Jan 102013
Your personal workspace, ca. 1979.
The question is a simple one: What’s the best gatefold album cover for sorting weed? Be sure to think carefully before answering. You need something you can stare at, but not something that might, you know, totally freak you out. Something lifestyle-appropriate is a must, so: no Ella Fitzgerald compilations! Extra credit if you can think of a recent double-LP that would feel comfortable resting in your lap as you push the seeds to this side and the stems to that.
I look forward to your responses.
HVB
The one that got the most use from me, I mean a friend I used to know, was Beefheart’s Strictly Personal: http://beefheart.com/datharp/albums/official/pics/theband.gif
These days my friend uses mp3’s for that purpose.
Funny, I know of that photo from my copy of another release from that period. I’m blanking on the title – it’s essentially a 12-inch version of the long-song side of my 10-inch Music in Sea Minor. It’s the album that I once wrongly accused a member of the Buzzcocks of stealing (not that he knew of my unjustified accusation).
My copy of Dark Side of the Moon is still over at my parents’, but some foggy recess of my mind seems to recall pushing seeds along those prism rays.
A friend I used to know got a sick kick out of using this gatefold cover for his cleaning purposes:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3MjFuZELMUI/S8qvzNLtVFI/AAAAAAAAHBM/um6Wtc5lKtg/s1600/LOUREEDLIVE3.jpg
I bet you could still sweep
mythat friend’s inner spine for “shake.”This was another crowd pleaser:
http://shop.totallyvinyl.com/img/uploads/images/Captain%20Beefheart%20&%20his%20Magic%20Band/CAPTAIN_BEEFHEART_TROUT_MASK_REPLICA_2LP_IN.jpg
We called it cleaning weed, not sorting. When I first saw the headline I thought it said “best gatefold album for storing weed”.
The album/artist didn’t matter, it was the texture of the sleeve that counted. Nothing too smooth/glossy. You want the seeds to slide down to the crease, but not the leaves. A rougher surface provided the necessary traction.
Wait. You mean there is some connection between drugs and the rock and roll music?
To the thread author’s credit – or discredit – I don’t recall him doing much cleaning or sorting in his youth. I’m sorry I – I mean, my friend – didn’t catch the verb when I – I mean, he – edited the piece.
Good point about the texture of the sleeve, although did you never want to impress friends with a particular gatefold cover? Very unassuming of you!
I would think that you want a picture that is not too busy or has too many colors because you might miss some scraps. So, for instance, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One From the Road would not be a great choice: http://www.vinyl45s.com/thumbnail.asp?file=http://thursdaysrecords.com/pic/lynonemorefrom.jpg&maxx=0&maxy=150
ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres has a huge Mexican meal in the gatefold, which could be entertaining to look at while you go about your task. But it might set unreasonably high expectations for a post-smoke snack, and thus would ultimately be counterproductive. Also, see below.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ymRfn2ROUEQ/T20kwrbdyBI/AAAAAAAAD_g/_qB5Y4q5AXU/s1600/%5BTen+Awesome+Gatefolds%5D+%2302+++Tres+Hombres+Inner.jpg
I would imagine that you would want a double album rather than a single because then both sides sound be evenly weighted and thus more stable, reducing the risk of it accidentally slamming shut in your lap or otherwise being suddenly shifted in a way that would result in unwanted weed spillage. This would unfortunately rule out the otherwise excellent Meddle by Pink Floyd: http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/monitor-records/1C072-04917c.jpg
I’d probably go with Skull and Roses by the Grateful Dead. It’s black and white, and fairly uncomplicated. http://ring.cdandlp.com/tomb1664/photo_grande/114588689-2.jpg
Or just use a Frisbee.
Yeah, I always had a frisbee with me. I had a swell tray from Club papers that I keep junk on now. For albums, I’ve got to cop out. I grabbed any album, didn’t care if it was a gatefold or not. I’d use a Creem magazine, Scene magazine or just a table. Or the inside of a glovebox door (remember when that’s where “cupholders” existed?). We used to purposefully be sloppy about it so when things got tough we could “deweed” our seeds!
The album covers that I remember my friend John used in our after school listening sessions were Bowie’s Alladin Sane & Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure & Viva!
BUSTED! Yes, I am the guy who quickly discovered weed turns me into a paranoid lunatic. So, indeed, during my college years, when “your friend” might have offered me the opportunity to light up and turn on, I would have politely demurred. Having said that, the Sarge thinks “sorting” is as good (or bad) a word as “cleaning.”
No, I thought a single album was required, because you only put the weed on one side, the lighter side, with the disc inside the other helping make it an anchor in the process. At least that’s what my friend told me.
I recall that The Eagles’ Hotel California was extremely popular at a state university I atteded in the Midwest.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/_annie_/4008609679/
Cleaning the gatefolds during “droughts” was also a popular activity.
Maybe. What do I know? I’ve always been a meth man myself…
Eat a Peach, baby!
http://allman-bros-pictures.tripod.com/the_allman_brothers_/allman_brothers_art.jpg
Black and White was better for contrast with the green. Used this one a bit:
http://aquariumdrunkard.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/neil-young-1969-2.jpg
And this classic. Lots of dark space to work:
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTrV3VWlxDifwdP6nOxLae1xHPDHF4ExXXL-Cln1GF94OwaelKbrw