Great Album Covers: A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Superman & Dookie

Pink Floyd's A Momentary Lapse of Reason -- unlike many of the band's greater efforts (The Final Cut, Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall) -- is not a concept album. The cover photo, on the other hand, is highly conceptual, conveying ideas of isolation, loneliness and irrationality. When contemplating prospective cover art, lyrics from the album track "Yet Another Movie" brought images of an empty bed to Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Gilmour explained his idea to Storm Thorgerson whose design firm was responsible for several notable rock album covers including the aforementioned Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy and Pieces of Eight by Styx. Thorgerson's final design was a type of installation art that provided a nod to the album's track list and incorporated a soaring hang glider ("Learning to Fly") and several dogs ("Dogs of War") occupying an English beach with not one, but 700 carefully arranged wrought iron Victorian beds. Though shot on a typical gray day, the sky we see has a lovely purplish hue, which gives the photo and this cover a wonderfully serene feel. 

Barbra Streisand's nineteenth album would be one of her best-selling. Released in 1977 when she was coming off the success of the chart topping "Evergreen" single and three straight box office hits (The Way We Were, Funny Lady and A Star is Born) Streisand was arguably at the peak of her career and rightly being considered the biggest female talent in entertainment. But on the Superman cover she belies prevailing opinions with a simple, demure pose against a plain blue backdrop. Wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with the Superman logo, knee socks and white shorts, Streisand is shy but coquettish as she sheepishly cocks her head and tugs down on her shirt. Adorable!

Like Never Mind the Bullocks Here's the Sex Pistols, Green Day's Dookie is more than just a major label debut, it's a pronouncement. Just as the Sex Pistols' album had seventeen years prior, Dookie makes the statement: "We're here; we're kicking the effing doors in and we're changing the face of punk." Unfortunately, despite the fact that their lone album is considered one of the seminal works of its genre, the Sex Pistols didn't last. Green Day, however, is closing in on five decades of punk rock relevancy. 

Dookie's cover is everything you'd expect from a punk album -- frenetic, irreverent, iconoclastic. In a jam-packed R. Crumb-like illustration by artist Richie Bucher, we see bombs dropped from a plane, a giant mushroom cloud, the "Bad Year" blimp, funny renderings of Patti Smith, fat Elvis and AC-DC's Angus Young; a satyr, a prospector, a giant talking fly, the woman from the first Black Sabbath album, and tons of dogs hurling their feces.

Apart from all the (often scatological) chaos you'll find, the Dookie cover is also a tribute to Green Day's old stomping ground of East Bay, San Francisco. The setting of the entire illustration is downtown Berkeley and Bucher includes representations of several locals from the East Bay punk scene along and the UC Berkeley Marching band. There's also a shout out to Huey Newton, the former Black Panther leader whose base of operations was just a few miles to the south in Oakland, 

This is nowhere close to a full list of all the characters, Easter eggs and inside jokes included on this cover. I bought it when it first came out in 1994 and honestly, I'm still discovering things I hadn't previously.

Related Posts:

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Great Album Covers: Honey, 1984 & Parallel Lines

Great Album Covers: Breakfast in America, Big Lizard in My Backyard & She's So Unusual

How Today's Teenagers Are Embracing Nirvana and Other 90's Pop Culture

There are no less than three high schools within four miles of where I live. As a result, the neighborhoods I travel are always crawling with teenagers. In the last several months I've noticed a very curious fashion trend among this set, in that they're often sporting hoodies, sweatshirts and t-shirts featuring 90's bands. Hardly a day goes by in fact when I don't see a pimply-faced sophomore in Nirvana gear. I've also seen Metallica quite a bit, Snoop Dogg, Death Row Records, Foo Fighters and Slipknot. Now I need to stress that this is more than anecdotal (I'm not a big fan of any of these acts so I have no subconscious tendency to notice anyone repping them.) This is something that's both very real and being perpetuated with intention. Apparel makers are cranking out 90's-related clothing and retailers are aggressively promoting it in the teen market. 

Just the other day I saw a large poster in Tilly's window featuring a kid wearing a Nirvana shirt. It made me wonder -- why are merchandisers reaching back to pop culture from thirty years ago to appeal to today's teens? Are they just giving these kids what they've newly discovered and are now embracing? 

Beginning points for cultural trends are often difficult to pinpoint but at the same time, retro style is nothing new. Fashions, music and pop culture figures are often resurrected as they experience periods of nostalgia, usually about twenty years after they first emerged. The 1970's looked back at the 50's with Sha Na Na, American Graffiti, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Grease. The 80's saw comebacks for big hair, stirrup pants, miniskirts, paisley ties and penny loafers -- all popular in the 1960's. The 90's saw revisits to the 70's in The Brady Bunch films, That 70's Show, and the re-release of the original Star Wars trilogy. But currently, for unknown reasons, it seems the first decade of the 2000's is being overlooked in favor of what was popular in the 1990's. 

