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3.07pm
10 August 2011
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The re-release of Ram reminds me that a number of McCartney album covers are quite attractive.
Ram is one of the best, but there’s also Flowers In The Dirt , Red Rose Speedway , Tug Of War , …
Too bad that album covers have become a lost art…
"Into the Sky with Diamonds" (the Beatles and the Race to the Moon – a history)
9.33pm
1 December 2009
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Flowers In The Dirt ?? Red Rose Speedway ?? Really? Sorry, IntoTheSky – agree about great album covers vanishing with the demise of the LP, but I find most of those McCartney/Wings covers garish and quite hideous! To my eyes, Wild Life is the only really nice Wings cover. (But what do I know?)
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
1.09pm
10 August 2011
Offline Vonbontee said, “I find most of those McCartney/Wings covers garish and quite hideous”
I guess I shouldn’t ask vonbontee what he thinks of the ITSWD cover!
I suppose one person’s garish and hideous is another person’s clever and pleasing.
Vonbontee, what do you think of Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour ?
This is all obviously strictly a question of personal taste.
What’s less a question of taste is effort. Some album covers clearly reflect more thought and effort than others, though that doesn’t always lead to a better result.
"Into the Sky with Diamonds" (the Beatles and the Race to the Moon – a history)
4.41pm
1 December 2009
Offline You’re right, it’s all entirely a matter of personal taste. And I think the cover of your book is just fine, and I DEFINITELY intend to buy it and read it someday, I promise! (I would’ve done so a long time ago, but I’m just a real cheapskate when it comes to buying books – last four books I read are all ones I found abandoned in my building’s laundry room!)
Magical Mystery Tour – Love the original Parlophone EP cover with the stars against the grey background (reminds me of a certain book cover!); the present-day album cover, not so much. The colours really clash violently and I hate that Capitol felt the need to clutter the whole thing up with those unneccessary song titles. But I imagine it would be fabulous to look at on drugs.
SPLHCB – Fantastic concept and ambition, plus enormously influential of course, so I call that one a winner, even if the final result is a little aesthetically less than pleasing to my eye.
Rubber Soul and Revolver remain my favourite Beatles album covers.
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
6.52pm
26 March 2012
Offline I have to agree that Red Rose Speedway is a hideous album cover but I do like Tug Of War – Paul suspended introspectively with his cans on and those red and blue Eighties leanings flickering all around him as if he’s taking in that influence through his headphones. Maybe I’m reading too much into it…? Not a huge fan of the famous Band On The Run cover, I remember seeing the cover for the first time and thinking “Wings were a nine-piece band at this time? How did Paul keep them all in control?” and then finding out they’d just drafted in random TV personalities.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
9.49pm
9 May 2012
Offline RAM is probably the best, also Flaming Pie is not bad with that little pie on fire floating, cool idea nevertheless. I find Lennons album covers more interesting (especially Walls And Bridges with cool idea of changing John Lennons face on the cover of the vinyl). As for McCartney, Band On The Run is not a bad cover either.
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
11.00pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
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I dont find any of Pauls solo covers that interesting, certainly nothing i would look at for a bit and be impressed. I suppose Wild Life has a nice picture of Wings
John’s Plastic Ono Band cover is at odds with the music contained. It has such a peaceful look with John & Yoko under the tree and then you hear the music. Thats pretty cool. Can see someone putting that on and expecting some quiet, peaceful stuff and then hearing the bells on Mother .
George’s updated All Things Must Pass cd sleeves were pretty impressive; the changing of the original lps scenery of plants and trees to building and chimneys signifying how man is encroaching on nature, polluting the environment and killing the earth. At least he put some thought into it.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
12.23am
9 May 2012
Offline meanmistermustard said
I dont find any of Pauls solo covers that interesting, certainly nothing i would look at for a bit and be impressed. I suppose Wild Life has a nice picture of WingsJohn’s Plastic Ono Band cover is at odds with the music contained. It has such a peaceful look with John & Yoko under the tree and then you hear the music. Thats pretty cool. Can see someone putting that on and expecting some quiet, peaceful stuff and then hearing the bells on Mother .
George’s updated All Things Must Pass cd sleeves were pretty impressive; the changing of the original lps scenery of plants and trees to building and chimneys signifying how man is encroaching on nature, polluting the environment and killing the earth. At least he put some thought into it.
Some time in NYC is great cover, as well as Mind Games . All covers of his solo carrer are great IMO. As for Harrison, ATMP is great cover, also Living in the Material World is cool to, others are ok I guess.
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
1.03am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline True about Some Time In NYC, i never go near the album and forget it easily. Great cover, shame about the garbage contained within.
