Logo #245: Red Hot Chili Peppers

The so-called "angel's asshole" was designed by Anthony Kiedis for the Red Hot Chili Peppers sometime around 1984.

Logo #244: Shelter

Shelter's Disc of Vishnu Chakra was adopted by the band in 1990.

Logo #243: Miles Davis

It took me forever to find out that Joe Eula drew this famous silhouette of Miles Davis for the cover of the "Sketches of Spain" LP in 1960. You'd think people would know these things! Apparently not. Few are the performers that become logos unto themselves - only the giants like Davis and possibly The Mentors - cut such distinctive figures that creating a symbol from those figures is the logical thing to do. I can very vividly recall driving through the beauty of the Coast Highway in central California in the distant past, with an otherwise lovely woman (who shall remain unnamed), and hearing "It Never Entered My Mind" in one ear and her Technicolor inconsequentialities in the other and becoming very sad that we were doomed to separate because she couldn't hear how beautiful the music was and just stop. Just be. Is there such a thing as objective beauty? Miles Davis is as objective a beauty as can be - and I like knowing that that's something that'll never change.

Logo #242: Björk

Paul White designed this icon for Björk, looking nothing so much as a swan stifling a sneeze, in 1993. Her latest effort is the beautiful and amazing "Wanderlust" video. Shame there's no song to go along with the video, though - the phrase "there's no "there" there" rather comes to mind. So, to alleviate your intense letdown, here's the Swedish Chef. Bjork bjork bjork.

I really wanted to give this post to Front 242, but they never had a distinctive band logo. I tried. Honestly I did.

Somewhat relatedly, the Guardian has a recent article mooing and prostrating themselves before the supposedly dying art of record sleeve design. Tempest, teacup, etc. You know what's really dying? Flexidiscs. No, wait.

Logo #241: Hawkwind

Created by Barney Bubbles in 1972 for the cover of the brilliantly titled "Doremi Fasol Latido" LP. An overview of the endlessly brilliant Bubbles is well-worth re-viewing and can be found here. Still wish I knew when his dates of birth and death were - the reason for that can be found here. Yes, I do work very hard at these things - thank you for noticing. Apparently Bubbles also directed the "Ghost Town" video by The Specials, which makes his passing all the more depressing for knowing it. Oh, yeah - Hawkwind. In business for four decades with one propulsive force - guitarist singer Dave Brock - thirty-five years on they're still performing their "Space Ritual" around the world and melting minds in the process even in this jaded day and/or age. They also gave birth to Motörhead. I'm deeply square and clueless but even I have to respect something like that. Also: Robert Newton Calvert of Hawkwind, March 9, 1945 - August 14, 1988. Lest we forget!

Somewhat sideways, the Song of the Moment is "Wehe Khorazin" by Popol Vuh.

Logo #240: Anal Cunt

Designer: Chris Broduer, 1988. Replacing the "u" in the band's name with a helpful asterisk (*) rather crystallizes the whole concept just that much more eloquently, so I won't belabor the point. Grindcore band Anal Cunt are something that a lot of people don't get - but, in the words of Lo Pan, "You are not brought upon this world to "get it"." You either really like them or really hate them. The name sure gets you in the door, though - and sometimes that's all it takes. Band founder Seth Putnam has his own identity and voice - which means he owns his own soul, ultimately - and so I cannot fault them. And if that makes me gay - well, then it makes me gay.

Logo #239: Buffalo

New Wave of British (or brutish, depending) Heavy Metal band Buffalo had its Holist bison designed by Geoff Ashworth and lead singer Mick Priestley. Priestley: "The Buffalo logo was an from idea of mine and designed by my friend Geoff back in the late '70s and I have used various forms of it ever since." Another rock band logo in the whole is much more than the sum of the parts - which is to say, were it only a hooved B, it'd be a terrifically funny logo indeed. The most popular NWOBHM bands at the moment seem to be: Def Leppard, Angel Witch, Girlschool, Samson, Diamond Head, Demon, Venom, Satan, Raven, A II Z. I sense a theme. Not to be confused with the burgeoning New Wave of Black Heavy Metal scene, naturally.