I ventured into the aforementioned Tilly's to see if I could discover more and realized that my observations were one hundred percent accurate. The store was loaded with apparel celebrating 90's pop culture, including Mike Tyson, the Chicago Bulls (who won six NBA titles in that decade) and Ice Cube. During a subsequent perusal of Tilly's website I found even more 90's apparel -- Friends, The Simpson, Aaliyah, Tupac, and tons and tons of... you guessed it... Nirvana. What is it about that particular band that elevates them so much among today's youth?... Is it their music?... Almost certainly not. This 90's craze that's taking place wasn't triggered by teens going through their parents CD collection and discovering grunge classics like "All Apologies" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Could it be the imagery and typography?... After all, the "Nirvana" lettering is pretty cool and the album covers for Nevermind and In Utero, as well as the "zonked out smiley face" logo are all pretty iconic. Yes, the aesthetics of graphic designs for the band are certainly a factor -- but the main reason Nirvana apparel is so ubiquitous today is largely due to the 90's nostalgia I've described and the fact that, while grunge didn't age well or sustain its popularity in subsequent decades, Nirvana is almost unquestionably the seminal band of that era. The same way the Sex Pistols and The Clash still carry the mantle and are revered in punk rock (the most significant rock sub-genre of the 70's) that's the esteem that Nirvana is held in when it comes to grunge (the most significant rock sub-genre of the 90's.) 

And so it was that I came to realize that the reason I'm seeing so many Nirvana shirts is less about the band and their music and more about the position they hold in connection with 90's. When you think about it, it could just as easily have been Pearl Jam except Curt Kobain's premature death by suicide has led to a certain romanticization of the artist's life, thereby creating greater recognition and appreciation for his work. 

In any case, if there's one thing I can't abide it's posers. If they truly like Nirvana's music that's one thing, but these teenagers running around in the band's tees just because all the other kids at the mall are are just plain annoying. And hey, as long as we're paying tribute to 90's alt-rock, I say we get retailers cranking out apparel featuring Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Blind Melon, 4 Non Blondes, the Pixies, Liz Phair and of course Alanis Morissette.

MTV Refused to Grow Up... But Was It the Right Decision?

"I heard you on the wireless back in '52..."

In the first few moments of the MTV's launch 41 years ago today, we were greeted with those words courtesy of The Buggles and their prophetic "Video Killed the Radio Star", the very first video shown on MTV. Then, for the next ten years, we watched as the fledgling channel expertly polished, refined and improved its brand, content and image. Along the way, the 24-hour music channel became the single most significant television experience for Generation X, which at the time comprised the most important segment of America's youth. But by the early 90's MTV faced a difficult decision -- one that would completely redefine its identity and alter its pop culture legacy. Here's the story of how MTV came to that crossroads and the path it ultimately chose.

The truth is that MTV arrived with little fanfare back on that first day of August, 1981. It was a simpler time for Americans in terms of our ability to keep ourselves entertained without benefit of personal computers (coincidentally introduced by IBM just a few days later), Sony Playstations, or even VCRs. Indeed, as hard as it is to believe, this was a time when the majority of Americans were also limited to three network channels, a few local stations and PBS. Cable television changed all that. Originally intended for populations living in mountainous and remote locations, cable TV was, by the early 80’s, quickly spreading to both urban areas and their surrounding suburbs. Most Americans at the time had barely even heard of MTV. The channel was largely considered to be just another basic cable station with novelty programming that could best be described as "pop or rock music songs typically set to creative visuals or the artist's live performance."

It was tough going at first. Operating on a shoestring budget, with only five on-air personalities and a handful of production people and executives, MTV struggled its first two years but somehow still found its audience – high schoolers and college age young adults. What MTV offered back then is very similar to what Napster would provide a little less than two decades later, that is, a fresh new way to source and experience music. The record industry was floundering, coming off of some of their worst sales years ever. The glory days of the 70’s when everyone was eager to run out and buy the latest LPs by Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Styx and Heart were over. Disco, and to a lesser extend AOR, were dying slow deaths. New musical genres (punk, new wave, rap) were emerging and what’s more, many of these new styles were, in one way or another, actively discouraging record sales. Early rap records, for example, were often recorded on tape and sold out of the trunks of cars in the artists' local neighborhoods. Many of the most popular punk artists were either British and/or their recordings were not as readily available as other artists. The time was just right for MTV to enter, establish some common ground, and offer an exciting new platform of content for a wide range of music listeners. Despite having little more than a hundred videos to begin with, the idea of “seeing the music” was so appealing to viewers that “Hey, did you see so and so’s new video?” soon became a common question on high school and college campuses. Clearly, it had a lot to do with the fact that at the time, outside of a concert venue, there was no opportunity to experience your favorite music artists visually. The ability to view your favorite performer singing their latest hit but also have it presented in a stimulating and creative way was one of the most innovative developments in music since the invention of phonograph. 

"Lying awake intent on tuning in on you..."

MTV’s popularity grew rapidly, thanks in part to the fact that the channel came about at virtually the same time as two other innovations in the music/recording industry – the Walkman and the compact disc. Sony debuted its portable personal cassette player in 1979 and by 1982 (MTV’s second year) had perfected its design and was on its way to selling over 100 million units. Just about the same time (1982) the compact disc was introduced and was soon recognized for offering superior sound quality and being the music format of the future. The CD and the Walkman led to tremendous growth in music sales throughout the decade (see chart below) and increased interest in popular music in general.

