Customer Reviews

Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989

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At last country music fans have their own cover art book. More than 250 are shown, in color, either one or four to a page in this almost LP size book. Fortunately none of them are angled or overlapping each othe. As the covers are arranged chronologically you can see how the big names and some one-hit wonders, were graphically presented by their record companies. Johnny Cash has ten covers from 1956 to 1985, Dolly Parton six from 1967 to 1987, Waylon Jennings six from 1966 to 1985.

Most of the covers before the Seventies follow the usual album design format, bland photo of the artist and some dull colored typography, though there are some exceptions, for instance Porter Wagoner's 'Confessions of a Broken Man' or 'Skid Row Joe'. It is not until the Seventies before the whole package was considered as one design element, like the Kinky Friedman's 'Lasso From El Passo' (made to look like a Camel cigarette pack) or Dolly Parton's '9 to 5 and Odd Jobs'. The covers shown from the Eighties mostly have well taken expressive photography combined with interesting graphics.

Country fans will enjoy seeing these historical covers, if only to see the ones they owned and possibly regret throwing out years ago. On page sixteen I came across a Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant album, '2 Guitars Country Style', I had in the late Fifties and then junked years later but fortunately re-issued on CD. 'Vinyl Hayride' is the same large size as an expanding collection of books devoted to LP cover art and graphic designers will find it worth adding to their reference library.

Let me warn you. You had better have some cash. Why? Becasue after seeing all of these album covers, you are going to want to find them and buy them.

All of the pictures are perfectly restored. Some of the covers will make you laugh, such as Grandpa Jones' "Yodeling Hits" Lp. I won't tell you what it is, but man it is awesome.

The book is lp sized and has a reproduction of Webb Pierce's "Cross Country" Lp from I believe 1961.

Go grab this book before it goes out of print. Be warned tho, you are about to get hooked on album collecting!!!!

My only complaint is that this book isn't about another 400 pages longer.

I dislike contemparaty country music with all it's glitz and glam and remember 9/11 message. Whatever happened to Johnny Cash (before he died), Willie Nelson (before he went hippie), Dolly Parton (before she opened the amusment park), Reba (before the sitcom!),and many others I forgot to mention, you can find them all in this book in all thier dressed like cowboys and drinkin' and my girlfriend just left me glory. This book will amaze you and insight you to a by-gone, but not forgotten era!