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Marvin Gaye - 1974 - Live!
(Tamla/Motown) | Inner sleeve
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This one's a beauty so I made an exception (it's the inner sleeve). The author is photographer/jazz vocalist Jim Britt who signed three other Gaye's works as well countless albums for Tamla/Motown. Among others: Diana Ross in every way (solo, with Marvin Gaye and with the Supremes), all the Jackson family (Jackson 5 + Michael + Jermaine), Temptations, Smokey Robinson and so on.
The CD release also sports the boots alone. Nice.
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| Marvin Gaye - 1974 - Live! Back cover CD release |
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Bootsy's Rubber Band
1979 - This Boot Is Made For Fonk-N (Warner Brothers)
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Fourth album from legendary funkster Bootsy Collins. Cool title and beautiful cover drawn by Overton Loyd, well known artist because the Parliament/P-Funk connection.
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| Bootsy Collins 2002 - Play With Bootsy (A Tribute To The Funk) Eastwest |
Stuck in the 70's and loyal to his boots as portrayed by Berry Behrendt, now enter Rick James.
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| Rick James 1978 - Come Get It! (Gordy) |
Double platinum self titled debut album. A Joe Spencer logo (the guy who did Toto IV) and a Raul Vega photo. Vega signed lots of well know cover albums for Rod Stewart, Bangles, Tracy Lords but worth of note are two real masterpieces: "1984" by Van Halen (the one with the Pall Mall little angel) and "Eat 'Em And Smile" by David Lee Roth.
Here's what mr. James said about the cover photo:
Adding to the excitement was Calvin’s girlfriend, Valerie, a wonderful designer. When I began talking about cover art concepts with her, she had ideas of her own. Together we came up with the notion of me wearing high black boots with silver lightning bolts running down both of my legs.“That’s sexy,” said Valerie. “But you also want to show your heart.”With that in mind, my top was custom-made in the form of a red rhinestone heart.
Rick James (with David Ritz)From: Glow. The Autobiography of Rick James (Atria Books, 2014)
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| Rick James 1979 - Fire It Up (Gordy) |
New boots, new photographer but Rick James liked Ron Slenzak's work so much he hired him for three more albums and side projects (Mary Jane Girls). Slenzak was THE photographer in the 70s, but later distanced himself from the record biz. In 1985 he did the cover shot for Tubes vocalist/songwriter Fee Waybill's "Read My Lips".
Ron Slenzak strikes again on Street Songs (1981).
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| Rick James 1981 - Street Songs (Gordy) |
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| George Clinton 1982 - Get Dressed 7" (Capitol) |
Single from the first solo album by the former leader of Parliament/Funkadelic; Bootsy Collins is the guest star but nothing is known about the one who took the picture.
APPENDIX | NOT FUNKY [AND NOT CHIC]
KISS: the only band with the stamina to face the funksters legion; actually an influence over young Rick James:
… another friend, Icky, asked me if I wanted to go to a Kiss show.“Fuck no!” I said. “Why would I wanna see a cheesy band like Kiss?”“They say those guys put on a great show,” said Icky. “You might see something you like.”Icky broke down my resistance and turned out to be right. Kiss blew me away. Their music wasn’t shit, but their stage presentation was the bomb. All that black leather, those high boots, those face masks, the lighting—those cats knew how to create a dramatic look. Their look was as important as their songs, maybe even more important since to my ears they were just playing generic rock and roll.
Rick James (with david Ritz)From: Glow. The Autobiography of Rick James (Atria Books, 2014)
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| KISS - 1976 - Destroyer (Casablanca) |
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| KISS - 1977 - Love Gun (Casablanca) |
Both Kiss cover albums drawn by fantasy artist Ken Kelly (Manowar, Blackmore's Rainbow).
THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING
THE COMPLETE SERIES