Art of the Record

Rick James-Glow

2010-05-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Year: 1985

Label: Gordy Records

Where to Buy:Glow

When you are as legendary as the Superfreak, its hard to have an underrated album. James' 1985 effort, Glow, may not be the brightest in his catalog but is definitely deserving of some praise(in particular, the album art).

Only a star like Rick James could stand behind a crumbled up paper-bag backdrop in a leather body suit/Jetsons police outfit. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the palm of Rick's hand. Something is glowing---enough to illuminate the cover and gently reflect off his permed mop of gold. Just try not to stare too long. Eclipses can damage the eye without proper viewing equipment.

One could also deduce(with little effort) that Rick is attempting to set a mood. Rick may be telling us something. He wants the listener to bathe in the glow. He wants the glow to circumvent all your preconceived notions about his drug escapades. His new persona, on Glow, reflects a transition comparable to the moon. Like all lunar cyles, Rick was truly in a waxing rather than waning phase, back in 85.

Exceptional Tracks: LCD Soundsystem-I Can Change

2010-05-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Artist: LCD Soundsystem

Album: This is Happening

Release Date: 5/17/10

This Is Happening

Dance+Electronica are two genres that are often lumped together. The merger doesn't necessarily always translate into club music, but LCD Soundsystem has long been the essential ingredient to a hipster dance party. The hype building around This is Happening is borderline ludicrous. However, this doesn't change the fact that people are more interested in finding the next summer jam rather than to let the full album simmer in its analog ingenuity.

Thus, AOR has scanned the confines of This is Happening for you. What "I Can Change" does so well is that it meshes the typical Friday night scenario with an intricate sonic web. The chorus melts through all the blips, accompanied by a looping axonal jolt from some cosmic machine.

But I can change, I can change, I can change
I can change, I can change,
If it helps you fall in love

People often self-assuredly believe that they can change. For example, we thought OJ might keep a low profile(the glove did not fit!) but that crazy Las Vegas robbery event put him in jail for a cool 33 years. What sort of change is LCD probing at? The actual "changing" is a mere proximal event that may only last through the night, something that may be fleeting upon exiting the dancefloor.

One question remains. How long does it take an AOR listener to hit repeat for "I Can Change" ?

AOR celebrates 1000 hitz, you win

2010-05-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

Year: 1994

Album: Collaboration

Collaboration is an art form. Here at AOR, we have teamed up with our fake sponsor Amazon to bring you a contest in honor of 1000 hitz. We are quite the team, on par with the great Charlotte Hornets duo--Larry Johnson and Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues.

So here are the rules.

A) Make a comment with your name (ex: Chaka Khan)
B) Describe in 3 words or less how you found AOR(ex: Facebook, Google, etc)
C) List your favorite post(ex: Carl Carlton)

We will randomize the shit out of the list and send out the new National record(vinyl or cd) to the winner. The reader wins! We do to, because it afforded us the opportunity to gratuitously reference Muggsy Bogues.

Exceptional Tracks: National-Terrible Love

2010-05-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Artist: The National

Album: High Violet

Release Date: 5/11
High Violet [Vinyl]

The National's most recent effort, High Violet, is a sweeping, often grandiose listening experience. The sounds swoon even larger than Crocodile or The Boxer without sacrificing musical quality or Matt Berninger's signature baritone.

In an album with many highlights, High Violet reaches its sonic climax with 'Terrible Love'. Ironically, this is the track which opens the record(more on that, below) and may very well be a continuation of About Today. The mellow wash of guitars promises a larger, developing sound but its the lyrics that force the progression.

It's a terrible love

That I'm walking with spiders

It's a terrible love that I'm walking with

It's a terrible love

That I'm walking with spiders

It's a terrilbe love that I'm walking with

It's quiet company

These lines may seem repetitive, but the minimalism and simple imagery breathe life into the words. The brilliant percussion makes you feel every step and the creeping reverb adds a contextual element to the melodic armamentarium. Berninger is clearly haunted by his own terrible love, a profound experience only he knows the intimate details of, yet every listener can certainly relate to.

