It just goes to show you. Never judge an album by its cover.

As far as bad album covers go, most music writers will include the German artist, Heino. Looking at the gem at the left, we can’t disagree, though the German Shepherd Dogs are nice. This album was a step up for Heino. An earlier record cover had only one GSD on it.

Who knew. Heinz Georg Kram – stage name Heino –  has been recording music since 1966, and with over 50 million records sold, he is one of Germany’s most successful artists.  The dark glasses he’s always wearing isn’t movie star vanity. Kram has exophthalmos, a kind of bulging of the eyes caused by Grave’s disease, quite rare for men. Early record covers show him without the glasses, but from 1969 onwards, they become his trademark.

Heino’s style has been described as “folk music with a Beatles beat that appeals to lumberjacks.”  Okay then.  When we become more fluent in German (one semester in college didn’t cut it), we’ll report back on why Heino used German Shepherd Dogs on a couple of his album covers because every source we find is in German.  Until then, take a listen and hear what you’ve been missing.