
In 1955, folk icon Pete Seeger released 28 songs and stories about animals on two short LP records. For generations, the songs have been sung to children by parents and grandparents. One that is a particular favorite during Easter is Mister Rabbit. Mister Rabbit was also recorded by Seeger's half-sister Peggy Seeger for her 1957 album Animal Folk Songs for Children (right). Many people may be more familiar with her version of the song. Mister Rabbit was also included in the 1994 Pete Seeger compilation album Stories and Songs for Little Children.
In 1998, the two original Pete Seeger LPs were combined on a single album by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. It is currently available on CD, cassette and as a digital download.
If you and your family is not familiar with the song, listen to the track posted below. It was recorded from the original LP and for me has many pops that brings back memories of playing the record on a portable player back in the 1960s.
The circus-themed drama Water for Elephants opened in theaters yesterday. Based on the Sara Gruen novel of the same name, the film was directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. The film has been getting mixed reviews.
The music for the film was composed by James Newton Howard. The soundtrack is currently available on CD and as a digital download. Both the music and the cinematography seems rather gloomy. I know this film isn't supposed to be Big Top Pee-wee (with had a Danny Elfman score), but people went to the circus to escape the Great Depression. This is makes the circus look depressing.
The cover art for the soundtrack is a square version of the movie poster. It features a photograph of Witherspoon and Pattinson in a sexy yet depressing embrace.
Lady Gaga has posted a video preview of the upcoming Glee episode that will feature her hit single Born This Way to YouTube. The episode is scheduled to air on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
I was somewhat disappointed to see that they didn't create special cover art for the Born This Way episode. Special art was used for the Power of Madonna episode last year. Since this will probably be one of the biggest selling singles of all time, it probably deserves special treatment.
Daria Sings for Earth Day is a 6-track EP with classics and well known songs such as We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands (written by Obie Phillis, a Cherokee Indian, while serving in WWII) and A Whole New World (composed by Alan Menkin with lyrics by Tim Rice for the 1992 Disney film Aladdin).
This 2011 Earth Day offering can be bought from Amazon.com. and iTunes, or you could downloaded it for free from Daria's website. You just need to email Daria with news of something green you have done for the planet. The artwork for the EP was created by Farah Aria, a children's storybook illustrator. The materials to create the cover were all recycled. Nice!
"Multicultural children's performer DARIA has spent the last two decades performing in the US and around the world, creating music to inspire all the world's children. Along with five national awards for her culturally diverse music, Daria's website (www.dariamusic.com) was given a 2009 Parent's Choice Award and offers many great resources for teachers, parents and kids of all abilities."
The original version in Aladdin of A Whole New World was sung by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga. They also performed the song in their characters at the 65th Academy Awards, where it won Best Song.
A single version was later released that year and was performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. As the biggest pop hit for each artist, this version peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 6, 1993, ending Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You and it's 14 week stranglehold on the position. Both versions of A Whole New World can be found on the Aladdin Special Edition Soundtrack.
According to a recent news article, country legend Dolly Parton wants to marry Britain's Prince Harry. She was quoted by the British newspaper The Sun as saying, "I'll just marry
Harry then I'll be guaranteed to go to the next [royal wedding] for sure. He's a
little cutie, isn't he?"
This inspired AAX mod and blogger Aequi to create the first album cover mash up that we've had in ages. I think it is hilarious.
If you want to participate in the AAX Album Cover Mash Up, all you have to do is follow these rules:
The album covers must be part of the AAX gallery.
All of the elements in the mash up cover must be present in one of
the two originals. However, you do not have to use the original images.
For example, if there is a black car in one of the original covers, you
can use a black car from a stock photo instead of the one on the cover.
Submit your mash up along with the AAX links to the original cover images via e-mail to blog@albumartexchange.com. You must also include your name or AAX forum username.
I will publish mash ups as I receive them. I will not guarantee that
your mash up will be published (but I'm not going to be too picky).
Earth Day, first held in the United States of America back on April 22, 1970, went international in 1990 and is now celebrated in more than 175 countries by some 500 million people. Whether you're a fan, or detest the political ideologies and hypocrisy that have crept in, the fact is that Earth Day is here to stay.
