Cookie Carr  Melodias Inolvidables N. 4  Belter Records (Spain) .

(24 votes, average: 3.63 out of 5)

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“Let Us Dance”  with Karel Vlach and his Orchestra Supraphon Records (Czech Republic)

(18 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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“The Swingin’ Nutcracker”  Shorty Rogers  RCA Records (UK) (1960)  Alternate UK cover art.”

(16 votes, average: 4.13 out of 5)

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Francis Blanche “A la Galerie”  Vogue Records (France)

(18 votes, average: 3.72 out of 5)

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Generic EP sleeve from RCA Victor (Brazil)

(21 votes, average: 3.95 out of 5)

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Zacharias and his magic violins  Polydor (France)  A jug of wine, a cigarette and a pile of records.

(21 votes, average: 3.71 out of 5)

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“An Hour of Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes”  Uncle Mac “the storyteller”  Plymouth Records  Cool illustrations on this old children’s album cover (signed “Rado”)

(29 votes, average: 3.72 out of 5)

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Here’s a departure from our many years of posting interesting cover art – the inner sleeve.  I found this one today and it made me nostalgic for those innovative years during the 1960’s when the record labels hired young people to do the marketing and gave them the freedom to be creative and groundbreaking, irreverent and anti-establishment.   You can see this in the packaging, liner notes, advertisements, billboards, promotions and collateral of the time.  Unfortunately, when the business got so big and bloated in the mid-seventies, the crazies that were running the asylum got put back in their rooms and corporate suits took back the reins.   Here’s an example from the guys in the marketing dept. of Buddah Records.  (Click on the cover to enlarge!)

“Temporary Sleeve”

“We sat around for a couple of weeks, here in our offices, trying to figure out what to put on our album sleeves.  It wasn’t easy.  We didn’t want to do a hard sell, the old “show-them-the-other-album-covers” approach … and we didn’t want to get esoteric and cute.  So we blew it!  We didn’t have it ready in time to go to press.  So we did this.  A non-sleeve … the softest sell in music business history.  Just let us say, however, that the album you are now holding is only part of THE BUDDAH GROUP.”

(23 votes, average: 4.26 out of 5)

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Buddy Johnson (with sis Ella on the mic)  “Walkin”  Mercury Records  (1957) A great swingin’ record with big band, honkin’ horns and smokin’ vocals melding R&B and blues into early Rock n’ Roll!  Art design by Darrill Connelly.  Woodrow Wilson “Buddy” Johnson (January 10, 1915 – February 9, 1977).  Nice review of the album with download here at the BeBop Wino blog.

(17 votes, average: 3.71 out of 5)

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“Music for RELAXATION”  Viennese Symphonic Orchestra  Plymouth Records  Budget label EZ classical for those undiscerning hi-fi owners looking something to have on in the background.  Aural wallpaper someone once called it.  A good book for mom.  A smoke for dad.  Kids like it too!

(21 votes, average: 3.38 out of 5)

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