The Beatles White Album & The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (50th Anniversary) & Shows # 749, 750, 751

Originally released on November 22nd, 1968, The Beatles White Album was the highly anticipated follow up to 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s and the Lonely Hearts Club Band. While Sgt. Pepper’s showed the band taking a more psychedelic, experimental approach to songs and the recording of the album, The White Album was the opposite. The recording sessions had their origins in Rishikesh, India. From February to April 1968, The Beatles were there to take part in a Transcendental Meditation course with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. During this time they came up with about forty new songs, several of which were demoed at George Harrison’s house in May of 1968 known as the Esher Demos. During the recording of this album, there were many aspects that caused turmoil and tensions within the group. Producer George Martin took a leave of absence during the sessions, engineer Geoff Emerick quit and drummer Ringo Starr left the group for about two weeks during the sessions before returning.

There are thirty songs on The Beatles. It should also be noted that the album is referred to as The White Album, but it is a self-titled album. Several of the songs have a fractured feel, but overall the album for all its styles and immediacy has an undeniable energy. From the opening moments of Paul McCartney’s “Back In the U.S.S.R”, which he wrote as a parody and pastiche at the time of a Beach Boys song, starts off with a heavy rock song that was seen as controversial by some due to the lyrical content. The song sets the tone as being both subversive and mischievous. “Glass Onion” is another hard-hitting rock track, written and sung by John Lennon that clouded up and addressed people who were looking too much into their songs for hidden meanings. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” is a song that is comprised of three different sections comprising different song styles within the less than three-minute track length. It contains surrealist lyrics and different time signature changes. “Don’t Pass Me By” written by Ringo Starr strangely reflects tensions within the band at the time (Ringo quit the band, but returned during the sessions), allusions to people looking too much into Beatles rumours and has a violin added over top in a manic fashion. It eerily reflects the violin featured on The Clash’s “Lose Your Skin” on their 1980 album Sandinista, written by Tymon Dogg. George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” features lead guitar by guitarist Eric Clapton, who was brought in when Harrison felt that John and Paul were not giving his composition the needed attention that it deserved. “Long, Long, Long” is a song with spiritually inspired lyrics that are open to interpretation. With its acoustic guitar, organ, and Starr’s dynamic drum fills, it also provides a moment of calmness between the raucous and chaotic “Helter Skelter” and the politically charged “Revolution 1”.

With double albums, there is more content than a regular full-length album. Many people have issues with certain aspects of double albums, saying that they would operate better if they were a single album instead. Producer George Martin argued this point when The Beatles were finishing up with The White Album, but they still decided to go ahead with a double album of thirty tracks. The overall sound of the album can be looked at just by taking a glance at the album cover. There is nothing on the album’s cover, it is a blank cover with just the band name in the corner. This can be juxtaposed to 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s, which has a brightly coloured, psychedelic cover. The White Album is raw, straight to the point, but also branches out into different musical styles and sometimes experimentation. There are many layers that are only revealed upon repeated listens. The album subverts conventions, musically and socially and challenges listeners.

Also released on November 22nd, 1968 was The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. It was an album that was recorded between November 1966 and October 1968. Village Green was also a concept album, the first of many that Ray Davies and The Kinks would explore. But, many feel this is one of the strongest and best. The concept of Village Green lies in theme of English life and the innocence of past times. At a time when being psychedelic was the new thing to do, Davies and the Kinks took a look back with a preservative attitude. Also, it was influenced by concepts from Dylan Thomas’s Under The Milkwood, many of the songs featured strong characters throughout. At the time of the album’s creation, The Kinks had been banned from performing in the USA (which occurred in 1965), they were surrounded by record company pressures and legal battles and of course turmoil within the band. Village Green was the last album to feature the original Kinks lineup of Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Peter Quaife and Micky Avory. Bassist Peter Quaife would leave the band in early 1969. If that wasn’t enough, at this time the band was also working on a solo Dave Davies album with The Kinks as his backing band and Ray was also working on material for a British TV show, all of which were recorded with The Kinks.