Increasingly more and more artists and record labels are reflecting the ideals of Earth Day, especially since 2008, with bio-degradable or recycled material, in eco-friendly packaging or with carbon-neutral manufacturing. Here are three recent examples from high profile artists.
Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - Greatest Hits (2010)
Joan Jett is a rock goddess, legend and one of the original guitar chicks! And she has integrity. She is a dedicated vegetarian, a staunch advocate of social policies and green practices, and she puts her own money where her mouth is.
The double disc 2010 release of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - Greatest Hits was produced under the label she co-founded with Kenny Laguna, Blackheart Records. The packaging is made from 100% recycled paper and biodegradable trays. Nice!
"I've always appreciated nature, trees, grass, birds, sun, and even insects. I obsessively recycle. I almost never turn on lights; I pretty much live in the dark. I don't use a lot of water. I am a vegetarian, so I avoid contributing to the major environmental damage that the meat industry creates. I hope that soon we can make sure that everything we do is earth-friendly."
Neil Young went a step further. He not only sank his own money into a green project, he created a concept album with Fork in the Road. Young's 1959 Lincoln Continental had been retooled to run entirely on alternative energy, and Young had been working on the Lincvolt project alongside mechanic Jonathan Goodwin. He was inspired. All the tracks are about cars, fuel lines, the cost of gasoline and driving.
Unfortunately, in November 2010, Young's prototype hybrid Lincoln started a fire (whilst charging) and caused over a million dollars damage to a warehouse and Young's possessions stored there. On a bright note, while the car was damaged, it is in the process of being restored. And on another bright note, Young's vocal performance on the single Fork in the Road was nominated for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010. Nice!
David Gilmour, of Pink Floyd fame, released his third solo studio album in 2006. In fact, it was released on his 60th birthday and was his first solo album in 22 years! The label for the U.S. release of On an Islandwas Columbia Records (U.S.) and with this album, they were the first to use eco-friendly CarbonNuetral technology, which attempts to restore the natural carbon-dioxide balance in the atmosphere by using environmentally friendly manufacturing. I am assuming this means for record labels in the US only. Nice!
On an Island peaked the UK charts by reaching number one. On April 10, 2006, the album was certified platinum in Canada, with sales of over 100,000 copies. The album also gave Gilmour his first U.S. Top 10 album as a solo artist. Double nice!
Georgia Fair is an Australian folk music duo comprising Jordan Wilson and Ben Riley. And they are offering a free download of their single Marianne via their website. All you have to do is sign up for it. The single is from their 2010 Times Fly EP and features vocals from Lisa Mitchell, who even makes a cameo appearance in the video.
Lisa Mitchell is another APRA and ARIA award winner. In my previous Whats Up Down Under entries I have mentioned APRA winners The Naked and Famous and ARIA award winner Megan Washington. Also on the track are Sydneysiders Boy & Bear. It's a pretty laid-back, mellow, wistful folksy summery tune and the album cover says it all.
Yesterday, British indie rock band Arctic Monkeys revealed the cover for their forthcoming fourth studio album, Suck It and See. The album is scheduled to be released on June 6, 2011.
According to NME.com, the cover has sparked arguments among fans, who either believe that it is "a stroke of genius or a lazy attempt at art." Of course, the most common negative response is simply "It sucks!"
We have seen this type of "minimalist" album cover before. In fact, the most recent Grammy winner for Best Recording Package was a minimalist design for The Black Keys' Brothers (right). I suppose that we should have expected at least one album cover to have been inspired by a Grammy-winning design. I would like to advise the art director of this project not to buy a tux for next year's award show.
Today is 420 or Marijuana Day. April 20 (or 4/20) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, dedicated to the celebration of cannabis. Of course, there has always been a connection between popular music and marijuana. Many artists like Willie Nelson and Wiz Khalifa are as well known for their connection to pot as they are for their music.
During the 1960s, there was an explosion of songs that referenced the use of marijuana. However, the use of drug-related symbols on mainstream album covers was rarely permitted. So, albums with marijuana leaves and cigarettes are much more rare than most people would probably imagine.
Here is a selection of album covers from the AAX gallery with a 420 theme. They are not presented in a particular order. They are simply interesting uses of marijuana to market an album.
The cover for the forthcoming ninth studio by hip hop artist Lil Wayne was leaked online yesterday. The cover has not been confirmed as final and there is not a firm release date.
The cover (below) is similar to that of Lil Wayne's 2008 album Tha Carter III (right). It features a photograph of Lil Wayne as a child with tattoos and piercings added with Photoshop. The photo is certainly Lil Wayne and the cover appears to be legitimate. The question remains as to whether or not it is the final version. I tend to be cautious with artwork that does not come from an official source.
The cover for Tha Carter III generated a small amount of controversy. Some people were concerned that it was an actual tattooed baby or that it would encourage people to disfigure their children. The cover for Tha Carter IV simply strikes me as being sad. The joke has worn thin. What is next? An ultrasound of Lil Wayne as a tattooed fetus?
Below are six album covers that were preselected from this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you think is the best of the bunch. The winner will be announced next Tuesday.
Paper Bag Records is offering a free download of True Blue, an album of cover versions from Madonna's 1986 album. The album features the songs from the Madonna album covered by artists on the Paper Bag Records label.
According to a news release, a digitally remastered and expanded 25th Anniversary edition of Megadeth's 1986 album Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? is scheduled to be released in multiple configurations on July 12, 2011 by Capitol/EMI. All of the versions, including a 2 CD lift-top box, digital album, and a deluxe 5 Disc and 3 LP box set, include a previously unreleased 1987 concert from the band's first world tour. New liner notes written by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and Metallica's Lars Ulrich are also included.
The deluxe box set also includes previously unreleased and rare mixes of the album's tracks, hi res audio for the remastered album and concert, an expanded 20-page book, and 8"x10" photos and reproductions of vintage Megadeth memorabilia.
The cover of the box set uses a new, unique process of lenticular 3D imaging which reinterprets the original cover, creating the illusion of Megadeth's Vic Rattlehead character "jumping" out of the image.
My Chemical Romance has released #SINGItForJapan, a charity single to benefit the victims of the disasters in Japan. The title of the song is a Twitter hashtag, a word or phrase followed by the # symbol or hashtag that is used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet. I think this may be the first time that a Twitter hashtag has been used at the title of a song.
My Chemical Romance has always shared a special connection with Japan. The food, the culture, the energy, the people...Since our first show there, we knew it would be a place we would keep coming back to.
While in the UK, we received news of the events unfolding after the massive earthquake. It affected us in a profound way. Moved by the terrible tragedy in Japan, and inspired by our fans, we set to work on #SINGItForJapan, a re-imagining of SING.
Dozens of musicians donated their time and talent to help bring this song to life. To complete the video, thousands of fans across the world submitted video, artwork, and pictures to show their love and support.
Using classic Japanese themes in the orchestration, we hope we have honored and paid tribute to the people of Japan. All of our proceeds from the sale of this recording goes directly to the American Red Cross.
Thank you for all of your support.
Ray
The artwork for the single is being sold as a t-shirt through the Warner Bros. online record store. The single is currently available for download on iTunes and will be released on Amazon.com on April 26, 2011.
According to our Album Art Exchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of April 12, 2011 is Wasting Light by Foo Fighters. The cover received 46% of the vote. Where Did the Night Fall / Another Night Out by UNKLE was a distant second with 21%. In third place was TV on the Radio's Nine Types of Light, which received 17%.
The photography for the winning album cover is credited to noted rock photographer Steve Gullick. Unfortunately, there is no credit for art direction listed online.
Check back this evening to see which album covers were preselected from this week's new music releases. I think it will be difficult to choose a winner this week.
According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, the entertainment industry publication Variety has lost an attempt in Delaware to sue punk band the Vandals for trademark infringement. The lawsuit will now move to a California court.
The case involves the cover for the band's 2004 album Hollywood Potato Chip (below) that includes lettering on the cover that parodies the trademarked Daily Variety masthead (right).
The band is being represented by their bassist Joe Escalante, who is also a lawyer.
"The Daily Variety
has been suing the Vandals since 2004 over the artwork you see to the left. It
is a clear parody of the the magazine that calls itself 'The Bible Of The
Entertainment Industry.' They parody the Bible, we parody them, people parody
us. What's the problem? Their addiction to abusive lawsuits as a way to create
revenue for a dying business is a huge problem if you become the victim of their
greed and disregard for protected 1st Amendment speech."