MTV can also take credit for another music industry trend of the 80’s. The channel can take sole responsibility for breaking a number of iconic British artists here in the states, the result being something akin to a second British Invasion. Out of necessity (rather than some visionary decision making) the first two years of MTV saw a flood of English artists receiving heavy rotation on the channel -- mainly because, initially, Brits were the main ones making music videos. Going back to the mid 70's, when artists like Queen and David Bowie experimented with the music video, English artists had always gravitated towards the medium. As a result, they were the ones ready when MTV came looking for content. Enduring artists like The Police, Eurythmics, Billy Idol and Duran Duran owe their careers to MTV, and one hit wonders and lesser artists like Naked Eyes ("Always Something There to Remind Me"), Spandau Ballet ("True") and Adam Ant ("Goody Two Shoes", "Strip") experienced their brief stints at the top courtesy of the channel.

Not to say that English artists were the only ones benefiting in those early days. American artists scrambled to take advantage of the new outlet MTV provided and early videos by Cindy Lauper, The Cars and The Go-Go's, among others were MTV staples. At the time, it was a great example of a symbiotic relationship: artists make videos that get played on MTV; more people watch the channel to see the video, thereby giving the single/album more exposure and increasing sales; and finally, more people watching MTV meant more advertising dollars for the network. Everybody was happy. 

Over the years, MTV got its legs, matured and perfected the art of shameless self-promotion. Segments like "MTV News", the “I want my MTV” promos, and the MTV Video Awards (introduced in 1984) combined with the cooperation of the major record labels in providing not only content, but also access to their artists, helped MTV put an indelible stamp on the 80’s. In the process, MTV both capitalized on and helped perpetuate all of the decade’s biggest music trends, including the Michael Jackson and New Kids on the Block phenomenons, the emergence of rap/hip-hop, and the popularity of “pop metal” bands like Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and Poison. 

All the while, MTV’s programming became more and more diverse -- yet always stayed true to it’s acronym: Music Television. New shows and specials began to appear: The Top 10 Video Countdown (1984), Club MTV (1987), a series of “rockumentaries”, Yo, MTV Raps (1988), The Grind and the groundbreaking MTV Unplugged (1989) evidenced the fact that it was still all about the music.

MTV hit its peak in the early 90’s – right around the time the original MTV-generation stopped watching regularly. It wasn’t that they were no longer interested, it was just that after college, and as they neared our mid-20's, they were cornered by careers and responsibility, Suddenly, checking out the new Guns N' Roses video wasn’t as important as getting up for work the next day. MTV brass likely took notice of a dip in ratings and tried to formulate a response to what was then, the first decline in viewing since the channel’s inception. 

The result was an excessive (and in many ways unwarranted) revamping of MTV’s programming. Back in the 80’s, MTV had begun supplementing its video programming with reruns of The Monkees, animated series like Speed Racer and the old Beatles and Jackson 5 cartoons, spring break coverage from Florida, and their first original regular series, the game show Remote Control. Then suddenly, as the nineties rolled in, more new shows began to appear (among them, House of Style, The State, and additional game shows like Singled Out) -- all of which had nothing to do with music.

MTV further pushed its programming envelope with the animated anthology Liquid Television, which launched Mike Judge's Beavis and Butthead and provided a showcase for other independent animated productions, including the cult classic, Æon Flux. Equally innovative and groundbreaking was MTV's 1992 documentary series The Real World, which doesn't get nearly enough credit for being the first reality show of its type since An American Family aired on PBS in the 70's.

Make no mistake, this was the beginning. Fair warning had been given:  MTV was in the process of casting aside Generation X -- the generation that had watched so religiously and made the network a success. MTV would soon belong to Gen Y (and not long after, Millenials.)

This clip from The Simpsons satirizes MTV's marketing approach toward programming. 

Many faithful MTV viewers tried their best to roll with the changes, figuring these new shows might provide an acceptable break from MTV's video dominant format, despite being wholly inappropriate for a channel called "Music Television". And while the aforementioned The Real World and a few other shows proved to be popular and lasting, many others, like Dead at 21, were poorly received and short-lived (no pun intended.)

Perhaps it was the distraction offered by home video and the new DVD format. Maybe it was the explosion of the internet and home gaming systems like the Sony Playstation (introduced in 1994.) It might have been the meddling corporate influence of Viacom -- the multi-billion dollar entertainment conglomerate that purchased MTV in 1985 -- or maybe MTV simply went as far as it could with its all-music format. Whatever the reason, as we entered the early 2000's, MTV made its choice to consciously and permanently change its identity. Music videos would need to give way (almost entirely) to alternative programming. 

More new shows appeared that had even less to do with music: Celebrity Death Match, Cribs, Undressed at Eight, The Blame Game, and Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County to name a few. Moreover, in efforts to emulate the success of network TV hits Survivor and Big Brother (which both aired on CBS, another Viacom property) reality TV like Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, The Osbournes and Punk'd would become cornerstones of a new MTV seeking to remake itself as a full-blown network, with original series, specials, game shows, the entire gamut. Music content would be limited and decidedly aimed at a twenty-and-under demographic, which meant an abundance of Britney, Christina, Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson and boy bands NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. "Mature" artists -- Madonna, Prince, Hall & Oates, Janet Jackson and others -- who had built the network during the 80's were relegated to MTV's sister channels MTV2 and VH1. (Ironically, both of those channels would soon follow the same course as the original MTV, shifting their focus from music to mostly lifestyle and reality programming, reruns of acquired sitcoms, with only daily blocks of videos, typically shown very late night or early morning.) Total Request Live began its remarkable run around this time. One of MTV's few remaining music-oriented shows, TRL spotlighted pop and hip-hop videos (introduced by teenage "woo-girls" screaming shout-outs at the top of their lungs.) Before long the "new MTV" was fully formed and the remainder of its programming came to be dominated by inane "semi-reality" shows like Jackass, Road Rules, Pimp My Ride, Date My Mom, and Lovelines. By 2010, MTV ended the charade and officially dropped the words "music television" from its logo and channel description. "MTV" was now simply a name.

