Pickled Priest Cover Story #16: What's in the Box? Grading the Cover Art of Springsteen's Seven Lost Albums

Cover me, shut the door and cover me

Consider this a one-time addendum to our debut Pickled Priest Cover Story (until Bruce drops Tracks III that is) where we assessed and graded the artwork for all of Bruce's studio albums. Since there are just seven new "lost" albums, this should be a fast and painful read for all. That's all we can guarantee. I was genuinely surprised by how good the songs on these albums were, but this time we're only assessing the album covers. Has Bruce given each album their own unique identity? Or has he given his design team too much latitude? Let's find out. (Ranked in reverse order of preference.)

PICKLED PRIEST GRADES SPRINGSTEEN'S LOST ALBUM COVERS

07 PERFECT WORLD

Grade: C-

This has the feel of something AI would generate if asked to create a Springsteen album cover. A stock photo of Bruce in a car (the ultimate Bruce stereotype), large block letters (picked up from most of his records from the last quarter century), and even a nod to the typewriter font from Darkness on the Edge of Town for good measure (AI is thorough, I'll give it that). Project completed! There's nothing offensive here, but it does show a lack of creativity. If you explain it away as a reflection of the hodge-podge nature of the album's contents, that's fine, but with an opportunity to do something special for each of his lost albums, this falls short. Part of the problem may be that all seven of the album covers in the Tracks II box were designed by the same team (Michelle Holme and Megan Foley). This reeks of being the last album before quittin' time. I'm sure they're talented, but why not farm the records out to some other designers to expand the artistic vision a little bit? Make it a competition. What designer wouldn't want to give it a go? Instead, we get predictable and that's rarely a good thing when it comes to art. On the positive side, if they had to go with block letters once again (boring!), the way they made the word "Perfect" imperfect near the end with a little ink bleed is a clever idea. Also, the word "World" looks like it was airbrushed right onto the side of the car, which gives a pleasing grainy texture to the visual. Overall, however, I'm totally nonplussed by this one. Forgettable in almost every way.

06 FAITHLESS

Grade: C+

I do appreciate that, of the seven new Springsteen albums, three of them (42.8%) do not include a picture of Springsteen on the cover (for his prior studio albums that number was 19%). So we're making progress. He's a big enough name where that should not be a requirement. It makes sense, since the songs on Faithless were written for a film project (unmade at present), that his face isn't plastered on its cover. Rather, we get an image that seemingly represents the prevailing mood of the film. All good so far, especially because the concept of faithlessness is such a rich one, with so many possible layers of interpretation, from religion (our favorite) to the breakdown of trust in a relationship (our least favorite) and countless points in between. I do appreciate that the design team opted for a more abstract approach; here we see a reflection of a makeshift cross in the water (perhaps just an old sign on the end of a pier), its upside-down orientation implying a measure of lost faith. The added ripple from a tossed stone only obscures the image a bit more. A nice effect. All this said, I still can't help but think a more impactful cover was there for the taking. They used up much of the space on the title bar (~44% of total cover area) and left a little over half (~56%) for the chosen image. Add to that the use of the same old chunky block letters I complained about in the last entry, transparency effect be damned, and this again seems like another missed opportunity to create something powerful. I need to see some other options before I can endorse this relatively basic, and literal, rendering. And when you do, make the title much, much smaller (or get rid of it entirely). Let the image do most of the talking. Since the movie is unrealized, it's going to be the only image we have to represent its original vision. At least until the movie gets made once and for all.

05 SOMEWHERE NORTH OF NASHVILLE

Grade: B-

I'm being told that's not Bruce on a pony at his seventh birthday party. Would've been funny, though. Without considering the music included within, this cover might rank a bit higher than fifth place on this list. When considering the music, however, the visual doesn't quite complement the tenor of the songs. A child on a pony, in other words, doesn't quite track with the cunnilingus-plus themed "Detail Man," nor the wild and dangerous exploits of the car repossession business in "Repo Man." And don't get me started on the third "Man" song on the album, "Delivery Man," which details a chicken massacre with a disturbing level of callousness After a few love songs, we also find Bruce regaling us with some dirt track racing characters in "Stand On It." In other words, very Nashville. A little of everything the city feasts on day-to-day. This cover, however, doesn't capture either of those things. In fact, it looks like some kind of Bear Family archival release. There's no real chemistry with the tone of the record. And for an album with a song called "Detail Man" on it, that's unfortunate. Because album art is all about the details.