A version of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society was released in parts of Europe in October of 1968 (France, Sweden and Norway). This version featured twelve tracks and featured variations in mixes and track listing to the version that would eventually be released in the UK and the US in November 1968. After the original twelve track version of the album was delivered to Pye, Ray Davies asked them to postpone the release of the album so that he could expand and make some changes. Initially interested in making Village Green a double album, Pye denied this request and it was decided that a fifteen-track version would be produced and released. The notable changes to the album were the addition of “Last of the Steam Powered Trains”, “Big Sky”, “Sitting By The Riverside”, and “All of My Friends Were There”. The songs “Days” and “Mr. Songbird” were removed from the track list order. “Days” was later released as a single in June of 1968.

The album starts off with the song “The Village Green Preservation Society” in which Ray states “Preserving the old ways from being abused/Protecting the new ways for me and for you”. Ray and The Kinks flat out state the ethos of this album in the opening moments. This all happens amongst acoustic guitars, electric guitar stabs leads provided by guitarist Dave Davies with organ flooding the background as drummer Mick Avory and bassist Peter Quaife propel the song forward with their driving rhythm section. Musically the album draws on the lyrical prominence that was emphasized on 1967’s Something Else. The album has been said to be very subdued compared to early Kinks songs, but it has layers. The songs are well constructed, featuring plenty of acoustic arrangements combined with electric guitars. In addition to this legendary session musician Nicky Hopkins is featured all over Village Green playing piano and a variety of other instruments, adding to its atmosphere. However, nothing sounds out of place. That’s not to say it’s an album that is not unlike The Kinks, there are moments such as the refreshing blast of blues smoke in “Last of the Steam Powered Trains” and the wicked fuzzed out electric guitar riffs in “Wicked Annabella”. “Do You Remember Walter?” paints the picture of one of the many character sketches that populate this album. Inspired by a run in with an old friend and how they were in very different places and worlds, Davies reflects in a humorous way before “Picture Book” attacks with its scaling guitar and bass riffs in a striking fashion. There are other more eccentric moments too, like the song “Phenomenal Cat” that has a Mellotron flute and there is the stunning orchestral arrangement in the song “Village Green”. The album ends with “People Take Pictures of Each Other” a song that is upbeat and nostalgic.

Referred to as “The most successful flop of all time”, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society sold approximately 100,000 copies worldwide during its initial release. Compared to The Beatles White Album, which sold 3.3 million copies in the US alone within the first four days of its release, Village Green operated on a different axis at the time. Despite receiving good critical reviews, many felt that the music on Village Green Preservation Society was out of step with the times. It would later be embraced by an underground audience and gain a cult-like status. In 2018, it went gold in the UK. Both The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society and The Beatles White Album are often uttered in the same breath when discussing the time period that they were released. They both shed themselves of the psychedelic image popular during that time period and searched for something new. Whether that was through subversion of musical norms or through preserving a past innocence and looking forward.

Show 751 (Originally Aired On December 1st, 2018)(The White Album Vs. Village Green):

1. The Beatles - Long, Long, Long
2. The Beatles - Sour Milk Sea (Esher Demo)
3. The Beatles - (You're So Square) I Don't Care Studio Jam
4. The Beatles - Helter Skelter (Second Version - Take 17)
5. The Kinks - Last of the Steam Powered Trains
6. The Kinks - Creeping Jean
7. The Kinks - Misty Water (Mono Version)
8. Papa Ghostface - Rook
9. Papa Ghostface - Crawlspace Waltz
10. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Mr. & Mrs. Hush
11. Charles Bradley - Stay Away
12. Ty Segall & White Fence - Body Behaviour
13. Faux Co. - Prozac Spaceman
14. Jeff Tweedy - Some Birds
15. Volunteers - Mother Nature's Blues
16. Fever Feel - Lose your Mind
17. Urban Surf Kings - Run From The Bear
18. Shoobies - All My Profs Are On Strike
19. King Khan & The Shrines - Land of the Freak
20. Screamin' Deal - One Small Death
21. Daughters - The Flammable Man
22. Jon Spencer - Do the Trash Can
23. Snake River - Then She Wrote A Letter
24. The Sadies (w Jon Spencer) Justine Alright (Live)
25. King Tuff - Lazerbeam
26. Low - Rome (Always In The Dark)
27. Joy Division - Colony (BBC Session)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 1.

