No less than three of the ‘80s German metal outfit’s covers are denoted. The authors clearly have a special place in their hearts for the Scorpions. This text is especially fun on the disastrous covers marked with an exclamation point. This paragraph not only provides the context of the time and artists, but explains what the artist may have been trying to accomplish. Students of art will undoubtedly relish this experience, but for the rest of us Morgan and Wardle have added a solid block of text for each work. The authors note that the Crowes statement wouldn’t have been unusual in the free love era of the ‘60s, but needed the relaxed censorship of the ‘90s to gain mainstream circulation.Īrranging the albums so they comment and reflect on each other, not only reinforces the themes, but adds a deeper appreciation of the work. The Black Crowes chose an image from Hustler of a woman in a flag patterned bikini.

Barely over a decade later, “black power” was in full force on covers such as Miles Davis’ “On the Corner” and Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove.” More subtle comments on race and politics gave way to confrontational styles embraced in succession by reggae, punk and hip hop.Įspecially interesting are the two-page spreads, like the one juxtaposing the use of the American flag on Sly and the Family Stone’s 1971 release “There’s A Riot Going On,” Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 “Born in the U.S.A.” and the Black Crowes’ 1993 album “Amorica.” Stone alters the flag’s stars to make it a statement against the Vietnam War, while the backdrop to Springsteen’s anti-Vietnam statement is seen as patriotic. In the 1950s, for example, just showing a black man’s face with a red tint as on Sonny Rollins’ “A Night at the ‘Village Vanguard’ was enough to shock a racially uneasy country in the middle of the red scare. It’s fascinating to watch the evolution of styles and boundaries.

The Art of the LP by Johnny Morgan