| As we continue our look at 'naked vinyl' album cover | | | | innuendo on the form of an album cover was not lost |
| art, let's explore two other companies who capitalized | | | | with the disco 'divas' "Silver Convention," whose cover |
| on the fad and what has transpired since. | | | | for their album called "Save Me" created waves. Their |
| In the last article, we discussed two West Coast | | | | frontal nudity of "Discotheque Volume Two," not only |
| record labels that were prolific and utilized 'naked vinyl' | | | | features their big hit of the era "Get Up and Boogie," |
| to sell their record albums. Not to be outdone by their | | | | but a startling cover of a handcuffed female. Blended |
| counterparts, many East Coast record labels followed | | | | in with a list of steamy, seductive songs, the cover |
| suit. None were more successful than the Davis and | | | | grabbed audiences' attention as well as their eyes. |
| Que record labels and both of them focused on saucy | | | | But as the disco era closed and the 70's drew to a |
| songs and risqué nude cover art. Davis, in | | | | close, society seemed to tire of the market and album |
| particular, had a cavalcade of stars that would churn | | | | cover nudity was no longer a mainstream wonder. |
| out 'double entendre' songs that had been popularized | | | | Album cover artists and record companies all left sex |
| on the Vaudeville stages. In fact, the owner of the | | | | to the imagination and returned to the safe images and |
| label, Joe Davis, also wrote some of the songs and | | | | cover art that was G-rated. With the advent of the |
| brought talented entertainers to the genre as well as a | | | | compact disc, album cover art was led into the annuls |
| classic line of album cover art. The Que record label | | | | of music history and pretty much became a non-issue. |
| produced more of the same material, but the records | | | | But, there have been some historic naked album |
| were dubbed as "sexucational,' with songs and stories | | | | covers since then. Let's explore a few. |
| to inform the uninitiated. | | | | Leave it to John Lennon to create a stir, he was a |
| In 1967, it seems that the attitudes about 'naked vinyl' | | | | master at creating controversy and knew how to |
| had changed over the years, being replaced by peace, | | | | draw media attention to whatever he was doing. In |
| love-ins and flower children. When Jimi Hendrix | | | | 1968, Lennon and Yoko Ono released their album |
| released his album "Electric Ladyland," that featured | | | | called "Two Virgins," with the front cover displaying a |
| Jimi surrounded by naked and buxom beauties, it | | | | full-frontal nude image of them. The back cover |
| created quite a stir. The cover was replaced, but the | | | | showed the same image, but from behind. They were |
| genre did not go away altogether, rather it was | | | | forced to replace it (they sold it in a brown paper |
| replaced by pop-art covers, psychedelia and slender, | | | | wrapper) and copies of the album were impounded as |
| beautiful European women who would grace various | | | | obscenity in some jurisdictions. |
| covers from a multitude of musical genres. | | | | The rock band Blind Faith had a cover that pictured a |
| Maybe the fad had run its course; the gimmick wasn't | | | | topless pubescent girl in 1969, and the U.S. record |
| nearly as popular by the end of the 60's. But, now | | | | company had it reissued with an alternative cover |
| instead of getting coarse comedy, stag party specials | | | | showing a photograph of the band. The Scorpions |
| and often quality music to accompany the 'naked vinyl', | | | | actually had two "naughty" covers that caused a stir, |
| instead it became an avenue and a tool to release | | | | 1976's "Virgin Killer," also featured a topless young girl |
| terrible music, by not so talented musicians; all | | | | and was replaced with a photo of the band. In 1979, |
| packaged in a sexy cover and priced to sell. | | | | the band released "Lovedrive," with a man and a |
| Foreign music from Italy, France and Germany and | | | | woman in the back seat of a car. The woman's chest |
| other countries flooded the market with substandard | | | | is exposed and the man was pulling bubble gum off of |
| music, but they all had one thing in common-'naked vinyl | | | | her breast and the album was repackaged. |
| 'covers. Cover versions and greatest hits compilations | | | | But the band Jane's Addiction got it right when, |
| were hastily recorded and rushed to press, all including | | | | anticipating trouble, released the 1990 album called |
| that special feature that the record companies knew | | | | "Ritual de lo Habitual" with two covers. One cover, |
| the public would enjoy, never mind the music. In the | | | | which featured singer Perry Farrell's artwork (male and |
| 1970's, the 'easy listening' music boon was in full swing, | | | | female nudity), was released along with a 'clean' |
| full of Hammond organ medleys, smoochy-sax covers | | | | version of the cover with the text of the First |
| of pop hits and ear-bending violins destroying popular | | | | Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, that promotes |
| classics. Artists such as Gil Ventura, Klaus Wunderlich | | | | free speech. |
| and the 'Latin Lounge Lizard' covers of Robert | | | | All we can ask is where was the censorship in the |
| Delgado were all cashing in on the fading fad. | | | | heyday of 'naked vinyl' album cover art? Now pop |
| In addition the 70's saw an exotic extravaganza of | | | | artists, rappers and rock and rollers can sing and say |
| foreign music that the public would probably have | | | | anything they want on a record. You can turn on the |
| never have gotten to hear, sans the 'naked vinyl' album | | | | radio and hear the "Frankie Goes To Hollywood" |
| covers. Mysterious countries all of a sudden were | | | | sexual number "Relax,", but god forbid you show any |
| thrust into the music spotlight, from Borneo to the | | | | nudity on an album cover. |
| shores of South America and Africa. No country or | | | | But all is not lost for the lovers of 'naked vinyl' cover |
| culture was excluded. From the erotica landslides of | | | | art, as the 90's and beyond have seen album cover |
| misguided music of traditional song, all merged with | | | | art and specifically 'naked vinyl' return as record |
| native naked women in exotic poses that were happily | | | | companies and designers are not afraid to use the |
| hawking the substandard music. | | | | human body to sell music. Vinyl is back, with the public |
| In the late 70's, another phase of 'naked vinyl' came in | | | | demanding the format as well as the album cover art |
| the "disco era." The Ohio Players released a wonderful | | | | that accompanies it, no matter what the format, |
| erotic series of 'almost' nude cover art. Sexual | | | | because as we have all learned; sex sells. |