MLT Club Member Jürgen
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
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Each musical epoch also had its own graphic style, which perhaps reflected the lifestyle of the time. A famous example is the Yellow Submarine cover art. It was designed by German graphic artist and illustrator Heinz Edelmann. He taught design at the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences. He became famous as the art director of the animated movie Yellow Submarine, which became legendary at the time with the well-known pop art style. Here are some other well-known LP sleeves from the 60’s:
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An LP Cover that I personally like very much belongs to the second Deep Purple album “The Book of Taliesyn”. Named after the historical book of the same name by Welsh bard Taliesin, it was designed by English illustrator John Vernon Lord. The artwork was painted with pen and ink. The specification was: it should have a fantasy-medieval touch. Lord received £30 for the design. Minus the 25% for the music agent. Perhaps one of the reasons why this was the first and last album cover he designed. Similarly fantastic as the cover is the music.
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Happy Easter everyone…
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Hi Jacki,
I wish you a wonderful Easter too. I also had an Easter bunny picture book as a child. It described how the bunnies paint the eggs before Easter and then distribute them. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the title and the exact storyline. Somehow it doesn’t seem to have left a lasting impression on me….
Instead, I found an investigative documentary that reveals the true origins of the Easter Bunny:
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Matching the topic of Easter Island, I have tried to find appropriate music. Pretty difficult this time. Out of respect for the culture of the people living there, I don’t want to present any “exotic savages” in bast skirts, so I came across the music group “Matato’a” while searching. According to Wikipedia „Matato’a” is a musical and dance group from Easter Island. It is one of the most famous bands from the island. „Matato’a” was founded in 1996 by Kevamatato’a Atan. The name „Matato’a” means ‘warrior’ or ‘guardian’. The Band played all over Chile in the same year. The band, consisting largely of family members, uses traditional instruments, such as stones, horse jawbone, and bombo along with electric guitars and other modern elements to create a unique fusion sound. Matato’a’s principal motivation is to promote the ancestral traditions, the dances, the costumes, & body paintings of the Rapa Nui People. Performances are high-energy, with intense indigenous cultural representation.
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And of course, not to be forgotten, there is the Easter Island “Rapa Nui”. Does the Easter Bunny come from there and do his assistants paint the many Easter eggs on this particular island? Probably not. Easter Island is an isolated island in the Southeast Pacific, politically part of Chile but geographically part of Polynesia. This island was officially discovered on April 5, 1722 by the Dutch navigator Jakob Roggeveen (and this is probably how the name Easter Island came about). Polynesians probably landed on this island as early as 700 AD. Rapa Nui became famous for its mysterious stone sculptures, which are still a mystery to scientists today.
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Wanderlust🐰 Easter Special 🐰
Easter, for some people, this is a time of reflection, the feast of Jesus’ resurrection. Other people look forward to spending time with their family and loved ones. And what would Easter be without that freaky guy with the long ears, who distributes colorful eggs everywhere?
I still remember my childhood, when I was finally allowed to whiz through the garden or the apartment on Easter Sunday together with my sister (depending on the weather) and suddenly colorful eggs, chocolate bunnies and other sweets were hidden around everywhere. What a lot of fun. Fun with a very long tradition. The word “Easter” probably goes back to a Germanic goddess of spring and fertility named „Eostrae“, in whose honor a festival was celebrated at this time of year. And what do the bunny and the eggs have to do with Easter? Perhaps this: Both the hare and the egg have been symbols of fertility and the beginning of new life since time immemorial. Easter also stands for this. As a messenger of spring, the hare may even have been the sacred animal of the Germanic goddess „Eostrae”. By the way, in the Middle Ages, shortly before Easter was payday for all those who had debts to settle. These were often “paid off” with hares or also with eggs. Who finally thought up the egg-bringing Easter bunny is unclear. The only thing that is certain is that the first known reference dates back to 1678.
Here with us, it is traditional to light large Easter bonfires or fire wheels on Easter night. Today an entertaining affair for everyone sharing this event. Originally, these Easter fires were to ward off witches and all evil. In the Alps, but also in some northern German regions, huge wheels of brushwood are set on fire on Holy Saturday and rolled down from the mountains into the valley with long poles. This custom at Easter is over 500 years old. By the way, these Easter fires used to be called “Hildebrand”, which means “holy fire”. So much for the customs of the natives in some parts of Germany… 😀
What special Easter traditions do you have or what fond memories of the Easter season do you remember?
