Hitting A Nerve

Bottom/ Paul Simonon of English rock band The Clash smashes his Fender Precision bass against the stage at The Palladium in NYC on the cover of their third album London Calling (CBS, 1979). The album's subject matter included unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood. With its pink and green typography, the cover artwork was designed by Ray Lowry and was a parody of the design of Elvis Presley's debut album. Middle/ Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (Warner Bros., 1978) is the first album by New Wave musicians Devo. The album title references Erle C. Kenton's 1933 horror film Island of Lost Souls, which was based on H. G. Wells' novel The Island of Dr Moreau. In the 1933 film, a mad scientist performs operations on wild beasts in order to make them more human and able to undertake menial tasks. When the beasts acted in an inappropriate manner the scientist Dr. Moreau would crack his whip and challenge the beasts. Lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh felt as though these half-man, devolved beasts were not unlike his fellow Akron, Ohio residents, and decided to write about it. Top/ A still from The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle about seminal punk group the Sex Pistols adorns the sleeve of Sid Vicious' sped up, ballistic cover of "My Way" (1980). The original song lyrics of "My Way", written by Paul Anka and popularized by Frank Sinatra, tell the story of a man who is nearing death. An edited version of the Sid Vicious cover is played during the closing credits of the Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas