Check Your Head - the album cover that was supposed to be? [Archive]

stylish & cozy

12-06-2005, 09:11 PM

Does anyone remember the name of the artist/album that the Beasties were going to originally use (with their names scratched out over the artsist's head .. get it "check your head") as the cover of their Check Your Head lp before Capitol nixed that idea and went with the classic photo?

I remember reading about this way back - before the internet was in existence - but seem to forget what artist/album it was. Maybe it was referenced in Grand Royal magazine??

I would love to now see the original artist's album cover..basically the idea/inspiration behind the name "Check Your Head". I think it was a jazz guy, but again I forget..

Rich Cheney

12-06-2005, 09:47 PM

Check your head was a fucking amazing album.
My God if that album was titled anything else I probably would of been a crackhead in 1992.

Kid Presentable

12-06-2005, 10:24 PM

Check your head was a fucking amazing album.
My God if that album was titled anything else I probably would of been a crackhead in 1992.

There's that flick of them walking down an old road carrying their instruments (D has the Drumsticks and the bag). Kind of a long shot, with their small image centred amongst expanse. I thought it tied nicely into the High Plains Drifter/ Adventures of the Beastie Boys theme.

But if anything about that album was different I don't know how I would have handled it.

Jiberish

12-09-2005, 07:24 PM

The cover was supposed to be an exact duplicate of some jazz cats [whom I can't recall the name] album. BUT a bug was to be placed on his head.

The original name of the artist/album would have been scracthed out and "Beastie Boys" "Check Your Head" was supposed to be scrawled in it's place.

For whatever reason the record label went with that publicity shot instead. I read all of this in Rolling Stone right before Hello Nasty dropped.

dave790

12-09-2005, 07:35 PM

Check Your Head IS a fucking amazing album.

Thanks for that, I never knew the sleeve story. Either way, I'm a big fan of that cover anyway so it's no real loss to me. Still, interesting to learn.

Laver1969

12-09-2005, 07:39 PM

Hmmm....this doesn't really sound familiar. I'd be interested in hearing the story behind it and seeing the "original" cover.

Cap'n Crunch

12-10-2005, 05:23 AM

to quote Chris Berman, "Veedy In-a-westing"

cj hood

12-10-2005, 07:30 AM

i always thought CYH should of been named 'skills to pay the bills' and have that track on the record and drop one of the instrumentals.......

Rich Cheney

12-10-2005, 10:37 AM

i always thought CYH should of been named 'skills to pay the bills' and have that track on the record and drop one of the instrumentals.......

blasphemy

Parkey

12-10-2005, 05:52 PM

I love that cover SO MUCH.

Parkey

12-10-2005, 06:09 PM

I think the album cover is perfect as it is. :D
I fully endorse this statement! (y)

kleptomaniac

12-10-2005, 06:39 PM

TGFCYH--Thank Goodness for Check Your Head!! :eek: (y) (y)

Chicka B

12-10-2005, 06:43 PM

I love that album so much I think I wanna have sex with it. Um....just playin.

kleptomaniac

12-10-2005, 06:49 PM

I love that album so much I think I wanna have sex with it. Um....just playin.

it's tempting ;)

if i had the dolls, who knows what i would do???!!

Chicka B

12-10-2005, 06:52 PM

it's tempting ;)

if i had the dolls, who knows what i would do???!!

Ouch, that'd hurt. Them cds have sharp corners. *awkward moment* LOL at the small print. :p

Jiberish

12-12-2005, 03:07 PM

Hmmm....this doesn't really sound familiar. I'd be interested in hearing the story behind it and seeing the "original" cover.

I'm pretty sure it was in that Rolling Stone w/ the three differnt Beastie covers. Check May or June of '98. If it wasn't in RS, it was in Spin. Possibly Face. It came out right before HN.

I could be making this up, but I'm not. Somebody must have the article.

stylish & cozy

12-12-2005, 09:27 PM

I'm pretty sure it was in that Rolling Stone w/ the three differnt Beastie covers. Check May or June of '98. If it wasn't in RS, it was in Spin. Possibly Face. It came out right before HN.

I could be making this up, but I'm not. Somebody must have the article.

Thanks for the tip Jib. (y) This is a start! Maybe Spin with the three different covers.. It's a strong possibility that it could be in that because that article was really a retrospective more than anything..I have that issue, and will re-read it tonight, and see if it mentions anything. Keep you/us posted...

midzi

12-13-2005, 01:39 AM

I knew I read somewhere about it. Thanks Jiberish for the tip.
The name of the artist is Eddie Canto

It's in Face 1998 - scan (http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6353/beastie8g3il.jpg)

you can find the scans of the whole article in this thread (http://www.beastieboys.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=47654&highlight=face)

DJ_Skrilla

12-13-2005, 03:22 AM

Somebody needs to find a copy of EDDIE CANTO - COCKTAIL MUSIC....

Perhaps Yauch can show it to us.... I would really like to see it!!!!

TAL

12-13-2005, 03:55 AM

From the July 1994 issue of Select: (http://www.musicfanclubs.org/beastieboys/presspages/06001994.htm)

“You should see the original cover we wanted to use,” smirks Ad-Rock, ferreting through a pile of records and producing the sleeve with a flourish. It’s a battered LP of cheesy coctailmusic credited to one Eddie Canto. Canto’s name has been crudely scratched out and the words “BEASTIE BOYS” written over the top. Eddie himself sits behind a piano, sporting a tuxedo and a lurid ruffled shirt. Beneath him is scrawled “CHECK YOU HEAD”. And on Eddie’s forehead? A large tick, obviously.

stylish & cozy

12-13-2005, 07:32 AM

@water

12-13-2005, 08:32 AM

Somebody needs to find a copy of EDDIE CANTO - COCKTAIL MUSIC....

