Album Covers that beg the Question: What the Hell were You THINKING?

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http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf600/f652/f65277h3au9.jpg

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 29 May 2003 04:38 (twenty years ago) link

that cover is before.

this one is after:

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre700/e772/e77290tlfau.jpg

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 29 May 2003 04:41 (twenty years ago) link

Sweet fancy moses.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 29 May 2003 04:45 (twenty years ago) link

Picture of runny shit = thread killer. Who knew?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 29 May 2003 05:20 (twenty years ago) link

not Millie, apparently

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 29 May 2003 05:22 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, that Royal Trux cover really does take the fuckin' cake. Kudos to JBR for digging out the original Rennaissance. I distinctly remember stumbling across that album when it came out and thinking aloud: "What in fuckin' blazes?!?!?!"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 May 2003 09:10 (twenty years ago) link

Roy Harper owns this thread:

― Alex K (Alex K), Thursday, 29 May 2003 10:12 (twenty years ago) link

Each and every one of the breathtakingly hideous Dean prog rock portraits - Yes and the like.

Also, every single one of the Cranberries album covers are just appalling.

Love Kate Bush as I do, most of her album covers are pretty ropey, too, especially the big-hair-horror that is The Dreaming.

― russ t, Thursday, 29 May 2003 10:19 (twenty years ago) link

I have a blown up photocopy of this on my desk... 11 x 8.5 really does it better justice, but still worth posting:

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf300/f368/f36801ig9ta.jpg

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 29 May 2003 12:12 (twenty years ago) link

Did they want to make people ashamed to buy the album??!

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 29 May 2003 14:01 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.cdshakedown.com/1994_pictures/primalscream.jpg
Oops, I was referring to this CD. I don't think I have the fucking nerve to take this confederate flag up to the check-out counter.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 29 May 2003 14:04 (twenty years ago) link

...haven't a clue what the flag is or represents, but the cover is great.

― russ t, Thursday, 29 May 2003 14:21 (twenty years ago) link

>>"Each and every one of the breathtakingly hideous Dean prog rock portraits - Yes and the like."

Uhh uh . Those are nice. Especially Yes' DRAMA, where he was starting to move into a more streamlined use of form, a la Nagel (dig the panthers on the cover). I could live in a Dean landscape. And sometimes I do!

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Thursday, 29 May 2003 14:21 (twenty years ago) link

haven't a clue what the flag is or represents

Russ, if you see the upcoming "Run, Ronnie Run", the Mr. Show flick which is gunna get released on DVD, all will be explained.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:03 (twenty years ago) link

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd500/d595/d5959021v78.jpg

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:19 (twenty years ago) link

no, no.... Roger Dean epitomises everything I hate about graphic art - hideous nonsensical, puffed up pretentious twaddle.... and it's SO dated. The Yes sleeves should all be recalled and ritually burned. Each one of them.

Cheers Kingfish.... is the flag a negative thing, then?

― russ t, Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:23 (twenty years ago) link

Uh, yeah, it's the Confederate flag, so unless you live in the southern US, it's a negative thing. If you live in the South, it's a heritage thing and has absolutely NOTHING to do with racist rednecks. < /sarcasm>

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:38 (twenty years ago) link

albert ayler: live in greenwich village on impulse. the two disc reissue has ayler as a puppet.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:44 (twenty years ago) link

i have that herbie mann LP!

(ladies, it's a gatefold.)

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:44 (twenty years ago) link

Maybe it's a metaphor for the fact that he was a puppet of the free jazz Illuminati.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:48 (twenty years ago) link

That person in the middle of the bed on the SPRCSS or whatever album - Nick swore that wasn't a girl. Then we heard female vox on one track and he's like "Woah! It's it amazing how he makes himself sound like a girl??" ha ha

I've never understood the Sleater-Kinny All hands on the bad one cover. What the hell is going on there?

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:50 (twenty years ago) link

''Maybe it's a metaphor for the fact that he was a puppet of the free jazz Illuminati.''

heh, and what does that mean?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:05 (twenty years ago) link

The Yes sleeves should all be recalled and ritually burned. Each one of them.
I gots a spare gas can and a box of matches, someone has to bring hotdogs or marshmallows....lets all make a day of it.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:27 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, but as ridiculous as the Yes sleeves are/were, they appropriate to their milieu/genre/target demographic. They're not sleeves that those responsible look back on and say "SWEET FUCKIN' CHRIST, WHAT THE FUCK WAS I SMOKING WHEN I OKAY'D THAT EYESORE?!?!?!" Thus, their inclusion to this thread is in error. That is all

― "the Management" (vassifer), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:31 (twenty years ago) link

Word, Mr. Manager.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:41 (twenty years ago) link

Don't worry, Julio, like 75% of the things I write, it's meaningless.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:07 (twenty years ago) link

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000001ESL.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg and http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002GXG.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I wish I could find a pic of Mitchell's "Dog Eat Dog", which features a truly hideous painting of the artist as a dog woman.