"If I was young it didn't stop you coming through..."

Abandoning music for reality programming... Forsaking older generations in pursuit of younger/teen audiences... Were these smart decisions? Financially speaking, the answer is almost, "Definitely yes." Business-wise, it's always smart to cater to the demographics from which the money is coming. It became clear that this was in fact the case as early as the mid-90's. That's when businesses of all types had begun marketing to kids. 

With the passing of the 1980's, young people -- who until that point had been barely tolerated (mostly seen and not heard) -- started to gain more and more influence over their parents, and in turn, those parents' dollars... 

How so?... Let's rewind.

Throughout the 90's, the U.S. economy was strong. Indeed, between 1993 and 2000, the United States exhibited the best economic performance of the past three decades. Unemployment was down; the stock market was up; and the personal saving rate was plummeting. In short, people had money, were willing to spend it, and (when it came to parents) their children were often the beneficiaries. 

Businesses of all types recognized an opportunity. Restaurants and hotels remade themselves as "kid friendly." The MGM Grand and other Las Vegas hotels spent millions on amusement parks and other family-oriented attractions. Suburban malls (traditionally the gathering place for high schoolers and pre-teens) added youth retailers like Hot Topic and Tilly's. Disney, after the massive success of their new animated features The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, continued to crank out their G-rated fare -- and then merchandised the hell out of it. 

So with pleasing the kids now a priority -- not just for their helicopter parents, but for all of society -- Viacom (like Disney) began tweaking the marketing strategies of its entertainment properties. MTV was first on the list and its programming was radically adjusted to appeal to an even younger demo than when the channel first launched. Such a change, execs figured, would attract their sought after youthful audience and the avalanche of advertisers looking to tap into that market.

"In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind, we've gone too far."

And so it was, and so it continues. Each generation (or half generation) of MTV viewers is now aggressively marketed to and indulged before they (and the content they love) get unceremoniously discarded. Right now, it's all about targeting Gen Z, whose constituents (almost poetically) are very often the sons and daughters of those teenagers who made MTV what it was back in 1981.

Difficult as it is to face and sad as it may be, it can be no other way. Though they once were close and had great affection for each other, in time Wendy Darling had to grow up... and Peter Pan remains forever young.

Observations from a Cross-Country Drive (with Pop Culture References)

I recently drove from California to New Jersey in three days... 

That's right, three days.

Here are the takeaways and some of the high (and low) lights: 

Yuma, Arizona is unfathomably hot.

I don't mean really really hot; I mean not suitable for human beings hot. I don't even know how plant and insect life can survive hot. I stopped there to buy a sandwich, got out of the car, made it halfway through the parking lot, and was ready to turn back. Matthew Broderick in Biloxi Blues described it quite well:

There are no bagel shops in Odessa, Texas.

I spent the night there, got up and wanted to have a quick breakfast. So I asked Siri where the closest bagel shop was... She showed me a bunch of donut places... 

I asked again and the same thing happened. Upon further investigation, I learned that most of west Texas was devoid of bagels and I would need to go about 90 miles to get one. If Kramer from Seinfeld was with me he would loudly be declaring the following:

After leaving Texas I wound up in something called "Texarkana". 

As near as I could tell, this is some odd, hybrid region of the country that combines the oppressive heat of Texas with the mind-numbing hick-dom of Arkansas. Needless to say, I kept the windows rolled up and sped through it as quickly as possible, lest I encounter any of the the local yokels. 

Also while n Arkansas, I stopped at a convenience store and picked up a couple of bags of Rap Snacks.

What are Rap Snacks you ask? Well they're just plain old potato chips and other salty snacks offered in packaging with pictures of Migos, Notorious B.I.G., and even Cardi B. What's interesting is that Rap Snacks seem to be more popular and widely marketed throughout the south. It's a sobering reminder of the subtly racist tropes and stereotypes that still exist and continue to be perpetuated in this country and across every strata of our society... apparently even our consumer products packaging.

While driving through the south I was careful not to run afoul of sheriffs like Buford T. Justice and J.W. Pepper.

By far, the most tedious part of the drive was through Virginia. 

Governor Youngkin, please prioritize making your highways less boring because while driving through your snoozefest of a state, this almost happened to me twice:

Those QPCs are quite odiferous.

There are SO many rest stops in Pennsylvania and every single one of them has a McDonald's. The result is, you can smell quarter pounders up and down the highway for miles.

The Donnas are the best driving music band of all time.

