“Beer Garden Musik”   Will Glahe and his Orchestra   London Records

(15 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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“Tete a tete” on Lero International

(24 votes, average: 4.08 out of 5)

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Oscar Brand “The Drinking Man’s Songbook” on Offbeat Records

(30 votes, average: 4.03 out of 5)

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“It All Happens On Saturday”   The Harry Stoneham Five”   (From the BBC TV Parkinson’ Series).   EMI Studio 2.   These two blokes in a boat are living the high life, not a care in the world.   Toasting their own good taste and good fortune.

(20 votes, average: 2.60 out of 5)

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Li’l Wally Presents “Beer & Dutchmen Polkas” By the Michigan Dutchmen.

Good head enchants. It teases the eyes, inviting the curious to explore the unknown. The texture of head varies as much as the stars in the sky. Head can be rocky and voluminous, billowing up above the edge of the glass, or smooth and creamy, made of tightly knit bubbles. At times it may be loose and foamy. It can be as white as the snows on Mount Kilimanjaro, or as tawny and tan as the Girl from Ipanema. Guinness will leave a ring on the side of the glass for every sip you take. Many Belgian beers will do the same. Still other styles may leave intricate patterns of lace that curve like opera curtains over a brightly lit stage, or they may spot the glass like 101 Dalmatians. Some head dissipates to a veil or ring, and may die completely in the presence of the smallest molecule of natural oil in foods. In beer with high alcoholic content, head may be spare.

Does it serve a purpose? What constitutes good head on beer? How does it form?

Those who analyze beer insist that head is a necessary part of the beer experience. When served in glassware that has been properly cleaned and is of the correct shape, head will hold the delicate aromatics within the beer, and release them gently for your olfactory pleasure. Gases that live within bubbles that form the head will affect mouthfeel, creating sensations that differ on your tongue. When formed as a result of the natural carbon dioxide created by the action of yeast, bubbles will feel more tingly and effervescent than the creamy ones infused with a mix of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Each style demands its own type of head, or rather, the proteins in barley or wheat malt, coupled with bittering hops, will determine the outcome of the head for each style.

Good head retention is when one-half of the height of the original head persists for at least one minute after pouring.

(Courtesy of Carolyn Smagalski, BellaOnline’s Beer and Brewing Editor)

(41 votes, average: 4.54 out of 5)

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“Wein, Women & Song” George Wein Sings on Atlantic Records. George Wein is the father of the modern music festival. In 1954 he produced the first Newport Jazz Festival and a few years later the Newport Folk Festival. He also produced the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Playboy Jazz Festival and many others around the world. George started his career as a jazz pianist in Boston before founding the famed Storyville jazz club and label. He has recorded and performed with many legendary musicians mostly in the classic small band swing style. I had the honor of working with George for a few years and one of my fondest memories is being invited by George and his wife Joyce to attend Miles Davis’ 60th birthday party. But the site is about lp covers and this one makes the grade on numerous counts.

(29 votes, average: 4.41 out of 5)

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Here’s another “hall of fame” cover.   A real stunner that has so much right about it.   Not to mention a guy named Thip at the piano.   A hot one from Ember Records.

(45 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5)

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“LP Cover Lover” is a great site! I really enjoy it. Maybe you can use this little gem from Germany. There’s no year on it, but I guess it’s from the early sixties. “Tanzmusik fà ¼r die reife Jugend” means “Dance Music For The Mature Youth”. The picture on the cover shows how much fun the mature youth is having. The music is played by “Karlchen’s Ballhaus-Rhythmiker”. You could translate it with “Little Carl’s Dance Hall Rhythmicians” . They surely know their foxtrot, tango, polka, waltz, and even samba! There are many gorgeous details. The booze in the foreground, the windmill on the painting in the background, the fancy black dress of the woman in the foreground. The dancing couple… Wouldn’t we all like to be invited to such a party?”   Regards, Jan Derrer (Switzerland)

(21 votes, average: 4.05 out of 5)

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