04 STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA SESSIONS

Grade: B

This is the same image used for the "Streets of Philadelphia" single in February 1994, the song that won Bruce an Oscar. I suppose the stature of the track merited its reuse here since the album is a bunch of songs recorded around the same time. Continuity is not a bad thing in this case. This is how Bruce looked at the time, for better or worse, and it makes sense that it retains that Deep Thoughts with Bruce Springsteen feel. It's the most straightforward and logical design approach of the seven lost records, although I prefer my grittiness and texture to be a part of the original photograph, not added in post on an iPhone app. I personally would've favored a smaller title without the now mandatory "treated" BLOCK LETTERS (good grief). Maybe something less bold, sparse even, perhaps written in Bruce's own hand. Instead, we get something a touch overworked, but certainly acceptable considering the heavy tone of the corresponding film.

03 '83 LA GARAGE SESSIONS

Grade: B

A pop of color was much needed, so the blast of red here is appreciated. The whole Tracks II project in general is very muted and dark, at least visually, so the change of pace is welcome. Considering the title, a picture of the actual "garage" referenced is really the only logical choice for the cover. I put the word garage in quotes because they actually recorded these songs in the apartment above the garage and not inside it. In my world, the apartment above the garage doesn't qualify as the garage—they're two different things. I guess the title LA Apartment Above the Garage Sessions doesn't quite have the same ring to it, so we'll allow a little latitude. Some people call garage apartments "Granny Flats" and I have to say that would've been a much better title for the album. The LA Granny Flat Sessions. Love it! I must admit I was kind of hoping for a garage with a little more grit under its fingernails and not this suburban cigarette box with the cheap, white window shades. Was Fonzie's apartment above the Cunningham's garage not available? It would've been much more suitable for the stripped down feel of the record. In a way, the absolute plainness of the image is its best asset. There's no glamour to it whatsoever; in fact, it is quite amazing to think that great art can be made anywhere, even in this nondescript LA building out back of the house. So many garage apartments are reserved for wayward children, lost souls, and transients. This Granny Flat was reserved for Bruce Springsteen. That, in itself, makes this location worthy of the National Register of Historic Places.

02 INYO

Grade: B+

There's a distinct Nebraska feel to the lower half of this cover, this time in color, and perhaps that was intentional. The topics on Inyo and Nebraska are dead serious and not for the weak-hearted. The barren road is as inviting as it is dangerous, each in their own unique way. One stretches for hundreds of miles with little change in scenery, the other is a much shorter, far more treacherous route fraught with peril, especially these days. Added to this cover is a graphic that includes a wallpaper swatch from some Tijuana flophouse coupled with circular picture of Bruce that has a distinct antique feel, much like an old-fashioned photo you might find while cleaning out grandma's attic (or apartment above the garage). The title and Springsteen's last name seem written with a Sharpie or similar instrument and that works, too. Not sure I would've used a photo of him holding his guitar up like he's just finished an acoustic ballad in concert, but it does have a nice patina on it (with distressed tear/crease combo). I think the graphic matches the vibe of the record as well; a modest, understated approach was definitely the way to go here. Woody Guthrie surely would've approved.

01 TWILIGHT HOURS

Grade: A-

This album took me pleasantly by surprise and I love that feeling, especially when Springsteen is involved. By now, I thought I'd seen him from every angle, at least creatively. The record has a classy, late-night mood, as if performed in a small nightclub in Manhattan. Is this Springsteen's version of Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours? I'd say yes. To reflect that, I want just what I'm seeing on this cover. Bruce in a very contemplative pose, seeking peace of mind in the midst of the big city madness around him. It would be too much if they put him in a tux and fedora with a martini in one hand, so we get the Bruce we know as we've never seen him before. If that's not a perfect summation of Twilight Hours, I don't know what is. I love it as is, but could it be even better? I would've liked a slightly smaller picture of Bruce, maybe something a little more noirish, with a little more cityscape included within the frame. I do, for a change, like the font here with the grey album title offset by Bruce's name in white. A subtle and welcome design element. It has the feel of an old school 60's album cover ("Stereo" included, a nice touch) and it reminds me of the golden age of the classic crooners, but still somehow looks modern, too. A nice balance. Overall, I can put my minor quibbles aside and anoint this the best cover of the bunch. No contest. Overall, the design team did an acceptable job, but I still feel they missed a golden opportunity to make these seven new covers, a once in a lifetime opportunity, a more distinct and artistically impactful offering.

________________________

See you again when Bruce releases Tracks III.

Cheers,

The Priest