In many ways, an album's physical packaging is a dying art form in the modern era of streaming services. Instead of picking up a record, we scroll through them, searching for light amidst a seemingly infinite sea of digital album covers. With that in mind, there's never been a greater need for eye-catching album covers in the history of the medium.

Bitches Brew is one such record, only the artwork serves a much greater role. It's not just an avatar for the album, or a marketing tool for the label, but a physical continuation of its themes. It accentuates and visualizes the very philosophies being observed by Miles Davis within the seminal album. It's an extension of the album, if you will.

In this special bonus episode of The Opus, host Andy Bothwell is joined by painter/illustrator Michael Gaughan and photographer Cameron Wittig. Together, they break down the details of the album artwork for Bitches Brew -- both inside and out. So, for one last time, pull up a chair, and listen above.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, stream a legacy edition of Bitches Brew via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win the massive 43-CD The Genius of Miles Davis box set, which includes the four-disc The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions.

A good album leaves a mark on you, but traditionally, that impact lasts as long as the album itself. It starts, you hear a bunch of great songs you love, and then it's over. Maybe it put you in a better mood? Or perhaps it even gave you some time to think about things? Whatever the case, when the record stops, all too often the influence goes along with it. What makes an album like Bitches Brew so special is that the influence doesn’t die when you pick the needle up. Instead, it continues to expand out infinitely in all directions. An album like this is more than just a collection of great songs, it's a whole universe of influence, one that continues to grow and shape culture, even decades after its release. Join host Andy Bothwell in Columbia's Studio B, where he wraps up Season 8 of The Opus alongside journalist and engineer from ThePudding.com, Matt Daniels; Techno musician Black Asteroid; Jazz innovators The Bad Plus; and touring machine Andy Frasco of Andy Frasco and the UN. Together, they explore the ever-expanding universe of Miles Davis. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, stream a legacy edition of Bitches Brew via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win the massive 43-CD The Genius of Miles Davis box set, which includes the four-disc The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions. 

Fifty years later, there's something about Bitches Brew that still feels strange, wild, and unfamiliar. There's a magic in Miles Davis' cauldron that binds the ingredients to create a potion that is somehow greater than the sum of its exceptional parts. There's an almost indefinable something that somehow elevates the album to new heights -- and that mystery ingredient is what makes the brew so special. Today, The Opus attempts to chase that "something" in the second part of its Bitches Brew season. Join host Andy Bothwell in Columbia's Studio B, where he presides over an equally talented crew that includes: musician and professor Mark Gould (Julliard/New York Trumpet Ensemble); bassist and composer Ben Williams (Kamasi Washington/Pat Metheny); Sound on Sound columnist and author of Miles Beyond: Electric Explorations of Miles Davis 1967-1991 Paul Tingen; Brainfeeder artist and Berklee School of music Faculty Daedelus; and composer and author of 33 1/3: Bitches Brew George Grella. Together they dive deep into Miles Davis' stellar supporting cast and band, discuss the role of producer Teo Macero, and chart how it all circles back to the man of the hour. So, once again, pull up a chair, make yourself another drink, and listen above. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, stream a legacy edition of Bitches Brew via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win the massive 43-CD The Genius of Miles Davis box set, which includes the four-disc The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions. 

Jazz can often be seen as a genre that challenges listeners, but one of the greatest jazz records of all time -- Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew -- was born out a need to challenge the genre, to push back on the establishment, and to break down old conventions and notions about what jazz could be. Davis saw the future of music coming fast, and it was in funk and rock. If he didn’t catch up, he and jazz would get left in the dust. What resulted from this future forward approach would not only change the genre, but launch Davis from the dark basements of jazz fame to the main stages of stardom. This season, The Opus has booked some time at Columbia's Studio B, where host Andy Bothwell has dialed things back to August 1969. His first night's guests include: Deantoni Parks (The Mars Volta/Technoself), Daedelus (Brainfeeder/Berklee College of Music), Loren Schoenberg (Julliard/National Museum Of Jazz), and writer George Grella. Together, they discuss the importance of challenging music like Bitches Brew and detail how this Grammy-winning album shook up the world of jazz and brought a legend into the mainstream. So, pull up a chair, make yourself a drink, and listen above. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, stream a legacy edition of Bitches Brew via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win the massive 43-CD The Genius of Miles Davis box set, which includes the four-disc The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions. 

The Opus has yet to leave the Bridge. Although Bridge Over Troubled Water was the swan song of Simon & Garfunkel, it was really only the beginning of their enduring legacy. Since then, countless musicians and artists alike have followed in their footsteps to myriad results. In this surprise, bonus episode of Season 7, host Andy Bothwell speaks to a trio of eclectic musicians who have all crossed the proverbial bridge. First up is David Draiman of Disturbed, who discusses the band's unlikely cover of "Sound Of Silence". Next is CJ Camerieri of Y Music/Bon Iver, who happened to perform "The Boxer" with Paul Simon on the night Muhammed Ali died. And finally Har Mar Superstar shares how his "cover" of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" got him banned for life from the Steele County Fair in Owatonna, Minnesota. In celebration of the album's 50th anniversary, stream a selection of Simon & Garfunkel's best tracks via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win a vinyl bundle featuring the duo's entire collaborative discography. 

