Favorite Album Covers: Muddy Waters by Phil Hays (1978)

Another gem from 1978, Muddy Waters' "I'm Ready", produced by Johnny Winter with a killer band including pianist Pinetop Perkins, guitarist Jimmy Rogers and harpist Big Walter Horton. A mix of blues standards and new original material, this was the middle record of three that Winter produced and my personal favorite. I admit that one reason I always liked this so much, besides the music, was the great portrait of Muddy Waters gracing the album cover. Painted by the late Phil Hays, it's about as congenial a portrait as I can imagine and a perfect invitation to the music within. Check out more of this illustrator's work here.

Favorite album covers: Lou Reed by Tom Adams (1972)

Lou Reed's first solo album is not so bad. Not as great as some of the albums to follow, but not as bad as some either. Some pretty good songs, Wild Child and Lisa Says are especially fun. Worth checking out if you are a Lou fan. What I especially like about this release is the outstanding album cover art by Tom Adams, an illustrator who's most notable achievement is the great series of Agatha Christie book covers he did in the '60s and '70s. The name made of flowers with the hummingbirds I always loved and the little bird up front is quite touching, then there's a Faberge egg and a wave coming down the street. I assume all of these elements illustrate lyrics from the album in some way, but in any case it all looks really cool.