Show 750 (Originally Aired On November 24th, 2018)(Daughters, The Jesus Lizard & Mudhoney):

1. Pyramids - Pressure
2. Shoobies - Monkey Eat Sandwich
3. The Byrds - Stranger In A Strange Land
4. The Thin Cherries - Follow The Sun
5. Ty Segall - Isolation
6. Undertones - Luxury (Demo)
7. Autogramm - Jessica Don't Like Rock 'n Roll Anymore
8. Women - Heat Distraction
9. Daughters - Ocean Song
10. Josef K - Pictures of Cindy
11. FRIGS - Chest
12. Chandra - Get It Out Of Your System
13. The Jesus Lizard - Seasick
14. The Jesus Lizard - Naked Dancing Ladies
15. Flesh Rag - Ballad of Nova
16. The Soft Pack - Pull Out
17. The Routes - Vendetta
18. Brazilian Money - Jive With The Killer Instinct
19. Gary's House - Punch Party
20. Prefab Sprout - Faron Young
21. Yardlets - UnModern Man
22. The Burnin' Sands - Revenge of the Putrid Slime
23. The Pursuit of Happiness - Food
24. Destroyer - Plaza Trinidad
25. Outrageous Cherrry - Creeps Retreat
26. The Aints - The Church of Simultaneous Existence
27. Mudhoney - Nerve Attack
28. Mudhoney - Oh Yeah

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for November 24.

Show 749 (Repeat of episode 748. An episode focusing on Bob Dylan's Blood On The Tracks). Download this episode here and view the play list here.

Beatles Outtakes from 1969,1964 & Show # 334

On today’s program I featured a version of The Beatles song “I’m So Tired”, but the version played was one quite different than the one found on The Beatles 1968 White Album. This version was sung by Paul McCartney not John Lennon as it normally is. Recorded in January of 1969 during the Get Back/Let It Be album sessions, this version of the song is obviously not meant to be taken seriously and is just the band having some fun in the studio. During the Get Back/Let It Be album sessions the band played and recorded over a hundred hours of material. This included covers, jams, and material that would be bootlegged from a variety of sources. Some of the bootlegged songs include “Watching Rainbows”, “Commonwealth”, The Palace of the King of the Birds”, “All Things Must Pass”, “Gimme Some Truth”. The later three songs were re-recorded by Paul, George, and John for future solo projects.

The recordings took place from January 2nd -14th at Twickenham Film Studios and at Apple Studios from January 20th-30th (these recordings would be the ones used for the Let It Be album). In addition to the audio recorded during these sessions, there was also video recorded for a movie that was released in 1970 entitled Let It Be, which currently remains out of print. The recordings were documented in the film Let It Be, it also showed heated arguments and the creative process for what would be the final Beatles album. The film would culminate with songs from the famous rooftop concert. Initially the album was intended to be released in 1969 as Get Back, but the band weren’t satisfied with the results. There were several versions of the album mixed by Glyn Johns that are available in bootlegged form. Prior to the release of the Let It Be movie, Phil Spector was brought in to do some remixing. The album was released in 1970 after the Beatles had broken up and renamed Let It Be. While Let It Be was technically the final Beatles release, it was pushed back several times until Phil Spector came in and the theatrical release of Let It Be.  Abbey Road was recorded after this album and released first.

Another Beatles track featured on today’s program was the song “Leave My Kitten Alone”. This song was initially recorded in August of 1964 during the Beatles For Sale recording sessions. The original version of this song was done by Little Willie John and Johnny Preston. When it was released in 1959, it went to # 13 on the Billboard R&B Charts and #60 on the Pop charts. The Beatles version of this song was recorded in five takes. The fifth take was deemed the best and overdubs were added for the song, but it was never mixed. It remained unreleased until the 1995 Beatles Anthology series, which documented several outtakes and alternate versions of songs from The Beatles career.