The Opus has reached the end of the Bridge. A lot is made of the fact that Bridge Over Troubled Water was Simon & Garfunkel’s final album. Even 50 years later, fans and historians see the album as the end of the era, when it's so much more than that. Bridge Over Troubled Water wasn’t the end of a road, but a mile marker on a very long highway, full of surprising and exciting twists and turns. It's a portrait not of conflict, but a crucible of honest creative confrontation. On the Season 7 finale of The Opus, host Andy Bothwell speaks to musicians Nick Thorburn (Islands/Unicorns) and Mattiel on the importance of creative conflict, in addition to CJ Camerieri (Y Music/Bon Iver) on what it's like to be in the studio with Paul Simon. He also speaks with writer Jordon Hoffman (The Guardian/Vanity Fair) and Jay Sweet (Newport Folk Fest) about the impact of Bridge Over Troubled Water at the time of its release, and the way it has shaped American culture ever since. In celebration of the album's 50th anniversary, stream a selection of Simon & Garfunkel's best tracks via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win a vinyl bundle featuring the duo's entire collaborative discography. 

The Opus is halfway across the Bridge. What does Alex Jones, Beyoncé's Lemonade, and Simon and Garfunkel have in common? More than you think! In 1969, the two bards were asked to make a TV special to debut 1970's Bridge over Troubled Water. Rather than opting for the traditional approach -- think: Elvis Presley's 1968 comeback special -- they created a visual album. Ring a bell? Songs Of America, directed by Charles Grodin (yes, that Charles Grodin), was an experimental, non-linear, collage of live footage, behind-the-scenes shots, and proto-music videos set to news footage from the turbulent 60's. The result cost them their lead sponsor, pissed off a million Americans, and even lead to death threats if you can believe that. Host Andy Bothwell speaks to culture reporter Steve Marsh (GQ/Esquire/Pitchfork) on what caused this film to illicit such a strong reaction from America. He also connects with Bon Iver's design team and video directors Eric Carlson and Aaron Anderson, who weighin on the through-lines between their work and this 50-year-old TV special. In celebration of the album's 50th anniversary, stream a selection of Simon & Garfunkel's best tracks via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win a vinyl bundle featuring the duo's entire collaborative discography. 

The Opus is crossing a bridge into its seventh season. All good things come to an end, and that is certainly the case for Simon and Garfunkel. With 1970's Bridge Over Troubled Water, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sewed a button to their timeless collaboration. At the time, though, the album wasn't exactly the ideal swan song for critics, who were mixed on the release, contending that the collection of songs didn't live up to its predecessor, 1968's Bookends. History prevailed, though. Bridge Over Troubled Water went on to win Album of the Year at the 1971 Grammys, taking home both Record and Song of the Year for its title track. What's more, the album went on to become one of the highest-selling albums of all time. Since then, tracks like "The Only Living Boy in New York", "Baby Driver", and "Cecilia" have all become permanent fixtures in pop culture. That was then and this is now. In the season seven premiere of The Opus, host Andy Bothwell traces the footsteps of the two bards, even visiting the locations where they recorded. In fact, you'll hear the very halls that helped raise their voices into the heavens. What's more, Bothwell will peel back the immaculate production of the album's most eclectic tracks. It's an aural journey of the senses. Fortunately, he's not the only living boy on this episode. Joining Bothwell is an assembly of guests that include Nicholas Thorburn of The Unicorns and Islands; recording engineer and Tape Op founder Larry Crane; and hip-hop musician and Anticon co-founder Yoni Wolf of Why?. Together, they chart the album's rampant influences and deduce that everyone's ripped off "Cecilia". So, get your plane right on time, and climb aboard. In celebration of the album's 50th anniversary, stream a selection of Simon & Garfunkel's best tracks via all major streaming services. You can also enter to win a vinyl bundle featuring the duo's entire collaborative discography. 

The Opus has one more lesson about The Clash. The same curiosity that drove the English rockers to discover new genres of music also drove them to understand and empathize with the struggles going on far from their homes. That call for political action, of course, is all over London Calling -- right down to its title. Yet the reason why generation after generation continues to answer their call stems from the songwriting itself. These aren't just any ol' political anthems; they're catchy rock songs, the likes of which have crossed borders and cultures for decades. In the third and final episode of our London Calling series, host Andy Bothwell attempts to explain these cross-cultural transmissions. Once more, he's aided by a rotating panel of guests, specifically Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Killing Joke’s Jaz Coleman, AJJ’s Sean Bonette and Ben Gallaty, Worriers’ Lauren Denitzio, Let Fury Have the Hour author Antonio D'Ambrosio, journalist Robert Evans, and filmmaker Joseph Patel. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of London Calling, revisit a selection of The Clash’s best tracks via all major streaming services, and enter to win a Fender Player Precision Bass just like the one Paul Simonon played. 

The Opus can't fail with The Clash. The diversity of influences on London Calling go way beyond reggae and dub. In fact, they go deeper than the music itself. This is an album that gets its hands dirty by digging right into the culture that wound up influencing the four English rockers. Is this cultural appropriation? If not, how did they manage to pull it off? And what can musicians today learn from their approach to making music? The Opus attempts to answer these questions as it continues to unpack the iconic double album. In the second episode of our London Calling series, host Andy Bothwell is joined by Spoon's Britt Daniel, Texas country legend Joe Ely, Houston rapper Fat Tony, South Florida Genreless musician Yeek, British LGBTQ activist and Big Joanie drummer Cardine Taylor-Stone, Head of Design for MOMA PS1 Vance Wallenstein, and filmmaker Joseph Patel. What are you waiting for? Join 'em aboard this train in vain above. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of London Calling, revisit a selection of The Clash’s best tracks via all major streaming services, and enter to win both the 40th anniversary London Calling Scrapbook and Super Bundle.