The all-girl band's distinct mix of hard-charging rock and simple but fun punk-pop (e,g, "Pass It Around", "Are You Gonna Move It For Me", "Fall Behind Me") is infinitely listenable and kept my foot on the accelerator for hours at a time.

Astronomers estimate there are about 100 thousand million stars in our galaxy...

That's only about a dozen or so less than the number of bugs that splattered on my windshield over the course of my 2800+ mile journey. When it's that many bugs, combined with the 70-80 mph speed, the bugs (or what's left of them) get practically permanently embedded in the car's windshield and hood. And then you throw in the heat -- at some points upwards of 100 degrees -- and the mess all gets baked in and actually becomes part of your vehicle. Seriously, by the time I arrived in NJ the front half of my car looked like this Jackson Pollock...

R.I.P. Meat Loaf (with so many "Ands")

Go elsewhere to read in memoriam bios of Michael Lee Aday; I'm here to talk about Meat Loaf dammit!

He passed away yesterday and even those of us who were not huge fans recognize his importance to the rock world. He came along at a time when rock stars typically looked like Bruce Springsteen or Joey Ramone -- skinny kids in their twenties hungry for their next meal. Or else they were glam, androgynous Brits like Bowie, Rod Stewart and Freddie Mercury - gangly guys in super-sleek slacks. And then here comes Meat Loaf, this big, fat, sweaty dude with long hair and sloppy clothes... He didn’t fit the mold.

And then his Bat Out of Hell album, which was initially rejected by any and every record company in the business. Album composer Jim Steinman described the dismissals he and Meat Loaf endured as "brutal". Along the way, the two were not only turned down, but branded as crazy, untalented and incompetent by so-called geniuses like the imperious and forever over-celebrated Clive Davis. It's a testament to Steinman's and Meat Loaf's fortitude and belief in their own talent that they were able to persevere and eventually find a home at Cleveland International/Epic Records. 

The company's decision paid off with the success of the album's third single “Paradise by the Dashboard Light". It is, of course, a song about a teenage boy who takes his girlfriend up to the lake in his car and tries to talk her into having sex. She's reluctant and asks him to swear that he’ll love her forever — “til the end of time.” He promises he will, but of course by song's end he’s “praying for the end of time” so he can break up with her.

That song blows you away with its storytelling and the way it so jarringly and repeatedly changes tempo and style. And it’s so theatrical, like a rock opera — similar to “Bohemian Rhapsody”. And the fact that the track was so long and non-radio-friendly, which mattered so much at the time of its release (1977.) And the song’s completely bizarre incorporation of New York Yankees broadcaster Phil Rizzuto announcing a baseball game — but it’s really a metaphor for these two kids having sex… Just so amazingly creative. 

And the great lyrics:

"It was long ago and it was far away and it was so much better that it is today"

“And we’re glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife…”

“Ain’t no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed — cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed.” 

Oh, and that cover art!... The muscled hero onboard a motorcycle exploding out of the grave, illustrated in the style of a Frank Frazetta comic... And Meat Loaf's name in that Old English-looking Bradley font was the perfect compliment. The album went on to become one of the best selling LPs of all time. In 1977 everyone you knew had Fleetwood Mac Rumors, Frampton Comes Alive, Hotel California, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and Bat Out of Hell.

And finally, in 1993 Meat Loaf  had his famous comeback and again collaborated with Bat Out of Hell Steinman to produce Bat Out of Hell II. Considered a 70s relic by most, Meat Loaf defied the doubters with his sequel and managed to catch lightning in a bottle a second time with another 8 minute-plus power ballad and monster single, "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That".  The song was an even bigger chart hit than “Paradise” and the its similar themes, style, arrangement and male/female vocals brought back fond memories of "Paradise" while also creating a new generation of Meat Loaf fans nearly two decades after his debut.

So Godspeed to an uncompromising original. Meat Loaf broke through on his terms and paved the way for the success of Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, the B-52's, Weezer and other artists with unconventional images and non-conforming music.

Great Album Covers: The Score, Head Games & Vacation

For their breakthrough 1996 album, The Score, The Fugees lifted the font and styling used for the cover of Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and then added the heavily-shadowed faces of group members Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel and Lauryn Hill.

Foreigner's 1979 album Head Games featured the grainy image of a nubile high school girl seemingly startled as she's caught in the act invading a boy's bathroom. Seventeen-year-old Lisanne Falk (daughter of Peter Falk, aka TV's Columbo) was the teen model used for the photoshoot and years later she would gain fame as one of the Heathers in the 1988 movie of the same name.

Just like in the iconic video for the album's eponymous first single, the Go-Go's Vacation featured the group posing as professional water skiers. A popular all-female team from Cypress Garden, Florida (dressed in white chiffon-like skirts and matching head pieces) was filmed synchronized skiing and waving to the camera. The Go-Go's heads were then superimposed on the skiers' bodies and the result was the postcard-inspired cover for band's sophomore effort.

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Five Live Albums You Really Should Own

Many people (myself included) aren't big fans of live albums. They are too often purely money grabs by music labels and/or artists themselves as they attempt to cash in on their popularity by quickly assembling and marketing a new release without having to write or record new songs. But even more often, live albums disappoint because, let's face it, the majority of artists today don't sound anywhere nearly as good without the polish that comes from a studio. Despite this, true fans always seem willing to bite the bullet and shell out for live albums from their favorite acts. 

