COVERED: Big Brother & The Holding Company vs. House Boat
Normally, I’d get one every few weeks, but in less than a day I have posted four new installments of Covered. Big Brother & The Holding Company was the band that featured Janis Joplin as their vocalist, and when they released their second album (the last to feature Joplin), the album cover captured as much attention as the music itself. Cheap Trills featured cover art from Robert Crumb, whose love of 78rpm records made him create this “antique” looking design for a record that was originally going to be called Sex, Dope & Cheap Thrills. Columbia Records had said no, although today it probably would not be an issue.
House Boat are a pop/punk band from New York who are about to release an EP called 21st Century Breakdown, and their cover is definitely homage to Cheap Thrills. It may not be the first time a band has honored the now-famous Crumb illustration, but it’s great to see it honored 45 years later.
