Tag Archives: 100 Greatest Album Covers

Elvis Presley: Same

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On March 23, 1956, “RCA Victor” label released the self-titled, debut Elvis Presley album. It was recorded July 1954 – January 1956, at “”RCA Victor Studios” in Nashville, Tennessee, “RCA Victor Studios” in New York City, “Sun Studio” in Memphis, Tennessee, and was produced by Sam Phillips (Sun recordings) and Steve Sholes (RCA recordings). “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album cover at number 40, on its list of the “100 Greatest Album Covers”. The album was certified Platinum in US by the “RIAA”.

Personnel:

  • Elvis Presley– vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
  • Scotty Moore– electric guitar
  • Chet Atkins– acoustic guitar
  • Floyd Cramer– piano
  • Shorty Long– piano
  • Bill Black– bass
  • J. Fontana– drums
  • Doug Poindexter– percussion, guitar
  • Johnny Bernero – drums
  • Gordon Stoker– backing vocals
  • Ben Speer– backing vocals
  • Brock Speer– backing vocals

 Track listing:

  1. Blue Suede Shoes – Carl Perkins
  2. I’m Counting On You – Don Robertson
  3. I Got a Woman – Ray Charles, Renald Richard
  4. One Sided Love Affair – Bill Campbell
  5. I Love You Because – Leon Payne
  6. Just Because – Bob Shelton, Joe Shelton, Sydney Robin
  7. Tutti Frutti – Dorothy LaBostrie, Richard Wayne Penniman
  8. Tryin’ to Get You – Rose Marie McCoy, Charles Singleton
  9. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You) – Howard Biggs, Joe Thomas
  10. I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin’) – Jimmy Wakely
  11. Blue Moon – Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart
  12. Money Honey – Jesse Stone

 

Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band: Doc At The Radar Station

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In August 1980, “Virgin” label released “Doc at the Radar Station”, the eleventh  Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band studio album. It was recorded in June 1980, at “Sound Castle Recording Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Don Van Vliet. The album cover was painted by Don Van Vliet, and was ranked at number 49 on “Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Album Covers” list.

Personnel:

  • Captain Beefheart(Don Van Vliet) – vocals, Chinese gongs, harmonica, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
  • John French– slide guitar, guitar, marimba, bass, drums
  • Jeff Moris Tepper– slide guitar, guitar, nerve guitar
  • Gary Lucas– guitar, French horn
  • Eric Drew Feldman– synthesizer, bass, mellotron, grand piano, electric piano
  • Robert Arthur Williams– drums
  • Bruce Lambourne Fowler– trombone

Track listing:

All tracks by Don Van Vliet.

  1. Hot Head
  2. Ashtray Heart
  3. A Carrot is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond
  4. Run Paint Run Run
  5. Sue Egypt
  6. Brickbats
  7. Dirty Blue Gene
  8. Best Batch Yet
  9. Telephone
  10. Flavor Bud Living
  11. Sheriff of Hong Kong
  12. Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on My Knee

Carly Simon: Playing Possum

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In April 1975, “Elektra” label released “Playing Possum”, the fifth Carly Simon studio album. It was recorded in 1975 at “Sound Labs”, “Sunset Sound Recorders”, “Crystal Sound”, “ A&M Studios” and “Burbank Studios” in California, and was produced by Richard Perry.In 1991, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album cover at number 20 on its  list of the “100 Greatest Album Covers.

Personnel:

  • Carly Simon — lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar, piano, arrangements
  • James Taylor— acoustic guitar, guitar, vocals, backing vocals
  • Jeff Baxter— guitar
  • Andrew Gold— guitar, drums, tambourine
  • Sneaky Pete Kleinow— pedal steel guitar
  • Lee Ritenour— guitar, mandolin
  • Alvin Robinson— guitar
  • Richard Perry— tambourine
  • Billy Mernit — piano
  • James Newton Howard— synthesizer, keyboards, electric piano
  • Tommy Morgan — harmonica
  • Joe Mondragon — bass
  • Klaus Voormann— bass
  • Willie Weeks— bass
  • Leland Sklar— bass, drums
  • Ringo Starr— drums
  • Irving Cottler— drums
  • Jim Gordon— drums
  • Russ Kunkel— drums
  • Eddie Bongo — conga
  • Andy Newmark— percussion, drums
  • Fred Staehle — percussion
  • Alan Estes — percussion
  • Emil Richards— percussion
  • Trevor Lawrence — saxophone, alto saxophone
  • Derrek Van Eaton — fiddle, flute
  • Lon Van Eaton — clarinet, flute, sitar
  • Liza Strike — vocals
  • Rita Coolidge— vocals, backing vocals
  • Abigale Haness — vocals, backing vocals
  • Carole King— vocals, backing vocals
  • Clydie King— vocals, backing vocals
  • Ken Moore — vocals, backing vocals
  • Vini Poncia— vocals, backing vocals
  • Rodney Richmond — vocals, backing vocals
  • Julia Tillman Waters — vocals, backing vocals
  • Carolyn Willis — vocals, backing vocals
  • Maxine Willard — backing vocals
  • Bill Schnee – engineer
  • Norm Kinney – engineer
  • Andrew Berliner – engineer
  • Charles Beasley – second engineer
  • Larry Emerine, Reed Stanley – engineer assistant
  • Noam Kinney – remix
  • Bill Schnee – remix
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Glen Christensen – art direction
  • Norman Seeff – design, photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Carly Simonexcept where noted.

  1. After the Storm,
  2. Love Out in the Street
  3. Look Me in the Eyes
  4. More and More – Mac Rebennack, Alvin Robinson
  5. Slave – Carly Simon, Jacob Brackman
  6. Attitude Dancing – Carly Simon, Jacob Brackman
  7. Sons of Summer – Bill Mernit
  8. Waterfall
  9. Are You Ticklish
  10. Playing Possum

Ry Cooder: Into the Purple Valley

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into-the-purple-valley

In January 1972, “Reprise” label released “Into the Purple Valley”, the second Ry Cooder studio album. It was recorded in 1971, and was produced by Jim Dickinson, Van Dyke Parks and Lenny Waronker. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album cover at number 12 on its list of the “100 Greatest Album Covers”.

Personnel:

  • Ry Cooder – guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals
  • Jim Dickinson– piano
  • Van Dyke Parks– keyboards
  • Gloria Jones– vocals
  • Claudia Lennear– vocals
  • Donna Washburn – vocals
  • Donna Weiss– vocals
  • Chris Ethridge– bass
  • Fritz Richmond– bass
  • John Craviotta – drums
  • Milt Holland– percussion
  • Jerry Jumonville – saxophone
  • George Bohanon– horns
  • Joe Lane Davis – horns
  • Ike Williams – horns

Track listing:

  1. How Can You Keep Moving (Unless You Migrate Too) – Agnes “Sis” Cunningham
  2. Billy the Kid – traditional; arranged by Ry Cooder
  3. Money Honey – Jesse Stone
  4. FDR in Trinidad – Fitz Maclean
  5. Teardrops Will Fall – Dickey Doo, Marion Smith
  6. Denomination Blues – George Washington Phillips
  7. On a Monday – Lead Belly
  8. Hey Porter – Johnny Cash
  9. Great Dream from Heaven – Joseph Spence
  10. Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us Al – traditional; arranged by Ry Cooder
  11. Vigilante Man – Woody Guthrie