The 1966 release:
Second sleeve,1968:
Third sleeve, circa 1972:
Fourth sleeve, circa 1975:
The earliest sleeve design for Volume 4 had a discography on the back which updated those in the notes that came with the Dance of Death album (the text for the discography can be found in my previous post, although it is easily legible on the photo here). This design did not last long, it had one obvious drawback in that it is very difficult to identify the track listings without a careful reading. So the sleeve was quickly changed and the discography was swapped for a map. The credits and track details are carried forward without alteration. The very plain 'Takoma' name on the front of the sleeve is replaced Tom Weller's new 'T' logo. The record has also acquired a title The Great San Bernadino Birthday Party and other Excursions although this never appears on the record labels.
The front colour of all early sleeves is a deep bronze, with a matt finish. Around 1972 this was changed to a glossy orange. The picture here shows the sleeves either side of the switch to help in showing the difference:
All these covers had been manufactured with a single pasted slick over a black sleeve (hence the black borders). But around 1975 Takoma switched to a conventional construction, as in the final example photographed above. It's worth noting that the credits are entirely unchanged, including the offer of buying the album by mail directly from Takoma (using the long-abandoned Berkeley box no.) for $5. This was the only Fahey album where this information had not been removed by then.
After Takoma passed into the hands of Chrysalis, the album was re-issued, and that sleeve carried the 'dragon' logo used on the sleeves of that era.
Tuesday
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