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:54 (twenty years ago) link

I sooooo agreee with ya on that Rush cover. Way to alienate 90% of your audience (i.e.acne-speckeled metalhead mooks) in one fell swoop.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:19 (twenty years ago) link

holy shit, I think that joni mitchell could substitute in for a new Beck release.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:38 (twenty years ago) link

''Don't worry, Julio, like 75% of the things I write, it's meaningless.''

hehe b-but that's not what i meant!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 29 May 2003 20:19 (twenty years ago) link

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd800/d804/d80493j719t.jpg

The cover's so brown. Such an ugly brown! It's probabaly the dingiest cover of the Eighties.

(Incidently, this was the first rock record I ever bought.)

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Friday, 30 May 2003 01:05 (twenty years ago) link

The cover of All Hands on the Bad One is some kind of backwater church revival, presumably Pentecostal.

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Friday, 30 May 2003 01:12 (twenty years ago) link

The confederate flag pic is actually a crop of a pretty famous photo by William Eggleston. What band decided to make it their cover art?

― el maury, Friday, 30 May 2003 02:20 (twenty years ago) link

Primal Scream

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 30 May 2003 02:26 (twenty years ago) link

Joni Mitchell's Don Juan's Reckless Daughter cover is cool! It's meant to be kinda nonsensical, as the back and inner sleeves addtionally prove. The black dude in the hat is her, obv. Dog Eat Dog's cover is Joni surrounded by dogs with her arms raised; dog woman? I think the Yes covers are sometimes cool, but some of them are kind of sloppily executed. I especially like Relayer and Drama

― Sean (Sean), Friday, 30 May 2003 03:04 (twenty years ago) link

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf200/f233/f23305oon0b.jpg

No?

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Friday, 30 May 2003 04:38 (twenty years ago) link

"Dog Eat Dog's cover is Joni surrounded by dogs with her arms raised; dog woman?"

My bad, I was thinking of another cover that was dog themed and had a painting. This wasn't it.

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Friday, 30 May 2003 13:31 (twenty years ago) link

Indulge me for a second and scroll way back to the top of the page where the first Steve Walsh cover.....is that supposed to be a bird on the right hand side of Steve Walsh's face (his left hand side)? And what's it doing? Eating out of his ear? This cover haunts me with its abject bizarreness.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 30 May 2003 14:38 (twenty years ago) link

don't do drugs, kids.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 30 May 2003 14:40 (twenty years ago) link

That Steve Walsh cover reminds me of Pen&Pixel, if they did covers for CMC International that is.

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Friday, 30 May 2003 14:44 (twenty years ago) link

Wow...that Indonesian Popular Music CD was released by Smithsonian Folkways!! (still laughing, minutes later after seeing it)

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Friday, 30 May 2003 15:01 (twenty years ago) link

The guy on the cover of the Indonesian Popular Music CD sounds nothing at all like the picture would make you imagine, sadly

― dave q, Friday, 30 May 2003 18:30 (twenty years ago) link

Someday I will find a picture of Buddy Miles' Booger Bear and give you all nightmares.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Saturday, 31 May 2003 14:42 (twenty years ago) link

one month passes...

I got one name for y'all:

Kenny Fucking Loggins

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000029FW.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000273U.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000025RO.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000259D.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000025H2.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000029BV.01._PE8_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― turkey (turkey), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 07:25 (twenty years ago) link

Herbie Hancock has a lot of these...

http://www.jazzversand.de/Modern/Hancock/486571b.jpg

My eyes! Those colours!

http://www.jazzversand.de/Modern/Hancock/471235b.jpg

Is that Buddha with some soap bubbles?

http://www.jazzversand.de/Modern/Hancock/486572b.jpg

Digital image manipulation has come a long way since the eighties...

http://www.jazzversand.de/Modern/Hancock/471240b.jpg

What are you doing to that poor flamingo?!?

http://www.jazzversand.de/Modern/Hancock/486570b.jpg

Admit it, Herbie! You'll never look cool.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 07:55 (twenty years ago) link

re: Kenny Loggins Covers
How very counter-intuitive. You'd think Loggins would do lots of creepily Springsteenesque-wannabe looking covers, but no...he's a granola munching new age space cadet at heart (if his album covers are to be believed); None of them are particularly ugly...just odd.
Now, the cover for "Vox Humana"...THATS ugh-lee!

