The Japanese made beautiful record covers in the fifties and sixties.  Japan reproduced American art, music and culture with care, affection, and detail.  These Japanese pressings looked and sounded great.  Here’s a Japanese Decca release with a vibrant cover shot of James Dean.  James Dean only made three movies, but his image graced many records around the world.  Like this one often the music was just a compilation of Hollywood movie music.   This one, “The Glory of Victor Young”, starts off with the theme from “East of Eden,” but (thanks to LP cover lover, Roy, this shot is from his first film “Rebel Without a Cause”).

(17 votes, average: 3.53 out of 5)

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Here’s a cool one on the Roulette label from Japan!  “To Play-Boys” or as it says in English on the back cover “Music for Playboys.”   There are many records from the 50’s, 60’s and even the 1970’s with that same inviting title.  This one is vintage mid-sixties and a new find for me.  The cover model is Italian actress Lisa Gastoni.    Wikipedia says: “The turning point in her film career was her role in Grazie, zia by Salvatore Samperi. (Ed., note: This may be a shot from that film.  Maybe some sleuth out there can tell me).  This would set the tone for the roles she would play for the next decade; bourgeois women who were seductive yet sexually frustrated, cruel and arrogant yet sad and sympathetic, manipulating the people around them to try and fill the emptiness in their own lives.  The music on this is by Sam Marowitz and Sonny Lester, I’m told, (I can’t read the liner notes), but the titles in English suggest, typical bachelor pad glory — “Moon Nocturne,” “Chivas Regal,” “Sounds in the Night” and “A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody”.

(31 votes, average: 4.52 out of 5)

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Luis y Julian DLV Records  (Mexico)

(31 votes, average: 4.32 out of 5)

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Dennis Lotis sings “How About You?”  Nixa Records (England)  I never heard of this guy before but thought it was a cool cover.  Seems he had a long successful career on the other side of the pond as a concert performer, recording star and in films.  Listening to a few cuts here, I can’t say I’d put him on before a dozen other more famous crooners.

(19 votes, average: 3.84 out of 5)

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Bonne Fete  Surprise Party  Barclay Records (France)  Cover photo by the esteemed jazz photographer Herman Leonard!  Dance music like the Charleston, Tango, Cha Cha Cha, Samba, etc.

(16 votes, average: 3.19 out of 5)

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Jack and Sharon Malone “Just For You”  Crusade Records   These two hailed from Troy, Missouri and toured locally spreading the gospel.  Jack played electric guitar.  Sharon played the accordion, sang spirituals and cultivated this epic, big ass beehive (as big as Jack’s whole head).

(27 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Here’s another rare Jayne Mansfield cover from Japan.  “Smashing Hit Parade”  Various Artists  Union Records  Jayne Mansfield is the most collectable record cover model.  Even if Bettie Page is the quintessential pin-up queen, she only has three covers and while Bridgette Bardot has many more (she actually sings on some of them), the Jayne Mansfield covers from the US, Japan, South America, etc. are all great.  This is one I just found, helping to fill out my still growing collection.  (Search for Jayne to see some others!)

(24 votes, average: 4.58 out of 5)

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Flat Tire  The Del Vikings with Carl Stevens and his Orchestra  Mercury Records (France)

(34 votes, average: 4.62 out of 5)

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To celebrate the upcoming 10th Anniversary of LP Cover Lover, we’ll be doing away with the small lpcoverlover.com watermark that has been on every post in the lower right corner.  And don’t forget,  if you click on any image it will enlarge on your screen!

(39 votes, average: 4.51 out of 5)

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“Bepi Vous Fait Danser”  Vega Records (France)

(29 votes, average: 4.55 out of 5)

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