Still, every once in a while there's a live album of such quality or significance that it's definitely worth the money. If you're a fan of pop, rock, soul, or R&B, here are five "lives" you really should give a listen to:

Paul McCartney - Tripping the Live Fantastic

The Beatles last concert (apart from their famous 1969 one-time performance atop the Apple studios roof) was in 1966. The band, however, continued making music until their breakup in 1970. This means many of the Beatles best and most popular recordings were never performed live by them. As solo acts, John, George and Ringo rarely performed Beatles tunes in concert and when they did, they most often stuck to those they had composed themselves (e.g., George’s "Here Comes the Sun" and Ringo’s "Octopus’s Garden".) 

Tripping the Live captures tracks from Paul’s 1989-90 world tour, which marked the first time hits from classic Beatles albums like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road were ever performed in concert. (Incidentally, the famous recordings of what purportedly are Linda McCartney’s horrible backing vocals during "Hey Jude" supposedly came from the concerts chronicled on this album.)

Highlights: "The Long and Winding Road", "Things We Said Today", "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End"

The Supremes - The Supremes at the Copa 

Recorded in 1965, back in the days when the top acts still headlined in nightclubs or on the Vegas strip. The Supremes were one of the very first black artists invited to perform at the famous Copacabana in New York City. These performances helped elevate them to the top of Motown roster and paved the way for the label’s other artists (like Marvin Gaye and The Temptations) to also play the club.

Highlights: "Stop! In the Name of Love", the group’s vocal segue into "Baby Love"

Bruce Springsteen - Live 1975-85

Box sets used to be reserved for artists who had been in the business for 25 years or more, or whose early recordings were somehow never commercially available before. This release (issued in November of 1986) changed all that and now it seems anybody that’s had more than three albums issues a box set. Live 1975-85 captures ten years of Springsteen during the height of his popularity and does its best to recreate the experience of his legendary 3-4 hour concerts.

Highlights: "Rosalita", "Born to Run", "Jersey Girl"

The Fixx – React

As mentioned earlier, many bands don’t sound anywhere nearly as good live as they do in the studio. Synth pop/new wave group The Fixx bucked this trend and lead singer Cy Curnin’s haunting voice is just as rich and penetrating on this album as it is on any of their studio tracks.

Highlights: "Saved By Zero", "Secret Separation"

The Jacksons – Jacksons Live

For as much attention as Michael Jackson has received for his solo efforts and his early work with The Jackson 5, the years he spent in between as part of The Jacksons are often overlooked. The Jacksons were essentially a disco-infused continuation of the Jackson 5 (with brother Randy taking the place of Jermaine) except the group now took far more creative control of their music. From 1976 to 1980, The Jacksons released four albums that spawned hits like "Shake Your Body Down", "Enjoy Yourself", "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Lovely One". Jacksons Live chronicles the group's Triumph tour (named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best tours of the era) and includes hits from the J5 as well as Michael’s solo debut, Off the Wall.

Highlights: "Can You Feel It", "Off the Wall", the brothers’ extended banter before the "I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save" medley.

The Real Reasons Why Michael Jackson Was Important

Everyone from my generation remembers where they were when certain life-ending events occurred. JFK and MLK were assassinated before we were born (or at the most we were toddlers.) We were a little older when Elvis Presley and John Lennon passed, but we missed seeing them in their primes and didn't fully understand their significance and their impact on the culture until later. We were grownups when tragic accidents took Princess Diana and JFK Jr., and yes, that was sad. But for my generation, the deaths we remember most... the surreal ones... the ones that touched us to core... the ones that stopped time... the Challenger explosion, 9-11... and now this... Michael Jackson.

Of all the passings I mentioned above, Elvis's best approximates what my generation is experiencing with the news of Michael Jackson. In many ways, the two events are startling similar. Two individuals that were immensely talented singers and performers, but who were also transcendent artists that became absolute phenomenons. Each branched out beyond the world of music to make their marks in television, movies and, in Jackson's case, music videos. Each saw their careers dip sharply in their later years. And sadly, each contributed to their own demise through excess, drug abuse, and increasingly eccentric behavior. Elvis and Michael both died unexpectedly, and at the time of their deaths, left legacies as the best-selling artist of the rock era and the greatest entertainer of all time.

I'm not going to go on and on and provide a retrospective on Jackson's life and career. (There are a hundred websites and TV programs that will continue to do that over the next several days and weeks.) Instead, I'm blogging this largely for the young people out there, many of whom I suspect, don't fully understand the impact Michael had on music and our popular culture. The same way my generation couldn't fully understand Elvis' impact, anyone under the age of 30 probably doesn't fully understand Michael's.

To correct this, I won't rehash the usual list of stats and achievements (this many million albums sold, this many number one hits, this many Grammys.) Again, I'll leave that to others. Truth be told, there've been a lot of artists who have reached the top, sold millions, won countless awards, and will be long-remembered. But Jackson's uniqueness, the "how's" of his revolutionizing of the music world, the way he and his music uniquely resonated with Americans and others all over the world, and the ways in which he continuously broke new ground during his career -- that's what needs to be underscored right now.