This Week's Play List:

1. The Almighty Defenders - Over the Horizon 
2. Ugly Duckings - I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart
3. The Modernettes - Femme Fatale
4. Lost Patrol - Tell No Lies
5. The Blood Lines - Song Salvation
6. Geronimo - Hope and Fear 
7. The Government - Gunshot Wound
8. The Nurotics - Shark
9. Spectrals - I Ran With Love But I Couldn't Keep Up
10. No Age - Fever Dreaming
11. Swell Maps - Read About Seymour
12. Regurgitator - Making No Sense
13. Middle Brother - Me, Me, Me
14. Wire - Two Minutes
15. Clap Clap Riot - Don't Want Your Baby
16. The Mint Chicks - Welcome To Nowhere
17. AC/DC - High Voltage (BBC Session 1976)
18. The Beatles - Leave My Kitten Alone
19. The Beatles - I'm So tired (Sung By Paul McCartney)
20. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Love Comes in Spurts
21. Ramones - I'm Affected 
22. The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
23. The Ride Theory - Motel Woman 
24. The Pretty Things - Midnight To Six Man 

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 11. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Beatles Return in Remastered Form!! & Show # 265

September 9th is a day that Beatles fans have been waiting for. All of The Beatles albums will been re-issued on CD in remastered form. With their entire catalogue available in upgraded quality, some people may wonder if there is any difference between these new 2009 remasters and the older 1987 ones. There is a vast difference, the older mixes fail in comparison to these. The older mixes sound as if they were covered in layers of dust and now all the dirt has been wiped clean and the only thing that is left is The Beatles in all their glory. Paul McCartney himself has said the remasters sound like you are right there at the actual time of the recording. When you hear the new remasters it sounds as if the band is playing right in front of you. As you listen to your favourite Beatles songs you can hear parts that were previously unnoticeable before, they have been given a new life.

In addition the musical quality of these remasters, there is also the packaging. The digipack album replica artwork, is excellent quality. All are in glossy form, which is another experience on it's own. There are also historical linear notes and engineering notes on the original recordings. If that isn't enough each album features a mini making of documentary on them. For those of you who prefer to get all the albums at once there is a box set of the stereo remasters and even a box set featuring the original mono mixes. The Beatles will also release their own video game. Beatles Rockband will be available for a variety of video game systems. With all of these Beatles releases, it is a great day for a Beatles fan.

The Play List:

1. The Stems - Tears Me In Two
2. Guilloteens - Hey You
3. The Faces - Too Bad
4. Iguanas - Mona
5. The Beatles - Dizzy Miss Lizzy
6. The Beatles - Savoy Truffle
7. Lullabye Arkestra - Fog Machine
8. Quiet Jungle - Everything
9. The Staccatos - You Only Live Once
10. The Frat Kings - B.M.O.C
11. The Yardbirds - Psycho Daisies
12. Sonic Rendezvous Band - Step By Step
13. 101ers - Silent Telephone
14. Wrong Crowd! - Outta My Head
15. Hot Nasties - Get Away From Me
16. Generation X - King Rocker
17. The Evaporators - You Got Me Into This, Now You Get Me Out!
18. City Sweethearts - Can't Stop Shaking
19. The Diodes - Red Rubber Ball
20. The Danks - What We're Doing
21. Ultravox - Young Savage
22. Rezillos - Can't Stand My Baby
23. Exploding Hearts - Modern Kicks (Alternate Version)
24. The Features - City Scenes
25. The Professionals - White Light/White Heat
26. Dead 60s - Liar
27. The Hives - Fall Is Something Grown Ups Invented

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on September 8th, 2009.

Album Art Clash!....Show # 258

This week my program featured a selection of some of my favourite album artwork. This included single artwork and album artwork. There was also a co-host this week, Adam from Fear of Music (on Tuesdays from 1-2:30 PM). I was also featured as a co-host on his radio program where he also did a show on artwork. You can check out his list on his Fear of Music blog. Below is a description of the choices made as well as some that did not make it onto my show this week due to time restraints.

Album Artwork Selections:

The Dead 60s - The Dead 60s (2005)


This album was released in the UK in 2005 and several months later in the US. The track listing differs from the UK and US versions and so did the artwork. The actual artwork is a pop art styled version of an actual building in Liverpool, where the band comes from. The Concord House is the office building on the cover and it is located near the Liverpool Lime Street railway station. The UK version of the album features a red background while the US version has a yellow one.






XTC - Go 2 (1978)


Designed by a group of British album artwork designers known as Hipgnosis, Go 2 features a different kind of artwork. In fact there is an essay on the front of the albums cover instead of any picture or artwork. Originally released in 1978, this album featured a different track listing in the UK than in the US. The albums title (Go 2) was named in part due to a Japanese strategy game called Go. The two was put after the word go because it was the bands second album.






