From The Mind of Christopher David Ryan

Last night I had the pleasure yet again of seeing Scottish rockers, Teenage Fanclub… one of my favorite bands. Perhaps they are my favorite. If I was being banished to a desert island and could take one band’s catalogue with me it would be Teenage Fanclub.

And… they have never let me down on cover art either. Above are a few of my many favorites.

Just for the hell of it… here is the video for Star Sign… a classic.

Last night I had the pleasure yet again of seeing Scottish rockers, Teenage Fanclub… one of my favorite bands. Perhaps they are my favorite. If I was being banished to a desert island and could take one band’s catalogue with me it would be Teenage Fanclub. And… they have never let me down on cover [...]

After yesterday’s post I was asked by a reader what my favorite record covers are. To me that is a huge question and one that I find nearly impossible to answer.

I consider myself somewhat of an avid record collector… a vinyl aficionado perhaps. I spent many years as a DJ during which time I amassed quite a collection… one which I am quite proud of. While pondering the question of what are my favorite covers I began to feel overwhelmed as I mentally flipped through my records trying to choose those that move me the most. Is it that rare Joy Division 7″ that I scored in a dusty shop in San Francisco? Is it the weird, awful orchestra record that I bought for its beautiful minimally abstract cover? Maybe it’s the Depeche Mode “People Are People” single that I nearly wore out in junior high. No wait… it’s that first Tribe Called Quest album. No, no, no… it’s The Stone Roses for sure. Or… it’s none of these… or all of them.

I began to realize that the record covers that I enjoy the most are the ones that have been given true substance by my personal history with the music they package. Sure, I can name a ton of great, wonderfully attractive covers of records that I’ve heard or not heard… but to me the best covers are the one’s that I have an intimate relationship with…. the ones that stir memories or emotions. They are more than covers, they are time machines taking me back to the past and onwards to the future.

Anyway… blah, blah, blah. I could wax on for hours about such things.  But… for now I leave you with 5 of my current favorite covers pulled directly from the top of the stacks of what has been getting some time on my turntables. I’m not sure why I’m feeling these exactly… perhaps it’s their warmth… and lack of digital trickery. I know that I’m feeling the music within.  The soundtrack of memories perhaps?

After yesterday’s post I was asked by a reader what my favorite record covers are. To me that is a huge question and one that I find nearly impossible to answer. I consider myself somewhat of an avid record collector… a vinyl aficionado perhaps. I spent many years as a DJ during which time I [...]