A small sliver of something bigger

Posted on by brucehhackett

If you were an album buyer in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, I’d be willing to bet there were times you bought, or were very tempted to buy, a new record based almost solely on the captivating cover art.

In the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, album cover art — be it arresting portrait photography, surreal landscape drawings, erotic paintings or highly stylized logos, to name a few — was an integral, vital component of each new release.  In some cases, the art was so striking that it became almost as important as the music on the album within.

There have been so many great album covers displaying fantastic works of art over the years.  Trying to list the best of them is a fool’s errand.  It’s like trying to list the proverbial “Best 50 Albums of All Time.”  Very subjective, and very limiting.  It would be easier to list the best photo album covers, the best art covers, the best illustration covers, and so on.

Some album covers from the classic rock era are so recognizable, I think, that many folks will be able to identify them even if they see only a small cropped section of the full cover. Below are “puzzle pieces” that give you just a small glimpse of the complete artwork from 25 well-known albums. How many can you identify in this Album Art Quiz #2?

As you scan down to learn the answers, you’ll also get some details about who created the covers and what went into their design. There’s also a Spotify playlist at the end with one song pulled from each of the 25 albums. 

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#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

#19

#20

#21

#22

#23

#24

#25

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ANSWERS:

#1

“Tug of War,” Paul McCartney, 1982

Famed British painter and architectural artist Brian Clarke, known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, conceived of and executed the pointillism-inspired painting of a photograph of McCartney under the headphones, taken by his wife Linda. The deep blues and reds made the cover of 1982’s “Tug of War” eye-catching in the record stores, which served to complement the ear-catching sounds he came up with for this, his most consistent LP since 1973’s “Band on the Run.”

#2

“Mystery to Me,” Fleetwood Mac, 1973

If you’re looking for a definitive explanation of the strange artwork that graces the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s eight LP, 1973’s “Mystery to Me,” you won’t find it here. Credited to an artist who went by the moniker Modula, it depicts an animal that appears to be part mandrill, part gorilla, crying as he eats both a cake and a book. The back cover (which is part of the same artwork) shows a guru-type wise man apparently trying to impart wisdom to the ape. No one from the band has ever commented on the meaning behind it, so it’s still, um, a mystery to me…and to all of you as well.

#3

“Year of the Cat,” Al Stewart, 1976

The cover is another in the impressive portfolio of designs by the British design studio known as Hipgnosis, known for their work with Pink Floyd, Genesis, Peter Gabriel and Led Zeppelin. Illustrator Colin Elgie took the theme of Stewart’s title track and made it the dominant motif, depicting a woman seen in the mirror dressing up as a cat, perhaps for a costume party, while the array of items on her dresser all have feline elements.

#4

“The Yes Album,” Yes, 1971

Even though the members of Yes had been in an auto accident where keyboardist Tony Kaye had broken his leg, the album cover photo shoot scheduled for the next day went ahead as planned. Photographer Phil Franks wasn’t satisfied with what he shot in the studio, so he took the band to his flat, grabbed a mannequin head and a 1,000-watt bulb, and improvised the setting in his kitchen. Art director Jon Goodchild made the shot look like a piece of 8mm film, with Kaye’s foot in freshly wrapped plaster in the foreground. It became the cover of 1971’s “The Yes Album,” their last before fantasist Roger Dean took over as the band’s graphic artist.

#5

“Eye in the Sky,” Alan Parsons Project, 1982

It’s ironic that the album and song that served as the commercial peak of the Alan Parsons Project (reaching #3 on US charts in 1982) was never one of Parsons’s favorites. The concept behind it had to do with the universal idea that someone is looking down on us all, either spiritually or in terms of governmental surveillance. Eric Woolfson, who co-wrote and sang many of the group’s tunes, allegedly dashed off the line art that became the cover artwork.

#6

“Pretzel Logic,” Steely Dan, 1974

Photographer Raeanne Rubinstein took the cover photo for this album one chilly day in January 1974 in Manhattan. The pretzel vendor had been working the corner of 79th Street and Central Park for more than 30 years. As for the Steely Dan title song, it’s a wonderfully juicy Fagen/Becker blues shuffle about time travel, but it seems to have little to do with the phrase “pretzel logic” (which means illogical thinking that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny).