U2 - 11 O’clock Tick Tock (Single 1980)

11 O’clock Tick Tock was U2's third single. It was released just before the release of their first full length album Boy. Produced Martin Hannett (known for his work with Joy Division), this single featured the bands early post punk influenced sound. The actual artwork features a close up picture of a clock (pointing to 11) with a blue/purple coloured background. Along the side of the single cover the words "U2 11 O’clock Tick Tock" are featured in blocks. Three versions of the song exist, all of which are different takes of the song. There is the original single mix, a slightly longer mix for a Martin Hannett tribute album and a version of the Pride single.



Devo - Be Stiff EP (1977)

The artwork for this six track EP was created by Barney Bubbles (a graphic designer) and Brian Griffin (a photographer). The cover featured a man holding up a letter "E" with his hands over the top of his head. The EP was produced by Devo themselves and features some different versions of songs that would be found on the bands first album. "Jocko Homo", "Mongoloid", "(I Can't Get Me No) Satisfaction", and "(I Saw My Baby Gettin') Sloppy". There are also two songs "Be Stiff" and "Social Fools" not featured on any of the bands original albums. All of these tracks can now be found on various compilations, anthologies and reissues of the bands albums.

The Cure - Boys Don't Cry (1980)


This album was actually a US version of the bands first album Three Imaginary Boys. It also features a different track listing than the original UK album. The albums cover features palm trees, a sun and burned/frayed looking bottom. The cover always reminds me of Egypt, maybe it's because of the song "Fire in Cairo", but either way it is an interesting album cover. This album is also an early representation of the band, who would later be known as Gothic. At this point in the bands career they were making Punk/New Wave sounding tracks.






Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)


The album artwork for Franz Ferdinand's second album is similar to artwork by Russian avant-garde photographer Alexander Rodchenko. It was inspired by his portrait of Lilya Birk. The album itself reflected a more punk inspired Franz Ferdinand than their first album.








The Diodes - Action-Reaction (1980)


The third album by Canadian punk band The Diodes showed off a more Power Pop and Hard Rock style. The albums cover is a variety of space looking ray guns, one is missing. It is another interesting cover from a Canadian band that is underrated. The album will be re-issued on CD in September. Currently it is available on itunes.







The Nils - Green Fields in Daylight (1997)


This album is in fact a compilation album from the Canadian punk and pop band The Nils. The Montreal band lasted from 1978 until 1994. The band started at a young age by Alex Soria and his brother Carlos. The compilation features more than 20 tracks collecting early demos, recordings, songs from the bands EP's and full length album. The artwork on the albums cover is a spilled over can of contact cement. Shades of green dress the albums cover.






The Professionals - I Didn't See It Coming (1981)


Formed by Steve Jones and Paul Cook (of Sex Pistols), The Professionals released I Didn't See It Coming in 1981. The album was actually a re-recorded version of the bands first album which was never released (it was eventually released in 1990 and in 1997). The cover is pretty simple, a guy getting punched in the face. An effective and eye catching album cover.








The Damned - Don't Cry Wolf (Single 1977)


Don't Cry Wolf was a single taken from the bands second album Music For Pleasure. This album would be The Damned's last with guitarist Brian James, it was also produced by Nick Mason (of Pink Floyd). The B-side to Don't Cry Wolf is the song "One Way Love". The B-side (which is also on Music For Pleasure) has some almost country like guitar licks on it. The song is an excellent example of the guitar work of Brian James. The single artwork features what looks like scalpels in a star shaped pattern surrounding the bands name and the songs title.






The D4 - 6Twenty (2001)


The 2001 album from New Zealand Garage Rockers, The D4 was named after a guitar amplifier. The cover features the band members silhouetted in black and red, while guitarist Dion Palmer aims his guitar in a gun-like fashion. The album itself is great representation of high energy Rock and Roll. The album had six singles released, none of which charted in the US. Some singles from the album did make it on to the UK singles charts.







Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (2007)


The artwork for Era Vulgaris features two light bulb characters, one which is a green light bulb that has an eye patch (known as "Patchy") and Bulby a yellow bulb smoking a cigarette. The light bulb cartoons were created by Liam Lynch and the overall art direction was done by Jason Nato & Doug Cunnigham of Morning Breath Inc. Josh Homme has stated in an interview that light bulb represents an idea that you think is really great, but in reality it is not. Era Vulgaris was the fifth album by Queens of the Stone Age.






Sloan - Navy Blues (1998)


Sloan's follow up to 1996's One Chord To Another was Navy Blues. The album featured songs such as "She Says What She Means" and "Money City Maniacs". Navy Blues combined elements of the bands 60s Pop/Beatles style with 70s Hard Rock. The albums artwork features a picture of each band member separated by lines that are similar to work done by Saul Bass (American graphic designer and film maker). For an animated, filmic extension of the album cover check out the video for "Money City Maniacs".






Neil Young - On The Beach (1974)


This was an album that has interesting things to pick out on the cover. There is part of what looks like a Cadillac buried in the sand, a patio table and chairs, a person out in the distance and a hanger hanging under the umbrella (there are more things too if you look closely). This album was originally released in 1974 and for a long time it was out of print on vinyl and it not available on CD. In 2003 it was finally released on CD.







Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Streetcore (2003)


The artwork to the third album by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros is credited to Art Dog and Joe Strummer. The album which was released posthumously showed the Mescaleros returning to a more Rock/Clash like form. Streetcore featured songs such as "Coma Girl", "Get Down Moses", "Long Shadow" and "All In A Day", all of which display differing musical styles while still staying true to the edge of Rock and Roll. The cover displays a coil that looks like it is dripping, five black stars placed in two different locations on a bright orange background.





The Strokes - Room On Fire (2003)


The Strokes second album was panned by critics when it was originally released. The albums cover features what looks like a black jack card table (or some sort of card table that would be used in a casino), two hands of opposing colours firing at each other and the bands album title. The album musically was influenced by New Wave music such as Talking Heads, The Cars and the bands previous Garage Rock influences.







The Kinks - Kink Kontroversy (1965)


Originally released in 1965, Kink Kontroversy mixed early Kinks Garage Rock style with Blues. The albums cover features five squares. The main square features a close up Dave Davies playing guitar. Atop of it there are four squares each of which has a different Kinks band member inside. The albums title is a play on the bands onstage antics, and fighting which led to them being banned in the US.








The Hives - Walk Idiot Walk (Single 2004)


The single to the Hives song "Walk Idiot Walk" featured two B-sides "Genepool Convulsions" and "Keel Hauling Class of '89". The single is a song that comes from The Hives 2004 album Tyrannosaurus Hives. The single also contains the music video made for the song. The video features the band in a white room with a scrabble board that changes letters in the background. The cover is a shot of the band members holding their instruments on a white background, which is a similar style to the music video for the single.



Sex Pistols - Nevermind The Bollocks (1977)

The one and only album by Sex Pistols featured cut out ransom styled lettering. In the UK the letters were outlined in pink, while the background is yellow. For the US release the colours differ. The letters are outlined in green with a light pink background. The cover was designed by Jamie Reed and has since been copied by numerous punk bands. Without an album like this, who knows what rock music would sound like today?






Buzzcocks - Promises (Single 1978)


All of Buzzcocks early singles have interesting artwork designs. Promises is one of my favourites, it is designed in a pop art style and features a green square outlined by a purple circle on a black background. The song was recorded just after the release of the bands second album Love Bites and was originally titled Children. The song was also added to the Singles Going Steady compilation in 1979.







Wire - Chairs Missing (1978)


This album cover is simple, there are no chairs on the front cover and there is a table with purple flowers on top of it. There are also brownish grey curtains in the background. The covers concept was created by Graham Lewis and Colin Newman (of Wire), while the cover photo was taken by Annette Green and the overall art direction was created by Brian Palmer. The albums title is derived from a British slang for a person that is a little bit disturbed. For example, that man has some chairs missing from his front room. The album featured more pop oriented compositions than the bands previous effort Pink Flag.