And I can't fall asleep

Without a little help

It takes awhile

To settle down

The song hastens and stumbles hurriedly through these words, but is this is not a poignant human experience? How would most people react to such a terrible love? Not quite in this manner. Those terrible loves are broadcast faintly with pointed insults or degrading remarks reserved for a Facebook newsfeed, not a deeply resonating anthem. Instead, Berninger built an album around intellectualizing and conquering a terrible love. Only after this hurdle does the rest of the album seamlessly fall into place---symbolic of both an ending and a beginning.The highly emotional flurry that ends the song is a perfect release. Without further ado, Terrible Love.

Bel Biv Devoe- Do Me (Remixes)

2010-05-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Label: MCA Records

Year: 1990

Where to Buy: Poison

"Our Music is mentally hip-hop, smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop feel appeal to it"

-DOME?

My initial reaction to this record art was one of perturbation. First, forgive my ignorance, but I thought the band's name was DOME, and this seemed logical given that they were pictured in front of a dome-like cathedral structure. The group was Bell Biv Devoe, which sprung from the head of New Edition and ended up blazin' the charts with their 1990 effort, Poison.

Its unfortunate I was only five years old at the time, and more interested in Baby Beluga to notice BBD's ascension to stardom. BBD were some controversial catz coming out with a tune as provocative as 'Do Me'. The blunt nature of the song and the profound contribution BBD had to the "New Jack" movement(a merger of R&B and hip-hop, detailed here) are never in question.

What does the album photography say about the directness of BBD's approach? The three stars are aligned, in a perfect trinity on the steps of a church. This is a highly significant gesture(p<.05), considering the drama and egomaniacal behavior that went down with New Edition back in 1986(see, the departure of Bobby Brown). This "trinity" may also reflect that each artist in BBV contributed equally to the work. Are these the three "wisemen" of the New Jack movement? We can continue to speculate about such origins, but we always urge the AOR reader to contact the artist directly at:

Bell Biv Devoe Fan Club

P.O. Box 604

San Francisco, CA 94101

Barry White-Stone Gon'

2010-04-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

Year: 1972

Label: 20th Century Records

Album Design: Craig Braun

Photography: Norman Seef

Spiritual Advisor: Larry Nunes(thanks Larry)

Where to Buy: Stone Gon'

Barry White, the Maestro. He needed only 37 minutes and 49 seconds to charter one of the most enduring soul albums in existence to #1 on Billboard and a permanent fixture to any seduction soundtrack.

It likely took him much longer to reach the piano bench in his icy world, (via his spiritual advisor) depicted on the album cover. The contemplative look on Barry's face, coupled with a gold chalice(likely filled with a hallucinogenic potion) are representative of the album's central thesis, Stone Gon'.

Perhaps Barry is from the planet Krypton, and admittedly, women are his kryptonite. The woman's identity is unknown, and I'm positive Barry didn't know her name either. It could be the grandma from the Muppet Babies, Diana Ross, or a young Oprah Winfrey.

What can we learn about the planet specifically? It was cold, but not that cold; given that Barry left his lapels wide open to catch a mountain breeze. The known resources were likely gold, as depicted by the woman's jewelry and the elegant piano body. The Himalayan terrain looks very unforgiving but was likely a metaphor used by Barry, "Look at what I just climbed through to SEE you baby!" "I scaled the AGRO-CRAG just to sit at this piano!"

The answer to Barry's exodus from our planet isn't apparent in the musical ingenuity of the album nor his smoky voice. If we contact Larry Nunez(spiritual advisor) for some of that crunk juice in the chalice, we might reach it ourselves.

