As my descent down the vinyl rabbit hole continues, so inevitably does my record collection expand. In addition to my copy of Beach House’s Bloom, I also pre-ordered and received Heaven, the latest from The Walkmen (MINI-REVIEW: It’s the third or fourth best Walkmen album behind Lisbon and Bows + Arrows, and maybe better than/on par with/slightly not as good as Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone. It’s a good album with some great songs, and is worth checking out.) I have also raided my parent’s record collection (conveniently stored towards the back of a low-ceiling crawl space) and will now present some highlights of that collection with non-sensical, arbitrary awards.
Most Creative Album Sleeve: Traffic – The low spark of high heeled boys
It’s shaped like, and gives off the appearance of a cube! The only knock against this album I can give, is that the vinyl itself is not cube-shaped. If it were, this would have become my favorite album of all time.
Award for the Most Normal Depiction of Elton John I’ve Ever Seen: The back cover of Elton John’s Elton John
which leads nicely into the next award…
Award for the Exact Opposite of the Previous Award: Elton John’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Yep.
Excellence in Cover Art Parody/Homage: Sesame Street Fever‘s take on the cover of the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever
I love how the Bee Gees are just hanging out in the back, watching over John Travolta as he tries to be a disco master. It’s almost like the end of Return of the Jedi. Almost.
Most Surprising Artist with a Concept Album/Best Concept Album About Water/Funniest Overall Album Packaging: Barbra Streisand’s Wet
Between the sexual overtones of Streisand sitting naked in a hot spring, on the front and back cover of an album called Wet, and the fact Barbra Streisand did a concept album about water, and the funny sounding in my head, hypothetical, radio promos, this album is just too much.
Excellence in Rennaisance Faire Garb: The back cover of Heart’s Little Queen
The first song on this album is Barracuda. Imagine Heart rocking out that song, while wearing this shit.
Album I’m Most Interested in Listening to, Even Though I’m the Fourth Biggest (out of four) Bruce Springsteen Fan in My Family: The Boss Of E Street
Because, what the hell is it?
Album I Picked Out, Solely Based On its Reputation, Even Though it’s Really Only the Fourth or Fifth Best Beatles Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band
COME AT ME, ROLLING STONE!
Stay tuned for an inevitable Part 3 in my adventures, when I stop being lazy, set up my turntable, and give some of these a listen.
Fight This Generation 