Alternate Cover

The cover on top “Music for Your Vacation” is an easy listening lp from Columbia Records Argentina that shares the same stock photo as “Miles Ahead” below.
“Miles Ahead” by Miles Davis was released in 1957. This was the first album Davis recorded with Gil Evans, who combined the ten pieces that make up the album in a kind of suite, each following the preceding one without interruption. Davis is the only soloist on Miles Ahead, which also features a prominent horn section.

Miles was reportedly unhappy about the album’s original cover, which featured a photo of a young white woman aboard a sailboat. He made his displeasure known to Columbia executive George Avakian asking, “Why’d you put that white bitch on there?” Avakian later stated that the question was made in jest. For later releases of the record, the original cover-photo has been substituted by a photo of Miles Davis.

The album features Miles (on flugelhorn) and his band for the recordings consisting of Bernie Glow (lead trumpet), Ernie Royal, Louis Mucci, Taft Jordan, and John Carisi (trumpets); Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland, and Joe Bennett (trombones); Tom Mitchell (bass trombone); Willie Ruff and Tony Miranda (horns, with Jimmy Buffington replacing Miranda on one session); Bill Barber (tuba); Lee Konitz (alto sax); Danny Bank (bass clarinet); Romeo Penque and Sid Cooper (flute and clarinet, with Edwin Caine replacing Cooper on one session); Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). The album features songs from four separate recording dates each with slight modifications of the band members.

A fifth recording date involved Davis alone (re-)recording material to cover/patch mistakes/omissions in his solos using overdubbing. The fact that this album was originally produced in mono makes these inserted overdubbings rather obvious in the new stereo setting.

On the alternate take of “Springsville”, Wynton Kelly features on piano as part of a version that underwent a re-write for the next recording session. Only about 10 seconds of his playing is heard on this track, although about 5 seconds of this can be heard in the master track. Nevertheless, Kelly’s contribution to the album was left uncredited until the reissues came out. (Wikepedia)

“The Lush and Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny” “Romantica” This is the cover Liberty might have used (if someone in the art department had loved large-breasted women this much.)

James Brown and his Famous Flames “Try Me!” King Records  A collection of James Brown’s earliest R&B singles from 1959.

Stubby Kaye. “Music for Chubby Lovers” Seeco. Occasionally you’ll see — as I do now pulling records off the shelf to post here — how I used to insert myself into various cover scenes. This was pre-photoshop obviously.

After it was released this cover was withdrawn and banned.

Two cover variations for the 1964 release of “Music for Monsters, Munsters, Mummies & Other TV Fiends” The Exciting Sound of Milton Delugg and his Orchestra. Cover illustration by Jack Davis top and the cast of “The Munters” bottom. Both on Epic.

Milton DeLugg is the composer of “Hooray for Santy Claus,” the catchy theme song for the low-budget motion picture Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. In 1958 he produced Buddy Holly’s famous record, “Rave On.” DeLugg enjoyed a long association with Chuck Barris, beginning as arranger of the original theme to The Newlywed Game in 1966. From 1976 to 1980 he was musical director of The Gong Show. DeLugg often appeared on the show as a comic foil, in the characters of bad joke teller Naso Literatus and philosopher Old Drool. DeLugg’s venerable “Hoop Dee Doo” became a fixture on The Gong Show and was used whenever the contest winner was chosen.

The Velvet Underground by Andy Warhol.

“Hey man, said the monkey to the banana, gimme some skin!”

Wow. Check out this amazing Hip-hop recreation of the Beatles “Sargent Pepper” album cover. For a listing of who’s who and how he did it check out DKPresents here!

The Rolling Stones Some Girls (1978)

The album cover for Some Girls was designed by Peter Corriston. An elaborate die-cut design, with colors varying on different sleeves, it featured The Rolling Stones and select female celebrities in garish drag, as well as a bunch of lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Raquel Welch and the estates of Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe threatened legal action. It was withdrawn and the offending pictures removed.

Little Willie John FEVER on King Records.

Above is The Beatles “butcher cover” perhaps the most famous, strangest, rarest and most controversial album cover ever released (if only briefly) and from the world’s biggest band. Below is the 1966 recall letter from the publicity dept. at Capitol.

Iconic rock album cover.

This is one of my rarest and most valuable records. It is an alternate cover that was recalled by conservative Dot records owner Randy Wood when he realized who Jack Kerouac was and felt that the beat poet’s counter-cultural subject material was too offensive for his Pat Boone and Shirley Jones-loving consumers. (About 100 copies got out to radio stations before the recall.) The record was cut in a single session and a single take for each piece which certainly supported Jack’s first draft is best draft philosophy of writing.

This is the first of Kerouac’s three records and is the result of a performance at the Village Vanguard with Steve Allen accompanying him on piano. The album was produced by Bob Thiele who then left the company over the dispute, took the master tape and formed Hanover Records with Steve Allen. Hanover then released the record in 1959.

Al Green(e) and the Soul Mates. (1968) This is Reverend Al’s first LP and his first hit song - “Back Up Train”. This is the rare first cover that was re-released in 1972 with a low budget alternate cover.

Al Green would be on my desert island list for sure. Anytime, anywhere I hear an Al Green song, and no matter how often I’ve heard it, I feel at home.

This is on the rare Combo Records label. The instrumental “Pachucko Hop” was a hit for Chuck Higgens. The cover design and photography are by Frank Donovan. This was a controversial cover that showed more skin than was allowed in the late fifties. Good thing he had a neck tie in the studio at least. This record in good shape goes for a few hundred dollars.

This is here because I like Laura Nyro and it’s a very rare alternate cover to her album New York Tenderberry from 1968. I’m not clear on the genesis of the cover that got released to the public, but this photo is on the inside of that gatefold version. Apparently some copies were distributed with this cover slick before Columbia caught the mistake. There are many rare, alternate, pasted over or withdrawn album covers (sometimes due to error, sometimes due to censorship) throughout the fifty year history of the lp. Think Beatles butcher cover. I’ll be posting others.