Exceptional Tracks: Broken Social Scene-All is All

2010-04-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

Listen to All is All

Artist: Broken Social Scene

Label: Arts & Crafts

Purchase Info

By AOR contributor: Gerard Gomes

First, I highly recommend listening to this track(link above) before reading any further. Allow it to flow through your veins. As I attempt to characterize and extrapolate meaning from this tune, I'm destined to fall short. Not that I lack experience and/or talent, but in order to effectively capture its essence, it will require an open collaboration with the AOR reader.
   All to All hails off Forgiveness Rock Record, the newly leaked album from Broken Social Scene. I immediately gravitated toward this song because it exemplifies the band's creative process. Although the band maintains a constant core of 2-3 members, the constant expansion and contraction of the lineup from song to song makes every track an individual album concept in its own right. Some tracks have as many as 19 artists (only Wu-Tang Klan can rival this figure), which makes you appreciate the complexity of their organization. But how does organization arise from a group of famous indie musicians? An ego or two surely exists amongst this creative bunch!
   Maybe BSS has figured it out. Their creative process may rival that of a Google or Apple, two corporations that famously manage to agree on one new emerging concept after the other.I can imagine that they all converge in a commune in the rural Canadian wilderness where the relaxed social setting allows a framework conducive to creative collaboration. One can speculate the process for each song varies, however the parameters in which they operate remain the same. I'm just as clueless as the next indie rock enthusiast, but my initial guess is that the core members synthesize several ideas and within their milieu of musicians, continue to harrow and hone until perfection.
   So in light of Broken Social Scene's past, present and future successes, I'll leave you with the two initial requests I proposed. Listen to All to All, and contribute to this body of work by leaving your suggestions/criticisms/contributions/emotions.

Shalamar-the look

2010-04-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

Year: 1983

Label: Solar Records

Photography: (Shalamar, Autotimer)

Album Cover Concept: Jody Watley
Where to Buy:

The 80s New Wave movement never looked better than it did with Shalamar. We could speak, over and over, about the excellent quality of music on this record but lets step back and view this classic album art. The front leaflet deserves elite praise for a stunning high resolution image of the three band members. Each member has brought their own style, that together culminate into the look. Jeffrey Daniels (pictured left), effectively pulled off the rare shirtless-scarf look. Howard Hewett(pictured right), paired a saturnine smile with a washed leather jacket. We see enough of Jody Watley to know that the rest of her must embody the look as well. The back cover art is no different(pictured below). One may envision hordes of teenagers spending hours in front of the mirror trying to pull off this often imitated, rarely duplicated look:

He's like part Davy Crocket, part Miami-Vice Crocket, part Squanto. It is hard to believe the band got even better looking with the addition Micki Free in 1984(Micki Free is not a girl!). If we at AOR had the chance to do a 1 on 3 interview with Shalamar, we'd certainly ask the origin of their style impetus. Perhaps you could ask them yourself at:

Shalamar International Fan Club

Please Write: PO Box 726

Beverly Hillz, CA 90213

Sea Level- Cats on the Coast

2010-04-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Year: 1977

Label: Capricorn Records

Art Direction: Diana Marie Kaylan

Photography: David Alexander

Where to Buy:

Before we dive into Cats on the Coast, it is important we define some essential jazz rhetoric. This definition is provided by Robert S. Gold's Jazz Talk.

Cat(n)-[semantic etym. obscure; 1946 quot. logical but doubtful validity..also possibly related to the itinerant nature of early jazzmen..itinerant worker

"Possibly so called because he slinks about like a homeless cat"

(also see stud/dude).

Sea Level was a jazz-fusion combo propelled by virtuoso keyboardist Chuck Leavell and former Allman Brothers drummer Johanney Johanson. Sea Level was aptly named, given that the mediocre musical quality doesn't quite compare to the other tidal waves of jazz fusion like Keith Jarrett or Chick Corea. Nevertheless, the album artwork is quite distinct and memorable. If one were to imagine the jazz definition of the word "cat" placed upon a coast, this may be the appropriate prototype.

We see the seven cats, looking tough while soaking up the sun, sand and ocean. Given their proximity to the shoreline, they are clearly at sea level. There is a sense of community between the musicians; they've bought into the jazz fusion revolution. Overall, this is a complete theatrical display that fully captures the essence of the group, something we love here at AOR. If you are in the market for something to proudly display in a record frame, this is the album.

Rafael Cameron-Cameron's In Love

2010-04-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

Year: 1981

Label: RCA Records

Photo: Solomon Roberts Jr.

Costume Stylist: Denise Proctor Muller

Where to Buy

Rafael really dialed it up for this one. It was this LP that cemented his status as the first man or woman to ever include the word "Boogie" in a song title. Boogie is a subgenre of funk that emerged out of the disco era. After a few moments of listening and examining this exemplary album artwork, we come to realize the following:

Cameron loves boogie

he loves basslines

he loves fireworks,

he loves madrigal outfits,

he loves his fan club(from the back cover).