#7

“Woodstock,” various artists, 1970

Former Life Magazine staff photographer Burk Uzzle attended the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Fair as a music fan. While other photographers there on assignment focused on the performers, Uzzle was more intrigued with what was going on among the half-million concertgoers. As Jefferson Airplane was bringing up the dawn, Bobbi Kelly and Nick Ercoline, both just 20, suddenly stood up, wrapped in a blanket, and Uzzle captured their hug in the midst of “that sea of humanity.” It became his most famous photo, adorning the cover of the “Woodstock” triple-LP soundtrack.

#8

“Chicago X,” Chicago, 1976

Once the band originally known as Chicago Transit Authority were forced by the actual Chicago metro transit system to shorten their name to just Chicago, they chose to use their stylized logo (inspired by the Coca-Cola logo) on every album in their catalog. It appeared in many formats — a flag, a wood carving, embossed leather, a map, a skyscraper, even an unfinished billboard. For the group’s 10th LP, art director John Berg turned it into a partially unwrapped chocolate candy bar and ended up winning the “Best Album Cover” Grammy award in 1976. 

#9

“The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get,” Joe Walsh, 1973

Jimmy Wachtel, older brother of famed LA session guitarist Waddy Wachtel, designed dozens of album covers in the ’70s and ’80s for some of rock’s biggest names, including Stevie Nicks, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills and Nash. In 1973, he handled the art design for Walsh’s solo debut, which shows a British Sopwith fighter bi-plane evidently flying upside down (blue sky at the bottom).

#10

“Wheels of Fire,” Cream, 1968

Martin Sharp, Australian artist/cartoonist/filmmaker, was considered his country’s foremost pop artist in the ’60s and ’70s. He came to the attention of Jack Bruce, bassist for Cream, who suggested Sharp be hired to provide artwork for the band’s 1967 LP “Disraeli Gears.” Its psychedelic montage not only won awards, it led to the equally mind-boggling cover for Cream’s 1968 double album, “Wheels of Fire,” which topped the US album charts that summer. The cover of the original LP featured silver foil paper.

#11

“Candy-O,” The Cars, 1979

David Robinson, drummer for The Cars, was a collector of pin-ups, especially the work of Peruvian painter Alberto Vargas, who was known for his paintings that appeared in Playboy and Esquire in the ’50s and ’60s. Vargas was 83 and retired by 1979, but his niece, a fan of The Cars, persuaded him to take on the assignment to do the cover for the group’s second album, “Candy-O,” featuring a curvy model stretched out on the hood of a sports car.

#12

“Poco,” Poco, 1970

For Poco’s strong second LP, art director Gary Burden took a bucolic drawing of farmland and mountains by Morris Ovsey and superimposed a photo of the band taken by the legendary Henry Diltz. The group, led by Richie Furay and Jim Messina, didn’t really meet chart expectations in the country rock genre, although critics and a rabid fan base felt Poco was the cream of the crop. Following personnel changes, they came up with a few Top 20 successes years later.

#13

“Days of Future Passed,” The Moody Blues, 1967

After early success, The Moody Blues were struggling in 1967 when Decca Records asked them to record an adaptation of a Dvorak symphony for their classical subsidiary label. That instead evolved into “Days of Future Passed,” a suite of songs that pioneered the merging of psychedelic rock and classical forms. It exceeded all expectations and spawned the new “progressive rock” genre. David Anstey, a staff visual artist and designer with Decca in London, created the imaginative painting that depicted the various stages of a typical day (morning, afternoon, evening and night).

#14

“Dixie Chicken,” Little Feat, 1973

Comic artist Martin Muller, known professionally as Neon Park, was responsible for the arresting cover artwork on virtually every album in Little Feat’s catalog, including this curious piece for “Dixie Chicken” that places an elegant woman against a padded wall with a wrap-around accordion. Park’s surreal images also graced the covers for albums by Frank Zappa, Dr. John, David Bowie, and The Beach Boys.

#15

“Duke,” Genesis, 1980

Having survived the departure of lead singer Peter Gabriel and then guitarist Steve Hackett, Genesis in 1980 was a trio in the process of evolving from art rock to a more commercial pop sound. For their next LP “Duke,” they brought in French illustrator Lionel Koechlin, whose children’s book, “L’Alphabet d’Albert,” they admired. Rather than produce something original for the cover, he suggested they use a panel from the book, which seemed to complement some of the storybook lyrics from the songs.

