Worst Armenian CD Cover Nominee #5
Another Parseghian Records special. Quite simply put, are you ready to Tanqueray with this fellow? Or, how about hopping into the front seat of his DeLorean? The artist is Andranik Khatcherian and the album is called "Anidzvets Eem Doone" I don't know what Anidzvets means, but, Eem Doone means "In my house". I want to point out a couple of things. First, this guy is middle aged. Second, he has sunglasses on. But, it's not that he has sunglasses on, it's the way he is gesturing to them as if he is going to take them off to check you out. Third, the whole white suit collar being up 80's style is pretty scary. You put it all together and add the title of the album and you have a pretty funky scenario all on a CD cover. How these CD covers pass quality control over at Parsehgian Records (which always has their logo take up half the CD cover) is beyond me. Or, maybe they don't have quality control over there? Anyway, here you go, our Worst Album Cover search continues with the prize being a gift certificate for one hair cut at Super Cuts.
posted by Raffi at 5:46 AM
5 Comments:
In "Little Armenia" Hollywood, Glendale and Dowtown LA's Armenian jewelry merchant sector (on Hill Street), the being of Andranik is insanely normal. Let's face it Meneshian, Parsehgian Records has been in the LA market for over 30 years, and they are allowed a little bizarre west-side experimentation. I mean, they have an intense understanding of the LA Armenian musician vogue. It’s very possible Mr. Parsehgian's final cut on this album cover is merely catering to that up and coming late 30’s disco-jan target audience. The cash and carry type........you know.
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Hagop - I tend to think it is more a case of Parsaghian defining the Armenian album in a sense, and continuing a dominating role that allowed this type of cover to flourish. It's very old school and comes off a bit narcissistic to me. I think it's just a lack of market competition, volume, and sophistication allow this sort of thing... but I dunno, maybe it's entirely the opposite as you suggest and the market is demanding it (shudder!). If so then Menesh should spring for haircuts for all those buying these albums :-)
"Anitzel" means to curse or damn.
So I guess the title of the album means "My house has been cursed" or "My house got cursed."
There is the good and bad with Parseghian. On the one hand, they definately were first to market with large scale releases of Armenian music to LA first, then the world. I give them credit for making music available in a commercial format.
However, as the Armenian consumer became more sophisticated over the last 40 years, Parseghian was very slow to adjust and ultimately, they were churning out "ghetto music" in similar packaging. The lack of quality, care, and respect for the artist was so clear in their productions that paying $10 for a cassette or $15 for a CD with no liner notes or basic quality standards became too obvious. I often use "respecting the consumer" as a way to explain how a product is presented.
A lack of respecting the consumer can include having Parseghian Records putting business cards into the design on the back of the CD traycards to promote a mortgage company, no liner notes, inferior overall packaging, and charging full price. Ultimately, the consumer feels ripped off.
The bottom line dollars and cents of a production is that extra pages in a booklet can double and triple the price of the cost to manufacture a CD. I know this from personal experience with my own record label. Add to that paying a real graphic designer, someone to write liner notes, and an editor, and then we have a real product.
The Worst Album cover stuff is a funny look into the production values of CD's and how either time or a lack of budget has made these covers relics or era defining iconography. Either way, they are fun to look at, I bet even the artists themselves have a chuckle.
And, thanks for the clarification on the definition, Der Hova.
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