Mind Games – Yoko in the background towering over John – how relevant for now.
Johns childhood picture in Walls And Bridges is nice, prefer that to the picture of John with the glasses.
Rock ‘N’ Roll is another cool picture. Arent those 2 blurred images meant to be 2 Beatles (presumably Paul and George in that order, the back one has a resemblance to the shape of George), hang on there are 3 people. Wonder who the middle person is. Pete?
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
3.54am
22 May 2012
Offline Back To The Egg was a great cover. RAM is probably the best, but Venus And Mars was done with the help of Hipgnosis, the team that did all those great Floyd covers. So, I guess Venus And Mars is cool by association. John had better album covers but Macca had better albums all together in my opinion…
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-All Good Children go to Heaven
4.34pm
9 May 2012
Offline meanmistermustard said
True about Some Time In NYC, i never go near the album and forget it easily. Great cover, shame about the garbage contained within.Mind Games – Yoko in the background towering over John – how relevant for now.
Johns childhood picture in Walls And Bridges is nice, prefer that to the picture of John with the glasses.
Rock ‘N’ Roll is another cool picture. Arent those 2 blurred images meant to be 2 Beatles (presumably Paul and George in that order, the back one has a resemblance to the shape of George), hang on there are 3 people. Wonder who the middle person is. Pete?
I had the same thought about it, but I just listened to whole album yesterday and it actually isn’t bad album, not his best obviously, but not bad at all. If you get rid of Yoko it is actually a decent album.
As for Rock ‘N’ Roll yeah those are George and Paul. 3rd person is Stu.
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
5.24pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Re STINYC for me nearly all the lyrics suck. The only one that has any sign of promise is New York City but its so badly recorded it just gives me a headache, the outtakes are decent enough.
Cold Turkey and Baby, Please Don’t Go from the live section are the only tracks worth any revisiting.
STINYC is one of the few clunkers in the solo album section of beatleness.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
8.37pm
26 March 2012
Offline I like “Woman is the N—r of the World” primarily for the chord progression, John’s impassioned vocal performance and the vast, booming, incredible Spectoresque production with the saxophones. I have literally no interest in the rest of the album; jaw-droppingly lazy songwriting and oh-so-edgy but ultimately meaningless and misguided “pop politics.”
meanmistermustard said
George’s updated All Things Must Pass cd sleeves were pretty impressive; the changing of the original lps scenery of plants and trees to building and chimneys signifying how man is encroaching on nature, polluting the environment and killing the earth. At least he put some thought into it.
I also thought that was pretty cool, although on the whole I prefer the simplistic grayscale “George the Gardener” sleeve of the original. Like Plastic Ono Band, the tranquility and simplicity of the cover belies the powerful music within.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
10.14pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Re the politics John found himself in around the time of STINYC, John is on record saying that he never trully believed in the circles and movements he was involved in and that he got caught up in the wrong crowds (Sinclair, Hanratty, Malcom – so would go back further than ’72). I cant remember where i read it but it must have been from 1980 when he returned to the music scene.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
11.22pm
26 March 2012
Offline Yeah, he said he wrote “Power To The People ” “to impress Tariq Ali and his ilk.” John was at his best when applying philosophical maxims to his songwriting for sure, but they often lost their credibility when used in a political context IMO.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
11.38pm
9 May 2012
Offline Ben Ramon said
I like “Woman is the N—r of the World” primarily for the chord progression, John’s impassioned vocal performance and the vast, booming, incredible Spectoresque production with the saxophones. I have literally no interest in the rest of the album; jaw-droppingly lazy songwriting and oh-so-edgy but ultimately meaningless and misguided “pop politics.”
meanmistermustard said
George’s updated All Things Must Pass cd sleeves were pretty impressive; the changing of the original lps scenery of plants and trees to building and chimneys signifying how man is encroaching on nature, polluting the environment and killing the earth. At least he put some thought into it.
I also thought that was pretty cool, although on the whole I prefer the simplistic grayscale “George the Gardener” sleeve of the original. Like Plastic Ono Band, the tranquility and simplicity of the cover belies the powerful music within.
The thing I don’t like about this album is too much of feminist thing. It’s a Yoko Ono LP, not John. I don’t really think John was ever a feminist (or was, but like you said he didn’t truly believed in it). After Plastic Ono Band and Imagine , Walls And Bridges is probably Johns best work.
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
7.30pm
31 March 2008
Offline
No love for the McCartney cover? I really like that photo. Venus And Mars is a good one too. A vinyl copy of Ram is on the desk next to me – that’s a fabulous cover, and the gatefold artwork is really good too.
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