SPC -- 'Album Covers' #4 (and 5)

OK, so this is the final week for the 'Album Covers' theme and I went a little overboard. I started out with a few definite ideas and as the month progressed, I kept coming up with more ideas. Obviously, for reasons of time and sanity, I couldn't do every single idea that passed through my mind, but as the final week was approaching, I still had two ideas that I though I might be able to pull off.

What started as an effort to start both and just see which one ended up in the ditch, ended up as two relatively easy projects on which I was able to put the finishing touches.

So I have two for this final week:

#1

Bruce Springsteen -- Born in the U.S.A.

Now, before scrolling down to the original and my recreation, allow me to ask you two questions:

1.) Without looking -- does Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. album cover feature the United States Flag? Yes or No?

--

I was certain that it did.

But it doesn't -- or at least maybe it doesn't.

It's just red and white stripes, which could be just about anything. No field of blue or stars can be seen. Maybe it's the flag, maybe it's not.

Second question:
2.) What's in the Boss's back pocket?

Can you picture it?

I always thought it was just a red rag. I always though it conveyed a working-class, everyman vibe. But upon closer inspection, it is not a rag at all. It is a ballcap.

That creates a completely different feel to the entire image, doesn't it? Much more youthful and playful, I think.

Anyway,

Here's the original:


And here's mine:




You will notice that I went with my original thoughts about the album cover and mine clearly features the unmistakable symbols of the flag of the United States and I also just used a rag in my pocket because I don't own a red ballcap.

Moving on...

#2

Rolling Stones -- Sticky Fingers

I guess I figured since I was featuring a rear shot homage...

I may as well do the flip side as well.

The album cover to Sticky Fingers was conceived by Andy Warhol and featured a working zipper on the outside of the record sleeve.

The photo was easy enough to take and the processing of the image itself wasn't too bad either. My only problem with the image processing was finding consistent color and title design from sample to sample. I ended up going with a piecing together of the two choosing my favorites of the samples that I found.

The thing I had the most fun with was recreating the style of the title design. The stone-washed looking lettering and border wasn't difficult to do, but I learned a few things about my photo editing program in order to accomplish the effect.

Here's one version of the original:




And here's mine:




That's all, folks. See you next month!

SPC -- 'Album Covers' #3

I've had some fun with the 'Album Covers' theme this month. I've had fun making mine and we have had some amazing contributions to the SPC group pool. I knew when the theme for this month was Album Covers that I would have to pay tribute to one of my all time favorite singer/songwriters, Rich Mullins.

In youth group at church, I was introduced to Rich's music from the Winds of Heaven album, though it wasn't until I happened upon a DEMO cassette at Christian Supply in Crawfordsville, Indiana that he became one of my favorites. That demo cassette just happened to be Best as I Can Remember It, Volume 1 and it just happened to be played to the end of Side 1, so I turned it over to the first song on Side 2, which was "Calling Out Your Name." As soon as the slow, nearly rhythmless hammered dulcimer broke into the fast beat that drives straight through the rest of the song, I was hooked.

Rich was taken from the earth far too soon (he was almost 42 when he was killed in an automobile accident in September, 1997), and he is missed not only for the music that he didn't have a chance to continue writing, but also for the compassion he didn't have a chance to continue giving.

Here is my album cover tribute to what is probably my favorite album of his:



And here's the original, for comparison:

SPC -- 'Album Covers' #2

I had lots of fun with this one!

Here's the original:

Photo Friday - 'White'

SPC -- 'Album Covers' #1

So, the theme at Self Portrait Challenge for January is Album covers.

I'm really curious what contributors will do with this theme.

Here's my first effort:

I can remember asking for the 'No Jacket Required' album for a Christmas or Birthday present because I wanted the song, "In The Air Tonight." Unfortunately, I didn't realize that this song has been on one of Phil Collins' previous albums, "Face Value." I had heard it on Miami Vice, and Phil's new album was "No Jacket Required" so I just figured it was on there. Fortunately, even though "In The Air Tonight" wasn't there, I did discover Phil Collins as a solo artist from this album and I still enjoy him as such to this day.

Eventually, I did find "In The Air Tonight" on a Miami Vice soundtrack which also contained "You Belong to the City" which, I think, was among the first songs I figured out how to play when I got my Tenor Saxophone in 5th grade.



Here's the original for comparison: