#46 - Diamond Dogs: David Bowie (1974)

More Bowie. This one, though, is a little different.  Bowie appear to be some sort of half-man, half-dog. And I’m not sure what those things in the back are supposed to be. The overall effect is kind of creepy, but definitely iconic.

There was a little controversy about this one. The original copies showed the Bowie creature with full-on genitalia. Subsequent copies airbrushed it out – with those originals going for thousands of bucks.

The artist was the Belgian Guy Peelaert. 

He has a few dozen album credits, one with the Stones, and then everything else with obscure European acts I never heard of. Peelaert was also know for movie posters, including the one for Taxi Driver (one of my favorites flicks of all time).

The album is a lot like Ziggy Stardust – a rather bizarre theme (this time revolving around George Orwell’s 1984), a lead character (Halloween Jack), and some really great songs plus one huge hit (“Rebel Rebel”). One thing that is unique about Diamond Dogs is that Bowie played all the instruments on it.

Up for a little Bowie trivia? Did you know that he

• Went to school with Peter Frampton
• Boxed as a youth 
• Was a mime
• Did a voice appearance for Sponge Bob Square Pants
• Turned down a knighthood

A few other Bowie covers I like:

Yes, I did find one parody:

Diamond Dogs also happened to be a movie, as well as having something or other to do with video games (a topic I know absolutely nothing about) 

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#47 - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: David Bowie (1972)

It’s really pretty simple, isn’t it? It’s really just an urban night scene, with Bowie front and center (though surprisingly small).

Perhaps it’s the colors, which just seem so perfect. I do know it was colorized (like old postcards). I’m not totally sure, though, why that would make it so engaging.

I do know the cover was from a photograph by Brian Ward.  He did some more stuff for Bowie, and also for Jethro Tull:

The colorist was Terry Pastor, who has about two dozen other credits: 

The two also collaborated on Bowie's Hunky Dory album:

K. West was a furriers. They’re gone now. In fact, the whole scene’s changed quite a bit.

There’s also a plaque there now as well:

By the way, the official address is 23 Heddon St., in Soho. I believe Bowie had been recording in a studio nearby.

There are some interesting theories out there about this one. On the less crazy end of the spectrum, we’ve got the idea that “K. WEST” can be read as “quest.” On the other Paul-is-dead / “Here’s to my sweet Satan” end, we’ve got some pretty involved stuff that posits the cover – and the whole album – predicts the birth and rise of Kanye West.

It’s not like Bowie’s ideas behind the album aren’t crazy enough, right? It is a great album though – “Suffragette City,” “Starman,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Moonage Daydream” … It’s generally recognized as his breakthrough album.

I was always a huge Bowie fan. I didn’t go in for all the crazy androgynous / glam / former art student stuff, but I did think the music was incredible. Very creative, very wide-ranging, very theatrical (in a good way), pretty downright catchy. 

Of course somebody had some fun with this one: 

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#48 - Whipped Cream & Other Delights: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965)

Hey, what’s this doing here? Now, I don’t really associate Herb Alpert with rock ‘n roll, but he was quite popular and definitely a part of the ‘60s.

If you’re not all that familiar (or that old), Herb and his group, the Tijuana Brass, actually were a rock band, but with a trumpet and trombone thrown in. Except for Alpert, they were all session musicians, with not a drop of Latino blood in the whole group. Pretty strictly commercial, they had a number of TV specials, and their music featured in several commercials, as well as intro music for The Dating Game.

That said, Alpert did write incredibly catchy tunes, several of which are on this album. Almost solely instrumentals, his hits include “The Lonely Bull,” “A Taste of Honey,” “Spanish Flea,” “Tijuana Taxi,” and more. If you’re of a certain age, I can guarantee at least one of those will take up residence as your own personal ear worm over the next couple of days. You’re welcome! Overall, Herb and the boys won 6 Grammys, outsold the Beatles in 1966, and had an album in the top 10 for almost 7 years running.

The model is one Dolores Erickson. She’s actually not covered in whipped cream, but is wearing a white bikini (with the straps down), covered with a white blanket, and doused with shaving cream. From Seattle, Dolores would become a Miss Maritime, Miss Greenwood, Miss Longshoreman, and a Seafair Princess. She would then move up to the big time, doing stuff for Macy’s and Max Factor, and signing with the Ford Modelling Agency. She also signed with a couple of movie studios (but appeared in only one movie, as “girl”) and did a number of other album covers as well. 

She is now a painter in Portland.

The inspiration for the cover came from Peter Whorf, future art director for A&M. He did a fair amount of cheesy stuff for some lame-o acts like Bob Moore & the Acapulco Trumpets, Ruben Rodriguez & His Guadalajara Kings, Barney Kessel and His Men, and even Erma Bombeck. 

He also did lots of jazz and even classical covers, though l believe I’m detecting a theme even there.

Herb Alpert is actually a pretty amazing guy. The LA-born son of Jewish immigrants, he was a musician in the Army, was in the USC marching band, co-wrote a number of top-20 hits, and cofounded A&M records – all before starting the Brass. He’s also a serious painter and sculptor, made enough money with A&M to become a major philanthropist, has an honorary doctorate from Berklee, and was a recipient of National Medal of the Arts.

Several of the band’s covers showed shots of Herb, who was quite a handsome guy. 

Looking at these now is bringing back some serious memories. I’m pretty sure my dad had all of them (as did all groovy dads back in the mid-60s).

 And here’s one of the band, none of whom would compete with Herb in any way. He called them “four lasagnas, two bagels, and one American cheese.” And with nary a taco or burrito to be seen.

Of course there were parodies – lots and lots of parodies:

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#49 - Use Your Illusion I: Guns 'n Roses (1991)

Definitely not my favorite band, but they do have some great songs.  I mean, everyone likes “Sweet Child of Mine” and “Welcome to the Jungle,” right?

And the band certainly had style.

Richard Fortus, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose, Steven Adler, Slash

Basically just good old-fashioned hard rockers, the group also had a reputation for hard partying and rebelliousness as well. That last bit earned them comparisons to the Rolling Stones and the moniker of “the most dangerous band in the world.”

This particular album was a bit of a departure for GNR, moving them from heavy-duty hard rock to some lighter stuff, with a little blues, punk, and even some classical thrown in.

The cover was done by Mark Kostabi, a real honest-to-goodness artist (and a bit of a favorite of mine). 

Most of his stuff involves bland, mannequin-like figures in surrealistic settings, with nods to major works from the past. Here, for example, is a fave of mine ripping off Diego Velazquez:

And here he is appropriating Giorgio Di Chirico:

Can you guess whose is whose?

The Use Your Illusion cover was something of a departure for Kostabi as well. It’s definitely a different style. And the artist this time is no less than Raphael himself – in particular, his masterful School of Athens. 

Now, can you find the two figures?

Kostabi actually has something of a reputation as well, being seen by many as a commercial sellout.  I still like him though.  

Kostabi did eight other album covers, including the very similar Use Your Illusion II and one for the Ramones.

Here are a couple of other GNR covers I like:

And let's end with a very inappropriate (but extremely funny) parody:

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