CD release, front cover

Roots and Wings is English pop singer Sheila Chandra’s fifth solo album, released in 1989 (or 1990? sources differ). The cover design is credited to Swedish design company Ermalm’s Egenart.

The artist's name and the album title on the front cover use the faux-Devanagari font Papirtis Taj Mahal. Other text, including the track listing and credits, uses Goudy Oldstyle.

The album was reissued in 1995, 1999, and 2000, each time with a new cover design.

[More info on Discogs]

CD release, back cover

CD

Vinyl release, front cover

Vinyl release, back cover

The Jones Girls were a vocal group made up of sisters Shirley, Valorie, and Brenda. Known for their masterful harmonies, they spend years performing as background vocalists before getting a chance at their own album in 1979.

For the cover of their sophomore album, Papirtis Taj Mahal, a faux Devanagari, was chosen by designers Ed Lee and Phyllis H.B. The reasons for this choice doesn’t seem to go beyond the Jones sisters’ vaguely sari-like garb. I initially thought that it was perhaps due to the song “Nights Over Egypt” – the faux Devanagari being mistaken for faux Arabic – but that song isn’t on this album but the next one.

The typeface’s overline is extended to form a frame, a technique that reminds me of how I've seen Face Photosetting’s Oxford used. (For example, this record by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop or this record by cabaret act Gotham.)

[More info on Discogs]