Perhaps Yauch can show it to us.... I would really like to see it!!!!
Dude, that was too easy:

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/c/cano_eddiec_broughtba_101b.jpg

"Live from P.J.'s" :rolleyes:

stylish & cozy

12-13-2005, 08:40 AM

Dude, that was too easy:

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/c/cano_eddiec_broughtba_101b.jpg

"Live from P.J.'s" :rolleyes:

I don't think that's it..but still interesting. Perhaps another inspiration for their Live at P.J.s song. Thanks!

stylish & cozy

12-13-2005, 08:41 AM

From the July 1994 issue of Select: (http://www.musicfanclubs.org/beastieboys/presspages/06001994.htm)

(y) And thanks to you, too.

@water

12-13-2005, 09:01 AM

I don't think that's it..but still interesting. Perhaps another inspiration for their Live at P.J.s song. Thanks!
That's got to be it. There's too many matching clues for it to be a coinsidence.

* Eddie Canto - Eddie Cano (they can't be two different dudes)
* The description of him sitting behind his piano
* The Live at PJs reference

Again, it just must be the record he's showing the guy...

chuckchillout

12-13-2005, 01:32 PM

I thought the cover of CYH was supposed to represent a pot leaf and/or the Adidas logo.

Read that somewhere, way to far back!!

Chuck

stylish & cozy

12-13-2005, 05:38 PM

Check Your Head was wack

other then So What Cha Want and Jimmy James

(n)

you better check your.. self

something is quite wrong

DJ_Skrilla

12-14-2005, 12:15 AM

Dude, that was too easy:

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/c/cano_eddiec_broughtba_101b.jpg

"Live from P.J.'s" :rolleyes:

yeah i am pretty sure that has to be the one.

he doesnt have that many albums, and this one would sounds like the one described. Too bad I am going to get this (http://cgi.ebay.com/EDDIE-CANO-Live-From-PJs-Dunhill-LP-Latin-Boogaloo_W0QQitemZ4808156083QQcategoryZ306QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) off ebay.

Good work Water! Let me do some photoshopping and I will produce THE ORIGINAL CHECK YOUR HEAD ART WORK (interpretation).

Kid Presentable

12-14-2005, 12:23 AM

I thought the cover of CYH was supposed to represent a pot leaf and/or the Adidas logo.

Read that somewhere, way to far back!!

Chuck

Yeah, I remember hearing that. It's a cool story.

stylish & cozy

12-14-2005, 10:07 PM

That's got to be it. There's too many matching clues for it to be a coinsidence.

* Eddie Canto - Eddie Cano (they can't be two different dudes)
* The description of him sitting behind his piano
* The Live at PJs reference

Again, it just must be the record he's showing the guy...

Yup, after reading all the articles that's it. Case solved! Thanks water. Now I think I'm going to have to fight someone over at ebay to get it and hear it!

steve-onpoint

12-14-2005, 11:48 PM

i always thought CYH should of been named 'skills to pay the bills' and have that track on the record and drop one of the instrumentals.......

I would've loved to have had Skills to Pay the Bills on CD back in the day. I was at a loss as a knee high searching South Street (or any other street I could get to on the El for that matter) for Beastie Boys' bootlegs, B-sides and rarities.

So I rigged up my parents' stereo system and recorded Skills from the Sabotage VHS. I used to make my mom listen to it with me when she would pick me up from my job at the Dollar Store. I popped that tape in the second I sat in the car with her.

She still goofs on me with, "I got the skills to pay the bills, 'yo.'" You really have to hear my mom say it. Then again, maybe not. :o

brooklyndust

12-14-2005, 11:58 PM

"They started off with a version of Bob Marley’s ‘Mr Brown’ (“Terrible,” snaps MCA) and things hardly got any better from there on in. They recorded some 400 hours worth of material. The DAT’s are still racked up on the studio wall. Underneath them is a set of 5 C90’s, “Best Of Rehearsal” written on the spines in magic marker’ “These are the Best Of, volumes five, four, three, two, one,” says Mike, tapping the rack. “Maybe one track out of every ten is halfway decent. Most of the shit on the Best Ofs sucks.”

this is from the article tal posted

this just shows you how much stuff the beasties have not released, although some of it may suck, there has to be some good jams or unreleased stuff from 400 hours worth of material,

it could be instrumental stuff, remember sabotage started out as them just jamming

Bourgie

12-15-2005, 01:30 PM

I love that cover SO MUCH.

Me too. The photos from that shoot are my favorite of them.

Jiberish

12-15-2005, 11:59 PM

I'm glad my somewhat obsessive nature concerning the BBoys has finally paid off. It was cool re-reading that article.

Rich Cheney

12-18-2005, 03:35 PM

There is only one definitive message I could find in the CYH cover and it's not a potleaf or an adidas logo.

One needs to only look as far as the lyrics to Finger licken good to decipher.

See no evil, Hear no evil, Talk no evil.

Adrock's eyes are covered, Mike D's ears are covered, Yauch's mouth is covered.

:D :confused: :eek: