ELVIS! ELVIS! ELVIS! Rocker 1957

Little secret about me: I used to be obsessed OBSESSED with Elvis. Had my whole room as a kid decorated with Elvis stuff. Yes, even the hip swinging wall clock.

Got this record today for three bucks. My favorite part is the cover. He’s sittin’ all straddle style on top of his motorcycle. Leather jacket. Gelled hair. Loafers. White socks. Total stud.

I’m currently listening to The Who Sell Out - The Who, 1967

This record continues to be among my favorites and most played, for the music and cover design.

Vinyl Sunday - In the Court of the Crimson King

When my mom was in her early twenties, she painted a large scale version of the extended album cover of In the Court of the Crimson King by a British rock group called King Crimson. Complete music heads and hippies to the core, my parents devoured the most obscure, progressive and revolutionary music of their youth. As an ode to one of their favorite bands, my mom (a recent art grad) reproduced this incredibly expressive and sometimes terrifying album cover on a large canvas. Sadly, having next to no money at the time, my mother was forced to trade the piece for some furniture. Over the years, my sister and I have often heard how incredibly accurate her rendition of the album cover was to the original cover by artist, Barry Godber (who himself was merely a computer programmer). 

In the hopes of reviving lost art and as a tribute to my mother, I persuaded her to join me in chalking this album cover out on the streets of downtown Raleigh during last week’s artSPARK event (as part of SPARKcon). Our experience was rewarded by droves of passers-by taking photos, shaking our chalk-stained hands, sharing their love of King Crimson’s music and reminiscing about the band’s epic concerts.

The Sunday after artSPARK while I strolled down Fayetteville Street with a couple of friends, I spotted the evil street washer making his way toward our precious psychedelic artwork. Monday was soon approaching which meant mom’s and my 5 x 5 foot King Crimson album cover would be removed from the hot asphalt. We hurried over for a long last look. It seemed so appropriate that upon the final visit, we found a couple from New York at the foot of the square holding their cell phones up in the air, blaring the song “21st century Schizoid Man,” eyes closed, bobbing their heads in tribute to the band they called “the best fucking group ever.”

Obscure and considered extremely progressive from the point of its release in the late sixties, In the Court of the Crimson King was hailed by music critics and renown rockers as a masterpiece and among the most influential progressive rock albums ever released . [via]

Vinyl Sunday (Birthday Edition) - Buddy Holly Record Set

I still can’t contain my excitement over this 6-record set! My awesome sister and brother-n-law gave me the Complete Buddy Holly collection for my birthday. Its seems so appropriate seeing as Buddy was a Virgo too (September 7, 1936). His “hiccup” (glottal stop) singing style, trademark frames, and sweet lyrics on love make me weak in the knees…

Between the ages of 17 and 22, Buddy Holly made music that would live on to influence some of the biggest artists in contemporary music. On February 3, 1959, a small plane carrying him, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper went down in Clear Lake, Iowa. That date would later become known as “The Day the Music Died”.