Birds on 45

Browsing in a high street record store recently I happened upon Edwyn Collin’s new album sitting proudly on a shelf. This fact itself was pleasing enough, however it was his splendid album cover art that really won me over. Adorning the sleeve are numerous sketches of birds; all well observed, simple and beautifully rendered (there’s a nice article about it here). It got me wondering where else birds make an appearance in musical cover art.

A quick rummage through the BirdPoem record vault turned up a few gems. So here we go...an overdue celebration of birds as portrayed on record covers*.

*one rule: to make it easier (and because it’s my favourite format) I’m just looking at seven inch singles.

First up is this fine effort from Maryland’s Velocity Girl, unleashed by the good people at Heaven Records of Nottingham sometime around 1995 I imagine. The single delivers pleasant covers of Echo & the Bunnymen on side A and The Pastels on the flip but what makes it a bonafide hit round these parts is that handsome cover star! Larus argentatus unless I’m mistaken... the first Herring Gull to grace an indie pop record sleeve?!

With their familiar aesthetic design, these guys’ record sleeves stand out a mile away. This one is no exception.  I like the way they’ve picked an image that perfectly illustrates the title of the single.  It brings to mind the beautiful work of artists such as John James Audubon who played an important role in documenting the evolution of birds. I have no idea what this specimen is or who the artist was but its impressive don’t you think?! 

Some classic, good time rock n roll with plenty of birds on the cover to boot- what more could you ask for?! After some quick research I’d guess that the birds in question might be Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). That iceberg they’re rocking out on suggests they’re an Antarctic species which narrows the field from 17 species worldwide to 6. They appear quite small in size and a white eye ring is visible on several birds. So there you have it...Status Quo, entertaining AND educational!

That's it for now but I'll be sure to keep digging. In the meantime, if you have any to add why not share them?