The Clash - London Calling (1979)


The artwork is to 1979's London Calling is now seen as an iconic image. The cover is reminiscent of Elvis Presley's first album and they both employ a similar font style. Elvis's album features Elvis raising his guitar up while London Calling features Clash bassist Paul Simonon smashing his bass down to the floor. The photograph on the cover was taken during a Clash concert in New York by Pennie Smith. The graphic design was done by Ray Lowry. I enjoy almost all of The Clash's album covers and single artwork, some other interesting ones to check out are Radio Clash, Bank Robber, Magnificent Seven and of course their other album covers.




Other interesting artwork:

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Model (1978)


The artwork to this album cover was designed by Barney Bubbles. The concept is simple, Elvis Costello standing in front of a camera with his right hand sticking out, the background is a golden brown colour. The US version of this album did not have the songs "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" and "Night Rally", instead of those tracks the song "Radio, Radio" was added. A slightly different album cover was also used for the US version.







Talking Heads - Take Me To The River (US Single 1978)

Talking Heads were another band that had interesting album covers. The US version for the song Take Me To The River is one of my favourites. The song was actually a cover of a song that was originally by Al Green. The cover of the US single was of a gospel tabernacle and lttle wavy lines at the bottom for the water. The UK version was a variation of the cover for the album More Songs About Buildings and Food, which is also interesting. Other great covers by Talking Heads include the Fear of Music album cover, and covers for the singles Crosseyed and Painless, Road To Nowhere, Life During Wartime and Psycho Killer.

Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed (1969)


Let It Bleed was a follow up to 1968's Beggar's Banquet. There are so many things that can be picked out on the cover. The cover displays a picture of a record player and spindle, on top of the spindle there is a variety of things stacked up. There is a stack of records, a reel to reel tape, a tire, a pizza and a cake. On top of the cake there are little figures of each band member.








The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (1964)

You cannot discuss artwork by rock bands without bringing up The Beatles. While they have many covers which are seen as innovative, There are two in particular that have always been interesting to me. First, The UK version of A Hard Day's Night which was the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The US version featured a different track listing. The UK cover features photos of every Beatle member in different poses. The US version featured four large photos of each Beatle, from the nose up. This was also the very first full length album by The Beatles that had all original compositions on it.




The Beatles - The White Album (1968)

My second choice for Beatles artwok is one of my favourite albums ever, The White Album. The artwork is also quite simple and inventive. Designed by Richard Hamilton the cover was white, with the bands named lightly showing on the cover. While the album was originally going to be called A Doll's House, the band decided on just calling it "The Beatles", but because of the artwork it is usually referred to as The White Album. Since it's release numerous bands have had self titled albums with a plain colour for its cover.




The Play List:

1. Dead 60s - Riot Radio
2. XTC - Meccanic Dancing (Oh We Go)
3. U2 - 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
4. Devo - Be Stiff
5. The Cure - 10:15 Saturday Night
6. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
7. The Diodes - Polaroid
8. The Nils - Freedom
9. The Professionals - Madhouse
10. The Damned - Don't Cry Wolf
11. The D4 - Come On!
12. Queens of The Stone Age - Make It Wit Chu
13. Sloan - Stand By Me, Yeah
14. Neil Young - Walk On
15. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Coma Girl
16. The Strokes - I Can't Win
17. The Kinks - The World Keeps Going Round
18. The Hives - Genepool Convulsions
19. Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
20. Buzzcocks - Promises
21. Wire - Outdoor Miner (Single Version)
22. The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on July, 21st 2009.

The Beatles To Re-issue Entire Catalogue

If you haven't heard the news already, it was recently announced that The Beatles will be re-issuing their entire catalogue on September 9, 2009. The albums have been remastered in stereo and will include new and extended liner notes. In addition to this the CD's will also include mini documentaries on the making of each album that is re-issued. The remastering and re-issuing of The Beatles catalogue is long overdue, in my opinion and it's good to hear that they are finally doing it. They spent a long time on the remastering of the catalogue to make sure that it was done right and now it is finally ready. There will be 14 albums released in September, including the Past Masters I & II, which will now be one CD set. In addition to all this, all of the CD's can be bought in boxed set form. There will also be a Mono mix version released in boxed set form for die-hard Beatles fans. The Beatles also plan to released their material digitally, but they are still in talks at the current time.

More information on this can be found in the following links:

The Beatles Official Website
Billboard