Album Rewind

Review by Mike Gange

1000 Record Covers
Michael Ochs
Taschen, $19.95, 767 pages

A photo of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1970 album "Deja Vu," hit me with such a powerful flood of memories that I had to sit down. If you were a teen in 1970, you might remember the album: basic brown with a sepia toned, posed photo of the musicians dressed in what might have been turn-of-the-century rustic clothing.

Seeing that cover jolted me severely because, for me, the album was a watershed. I thought about my older sister bringing that album home, how she played it for me for the first time, and my surprise discovery of the rich vocal harmonies, the jangling call-and-response guitar playing, and the imaginative lyrics, full of social commentary, some of which have stayed with me for more than 30 years. Without even hearing the album, I can recall David Crosby’s big voice, singing "Almost cut my hair, happened just the over day, was getting kinda long, I coulda said it was in my way...." Likewise, I can recall Neil Young’s haunting vocals as he sang "There is a town in north Ontario..."

The photo of "Deja Vu" was just one of a 1000 Record Covers compiled by Michael Ochs. Ranging from the 1950's to the late 1990's, the album covers featured are mostly Rock or pop music. Ochs’ selections include styles ranging from Dionne Warwick to Grace Jones, from 1958's Frankie Avalon to 1994's Ween. Aside from juxtaposition of the adjacent albums, (not all of which are in the correct chronological order) Ochs avoids any editorial commentary, letting the full color photos of these album covers speak for themselves.

Ochs compilation is an amazing historical reference point. In the 1950's many of the Black artists used cover shots of white teens to mask their origin and help sell albums. Early albums like Julie London’s 1956 release "Calendar Girl" used a fetching figure as eye candy while some of the more avant garde, like Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 "Electric Ladyland" used full figure nudity to shock the consumers. Also surprising is how many of the albums used copycat artwork or photographic conventions.

Just as the album cover of "Deja Vu" hit me hard with memories, there is likely to be an album cover here that will inspire introspection and emotion (and, depending on the reader, maybe a flashback, too). Teachers and afficionados of history, art, pop culture and music will want a copy of this book, because, if you will pardon the pun, it speaks volumes.

Mike Gange teaches media studies and journalism at Fredericton High.