The first thing that needs to be discussed, is that the word I mentioned earlier, "phenomenon", is not one to use lightly. As far as the music world is concerned, the Spice Girls and New Kids On The Block tours broke box office records; Bruce Springsteen was on cover of Time and Newsweek; Mariah Carey recently signed a record-breaking $80 million dollar recording contract. But when it comes to actual "phenomenons", there was Elvis, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson.

So how did these phenomenons come to be? Well, Elvis was at the forefront of popular music's defining movement of the 20th century -- rock and roll. In the mid and late 50s, Elvis succeeded in rising above contemporaries like Chuck Berry (who was actually more deserving) to become the face of rock and roll -- the genre that would come to dominate American popular music.

The Beatles were a little different. One of the definitions of phenomenon is "an unsually significant, often unaccountable occurrence." The key word in this instance is "unaccountable". In no way am I disparaging the band or dismissing their talent, but the Beatles phenomenon began, in many ways, as a case of "right time, right place", as the charismatic group inexplicably captured the imaginations of first Germans in Hamburg, then their fellow Brits, and finally Americans.

The Michael Jackson phenomenon has similarities to both The King's and the Fab Four's. Jackson came along at a time when the new medium of music videos was fundamentally changing the way artists were performing, connecting with their fans, defining their images, and marketing themselves and their music. Many of the top acts of the time (Springsteen, Billy Joel, Jackson Browne) as talented as they were, struggled with how to leverage this new medium to its fullest. But Jackson's natural ability and creativity as a singer, dancer and performer gave him the total package and he alone emerged as the single greatest artist of MTV's golden age (1981-1991.)

Indeed, Jackson revolutionized the music video, taking it from its primitive beginnings as simple live or studio performances (sometimes enhanced with cheesy special effects) to expressionistic narratives with creative art direction and cinematography and elaborate choreography. With "Beat It" and "Thriller", Jackson pioneered the "performer out front with backup dancers" style of video, which became the paradigm for many other artists from the 80's (Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield"), 90's (Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation"), 2000's (Britney Spears' "Oops, I Did It Again") and even today (Beyonce's "Single Ladies".) 

Also with regard to music videos, Jackson's "Billie Jean" (along with Prince's "1999" and Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue") were the first videos by black artists to be played on MTV. A gifted dancer from birth, Jackson enhanced this natural ability by adding in double and triple James Brown-like spins, as well as pops, locks and moonwalks he borrowed from 80s B-boys. The result was Jackson forever raising the bar for what we could expect from artists in concert. Singing AND dancing became much more of an expectation, and Michael represented the zenith of the multi-talented performer, paving the way for the likes of Madonna, Paula Abdul, M.C. Hammer, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Shakira, and countless others.

Right around the same time that MTV and music videos were taking hold, radio was also changing. FM had recently surpassed AM as the dominant band, and stations were still scrambling to define their formats and find their niche among listeners. Radio though, was still sometimes segregated. As far fetched as it may seem these days, the fact is that right until the early 80's, there was much more of a gulf between the musical preferences of whites and blacks. "White music" and "black music" and "white radio stations" and "black radio stations" were often mutually exclusive. This is not to say that black artists weren't played on white radio (Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and others certainly were) but as he did with MTV, Michael Jackson, moreso than any other, was the artist that contributed to erasing any remaining color lines once and for all. Tracks from his debut solo album, Off the Wall dominated Top 40 stations. In an era when the public was railing against disco, Jackson was able to blend it with elements of other traditionally black music (pulsing R&B, horn-driven funk, lush Philly soul) and inject it with a pop sensibility that appealed to a wider (and "whiter") cross section of listeners. Radio stations, which typically leak singles out six to eight weeks apart, took Off the Wall and ran with it, and "Rock With You", "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough", "She's Out of My Life", and the album's title track all got airplay concurrently. Tracks from 1982's Thriller and 1987's Bad would get the same treatment. 

His ability to cross color lines, songwriting ability, mellifluous voice, dancing ability and other considerable talents aside, there was also something undefineable about Michael Jackson. Despite his shy personality, he was tremendously charismatic. Even going back to 1968, when he was signed (along with his brothers) to Motown, Suzanne DePasse, Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, and others at the label agreed that the group had talent -- but ten year old Michael had "it."

Jackson was long considered a prodigy, but by the time he was twenty-one, he would exceed everyone's expectations by breaking free from both his brothers and Motown and proving himself one of the best voices and creative forces in the business. Everyone recognized this, even his peers and the most famous names in music. During the last three decades of the 20th century, many of the top singers (Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Boyz II Men), producers (Quincy Jones, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, David Foster), and studio musicians (Rod Temperton, Brothers Johnson bassist Louis Johnson, Toto's Steve Lukather and Steve and Jeff Porcaro) collaborated with Michael on projects. And when Michael enlisted axemen Eddie Van Halen and Steve Stevens (Billy Idol's guitarist) to play on "Beat It" and "Dirty Diana", respectively, many fans were introduced to hard rock guitar licks for the very first time.

Pop culture figures outside the music world also teamed with Michael on various projects. He shot videos with Marlon Brando, Michael Jordan, Naomi Campbell, Eddie Murphy, Martin Scorcese and John Landis; made movies with Academy Award winners Sidney Lumet, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas; performed onstage with Diana Ross, Cher, and James Brown; and launched the careers of Siedah Garrett and Sheryl Crow (whose first big break was as a backup singer on the Bad tour.) Little sister Janet owes a debt to Michael as well. Her career was floundering (with a mediocre debut album and an even less successful sophomore effort) until the fallout from Michael's fame helped refocus attention on her and her Control album.