But who specifically was Rafael in love with? Some research led me to this woman -- Evelyn King -- who happened to be another boogie pioneer. Apparently, Rafael showed up at a concert in Nigeria back in 82' arm in arm with Ms. King.

Here is the clincher... her 1981 album was entitled I'm In Love. WHAT? Did they have equal record title shoutouts to each other?

Let's review. Yes, it's entirely feasible that Evelyn King and Rafael Cameron were in love. We can learn a lot from a cover. But piecing together this relationship? At first glance, Rafael's rose could've been for anyone..

The Alarm-Absolute Reality(Single)

2010-04-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Year: 1985

Label: I.R.S. Records Limited

Photography: Eric Watson

Cover Art Direction: David Larkham

Where to Buy:

The year was 1985, the band was the Alarm and the bassist, was Eddie Macdonald. The hair? Vidal Sassoon.

Eddie MacDonald(virtual reflection)

The mirror image featured on the cover of The Alarm is quite striking. It leaves the viewer with some immediate questions. Are there 8 members in the Alarm? Is Eddie McDonald, well.. Bob Dylan? Why would you waste that good of an album cover on a single? Is this the greatest hair band of all time? But they weren't just your typical hair band. They opened for U2 on the Boy tour back in 1983, but according to most hardcore Alarm fans, unlike U2, they remained true to their alt-punk style. Just check out the super anthem, Blaze of Glory, or the other 15 top 50 UK singles. It is entirely plausible that The Alarm influenced Bono & Co. to move toward new soundscapes on Joshua Tree and Zooropa. In other words, we have much to thank the Alarm for. My sealed, mint-condition copy of Absolute Reality was 1$. In 1983, it was 2$. This simply proves the greatness of a band that depreciates only 50% in 27 years.

Duke Jupiter-You Make It Look Easy

2010-04-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

Year: 1983

Label: Coast to Coast

Cover Design: John Berg/Peter A. Alifieri

Photograph: David Kennedy

Where to Buy

On the heels of their chart topping success with 1982's "I'll Drink to You"(US #53), Duke Jupiter returned to the studio with the financial freedom to record barbecue classics such as, "I'm Available" and "This is Japan". When You Make it Easy came out in 83', I can only conclude that gravity must not have existed. The album art looks like a paper doll experiment gone right. For those of you who ever pondered what it was like to drum upside-down, please contact David Corcoran. And for those of you who believe Duke Jupiter should be on iTUNES, protest immediately. For those of you interested in reading more about Duke Jupiter, and to see a live interview, click here. And maybe one day, Duke Jupiter will emerge from the monster shadow of 80s rock-pop balladry known as Journey.

Carl Carlton - The Bad CC

2010-04-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Year: 1982

Label: RCA

Where to Buy

Photograph: Kaz Tsuruta

Here's a travesty..Carl Carlton's The Bad C.C. ain't even on iTUNES. How can we possibly tap into Carl, with his pink world, his mind -- the mind who created She's a Bad Mama Jama/Colonel Funky -- without ITunes representation? I've got another example of CC persecution: my copy of The Bad C.C. ain't even open. Did you hear me? Still sealed. Who bought this gem and never opened it? Probably the same people who regulate what albums go on iTUNES...

I think Carl was the victim of entering a flooded R&B market in the early 80s. A great head of hair can only take you so far. However, one would've thought that with the lyric, "She's Built, She's Stacked" etched in music history, sustained success was eminent.

Cracking the plastic off this record was one of the better things I did this week. I think Carl intended the album art to evoke the image of a man with fine tastes. The kinda' guy who orders champagne and caviar in the bath tub. Fine cashmere pink sweaters, finely tailored shirts, hair that likely took a day to prepare for performances, etc. My favorite track is the standout, "Baby I need your loving," which you can view here. I also have never heard such funk on the uplifting "Everyone Can Be a Star", which may be true. But not everyone can be on iTUNES..