#16

“Quadrophenia,” The Who, 1973

London designer/photographer Graham Hughes, a big fan of The Who, immersed himself in the songs and the melancholy storyline of “Quadrophenia” before coming up with the darkly introspective imagery that became the cover of the 1973 rock opera. Lead character “Mod” Jimmy is pictured on his all-important scooter idling in the London fog, with photos of the four members of The Who dropped into the bike’s side-view mirrors.

#17

“Blow By Blow,” Jeff Beck, 1975

Painter John Collier, no relation to the famed 19th Century portrait painter of the same name, worked in collaboration with seasoned album cover designer John Berg to fashion a soft-edged facsimile of Beck offering a trademark guitar riff for the cover of one of his most acclaimed works, the 1975 instrumental LP “Blow By Blow.” The chalk drawing symbolizes Beck’s transition from harder-edged blues to a more jazz-inflected style on this album.

#18

“The Unforgettable Fire,” U2, 1984

For their 1984 LP “The Unforgettable Fire,” the members of U2 drove around Ireland for a few days with photographer Anton Corbijn looking for “something that symbolized ambiguous mysticism,” as Bono put it. They settled on the ruins of Moydrum Castle, dramatically photographed in black-and-white with the band members standing out front. It turned out to be virtually identical to a photo on the cover of the Simon Marsden book “In Ruins: The Once Great Houses of Ireland,” which required a settlement for copyright infringement.

#19

“Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon,” James Taylor, 1971

Ethan Russell is a widely admired rock music photographer who worked with The Beatles, the Stones and The Who, among many others in the classic rock arena. His work graces the famous covers of “Let It Be,” “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out” and “Who’s Next,” and he also conducted dozens of photo shoots of the likes of Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and James Taylor, for whom he captured the image for his “Mud Slide Slim” LP cover. He also worked on films and videos for Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Rickie Lee Jones and Emmylou Harris.

#20

“Are You Experienced?” The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1967

First released in the UK with different cover art, “Are You Experienced” was re-shot for the US release by American designer Karl Ferris at Hendrix’s behest. Ferris found the music “otherworldly” and, imagining the trio traveling through space in a biosphere, used a fisheye lens to photograph the group wearing the latest mod threads from London clothing boutiques. Hendrix was pictured wearing a psychedelic jacket with a large pair of eyes staring back at the viewer.

#21

“Simple Dreams,” Linda Ronstadt, 1977

The British-born artist who went by his last name — Kosh — was a highly regarded member of the London Design & Art Directors Club before relocating to California in the mid-’70s. He earned numerous accolades for his album designs for such major artists as Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Dan Fogelberg, Randy Newman, Carole King and others. The cover for Ronstadt’s “Simple Dreams,” a multi-platinum hit LP in 1977, won Kosh one of his three Grammy awards for cover design.

#22

“Breakfast in America,” Supertramp, 1979

British designers Mike Doud and Mick Haggerty came up with the imaginative cover for Supertramp’s “Breakfast in America” LP, showing an artist’s rendering of an aerial view of the Lower Manhattan skyline. They used cutlery, salt shakers, coffee mugs, egg crates and other props spray-painted white to depict the buildings and wharfs, and dressed comedienne Kate Murtagh as a waitress in a stance resembling the Statue of Liberty but holding a glass of orange juice and a menu. It won the Best Recording Package Grammy that year.

#23

“Eldorado,” Electric Light Orchestra, 1974

Jeff Lynne envisioned the concept and storyline for ELO’s 1974 LP “Eldorado” before he’d written any of the music. Its plot followed a daydreamer character who journeys into fantasy worlds to escape the disillusionment of his mundane reality.  Designer John Kehe selected an image from one of cinema’s most famous escapist fantasies, “The Wizard of Oz,” showing Dorothy’s ruby slippers protecting her from the clutches of the Wicked Witch of the West.

#24

“Wish You Were Here,” Pink Floyd, 1975

Dutch designer Storm Thorgerson, inspired by the idea that people tend to conceal their true feelings for fear of “getting burned,” came up with the image of two businessmen shaking hands, with one man on fire. “Getting burned” was also a common phrase among musicians who were denied royalty payments, including the members of Pink Floyd. Despite precautionary measures, unpredictable winds during the shoot in Burbank caused one stuntman to suffer minor facial burns. The image was initially concealed in a black shrink-wrap adorned with a sticker of two machines shaking hands.

