SFT’s Favorite Album Covers
Written by SFT; that is, lovingly "ghostwritten" by his wife, DLT
I’m not much of a writer…
But hearing TG and DLT go on and on about their favorite album covers made me think of some of my favorites, and so I could not resist taking my own pass at the challenge. (DLT was so fascinated with my choices that she probably would have required me to reveal them here anyway!)
I remember having access to a lot of music in my childhood. My uncle owned a jukebox company, which means he had to buy singles in order to stock his jukeboxes. So we would always get the latest, hottest 45s (records). We collected STACKS and STACKS of 45s! It was so much fun being the “DJ” back then.
I grew up in my grandmother’s house, which was the central hub for all family members to visit and live-in (on and off) all the time. Since we were a music-loving family, someone would always bring a new album over for us to be “the first” to hear and explore. In my pastime, I enjoyed flipping through the collection of albums, in search of cool album art, or images on the inside flap, or especially albums that included lyrics.
Two of the albums below are among my all-time favorite most memorable covers. I remember being very fascinated by them!
#6
Geto Boys
We Can’t Be Stopped
The Geto Boys were my favorite rap group around the time of this album’s release (1991), and this cover art was the hardest portrayal of the message they were trying to convey…that they “can't be stopped.” Shortly after the release, it was revealed that the photo on the cover was an actual, live photo taken on the spot, unplanned. So it’s REAL real…and it adds to their “hardness.”
#5
Techmaster P.E.B.
Bass Computer
Bass Computer was released in 1991 and cemented Techmaster P.E.B.’s reputation as the godfather of Miami bass music. This cover is so nostalgic that I can feel the bass by just looking at it!
I remember playing this in the car back in my early 20s. I had just gotten some new subs in my ride, and the bass on these tracks was phenomenal! To me, this wasn’t your typical bass CD. The music was also phenomenal. Maybe we’ll get a review of this great album here?
#4
The 2 Live Crew
As Nasty As They Wanna Be
For obvious reasons, I think every man would love running across a list with this album cover on it. 😎 Enough said!
#3
Wild Cherry
Wild Cherry
This is one of those albums I remember being fascinated by in my childhood. My cousin actually owned this album, and I remember looking forward to flipping through his collection of albums whenever we would visit.
The cover is a large, colorful visual of a woman’s lips, with deep red lipstick, eating a juicy, glossy red cherry. Up close, and right there in your face. It was just…COOL! The only song I remember from the album was “Play That Funky Music White Boy.” Which may well be the only song anyone remembers from this album! 😂 But let’s cut the “white boys” some slack…this was the band’s debut album (1976).
Regardless, the album art still stands out in a crowd!
#2
Maze
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
Now this album cover was the coolest! It still fascinates me today, because it’s an actual maze! The fact that their group’s name is “Maze,” and they thought to feature an actual maze on their cover was just so clever.
We owned this album, and I used to sit and finger-trace my way through the maze on the cover, over and over again. Many of Maze’s albums featured an actual maze on the cover—but as this was their debut album (1977), it’s the one I remember enjoying the most. It’s still so cool!
#1
A Tribe Called Quest
Midnight Marauders
This is just an AWESOME cover. It shows the faces of the group’s fellow artists, friends, or contemporaries. It was just so cool to see so many faces that I either recognized, owned CDs by…or both. I definitely played the mess out of this one! It’s “Tribe”!
Honorable Mention:
Michael Jackson
Thriller
This album deserves an honorable mention for a few reasons:
First of all, it’s MICHAEL JACKSON! And if you happened to own this album back when MJ and Thriller were both hot, you were the stuff!
Secondly, it’s THRILLER! All the songs and especially the music videos on this album were original and groundbreaking. The Thriller video is still so good!!
Thirdly, MJ included the lyrics in this album to all these songs. The only way (back then) to settle an argument with your friends over what Michael Jackson was saying in "Wanna Be Startin' Something" was if you owned this album…which meant you had proof of the lyrics on the album cover sleeve!
Fourthly, this album actually opened (gatefold), and MJ was shown holding an actual baby tiger in the photo on the inside. I mean, how cool was that?!
[NOTE: This “honorable mention” suspiciously sounds like DLT possibly “inserting” her own emphatic album preferences onto her husband’s list! Just saying… 🤔 —TG]