Exceptional Tracks: Caribou-Jamelia

2010-04-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Listen to Jamelia

Artist: Caribou

Label: Merge Record
Purchase Info:Swim

   Here on Art of the Record, we don't only look at album art. From time to time, I'll review some exceptional tracks that I deem essential to your musical oeuvre. This is first of many digressions in my pursuit of record art. I must say I downloaded Caribou's forthcoming CD Swim many weeks ago and was lucky enough to hear it arise randomly from an IPOD shuffle moment. Usually, the shuffle feature fails to impress because it repeats songs and/or plays something stupid(I think the algorithm for the shuffle is flawed). Regardless, back to Caribou. I remember how ambitious Andorra was and found the majority of Swim to be overwhelming after the first listen.
   The song Jamelia engages a pretty active dub loop with some background vocals contributed by Born Ruffians' lead singer Luke Lalonde. This leads to a perfect combination amongst an ensemble of instruments, a snarl of a violin bow, and precise electronic blippage. The sound builds into an emblazoned refrain "Sometimes the things they say, I can't take it anymore..."
It is one defined moment of cohesion, starting warmly before maturing into headphone dynamite.
   The real success of Jamelia and the rest of Swim is that it foreshadows the future soundscape of music. It is easy to sound futuristic(i.e. many heavy-synth bands of the 80s), but this is a future that we as a civilization haven't reached yet. It's not so futuristic as the Jetsons, Marty McFly and his hoverboard, or Huxley's Brave New World. No, that future is easier to visualize. This future, described in the mellow and mathematical bravado of Caribou's sound, might just sound contemporary in 2020. Until then, this band will stay one step ahead.

Isaac Hayes-Chocolate Chip

2010-03-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Year: 1975

Label: Hot Buttered Soul Records

Where To Buy

Photography: Fred Valentine

The album Chocolate Chip is probably one of the more underrated disco albums of the 70s. The album's biggest mystery, however, surrounds the origin of the album cover. It features Black Moses illuminated by a single, once bitten chocolate-chip cookie. The rest of the cookies appear on a plate on the back cover. These are clearly no Toll-House cookies, and perhaps the overall thesis for the album is baking. Yes, that's it....the cookie is a facade for baking. No sexual innuendos or anything. Nope, just cookies and baking.

Relive the beat, here.

Body Talk-Imagination

2010-03-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Year: 1981

Label: RCA

Where to Buy

Design/Artwork: Chess Creative

Photography: John Ridley

I don't know where to start with this post. First, one must never judge a book by its cover. The album is fresh, and I can't imagine what it sounded like playing on the Alpine deck back in 81'. The AllMusic guide gave it 4/5 stars and hailed it as one of the "best debut records of the 80s, despite a drastic dropoff in quality after the first three songs." Leee "Triple E" John sought to distinguish himself from his American R & B counterparts, and I quote him when I say, "Each generation transcends a new spiritual awareness either in the look, the sound, the motion or the feel."

Let's talk more about that look they transcended. Should I say, Egyptian elegance? First off, the album art features three cats playing around liquid smoke and a white grand piano. They have Roman-boxer boots, white robes and various gold sequined accessories. I believe even MGMT may have absorbed some of this influence. It is the semi-erotic poses that encapsulate "Body Talk", and it really covers the overall thesis of the album.
How do you think this photograph session went? Was John Ridley like, 'Alright guys, get on all fours and crawl around in smoke, we will throw in a piano for the hell of it?' Perhaps there was a real fire from the zippy piano vamp, "Burnin' Up" blaring from the background speakers. I wonder if they purified themselves in the Nile afterwards? These are questions we should all ask as the listener. But at the end of the day, how can we even question a band that put out this epic of a video?

Jean Francois Azor - Baby Reste Encore

2010-03-28T15:35:00.001-07:00

Year: 1987

Label: Geronimo

Where to Buy

I must confess, THIS album cover inspired this entire operation. I have always been captivated by album artwork, but oftentimes I have difficulty elucidating how the cover relates to the musical work as a whole. Sometimes, the album art enhances the thesis, but other times, it detracts. However, when you have a stunning mugshot of heartthrob Jean Francois Azor, the particular artistic vision is realized. As the casual observer, it is quite easy to be jealous of Jean's finely coiffed hair, suede lapels and mustached Gary Colemenian look. He could invariably get any girl to "remain". A quick google search reveals little about his career, and the photographs are credited to Anne Leibovitz. Is this France's answer to Lil' Wayne?