How an Unused Jimi Hendrix Album Cover Led to Journey's Scarab

Near the end of the video for Journey‘s new single “The Way We Used to Be,” an animated proxy of guitarist Neal Schon appears to transform into a dung beetle. It would be an odd visual choice if not for the insect’s importance in Journey lore, appearing — in various fantastical forms — on multiple album sleeves. But why a beetle to begin with? The answer involves another rock giant. “We got the job to do a Jimi Hendrix album cover,” visual artist Stanley Mouse told NBC Bay Area in 2017, referencing his creative partner Alton Kelley. “And just as we finished it, [Hendrix] died, so the album cov...