L.P.1 — The Coneheads
Digging through a crate of used records is meditative. It’s easily one of my favorite things to do; right after doing nothing and eating. So, when the idea to discuss the relationship between album artwork and the music it represents popped into my head, I naturally ignored it for over a year. I told you; doing nothing rules. However, I’ve been itching to do a bit of writing for fun and I’m insanely excited about this side project. I’m also insanely nervous about it. Having people read my thoughts and opinions on a, fairly, serious topic isn’t something I’ve ever really dealt with and it’s been awhile since I’ve sat down to write. So, if you’re reading this; I appreciate it more than you could ever possibly know.
I came across L.P.1 by The Coneheads while flipping through the used bin
at Wild Mutations, a killer record store on Frankford Ave (Philadelphia).
The cover art immediately caught my attention amongst the used bin standards, like Frampton Comes Alive! and all nine million Barbra Streisand records. The illustration style is reminiscent of Keith Haring, who I’m a huge fan of, which definitely played a role in my purchase. My particular copy is the 3rd pressing, which features green artwork on a cream-colored sleeve. The type is handwritten, so I initially thought that the name of the band was ‘The Loneheads.’ It wasn’t until I looked up the CAT # on Discogs that I discovered that they actually went by ‘The Coneheads.’ I also found out that the full title of the album is L.P.1. Aka 14 Year Old High School PC-Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo For The Sake Of Extorting $$$ From Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L.P., which is an incredibly self-aware joke at the band’s own expense.
The cover artwork itself is very disjointed, with the left side featuring a geometric figure being abducted by a UFO and the right side featuring three smiley-face caricatures, representing the band’s members. Inside is a lyrics insert, which is by far my favorite part of the packaging. One side features three more geometric figures (who I love), covered in a texture that immediately reminded me of the composition notebooks I wrote in as
a kid. Above them is the unbearably long real album name in its entirety and below them, a phone number, which belongs to a dude named ‘Arby.’ On the reverse side of the insert are all of the hand-written lyrics, which were definitely needed during my first few listens.
The label on the record lists the album speed as 69 RPM, a truly timeless joke. So, I wasn’t sure whether it was supposed to be played at 33 RPM or 45 RPM.
I initially chose 33…I chose wrong (although it didn’t sound half bad). Once I corrected my mistake, I was able to dive in and give the LP an actual listen.
My first impression? “Holy shit, this sounds like Devo on coke.” It’s been a few weeks and I still stand by that thought. Every song is full of tight, fast guitar grooves, distorted bass and extraterrestrial sounding vocals. The album clocks in at just over 17 minutes long and features 15 songs; a true punk record at heart. It’s honestly one of the most unique records I’ve listened to in the past year.
When I decided to pick this record up, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I do. It’s fast, it’s loud, it’s weird and even a bit funny. In my opinion, the album artwork perfectly compliments the music; extraterrestrial, disjointed, minimalistic and strage. I’ll definitely be keeping this record in my collection and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in hearing what Devo on coke sounds like.
