Purchased (Not Only) By The Cover

It is not comprehensible why Yello didn't appeared since I was running this blog. Surely not because they make bad music or I don't like them. I remember the first time I hold their first album in my hands looking at the cover this must be another punk band. A baby in a nappy and it's head looking like the head of a frog doesn't fit to a Swiss band in these days. The project by Boris Blank and Carlos Péron and added by congentital voice by Dieter Meier was radical in 1981. In times before sampling was used by many artists Yello created their on sound on using fragments of songs, tape-recordings, keyboards and percussion. Solid Pleasure was one of those records that made my start into new electronic music. It is almost 40 years ago when I bought this record and it is still a pleasure to listen to it. Bostich, a song that became famous on  dancefloor appeared the first time in a raw version on this album. The rest of their songs and success is history but they never had the verve of their first album.

Yello - Bimbo

Yello - Night Flanger

Yello - Bostich

Yello - Eternal Legs

Purchased (Not Only) Because Of The Cover

 

I remember very well when back in 1980 I was in my local record shop grubbing in the new arrivals when I first hold The Feelies debut album in my hands. Looking at the cover I couldn't believe that a record by high school kids could be found between the new ones by Dead Kennedys, David Bowie and Joy Division because I supposed it was another high school band playing traditional rock. Also their outfit was far away from what we used to wear that I was going to ignore the record if not the owner recommended to give them a listen. And indeed I was infected and got me a copy. I still love their jangly guitars,their Velvet Underground inspired avant-pop and their fusion of post-punk and forthcoming alternative rock.

The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

The Feelies - Fa Cé La

The Feelies - The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness

Purchased (Not Only) Because Of The Cover

 

A few months ago I started this series featuring albums that impressed me with a great cover art and fantastic music.  I stopped it because I thought it is enough but there are a lot more albums to feature. So I decided to continue this series from time to time. 

In 1983 Violent Femmes appeared with their self titled album on the scene. The cover shows a three-year-old girl looking curiously into a weathered window. And as I saw the cover the first time I was as curious what kind of music the cover contains. Gordon Gano's folk-punk grabbed my attention from the first chords of Blister In The Sun. 1983 brought a lot of great albums but this one was on heavy rotation in this year. In autumn of this year I was lucky enough to see them live in a small venue in Tübingen together with my youngest brother. We both were fascinated by the semi-acoustic gig where they played all the great songs from the first two albums.

Violent Femmes - Blister in the sun

Violent Femmes - Add it up

Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy gone

Violent Femmes - Kiss Off

Purchased (Not Only) Because Of The Cover

Punk was always radical but less bands were more radical on their first album than Wire. They released their debut in 1977 when almost everything changed in music. The cover of the album is also radical showing just a Pink Flag and the name of the band. 21 songs in 35 minutes and some of them less than one minute is almost impossible to beat. Their songs has everything that turned my musical taste into a new direction: they were fast but also melodic, full of harmony but dark and always with a massive guitar sound. A true milestone that is still surpassing.

Wire - Reuters
Wire - Strange
Wire - 1 2 X U
Wire - The Commercial
Wire - Ex Lion Tamer

Purchased (Nor Only) By The Cover

In 1979 Marianne Faithful returned with an epic album Broken English. An album that was different to all we listened to in these days. Filled with songs partly from her own and others she covered. It was an album a lot of people could agree with because Marianne's voice touched the soul of many people. I still love this album not only because it's cover where she was hidden behind her arm and smoking a cigarette. Her broken and drugs used voice where one of the soundtracks in summer of 79. In this days I didn't understood the lyrics very well but years later I got familiar to her words. Listening to her words 40 years ago I don't know any artist that could sing this words right now.

Marianne Faithful - Why Did Ya Do It
Marianne Faithful - Broken English
Marianne Faithful - Working Class Hero

Purchased (Not Only) By The Cover

40 years ago Liverpool's Echo and the Bunnymen released their first album Crocodiles. It is not necessary to talk about their quality and influence on my musical taste because most of the words are already said. But they had the most stylish atmospheric album covers. From a picture of the band in a wood at night over the band at the sea and a ice desert to the band in a boat in a cavern all of them were great compositions and gave me an idea of their introspective, despaired and a bit confused sound.

Echo and the Bunnymen - Monkeys
Echo and the Bunnymen - Rescue
Echo and the Bunnymen - Pictures On My Wall

Purchased (Not Only) By The Cover

In the early 80's guitarist Bill Carter formed a classic three piece band Motor Boys Motor and released only a self titled album after they split. The cover showed a snake man and I have to admit that it was pretty disgusting in days before they sent C-socialites into the jungle to eat worms. The band plays a Captain Beefheart inspired heavy blues. Carter plays a rhythmical, hard and feedback-drenched blues with a grabbing electric slide guitar combined with the staccato-like barked speech of Tony Moon. After the split of Motor Boys Motor Carter formed Screaming Blue Messiahs and got more critical acclaim than his former band.

Motor Boys Motor - Drive Friendly

Motor Boys Motor - Clean Shirt And A Shave

The bands name was borrowed by Joe Strummer's 101ers and worth to feature this song.

The 101ers - Motor Boys Motor

Purchased (Not Only) By The Cover

In 1979 the were I changed my musical preferences radical I listened a lot of new music and almost every week another band appeared on the scene that was worth to listen. Music and the outfit of the bands changed rapidly and so I was more than confused to see an album in my trusted record shop that with dazzling yellow background and musicians dressed like in 60's science fiction movies. I asked myself if the music is as retro as the cover suggests and I got curious to take a listen. And I was more than confused to hear a Rickenbacker guitar as the dominant instrument in a raw mixture of New Wave, Rock, Dance and Pop. It is a classic that was nearly played to death at my place 40 years ago but still worth to listen again from time to time.

The B-52's - Planet Claire
The B-52's - Dance This Mess Around
The B-52's - Rock Lobster

Purchased (Not Only) By The Cover

In 1977 when new music changed completely only a few bands have got it made to be successful with their old sound. One of them were the pub-rock veterans Dr. Feelgood from Essex (Eddie and the Hot Rods were the other) that reached number one with their live album Stupidity one year before. I liked them because of their earthy and timeless blues-rock that made fun amongst the punk-rock bands. They were true to their sound and Wilko Johnson maybe one of the best guitar players in these days. And as often the cover design was the reason I bought this record. A man stands before the club, lights to himself a cigarette and peers from the corners of the eye like his girlfriend stands closely with another man. Seldom a photo has returned the title of the album so appropriately.

Dr. Feelgood - Sneakin' Suspicion
Dr. Feelgood - Paradise