Jefferson Airplane’s Long John Silver hails from the golden age of elaborate album covers. On an album that made a mad dash through the whole of pop history, Nick Lowe pictured himself in a bunch of different guises, from rockabilly hoodlum to sensitive balladeer (there were different pics on the US and UK versions), all with tongue firmly in cheek.ĩ5: Jefferson Airplane: Long John Silver (design by Pacific Eye & Ear) As he rapped on Wu-Tang’s “Dog Sh_t,”: “Got meals but still grill that old good welfare cheese.”ĩ6: Nick Lowe: Jesus of Cool/Pure Pop for Now People (design by Barney Bubbles) Forgoing any blinged-out tropes, the former Wu-Tang member put a doctored version of his welfare ID card on the front cover of his solo debut, as both a reminder of where he came from and to destigmatize being on public assistance. Whenever hip-hop started to take itself too seriously, ODB was there to disrupt, agitate, and give the middle finger to convention. Listen here: 97: Ol’ Dirty Bastard: Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (design by Alli Truch, photo by Danny Clinch) Put the notorious bathroom cover together with the engraved invitation on the US replacement, and you’ve got the yin and the yang of The Rolling Stones at the time. Listen here: 98: The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet (design by Barry Feinstein)īeggars Banquet is a rare case where an album’s two famous covers really complement each other. The red velvet cover, with gold embossed lettering, served notice that Odessa was going to be unique and beautiful, which it was. If The Beatles could do a double “ White Album,” the Bee Gees could do a fuzzy red one. On their 1969 debut, the cavorting characters were there to remind you how much fun rock’n’roll was supposed to be.

Just grab his collaborative hit 'Beautiful' with Snoop Dogg from elsewhere, add this set, and then you've got Uncle Charlie's aughts on lock.Bandleader Cyril Jordan’s terrific comic art has turned up on numerous The Flamin’ Groovies covers and posters over the decades. Kelly, and if you need a reminder of how he acquired Don status, the original 'Burn Rubber on Me' is tacked on to the end of the set, although that's certainly not enough to check the Gap Band off your list.

Through it all, Wilson comes off as a more sensible and mature alternative to R. Old-school funk (the hard-struttin' 'Musta Heard') and grown-folks R&B (the massive hit 'You Are') mix with hipness at an Usher-level ('My Girl Is a Dime' or 'Shawty Come Back'), while 21st century names like Justin Timberlake, will.i.am, T-Pain, and Jamie Foxx all come to pay their respects and vibe with one of the masters. His 1992 effort You Turn My Life Around is skipped but it barely fits with his much more successful later canon, which here is represented by the years 2000 to 2010. Trying a little harder than its generic packaging might imply, Playlist: The Very Best of Charlie Wilson kicks off with a 12' mix of the former Gap Band member's hit 'Outstanding' before rounding up all the obvious highlights from the singer's solo career.

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