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Famous People Recording Awful Albums: Mark Batty Publisher Launches Uproarious New Book on this Noisy, Peculiar Topic
May 27, 2008
Contact: Joel Samberg
Telephone: 1.973.857.8070
New York, NY, May 27, 2008 — Mark Batty Publisher, a leader in distinctive books covering the graphic and communication arts, has announced the publication of “Celebrity Vinyl,” a book that reveals the pitfalls of TV stars, sports heroes and other media icons who decided to record music albums of their own. Every album illustrated in the book is accompanied by the sometimes outraged, often sassy, and always witty observations of author Tom Hamling, whose comments dissect both the graphic design of the album covers and the celebrities themselves.
Among those featured in “Celebrity Vinyl” are Bruce Willis (“The Return of Bruno”), Eddie Murphy (“How Could it Be?”), the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders (“A Christmas Album”), Alyssa Milano (“Alyssa”), Leonard Nimoy (“Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space”), Shaquille O’Neal (“I’m Outstanding”), Burt Reynolds (“Ask Me What I Am”), Raquel Welch (“This Girl’s Back in Town”) and dozens of others.
“Celebrity Vinyl” got its start when the advertising agency where Hamling once worked decided to throw out all of the records and cassettes in its audio library so they could be replaced with CDs. Subsequently, Hamling spent close to a decade acquiring additional celebrity vinyl by rooting through record store bins and traveling to flea markets far and wide.