We're going to have to keep an eye on this case. It could set a precedent for similar disputes involving album cover art.
Below are 10 noteworthy album covers that were posted to the AAX gallery last week. They were selected simply because I found them to be interesting or a valuable addition to the gallery. They are listed in no particular order.
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is giving fans an opportunity to submit their photos of him to be included in the artwork for the forthcoming box set, House of Rufus. Submissions are being requested via Wainwright's Facebook page. The deadline for entries is April 26, 2011.
According to the official contest rules, Wainwright will select the winning photographs himself. Drawings, paintings or sketches will also be accepted.
My friend Lindy just emailed me a hilarious Photoshop of Lady Gaga's Born This Way album cover in response to my request for submissions to start a Ride Lady Gage Intermet meme. It is a combination of the Born This Way and Weezer's 2009 album Raditude. Since Weezer created a Photoshop meme with the Raditude cover, this is a very appropriate mash up.
Pop culture blog Dlisted may have started something by posting an image of Paula Dean (right) riding what they are calling the "Cacacycle" as an illustration for a very harsh review of the album cover for Born This Way. I think I will call it the "Gagacycle" instead.
The cover is getting a very bad reaction from all but Lady Gaga's loyal fans. Even many of them are insisting that the cover is a late April Fool's Joke. One fan tweeted, "This is what happens when record labels don't hire graphic designers."
I am certain that we will be seeing many Photoshopped versions of the cover in the days to come. I can just imagine which celebrities are going to be seen riding the Gagacycle. Charlie Sheen? Sarah Palin? Donald Trump?
I am not going to miss the opportunity to place myself on the back of the Gagacycle. Here is my own contribution to the fun and games. If you decide to make your own, upload it to the AAX Facebook page and share it with the world. I would love to get a collection of these going.
Here's a déjà vu with a strange twist that is appropriate for Easter. The cover art for Lady Gaga's new single, Judas, and Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus 2011 both feature photographs of images on a computer monitor. Perhaps the songs would make an interesting mash up.
About an hour ago, Lady Gaga revealed the cover for the special edition version of Born This Way. I guess it is a good thing I have insomnia, because it looks as if these late night reveals via Twitter are becoming a habit for the pop star and her crew.
The latest album cover revealed in the the tweet is a cropped version of the standard edition. The motorcycle has been eliminated, leaving a close up of Lady Gaga's face. I guess people can stop saying she steals everything she does from Madonna. I can't imagine Madonna releasing an album with a cover resembling either version.
About an hour ago, Lady Gaga revealed the cover for her forthcoming album via her official Twitter account. One of the first fan reactions to the cover for Born This Way read, "I hope someone hacked her Twitter account!"
The tweet reads, "COVER BY NICK KNIGHT AND THE HAUS OF GAGA" followed by the album release date and a link to the image on Twitpic.
Early today, the cover for Lady Gaga's new single, Judas, was distributed via news release. It was accompanied by a promo photo for the album. That is probably why I am so surprised by the artwork that was revealed this evening.
The concept really isn't as unique as many people may think. Even so, it really isn't executed very well. It makes me think of some of the H.R. Giger woman and machine morphs that are simply so much better.
Interscope Records just released the image below as part of their promotion for Lady Gaga's new single Judas. It appears to be from the same series of photographs being used to promote her forthcoming album Born This Way.
This is the first image that is square and looks appropriate for an album cover. It was not released with photographer or fashion credits.
American Idol season seven winner David Cook has revealed the cover and title for his forthcoming album. This Loud Morning is scheduled to be released on June 28, 2011.
The album cover features a photograph of Cook standing in a grassy field and surrounded by speakers. I imagine that a fitting caption for this cover would be "My roadies got drunk and kicked me off the tour bus."
R&B, soul and dance music legend Martha Wash has released a new single. The music video for I've Got You was posted on YouTube yesterday. The single is currently available on iTunes and Amazon.com.
Scream 4 (SCRE4M), the fourth installment in the popular Scream slasher film series, was released in theaters today. The film was directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, who also wrote Scream and Scream 2. The cast includes the stars from the original films, David Arquette, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox. Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Caulkin, Kristen Bell and Anna Paquin are among the other cast members.