#25

“Arc of a Diver,” Steve Winwood, 1980

British graphic designer Tony Wright, who created notable album covers for Bob Marley, The B-52’s, The Ramones, The Meters and Bob Dylan in the ’70s and ’80s, was responsible for the trendsetting cover of Traffic’s “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” album in 1971. A decade later, he was also the artist behind ex-Traffic leader Steve Winwood’s popular solo record, “Arc of a Diver.” Both were named among Rolling Stone‘s list of “100 Greatest Album Covers.”

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How I hate to be late

Posted on by brucehhackett

For most of my life, I have made it my business to be on time as often as possible. I think punctuality is an admirable trait that demonstrates responsibility and consideration for others. 

Still, there have been instances when I have not acted in a timely fashion, like showing up late to a play, movie or wedding, which can come across as rude. Other times, I missed a deadline or let too much time go by (signing up for a health plan by the deadline, taking too long to apologize for bad behavior) and it cost me money or damaged a friendship. Sometimes, being late can’t be helped, like when unforseen traffic tie-ups cause us to miss a flight.

There are people in my life who don’t share my desire to be prompt. Perhaps their parents didn’t stress the importance of being punctual, so it’s never been all that important to them. In their defense, they are often ambitious folks who try unsuccessfully to cram too many tasks into too little time and end up late for most everything. Their intentions may be good, but their time management skills need improvement. 

Just as I enjoy the feeling of being on time, it makes me a little crazy when I realize I miscalculated how much time it takes to get somewhere and am now going to be late. There’s a scene in Walt Disney’s 1951 animated film version of “Alice in Wonderland” where The Rabbit, on his way to an “Un-Birthday Party,” checks his watch and realizes he’s running behind schedule. He frantically runs off, singing: “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date, /No time to say hello, goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”

Popular songwriters have written plenty of songs about being late. I found it interesting that there are at least ten different songs that share the title “It’s Too Late,” generally referring to a person being too tardy to change one’s ways and save a romantic relationship. I’ve rounded up 15 songs from the 1950s through the 2010s that focus on the consequences of failing to act in a timely manner. There’s a Spotify playlist at the end, including multiple versions of some songs.

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“It’s Too Late,” Carole King, 1971

After toiling away for a decade in New York’s famed Brill Building writing many hit singles for other acts like The Shirrelles, Bobby Lee, Herman’s Hermits, The Monkees and Aretha Franklin, King divorced her songwriting partner Gerry Goffin and moved to LA, where she began her second career as a performing artist. Her second LP, 1971’s “Tapestry,” became one of the biggest sellers of all time, and its double-sided single “It’s Too Late”/”I Feel the Earth Move” topped the charts as well. On “It’s Too Late,” King and her new songwriting collaborator Toni Stern captured the resigned feeling of knowing when it’s time for a once-great relationship to end. Several R&B artists, notable The Stylistics, Billy Paul and The Isley Brothers, recorded their own versions of the song within the next year or so.

“Too Late For Goodbyes,” Julian Lennon, 1984

When he was only five years old, Julian Lennon’s father John divorced his mother Cynthia and, from then on, the boy rarely saw his father, and never fully reconciled with him before Lennon’s murder in 1980. So it was only natural that many people interpreted Julian’s single, “Too Late for Goodbyes,” as being about the estranged father-son relationship, but that’s not the case. ”Initially, it was about a relationship with a girl, that’s all,” he said. “The phrase kept coming up as I was working on the music , so I stuck with it for the title and chorus.” It reached #5 on US charts in early 1985, followed by “Valotte,” the album’s title song, which peaked at #9.