As I suggested in a previous blog post, there often comes a time when a man meets his moment. For Michael, that moment was at the Motown 25 TV Special, where he reunited with his brothers onstage for the first time in eight years, and then brought the house down with a solo performance of "Billie Jean." Though the show included performances by legends like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Supremes, all anyone could talk about the next day was Michael. It was this performance that precipitated Michael's instantaneous ascension into the pantheon of not just pop music but pop culture as a whole. 

It's hard to deny that Michael was an icon of the highest magnitude. He had the highest selling album of all time and was featured in his own animated TV series. He starred in his own prime time variety show and had Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire publicly marveling at his dancing ability. He was honored by President Reagan at the White House and guest voiced on The Simpsons. And, lest we forget, Michael was also one of the creative forces behind U.S.A. for Africa and co-writer of "We Are the World". Indeed, Michael contributed so much time and money to charities and humanitarian causes that the Guiness Book of World Records honored him as the "Most Charitable Pop Star of All Time."

For the last week, I've listened to the MJ tributes on radio stations and watched retrospectives on BET, MTV, and VH1. What sticks out to me and offers the most consolation for this loss is the stunning amount of music Michael left behind. I'm staggered by both the volume and quality of the music he produced with the Jackson 5, The Jacksons, and on his own. 

And it's great that Michael is being shown so much love. It seems very few are remembering the negative about him, including those disturbing allegations of child molestation. I, like most, certainly haven't forgotten about that, or the fact that in this, the age of steroids, philandering politicians, and rampant corporate corruption, you simply can't believe in anyone anymore. (In light of the prevailing evidence, the claims made against Michael may very well be much more than just "allegations.")

We also (regrettably) have to acknowledge, the way he destroyed his face and body with cosmetic surgery. (It's sometimes difficult to even view pictures of him in his later years.) And we all remember the sham of a marriage to Lisa Marie Presley (which then and now seems like a clumsy attempt at damage control) and all those disturbing eccentricities -- from allegedly seeking to purchase the Elephant Man's bones, to dangling his baby over the balcony.

But through all of this, what we'll rightfully remember most about Michael Jackson is his music, his amazing voice, and all the good memories... J5... Motown... The Ed Sullivan Show... "I Want You Back"... "I'll Be There"... the giant afro... "The Robot"... The Jacksons... Thriller... the glove... the moonwalk... and on and on... 

Related Posts:

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson 

10 Songs That Defined the 80s

Is an All Star Michael Jackson Tribute Concert in the Works?

The Death of Freddie Mercury and How Great Was Queen?

Was listening to "Don't Stop Me Now" and other Queen tunes recently and reflecting on what a great band they were. Americans never fully embraced Queen or gave them their due the way the Brits did. In England, Queen is absolutely revered, and the group is generally considered second only to the Beatles as the greatest band of all time. But in the U.S., it seems like Queen is sort of lumped into a category of "good" rock bands (in there with Rush, Heart, and other 70s-era groups) who, though they're certainly respected, still take a back seat to acts like the Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and U2.

This represents a huge oversight. When you think of all the things that make a band great -- songwriting, musicianship, vocals, live performance, creativity, etc. -- Queen comes in as a top ten band of all-time -- right up there with the Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire, Fleetwood Mac, the Beach Boys and Chic. 

One of the major reasons Queen ranks so highly is because of their innovative, diverse and eclectic sound, evidenced on songs like the operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "It's a Hard Life"; the staccato, pause-heavy, and uniquely arranged "Bicycle Race"; the stripped-down, haunting, R&B-influenced "Another One Bites the Dust", and the anthem-like sing-alongs "Radio Ga Ga" and "We Will Rock You". With Queen, you got track after track of songs that didn't sound like anything else you'd ever heard before. 

And then of course, there was lead singer Freddie Mercury's amazingly distinct vocals. Mercury had one of those voices that you would hear and immediately know who it was -- similar to Sting, Stevie Nicks, and Bono, except Mercury's voice and vocal range was much richer than any of theirs.

You ponder these things and then you begin to think about how and when Freddie died. In my case, I happened to be watching and recording a show on MTV and the VCR was still going when Kurt Loder came on with this shocking and sad story. You have to remember that this was the early 90's before everyone had access to the internet, before news and information was ubiquitous and instantaneous. Also, Freddie was able to keep his HIV/AIDS diagnosis secret, so most didn't even know he was sick until his own public acknowledgement which took place just a day before he died. This was a truly sad report:

(From the Pop Culture Fiend Archives)

Belinda Carlisle on Arsenio Hall

Last night, Belinda Carlisle earned the dubious distinction of being the first person bounced off Dancing With the Stars. Jewel and Nancy O'Dell dropped out before the season even began, so we officially no longer have any interest in this this season of DWTS ... Okay, maybe we'll flip over every once in a while just to see what Edyta is (or isn't) wearing. In the meantime, we'll just watch this rare video from the Pop Culture Fiend Archives and remember Belinda in better days.

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