Two albums have been produced for the film. The soundtrack, featuring tracks by various artists, was released was released on April 12, 2011 by Lakeshore Records. The score composed by Marco Beltrami will is scheduled to be released on April 19 by Varèse Sarabande. Lakeshore Records has uploaded a preview of the soundtrack to YouTube. You can listen to it using the player below.
The covers for the two albums are similar. However, they are different enough that consumers should be able to tell them apart. The one with Marco Beltrami listed is the score. There are two tracks by Beltrami on the soundtrack as well.
There were some great performances on American Idol tonight. My favorite of the eight songs was Casey Abrams' version of the Nat King Cole classic Nature Boy.
The song was a #1 hit for Cole way back in 1948. A version by an uncredited chorus was featured in the anti-war film The Boy with Green Hair that same year.
My least favorite performance was Haley Reinhart's version of Blondie's Call Me. It is one of those signature songs that no one should ever try to cover.
As usual, all of the songs are available on a compilation album and as individual singles on iTunes. At $5.99, the album is a bargain. The individual tracks are $1.29 each.
The cover art for all of this week's singles and the album can be found in the AAX gallery.
Many Lady Gaga fans were disappointed to learn today that the cover for the pop star's forthcoming album was not revealed in her latest YouTube video. Lady Gaga recently tweeted that Gagavision #42 would be released on Tuesday, April 12 and that the cover for her album was finished. That lead fans to believe that the album cover would be revealed. Nope.
Instead, Lady Gaga is shown discussing the album cover design, saying that she hates the word "deluxe" and agreeing to the deluxe version of the cover being a variation of the standard version rather than a completely different image. She also revealed a portion of the cover art for her forthcoming single Judas, which she designed herself using her laptop and a digital camera.
Unlike her adoring fans, I'm not particularly thrilled about being teased with hints about an album cover reveal. All I have to say is that it better be a great album cover. The cover art for Judas doesn't really impress me much.
Below are six album covers that were preselected from this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you think is the best of the bunch. The winner will be announced next Tuesday.
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Jessie J - Who You Are
k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang - Sing It Loud
UNKLE - Where Did the Night Fall / Another Night Out
I do not believe that there has been too many album covers designed to look like the inside of a suit jacket. Here are two that employ the concept and were created almost 40 years apart. That is one of the longest time difference in the history of the Déjà Vu category.
According to our AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of April 5, 2011 is My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go! by Christian rock band FM Static. The cover received 36% of the vote. Steady as She Goes by Hot Tuna was second with 23%. There was a tie for third between Cherish the Light Years by Cold Cave and Original Sin by INXS, which both recieved 14%.
According to automotive expert Jeff Stork, the car featured on the winning cover is a 1976 Ford Mustang II Cobra II, a performance version of the Mustang II. The design is credited to Ryan Clark.
Check back this evening to vote on your favorite album cover from this week's selection of new music releases. Artists include Foo Fighter, Paul Simon, k.d. lang and more.
Box Of Vision® is a company that specializes in unique archive volumes for CD collections. So far, they have created archives for the works of The Beatles, John Lennon and Bob Dylan. I recently discovered a video that demonstrates the features of the Bob Dylan archive on YouTube.
It really looks like an impressive way to store CDs and have LP-sized reproductions of the original album art. I would love to have the archive for my CDs by The Beatles.
Below are 10 noteworthy album covers that were posted to the AAX gallery last week. They were selected simply because I found them to be interesting or a valuable addition to the gallery. They are listed in no particular order.
Peter Murphy's forthcoming album is his first solo album in seven years and the first since the permanent dissolution of Bauhaus in 2009. Produced by David Baron, Ninth (right) is scheduled to be released on June 7, 2011.
The album's first single, I Spit Roses, is sure to please Bauhaus and Murphy fans. It is darkly melodic and perfect for those melancholy evenings when dance and pop music are irritatingly optimistic.
The cover art for the album features a black and white photograph of Murphy dressed as what appears to be a "hear no evil" mime. I actually like the cover for the I Spit Roses (below) single quite a bit more. It features a colorized photograph of Murphy without the make up. I really like the background effects.
Saturday, April 16, 2011 is Record Store Day. The event was created in 2007 as a celebration of the unique
culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the
USA, and hundreds of similar stores around the world.