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Hello Steve,
an interesting idea and an even more exciting question: What ideas or imaginations does such an LP cover trigger in the viewer? Looking at the art cover of “Why”, I had more dystopian associations going through my head. I felt like reading the novel “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells. Just a quick reminder: the protagonist travels through time to meet late descendants of humans. They call themselves Eloi and live a rather carefree life on the surface of the earth. They don’t have to worry or think about anything else. Like the people on the album cover, they follow the herd instinct. We can only guess what awaits the figures on the record cover in the glass dome: maybe a carefree, comfortable life. Just like the Eloi. As we know, the good life for some Eloi comes to an abrupt end towards evening: a frightening gong sounds and a gate to the underworld opens. The Eloi follow this signal without will and blindly run through the gate until it closes again. Beyond that gate, deep underground, wait the Morlocks for them. Also human descendants who put an end to the life of the Eloi. The Morlocks care for the Eloi and then take their lives: they build their world, provide sufficient food and wealth, and the Eloi live a short carefree life. A high price to pay for a little comfort and peace of mind. But back to the LP cover: After the people stayed in the dome, they return underground as ghostly figures. Still nice in rank and file. A shadow of themselves. Stripped of their identity and vital energy. Like the Eloi in Wells’ novel. Although Wells’s idea referred to 19th century Victorian society, it still seems to be a topical issue today (at least in my imagination): A small powerful caste rules the welfare and destiny of many people. This works as long as you walk through the world blindly and thoughtlessly and never ask yourself the question “Why?”. But the LP cover also seems to convey hope: the person with the red balloon does not stare straight ahead, but looks to the right and the left. He is looking for new paths and will perhaps leave the way that the controlled masses have chosen. Where did he get the red balloon from? Maybe he just asked himself the question “Why?” often enough.
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Thanks Tim, the album cover looks interesting. I did a little research: it was the Rolling Stones’ tenth UK studio album and it was released in May 1972. So almost exactly 51 years ago. Is there actually an exciting background story how the album cover came about or why especially these pictures were chosen?
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Yeah Daryl, the back of the Stepenwolf Jacket exudes a mystical, dark pull. I would be interested to know why this trend was later picked up specifically by hard rock bands. I’m thinking, for example, of the LP Jackets by Iron Maiden or Guns n’s Roses. Deep Purple, on the other hand, have consistently gone their own way. Most of their covers are interestingly designed. I’m thinking of “Fireball”, “Deep Purple in Rock” or “Machine Head”. Though their music grew progressively heavier, they never followed the quirky “death cult” of other hard rock bands. The only cover of Deep Purple that turned out to be really somber belongs to their third album, which is designed with motifs by Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch.
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Hi Tim,
I had also thought about hanging the record sleeves on the wall like posters when I was a teenager. But somehow I was put off by the thought of poking holes in the artwork with thumbtacks. Also, I wasn’t the poster type. The only artist pictures that made it to my wall were the four Beatles Potraits that came with the white album. Although sometimes I found it strange to be watched by the fab four all the time… 😄
I’ve definitely seen the Golden Earing album before, somewhere in a record store, but only with the “strategically placed labels”.
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Hi David,
thanks for posting the album cover by the Mamas and Papas. I don’t know the album but it sounds interesting. I used the „links“ you sent and then I understood the whole thing. Funny. This reminds me of my childhood. There were small pictures made of cardboard, on which different figures were printed. For example, an elephant, a rabbit and a lion. The whole picture in turn consisted of three movable, horizontal cardboard strips. On the uppermost one the head was shown. On the middle one the body and on the lower one the feet. These three strips could be moved, so that the rabbit suddenly had elephant legs, or the elephant a lion’s head, and so on. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of these pictures. I had already forgotten that these existed. I remember these came as an accompaniment to certain chocolate bars. As a child, I found these sliding pictures always very entertaining.
By the way: there was this LP by the Stones named „Sticky Fingers“. The cover had a working zipper. The design was by Andy Warhol. Since I’m not a Stones fan, I never owned this album. Too bad. A crazy idea back then, now an investment. The existing albums turn up at art auctions from time to time and then are traded at very high prices.
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Hi Tom,
the combination of modern electric guitars and traditional instruments is an interesting way of creating music. The vocals sound soft and harmonious. I googled once: The Polynesian language consists of 36 subgroups, well, could sound Hawaiian…. 😀
For me, the music of the indigenous people exudes joie de vivre and a feeling of harmony and contentment:
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Hi David,
unfortunately I don’t know H.R. Pufnstuf and The Critic. But thanks for the reference to the Simpsons. Here’s a really helpful explanation of how the statues on Easter Island could have been created…
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Thanks Jung, wonderful shoots of a stunning landscape. Yes music can breathe a soul into pictures and pictures in return can give music a wonderful shape. I also believe that every landscape leaves its traces in experience, in the senses and in the thinking of every person. I came across a “genuine” musician from Alaska: music in the tradition of John Denver.
