Chris Smither – I’m a Stranger Too! album art
I’m a Stranger Too! is the debut release by folk/blues singer-songwriter Christopher Smither (b. 1944). It came out in 1970 on Poppy Records, a label founded by Kevin Eggers (1943–2020, later of Tomato Records) that lasted from around 1967 to 1974.
The cover design is by Milton Glaser, who also takes credit for the poppy flower on the record label. The wide caps are shown by Photo-Lettering as Push Pin Art Deko, without individual credits, but with Milton Glaser’s name in the sample text. Chances are that Glaser designed them specifically for an exhibition poster earlier in 1970, and that Photo-Lettering subsequently made the alphabet available for general use. Unlike Baby Teeth – which was shown on the same page of PLINC’s 1971 catalog – Push Pin Art Deko wasn’t a big hit. This album cover is the only other use of it that I’m aware of.
See also the “Poppy Gives Thanks” poster. Designed by Glaser for a label night in 1969, it’s among the earliest uses of his Glaser Stencil.
Detail showing the overlapping letters filled in six colors
The back cover reveals Smither’s face that’s obscured on the front. Track list and credits are set in Futura
The record label with Glaser’s illustrated poppy and text printed in Helvetica
