Cover Story: Volume Two

Cover Story: Volume Two - Odd, Obscure and Outrageous Album Art
by the staff at Wax Poetics Books [Music 781.49 Cov]

This is one of the oddest books I've read in years. The book is a collection of reproductions of over 250 record album (LP) covers from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Contributor David Hollander describes many of the included covers as coming from "private press" releases -- perhaps not seen by many in the general public. The images in this book are bizarre -- ranging from merely uncomfortable, to truly surreal. These coming from the height of the 1960s drug use era, and from one of the most prolific periods of New Age music. Dali-esque melting landscapes, Escher-like 3-dimensional images and nudity vie with cheesy Brady Bunch-like family portraits and sea- and space-scapes for prominence. In all, browsing all of the covers turns into something of a psychadelic experience. I do wish that there had been text accompanying many of the images -- background on the origins of the images chosen, or at least credits for who created the album covers. As it is, this is a unusual and memorable collection of images. But it could have been so much more than that. I kept wishing for a satirical authorial voice to poke fun at many of these inexplicably bizarre images. [If you're taking these images seriously, I can't help you. If you're looking at them with a satirical eye, you might appreciate the humor books of James Lileks.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Wax Poetic Books web site ]

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