What Are Your Favorite Motown Album Covers?

[kenneth]

The discussion about the Miracles' early LP covers in another thread prompted me to start this one.

What is your favorite Motown album cover? Also, is it also one of your favorite albums musically speaking, or is it just the cover you love?

To make it easy, let's say you can pick one from the early days of Motown or 'Golden Age," and one from the latter days or 'Silver Age.' Or, if you can't even decide on two, just let us know which ones you especially love!

I'm sure mine will be no surprise to anyone.

I love the "Playboy" album cover by the Marvelettes. So innocent, and charming. After all, who knew that the Marvelettes all lived together? Although we should have figured it out from the earlier "Please Mr. Postman" album cover when it was obvious they all shared the same mail box!



My pick for the Silver Age is also of the Marvelettes, the notorious "Return of the Marvelettes." I love the concept and believe the photograph shows great artistry, even though it doesn't really picture the Marvelettes.



I love the music on both albums. Even though "Playboy" is early and the Marvelettes are not yet polished, I love the exuberance of their young vocals, and also love the fact that we haven't yet had the Andantes, whose sound to me was always somehow antiseptic even though I had no idea they weren't the real group. Likewise, even though "Return" is really a solo vehicle for Wanda, with the exception of the two tracks from "in Full Bloom," I absolutely love the album and never get tired of it. I do believe it would have benefited from a few more upbeat numbers, such as "Uptown" and the uncharacteristically raucous vocals by Wanda on "Someday We'll Be Together" and "Our Lips Just Seem to Rhyme Every Time."

So have at it, guys!