That ‘Knef’ LP cover was so beautiful that it made me do a bit of digging around to pick out my favorite covers. Here’s a few. More will follow in the next few days. Higher resolution scans are available if you click on the LP cover.
Enrique Lynch y su Conjunto: 'Como Canon' (LP; Sono Radio; 1970)
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I found this LP and a few others a few years ago in a market in Lima, Peru. Apparently Enrique Lynch has made some interesting Afro rock-style records. This is not one of them, but since I bought it mainly for its cover, I don't mind. It's quite pleasant cumbia style music with vocals. I have to admit that after seeing the cover I had dreams of this being some kind of go-go masterpiece.
Juancho Vargas: 'Deliciosa vol IV' (LP; Discos Fuentes; 1970)
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Another Peruvian find, I was unable to resist this cover. And since I have only the cover and not the record with me, that's all I can tell you right now. Shall I rename my site 'Deliciosa'? Maybe I'll just start calling my self 'juancho'.
Zdzislawa Sosnicka: 'Zdzislawa Sosnicka' (LP; Polskie Nagrania; 1974)
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For three years I lived in Greenpoint, which is the Polish neighbourhood of Brooklyn, NY. When I moved there I had dreams of finding boxes of Polish jazz and scat vocal records (Novi Singers and the like). It didn't happen. But I did find a few very interesting 60s and 70s pop records with female vocals.
I gather that Zdzislawa Sosnicka is quite a star in Poland. The arrangements are fantastic at times, but the compositions aren't really to my taste in the main. For example, the first track has an unmistakable Eurovision feel, with a cheesy vocal chorus.
Thus while there are some incredible moments (soaring strings with nice basslines and breakbeats), there aren't many tracks here that I really enjoy listening to the whole way through. 'Loneliness, my cradle' is a spooky slow pop song, and 'Good Night, Darling,' (similar but more hip sounding) are the best tracks to my ears.
The arrangements are by five different people. I had been excited to hear the track arranged by Jerzy Milian, since I've heard work by him that was excellent. But the best arrangements turned out to be those by Marian Siejka, and in particular, the opening to 'Good Night, Darling' is outstanding.