Record Store Day is an annual event during which independently owned record stores come together
with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD
releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the
day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various
countries across the globe make special appearances and performances.
Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet &
greets with artists, parades, DJs spinning records and more.
Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in
San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated
the third Saturday every April.
Here are just a few of the Record Store Day Exclusives that will be available at many participating stores.
According to a tweet from Lady Gaga, the most anticipated album cover in recent memory has been completed. The pop superstar sent out the tweet less than an hour ago, letting her fans know that the cover is "glorious" and hinting that it will be revealed in her next GagaVision video on Tuesday.
The album is scheduled to be released on May 23, 2011 in five formats: 1) Full Length Album CD; 2) Full Length Digital Album; 3) Full Length Album 2 CD Deluxe Edition; 4) Vinyl 2 LP Album; and, 5) Full Length Digital Album Deluxe Edition.
In the many months that I have edited the Album Art Exchange Blog, I have not seen this much interest in a forthcoming album cover. There have been more fakes and fan-created covers for Born This Way than any other. I will post the cover as soon as a high resolution image is distributed by the record label.
Pronounced "oooooh", oOoOO is a San Francisco music project created by Chris Dexter Greenspan that produces music in the "drag" subgenre of industrial music. A self-titled album is scheduled for release on May 10, 2011.
The album cover is oOoOOoOoOOoOoOOoOoOO so spooky. It definitely creates a scratch-your-head, WTF?! moment. Do I want to find out what they sound like? Perhaps I'll wait until Halloween rolls around.
Artists and songwriters from across the EMI family have been supporting the Red Cross to raise funds for the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Over the next few weeks, incredible auction items from some of the world's biggest stars will be up for bid on to help this important cause.
The auctions will be running on eBay from April 5 - 21, 2011.
Artists supporting the appeal include: Coldplay, The Beatles, Daft Punk, Corinne Bailey-Rae, Duffy, Keith Urban, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Beastie Boys, Michael Franti, The Chemical Brothers, Tiziano Ferro, Juan Luis Guerra, Herbert Gronemeyer, Raphael, Norah Jones, Katy Perry, Iron Maiden, Jane Birkin, David Gilmour, Gorillaz, the Beach Boys, Depeche Mode, Good Charlotte, Beastie Boys, Jeff Bridges, Tinie Tempah, Deadmau5, Kylie Minogue, The Kooks, David Guetta, Angela Gheorghiu, Lady Antebellum, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Arcade Fire, and more.
Ideas for Songs by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer was originally released on cassette tape on 1997. The cover art for the cassette featured a painting by the late artist Sylvia Sleigh, titled Imperial Nude: Paul Rosano.
Sleigh was a highly acclaimed realist painter who emerged onto the fine art scene in the 1970s with a series of works that reverse stereotypical artistic themes by featuring naked men in poses usually associated with women. The painting used on the Destroyer cover is one of the most notable of the series.
The album was recently made available on LP and digital download with a beautiful reproduction of the Sleigh painting. It is ironic that a painting of a nude woman reclining on a sofa would hardly get noticed in 2011, while Sleigh's painting is censored on iTunes with a large pink dot over the subject's genitals (above right). Amazon.com has chosen to display an uncensored version of the cover on their website.
I generally try to take a neutral position when it comes to censoring nudes on album covers. In this case, I find it somewhat offensive that an important work of fine art has been defaced with an ugly pink dot. I wonder if they would do the same thing to Michelanglo's David.
American Idol fans are in shock today following the elimination of one of season 10's most promising contestants, Pia Toscano (right). Pia was voted off the show following a performance of the Ike & Tina Turner classic River Deep - Mountain High.
I must admit that when I heard that Toscano would be performing River Deep - Mountain High, I wondered if she would fall victim to the curse that seems to be associated with it. While the song is hailed by music critics and has been listed as one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, it has never been popular with the American public.
Recorded in 1966 by the legendary Phil Spector, River Deep - Mountain High is the title track of an album that can only be described as a flop. The song was touted as Spector's masterpiece. It cost an unprecedented $22,000 to produce and utilized 21 session musicians and 21 background vocalists. However, the PR and the expense did not pay off. After the single and the album failed to chart as hits, Spector withdrew from the music industry for two years.
