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Classic Album, FUCKING TERRIBLE Cover Art

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http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000036TL.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000007WEB.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

ok yeah, i can't defend those two.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I kinda like the Cool For Cats cover, actually.

Alex, Bizarro has a fantastic cover! Why do you think it's bad? Better than Seamonsters...

it's one of my favorite albums of all time.....and all it gets is a meaningless crayon scribble? It's a travesty (though the American edition....replacing the green field with peachy pink, is much worse). I liked the Seamonsters cover (the original one with the fishy scales, not the swirly design one).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.musicweb.uk.net/jazz/2002/Jun02/Weather_Report_Black_Market.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

good
http://idealcopy.american-data.net/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/large/MUWeddingPresent-Seamonsters.jpg

bad
http://www.hkedcity.net/culture/e+e/03/images/album_cover/week3/laitatwing39.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually I kind of don't mind the Alien Lanes cover but it's almost like it needs to be a little worse. Like it's almost reaching a Boredoms-ian dementia but not quite getting there.

I think all of the Squeeze covers are just barely passable at best. Except for the first one which is nicely over-the-top.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex, all of the stuff you posted is actually pretty decent (Porky excepted). At least in a slick polished way. I take it that's what turns you off is that kind of overly clean, almost corporate look?

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/140/146134.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I don't think I could make a sweeping generalization about whay i don't like. I wouldn't call the cover of Mutiny by the Birthday Party as especially clean/corporate look. I don't like the 2003 Killing Joke cover mainly because it looks like a rejected Insane Clown Posse sleeve and because I got to see Mike Coles' original artwork (closer to What's THIS for!).

I can like slick and corporate, so long as its still provocative. I think the cover of Second Annual Report by Throbbing Gristle, for example (the quintessence of simple and corporate) is genius.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/discographer/mekons/images/rocknroll(uk)-front.jpg

― Jena (JenaP), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

TG's 2nd Annual's a great cover and a great T-shirt too!

― moley, Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Forget all of my earlier attempts. This is the one and only winner:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000000OMJ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

that Peter Gabriel cover is pretty awesome, I think.

― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Geir you're crazy. That's a total classic and I believe it might have been designed by Peter Christopherson (who of course designed all of TG's graphics).

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Good lord, that Gabriel cover is one of my favorite sleeves of all time.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex, I guess corporate wasn't the right word. I just found it interesting what types of designs different people dislike. Some here seem to dislike garish colors or imagery that is intentionally ugly or seedy (something I personally have a taste for). I thought all of the covers you posted looked kind "well designed" but possibly just boring or inappropriate to the music.

I guess that's how I feel about the Smile cover which is fine but just seems a little too simple and plain for what's inside. At least the Pet Sounds cover has a kind of bizarre petting zoo thing going on. On the other hand if that Smile cover were released 30 years ago I think I might have just become used to it and considered it iconic. For now I can't picture the album without that weird little storefront illustration.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Pretty much any funk record from the 70s.

― Yejoon (Yejoon), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it really depends on the album. I also have a hard time divorcing the visuals from the sound. I always found the cover art to Junkyard by the Birthday Party to be completely incongruous with the music contained therein. It's a great sleeve, and it's a great album, but they just don't match up to me.

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000006ZCC.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

It looks like the Birthday Party should sound like some metallic rockabilly band, which is -- of course -- just not the case.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes! I was thinking of Junkyard too. I avoided that album for so many years because of the cover. But strangely I've grown to like it over time. The fact that the great sleeve and the great album don't match up is kind of great itself.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

This is true.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

The content of this illustration is kind of funny but the style is so blecchhh...

http://image.com.com/mp3/images/cover/200/drd900/d923/d92362hta34.jpg

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

great sleeve and the great album don't match up

Another great example of that....

http://orbita.starmedia.com/~subhumans/grupos/throbbing_gristle/20jazz.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:05 (twenty-one years ago)

That Throbbing Gristle sleeve is fucking ace!

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0007SL1LW.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002LSO.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000ADXEC.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

That Throbbing Gristle cover reminds me of this one

http://www.importantrecordstore.com/images/content/distributed/builttospillwaverscd.jpg

― darin (darin), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex in NYC OTM. Really disappointing.

Meanwhile....

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0000000S4.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Si Carter (Si Carter), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Er... the 'really disappointing' was about KJ2003, but he's spot on with Junkyard as well, which I always found somewhat bizarre.

― Si Carter (Si Carter), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:43 (twenty-one years ago)

the flaming lips one is OTM

― Sym Sym (sym), Thursday, 14 April 2005 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000003Z4C.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

No one wanted to see Nick Cave shirtless.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002LGS.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I personally think most of New Order's album covers are fucking terrible.

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I think THIS one was meant for the Lips:

http://www.flaminglips.com/media/discography/albums/04_priestDriven/afc_priestDriven.jpg

Hit To Death has a classic cover too.

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always hated HATED how the Lips were portrayed on In a Priest Driven Ambulance. it makes then look like some Guitar Center employees and their stoner friends forming some sort of Guns N' Roses/Jane's Addiction type rip-off band. (Although Wayne Coyne has admitted to ripping off GNR before! Although by this phase, the Flaming Lips were pretty much at their peak.)

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess I also don't like how pouty the Lips look here, when Wayne is one of the least pouty rock stars ever (for better or worse)

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

dear god we've got people listing new order and '70s funk albums' on this thread WTF

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

blount OTM, especially re: 70s funk records!! wtf indeed. I like a lot of the album covers on here (Soft Cell, Flaming Lips, GbV). That Junior Murvin cover tho - yeah I dunno if its great or terrible. It's a great *image* but the style it's executed in is really goofy.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

mainly in comparison to its bretheren

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:13 (twenty-one years ago)

any Neil Young album

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

any neil young album without his handwriting or him on the cover maybe

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.musicmatic.de/R/Rollers2a.jpg

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

re: Neil Young, uh no. After the Gold Rush, Tonight's the Night, Time Fades Away, American Stars and Bars (designed by Dean Stockwell!) are all great.

Landing on Water is awful tho.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

classic albums with classic covers disturbingly replaced on the cd could fill the thread but this one's always annoyed me the most

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

urrgh yeah that's a travesty. the original flag/daisy design is soooooo classic.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

In the 90's especially, there were a ton of hack-job Photoshop renderings that made their way onto album covers. An example:
http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/c0/53/85429-resized200.JPG

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Jessie SO OTM regarding Let Love In. Henry's Dream was pretty crap too.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

At the risk of being misunderstood, I'm talking SOLELY about their cover art. Both those Cave albums are utterly classic.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:27 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't mind let love in so much but god the henry's dream art was awful.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

This classic album used to have a classic cover, until it was replaced by this rather pointless photo:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002P5U.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

the lame nude chix cover was conceived by some suit. hendrix hated it, for good reason. that's not great (the only hendrix cover i luv is axis), but at least he looks like he's on fire and it fills the frame which works well with the album.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:37 (twenty-one years ago)

o god some the "psychedelic" hendrix photos that were on the covers of the cd reissues briefly during the nineties were awful and deserve a namecheck here. thankfully you could flip the book around and get the original covers.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 14 April 2005 23:38 (twenty-one years ago)

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