“Late For the Sky,” Jackson Browne, 1974

Browne, a masterful lyricist, had only a handful of hit singles, but his first seven albums (1972-1983) all reached platinum or multi-platinum status and were widely praised. His third LP had no singles but is considered by many to be his masterpiece, with tracks like “Fountain of Sorrow,” “For a Dancer” and “The Late Show.” The lyrics of the title cut (which some speculate are about his affair with Joni Mitchell) poignantly tell of a relationship that’s doomed to fail because the lover’s expectations of him are too great: “You never knew what I loved in you, I don’t know what you loved in me, /Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be…”

“It’s Too Late,” Derek and The Dominos, 1970

R&B singer/songwriter Chuck Willis wrote and recorded this song (about taking too long to tell someone you care about them) in 1956, reaching #3 on the R&B charts that year. Other legendary artists later recorded it as well, including Buddy Holly and The Crickets (1957), Roy Orbison (1960), Otis Redding (1965) and Freddie King (1969). I hadn’t heard any of these versions when Eric Clapton, then leading Derek and The Dominos, added their own take on it to the landmark 1970 double LP “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.” Clapton’s singing and guitar fills, along with Bobby Whitlock’s counterpoint vocals, made it one of my favorite tracks on the LP. The Dominos performed “It’s Too Late” on “The Johnny Cash Show” in 1971 in the group’s only TV appearance.

“Too Late to Turn Back Now,” Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose, 1972

In 1970, Rose Cornelius had been touring and making TV appearances as part of a group called The Gospel Jazz Singers. When her brothers, Eddie and Carter, won a recording contract with United Artists, they convinced their sister to join their act, somewhat awkwardly titled Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose. They scored a #3 hit in the summer of 1971 with the Eddie Cornelius tune “Treat Her Like a Lady.” A year later, the follow-up single “Too Late to Turn Back Now” (also by Eddie Cornelius) made it to #2, and although they managed two more minor chart appearances in the autumn of 1972, they disbanded in 1975 when both brothers joined different religious sects.

“Little Too Late,” Pat Benatar, 1982

In the fall of 1982, Benatar released her third consecutive Top Five LP, “Get Nervous,” carried by her Grammy-winning single “Shadows of the Night.” The follow-up single, “Little Too Late,” which reached #20, was written by the underrated singer/songwriter Alex Call, who also co-wrote the Tommy Tutone hit “867-5309/Jenny” and Huey Lewis’s “Perfect World,” as well as lost classics like “Just Another Saturday Night,” “New Romeo” and “Blue Avenue.” The song’s lyrics put the cheating boyfriend in his place: “And now you come collapsin’ back, I feel the heat of your attack, /Want me to take you back, I’m givin’ you the sack, so don’t waste your time, /It’s a little too little, it’s a little too late…”

“It’s Late,” Rick Nelson, 1959

Rockabilly singer Dorsey Burnette Jr., who formed the Rock and Roll Trio with brother Johnny Burnette, wrote “It’s Late” in 1958 and recorded it that year, but it was never released until included on a compilation record in 1980. In early 1959, Nelson, then a TV celebrity on the family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” and a burgeoning pop idol in his own right, took his version of “It’s Late” to #9 on the US charts, his eighth of 18 Top Ten singles in his career (“Poor Little Fool,” “Hello Mary Lou,” “Travelin’ Man,” “Garden Party,” among others). He once performed the song on the TV show, as he often did with his hit singles as his singing career blossomed.

“Late For Your Life,” Mary Chapin Carpenter, 2001

Carpenter emerged from the Washington D.C. area in the late ’80s and enjoyed a successful run of hit singles and Top Ten albums in the 1990s, mostly on the country music charts (“Down at the Twist and Shout,” “Passionate Kisses,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “Shut Up and Kiss Me”). After a five-year hiatus, Carpenter returned in 2001 with her “Time*Sex*Love*” LP, which maintained her streak of Top Ten country albums despite a lack of charting singles. One that should’ve done well was “Late For Your Life,” which urges us to act before it’s too late: “A change of scene would sure be great, the thought is nice to contemplate, /But the question begs: Why would you wait? Don’t be late for your life…”

“It’s Too Late,” Wilson Pickett, 1963

Although the Chuck Willis tune “It’s Too Late” was already successful in various versions, Pickett wrote an original R&B song with the same title in 1963 that became the title track for his debut LP and his first significant exposure on radio (#7 on R&B charts, although only #49 on pop charts). The lyrics, both sung and spoken, share the same focus on the narrator regretting bad behavior that caused his girl to walk. Pickett’s own “It’s Too Late” was the first of an impressive 32 Top Twenty R&B singles (including four #1s) and a half-dozen hits on pop radio (“In the Midnight Hour,” “634-5789 (Soulsville USA),” “Land of 1,000 Dances,” “Mustang Sally,” “Funky Broadway”).

