A Day in the Life

October 13-19, 2014

Judging album covers

By Becca Bona

On judging an album by its cover … you should.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those girls that buys albums so that I can frame them to festoon my apartment walls. I buy albums because I want to wear out my record player and subsequently engage in the time-consuming research necessary to buy another.

Music is better with that golden warmth, the intermittent crackles and pops that come along with spinning vinyl … I could go on for days.

But before I get too vinylphile for you, dear reader, back to album covers.

Sometimes the music industry plays games with fanatics like me. Sometimes the industry, like any other entity that must follow the theory of supply and demand, releases limited editions and special packages that include a, “GASP!” signed poster and the like. You know the gimmicks.

Still, I’m a sucker for these things, especially when they come with interesting stories. Take for instance, Jimi Hendrix. As one of my favorite guitarists and musicians, it’s no surprise that he was the first artist in my personal collection that I decided to have multiple albums of. It’s also no surprise that my friends know I’m a little more than obsessed with his story.

My record curator friend (RC) sometimes gets brilliant gems in the store’s record racks. Last Sunday, I happened to be at the farmer’s market when I popped my head into the quirky shop and he said, “I’ve got some great stuff in.”

I assumed we would be talking about jazz, which is where my musical education has taken me as of late. Instead RC had handed me a record with a large amount of nude women on the front. It took me a moment to realize the importance, and perhaps my pause at the nudity encapsulates the controversy surrounding the cover to this day still.

“This is the British release of “Electric Ladyland,”” he explained, which was enough to get my attention. “Electric Ladyland” was the final album released by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, making it as a No. 1 album in the US and the reaching No. 5 in the UK. I vaguely remember BB telling a five-year-old me, “If you ever see an Electric Ladyland, buy it.”

So I did, but not without further conversation with RC.

Apparently, Hendrix wasn’t very involved with the original album art as he was overseas when decisions were made to create it. Apparently, an add calling for nude female models, (5 quid for topless, 10 for full nudity) was released by Trak Records, and a cover depicting 19 naked female models was the result. In 1968, the year of its release, a few British record stores banned the album.

Hendrix blamed his UK label for the issue. Initially meant to be a publicity stunt, it turned out to be unnecessary as “Electric LadyLand” was a highly anticipated album release on its own, even without the enticing women on the front.

Except … the women on the front are rather less than enticing as the photograph turned out dark and bleary. Thus the youthful women look old and grey, which, according to one of the female models, was simply “rotten.”

In reaction to the album that he never wanted, Hendrix wrote his label in America with specific instructions on a new cover. Even here, however, the label bypassed Hendrix and settled on the now-famous yellow close up of his face that is commonly associated with “Electric Ladyland.”

I’m sure if Hendrix were alive now he wouldn’t be happy with either chosen covers, but collectors are sure happy to get their hands on the original British press.

A first press copy sold for nearly $2000 on eBay in 2012, and more rummaging around on the Internet tells me even with a slightly banged up copy, the nude cover often goes for nearly $500, if everything is in order.

I sent all of this information to BB along with a picture of the album I secured. BB’s response was priceless: “Such a vinylhead. Who woulda thunk?”

Becca Bona is the managing editor of the Daily Record and an award winning columnist and photographer. Contact her at Becca@dailydata.com.