From the chilly depths of the ocean comes an album so fierce, so metal, that only an exquisitely kickass piece of artwork could do it justice.  While not a strict concept album, Mastodon's 2004 metal opus Leviathan is loosely based on the story of Moby Dick.  Of course that much should be obvious, as one of the songs is entitled "I Am Ahab".  I took a chance on this album when I bought it a few years ago (I don't care for ... Read on, Daddy-O

An album cover doesn't have to be pretty to be great.  And that's certainly the case with jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery's A Day in the Life, released in 1967. I'm not sure what the inspiration was behind this rather striking cover photo was, as I don't imagine it would have appealed to people in the late '60s, even though smoking was obviously much more acceptable then.  I know Montgomery was a smoker, so that likely played a part. Anyway, this was Montgomery's debut ... Read on, Daddy-O

Alright, it's time to get out of the '70s for a bit on this series and get a little more current.  As in almost to the 21st century. I'm not usually a fan of using historical photographs on album covers, but this one  - from the Roots' classic 1999 album Things Fall Apart - is just so striking.  The image was taken in the 1960s as riot police in Bedford-Stuyvesant chased down two black teens.  And although the album title actually comes from ... Read on, Daddy-O

This week we venture outside the cozy confines of the U.S. of A and head to Germany, home to one of the most successful and influential practitioners of Krautrock - Can. Album covers that play off the band's name can often be lame, but 1972's Ege Bamyasi is definitely an exception. And as an added bonus, it's a great album as well. Food connoisseurs may be able to figure out what the title means, but for those who aren't I'll help ... Read on, Daddy-O

The Associated Press reported recently (confirming what I had known for a time) that the reports of vinyl's demise may be exaggerated. But while music purists may be rejoicing, it's important to keep a few things in perspective. True, shipments of LPs in the U.S. increased just over 36% from 2006 to 2007; but vinyl still accounted for less than a blip on the radar in terms of overall market percentage (CDs shipped more than 500 million units in '07 ... Read on, Daddy-O

This week's entry is my humble tribute to one of the most inventive and influential musicians of the 20th century, the late Bo Diddley... The iconic rectangular guitar (aka "The Twang Machine") is missing, but the cover to 1961's Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger is a gem just the same. It's one of a series of tongue-in-cheek images shot for Diddley's early-1960s albums on the Checker label.SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Album cover of the week: Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger", url: "http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/2008/06/09/album-cover-of-the-week-bo-diddley-is-a-gunslinger/" }); Read on, Daddy-O

It's been a few months since my last album review roundup and I know the public constantly clamors for more of my stunning insight into what new music is worth listening to these days. So here it is... Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther (Bella Union) This came out almost two years ago, but it's new to me. And holy crap is it ever my favorite album right now. It has the warmth and intimacy of early-to-mid '70s Fleetwood Mac, ... Read on, Daddy-O

Anyone who knows me at all could have guessed that I'd find a way to get Kiss included on this feature sooner or later. But can you blame me? Whatever you think about their music, Kiss had its share of memorable album art back in the day. But for a slight twist, I went with one that I don't usually see called out as one of the group's best - 1975's Dressed to Kill: In contrast to the more popular ... Read on, Daddy-O

I was absolutely fascinated by this cover as a kid and I still think it's awesome: What gets me about this is the look on the robot's face, which says "Oh crap, did I do that?" The blood drop on the finger is also a very nice touch. The only part that doesn't thrill me is that Brian May (the one with the curly hair and puffy shirt) looks like a bit of a dandy. As it turns out, interestingly enough, this ... Read on, Daddy-O

All too often it happens that an album with great artwork is full of forgettable music. Luckily that's not so with Pink Floyd's 1975 classic, Wish You Were Here. For my money, this is the ultimate Floyd album and one of the ten best albums of all-time. One of the really appealing things about this cover - aside from how surreal it is -is how ambiguous it is. There may be a definite story or scenario behind this photo, but ... Read on, Daddy-O