“It’s Too Late to Love Me Now,” Dolly Parton, 1978

After more than a decade as a country singer, Parton made a conscious attempt in the late ’70s to write and record songs that might have pop chart success. She succeeded with “Here You Come Again” (a #3 pop hit in 1977) leading up to the huge #1 mainstream hit “9 to 5″ in 1980. ”It’s Too Late to Love Me Now,” a deep track from her 1978 LP, didn’t have much of an impact but was later a minor hit for Cher and Jeanne Pruett. The lyrics admonish the suitor for waiting too long and missing his chance with her:  “Don’t you know how hard I tried to hold out just for you? Lovin’ you from memory day by day, /Then someone came into my life, turned my dreams around, he’s takin’ all the love you threw away…”

“Late Again,” Stealers Wheel, 1972

Scottish school pals Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan formed a folk rock band called Stealers Wheel in 1972, and their debut LP performed well, reaching #50 in the US, thanks to the hit single, “Stuck in the Middle With You,” which reached #6 on US pop charts in early 1973. All the LP’s songs were written by either Egan or Rafferty or as a duo, including the hit and the leadoff track, “Late Again,” in which the narrator berates himself for staying out too long and disappointing his lady when he arrives home “late again.” Six years later, Rafferty would be back on top as a solo artist with a string of successful albums, and singles like “Baker Street,” “Right Down the Line” and “Get It Right Next Time.” 

“Late to the Party,” Kacey Musgraves, 2015

Josh Osbourne, one of country music’s most prolific songwriters of the past decade, co-wrote this fun, suggestive tune with Musgraves for her 2015 LP “Pageant Material,” which reached #1 on the country charts and #3 on Billboard’s Top 200 albums that year. He previously earned a Grammy for Best Country Song in 2014 for Musgraves’ single “Merry-Go-Round.” The lyrics to “Late to the Party” slyly wink about the reason why the singer and her man were late (lingering at home for a little roll in the hay). Perhaps it’s a bit self-indulgent, but I’d call it just about the best possible excuse for being tardy to the party!

“Too Much, Too Little, Too Late,” Deniece Williams and Johnny Mathis, 1978

From 1956 to 1960, Mathis charted an astounding ten consecutive Top Ten albums, offering his soothing brand of what became known as “easy listening” music, notably “Chances Are,” “The Twelfth of Never” and “Misty.” In 1978, he found himself back at the top of the charts briefly with “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late,” a duet with Deniece Williams, in which the songwriting team of Nat Kipner and John Vallins hit just the right balance of affection and resignation in describing a long-time marriage that’s breaking up: “Yes, it’s over, the kids are gone, what’s the use of tryin’ to hang on? /Somewhere we lost the key, so little left for you and me, and it’s clear to see, /Too Much, Too Little, Too Late to try again with you…”

“Too Late,” The Cars, 2011

Songwriter Ric Ocasek, the clear leader of The Cars during their ten-year run (1978-1987), felt burnt out and dissolved the group at that point. In 1997, when asked about a reunion, he said, “I’m saying never and you can count on that.” Nevertheless, he reconsidered in 2010, reconvening the band members (except Benjamin Orr, who had died in 2000) and cranking out the surprisingly strong and consistent “Move Like This” LP, which one critic described this way: ”As bright, infectious, and tuneful as The Cars in their prime.” Ocasek (who died in 2019) wrote songs like “Keep on Knocking,” “Take Another Look” and especially “Too Late,” a song of remorse about an old flame.

“It’s Too Late,” Johnny Rivers, 1967

Hollywood club impresario Elmer Valentine gave Rivers a one-year contract as the opening act at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip, and he capitalized on that opportunity by recording a series of live albums there (1964-1968) with spirited audience participation. Some tracks became big radio hits, l.ike his cover of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis,” Willie Dixon’s “Seventh Son” and the spy novelty tune “Secret Agent Man.” A marvelous deep track from his fifth live album is “It’s Too Late,” which was actually written and first recorded by middle-of-the-road crooner Bobby Goldsboro. The live rendition Rivers cut ran circles around Goldsboro’s vanilla version.

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Honorable mention: ”It’s Late,” Queen, 1977; ”Too Late For Love,” Def Leppard, 1983; ”It’s Too Late,” Aldo Nova, 1982; ”Too Late,” Journey, 1979; ”It’s Too Late,” The Kinks, 1965; ”It’s Late,” David Gray, 2019.