Tina Turner continues to torture her audiences with River Deep - Mountain High, which has become her signature song and a favorite in Europe. However, most Americans would associate her with What's Love Got to Do with It? and several of her other hits.
During the recording sessions for the album, the late actor Dennis Hopper was permitted to take photographs in the studio. Hopper had been branded as "difficult" by the film industry and was beginning to develop a career as a professional photographer. Hopper's photographs were used for the cover of the album (below). Much like the song, Hopper's photography is praised by critics. By the general public? Not so much.
The remake of the 1981 comedy Arthur was released in theaters today. Directed by Jason Winer and written by Peter Baynham, it stars Russell Brand in the title role. The film also stars Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Helen Mirren, and Nick Nolte.
The soundtrack includes 10 tracks by Daniel Merriweather, Mark McAdam, Ben Gibbard and others. The cover for the album features a photograph of Brand and Mirren walking against traffic on a crowded sidewalk. The album is currently available on CD and as a digital download. As is common these days, the album does not include songs featured in the movie's trailers, such as Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen.
Universal International Music has just released a classical music album to benefit the victims of the recent disasters in Japan. Classics for Japan - Music for Healing includes 20 tracks by various artists and composers. The record labels providing the tracks are donating all or a portion of the proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross.
Singer/songwriter Josie Cotton is one of many artists who have the distinction of being labeled one of the Top 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders Of The 80s by VH1. Her 1982 single Johnny are You Queer? is listed as #81.
Contrary to her status as a one hit wonder, Cotton has recorded six studio albums and her singles He Could Be the One and Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne have made the charts, just not the Billboard Top 40.
Cotton's most recent album is Pussycat Babylon. It was released late last year and a music video for the song See the New Hong Kong was posted on YouTube in February. The cover art for the album features a youthful photograph of Cotton wearing an illustration of an Asian headress and long, black fingernails.
Romeo Void was a American New Wave band that released three albums during the early 1980s. The band's most notable songs are Never Say Never and A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing). A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was written as a response to Michael Jackson's hit Billie Jean.
The band was formed in 1979 at the San Francisco Art Institute by vocalist Debora Iyall and bassist Frank Zincavage. In addition to having an amazing voice, Iyall is a talented artist and art teacher.
Many young rock music fans are likely to compare Iyall to Beth Ditto, the American singer-songwriter who is most famous for her work with the indie rock band Gossip. While both are talented vocalists, many shallow people focus only on the fact that they are larger-size women who don't fit the typical pop star image. The video for A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) that is posted below features a smirking 1980s v-jay who makes a snide comment about Iyall's appearance.
In 1992, the band released the compilation album Warm, in Your Coat (below). The cover art for the album features one of Iyall's paintings. I highly recommend visiting her official website. You can check out her music, artwork and learn more about what she has been doing since Romeo Void.
Over the years, there have been dozens of album covers with a jigsaw puzzle motif. So, this déjà vu moment is probably a bit of a stretch. I've actually just paired the cover for the new single by R&B singer Ledisi with one of the earliest examples of jigsaw puzzle pieces on an album cover that I could find.
Below are six album covers that were preselected from this week's new
music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for
their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you
think is the best of the bunch. The winner will be announced next
Tuesday.
Asking Alexandria - Reckless & Relentless
Cold Cave - Cherish the Light Years
FM Static - My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go!
Lady GaGa's country version of her smash hit single Born This Way was made available on iTunes today. Born This Way (The Country Road Version) created a stir when it was posted on YouTube last week. It has already received over a million views on YouTube and the reviews on iTunes have given it an almost perfect five-star rating.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of the single will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), an organization created to eliminate discrimination against gay and lesbian students in schools.
According to our weekly Album Art Exchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of March 29, 2011 is The King of Limbs by Radiohead. The cover received 48% of the vote. Rockpango by Los Lonely Boys was second with 30%. There was a tie for third place between Britney Spears' Femme Fatale and Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers, which both received 9%.
The artwork for the winning cover is credited to Zachariah Wildwood and Donald Twain, which are assumed to be psuedonyms for Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and artist Stanley Donwood (aka Dan Rickwood). Donwood has collaborated with Yorke on Radiohead's album art and packaging design for many years. In 2002, they won the Grammy for Best Recording Package for the album Amnesiac.