#1 - What...is he aiming to be the next Andreas Wollenweider?
#2 - There's something slightly high-art paedo about that one.
#3 - Aiming for that lucrative "Frank Buck - Bring 'em Back Alive" tv show soundtrack demographic. Or to impress the people who make hair mousse. One or the other.
#4 - "Dooooodddde...I'm sooooooo sttttooooooonnnnneeeeed..." (Actually, it's kinda pretty in a "just saw the video for Orinoco Flow and want an album cover that looks just like it" kinda way.
#5 - Jesus uses the patented super-saiyan Kameha-meha Blast Wave Attack!
#6 - "Charles Manson...the New Age Years"

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 10:45 (twenty years ago) link

Now, the cover for "Vox Humana"...THATS ugh-lee!
and here's proof...
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd800/d809/d80949txys4.jpg

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 10:46 (twenty years ago) link

Wow. I'm still reeling from Mr.Hands!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 11:46 (twenty years ago) link

"And now, my young padawan... to complete your training, and become a Jedi master... you must first grab my magic ball!"

"Master - NOOOOOO!!!!" *becomes Darth Vader*

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000025H2.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Sam J. (samjeff), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 14:55 (twenty years ago) link

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this must be the worst album cover ever. It's not even funny or weird, just plain BAD.

http://www.nic.fi/~jsantala/nightwish/ocean.jpg

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 10 July 2003 07:56 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 238 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Straight nightmare fuel

― enochroot, Friday, 22 March 2019 00:39 (five years ago) link

one year passes...

https://direct.rhapsody.com/imageserver/images/alb.214187/500x500.jpg

Can't tell if this is supposed to be kinda sweet or offensive?

― Tuomas, Friday, 15 January 2021 23:30 (three years ago) link

eleven months pass...

https://img.discogs.com/0NLcQej-4kzz9StlD3FtqTYH-fs=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2149871-1296101414.jpeg.jpg

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Tuesday, 4 January 2022 13:44 (two years ago) link

thought this revive was about this

album cover // pre-save : https://t.co/MDAeut3QY4 pic.twitter.com/96PbZGJA83
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) January 4, 2022

― nashwan, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 14:26 (two years ago) link

one year passes...

michael urbaniak - ecstasy (1978)

https://imgur.com/a/wOLtZDU

idgi

― my beard exists more than i do. (Austin), Saturday, 13 May 2023 16:06 (eleven months ago) link

https://i.imgur.io/N1QRKOf_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

hope that one works.

― my beard exists more than i do. (Austin), Saturday, 13 May 2023 16:08 (eleven months ago) link

ps- fuck you imgur. nothing you do makes sense and your "share"/"copy url" button has officially lost the plot. thanks for the absolute betrayal.

― my beard exists more than i do. (Austin), Saturday, 13 May 2023 16:10 (eleven months ago) link

Alex in NYC must have used a rock-solid image host back in 2003… all his pics at the top of the thread still load.

― Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Wayne Manor (morrisp), Saturday, 13 May 2023 16:14 (eleven months ago) link

Amazon links seem to last forever

― brimstead, Saturday, 13 May 2023 16:15 (eleven months ago) link

yeah, that's 20 years going strong! impressive💪🏻

anyway, back the regular program: can anyone explain this one to me? like is it implying that our friend mike will pleasure the ladies as he bows his instrument? ARE THE STRINGS THE CLITORIS IN THIS ANALOGY? jfc or is it saying his playing is seductive? i've often joked that i would "lay down and spread my legs for a vibraphone solo" but IT WAS JUST A JOKE I'M SORRY.

anyway, obviously a masterwork of a cover. i don't even want to listen to the album. there's no way it can live up to the artwork.

― my beard exists more than i do. (Austin), Saturday, 13 May 2023 16:25 (eleven months ago) link

The font used for his name reminds me of this:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61azmcuN4mL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

― Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Wayne Manor (morrisp), Saturday, 13 May 2023 16:46 (eleven months ago) link

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