The King of Limbs album is being released in conjunction with a 36-page newspaper called The Universal Sigh (right). Apparently, there was a recent publicity stunt involving members of the band dressed as old-timey newsboys and handing out free copies of the publication.
There is a line that can be crossed between where artwork compliments and helps promote an album and where is becomes a distraction. I think Donwood and Yorke have crossed that line, perhaps with an eye on another Grammy for recording package design.
As usual, I will post this week's album covers later this evening. Come back and vote on the cover you think is the best from among the current selection of new music releases.
Super is a new dark comedy directed and written by James Gunn and starring Rainn Wilson, Liv Tyler and Ellen Page. It opened in U.S. theaters on April 1, 2011. This comedy was a hit at the Toronto International Film Festival and is being compared to Kick-Ass.
When Lakeshore Records art director John Bergin recently designed the cover for the Super soundtrack, he was inspired by the sleeveface meme that is often featured on this blog. For those of you who are not familiar with them, sleevefaces are photographs of people holding LP sleeves that feature the faces of famous recording artists in front of their own faces, creating an photographic illusion.
Bergin designed his cover so that it can be used to create a "Super Face" (right). It certainly is a creative alternative to the typical cover of a film soundtrack. It also creates a unique opportunity for fan participation.
The Super soundtrack album is currently available on Amazon.com and iTunes. It features the score by Tyler Bates and songs by Cheap Trick, Moneybrother and others.
Below are 10 noteworthy album covers that were posted to the AAX gallery last week. They were selected simply because I found them to be interesting or a valuable addition to the gallery. They are listed in no particular order.
On April 1, 2011, the comedy troupe The Lonely Island appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to premiere their latest single, We're Back! (right), vand reveal the cover art for their forthcoming album. Turtleneck & Chain is scheduled to be released on May 10, 2011. The single is currently available on iTunes.
The Lonely Island is comprised of Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Samberg. Their songs have been featured on Saturday Night Live as part of the SNL Digital Shorts series. Their previous singles include the Emmy-winning Dick in a Box, Jizz in My Pants, Like a Boss, I Just Had Sex, and The Creep.
For several weeks, fake album covers were posted to The Lonely Island's official Twitter account. None of them were very convincing. The official cover was revealed on April Fool's Day, so I didn't write about it until I was certain it is the real deal and not another prank.
The cover features Schaffer, Taccone and Samberg wearing blue turtlenecks, gold chains and Ray Bans. With all of the teasing leading up to the reveal of this album cover, I was expecting something a bit funnier.
This morning, I uploaded the 150,000th album cover to the Album Art Exchange (AAX) gallery. I wanted this milestone upload to be something special and selected this specific cover. Thanks to all the AAX users whose uploads have contributed to reaching this amazing numder of high quality album covers.
The 150,000th cover is for Love Me for Who I Am: Songs Celebrating Children of All Abilities by Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Brady Rymer. The songs were inspired by the students at Celebrate the Children School, a New Jersey school for children with alternative learning styles. Many of the students are affected by autism, Asperger's Syndrome or related disorders. The album is scheduled to be released on April 12, 2011.
The cover art was created by Zoe Kakolyris, an artist with Asperger's Syndrome who is also profoundly deaf. According to Rymer's website, the vibrant world she portrays, full of children interacting with joy and humor, perfectly reflects the spirit of this collection of songs.
Iconfactory is one of the leading designers of commercial computer icons. To promote their business, they offer freeware icons and wallpapers on their website.
Their latest freeware offering is a set of icons designed as a tribute to electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk. The set was designed by Dave Brasgalla and contains 13 icons with large resources for Windows & Mac OS X. The artwork from the band's most notable albums is featured on high-quality, glossy button icons.
Glee star Matthew Morrison revealed the cover for his forthcoming self-titled album via Twitter today. The tweet included a link to the image and that the album will be released on May 10, 2011.
The cover features a photograph of Morrison standing on a bridge. I am sure that there is a story related to the image other than a contemplation of suicide. With the success of Glee and the launch of his solo recording career, Morrison isn't very likely to jump off a bridge in the near future.
The soundtrack includes the score by Christopher Lennertz and tracks by Blur, Green Day, The Go-Go's, Patti Smith and others. The album is scheduled for release on April 19, 2011, just in time to be placed in Easter baskets.
Twitter Updates