Good/Bad Album Covers - Lets talk about visual art in the Music Board

[Crocodylus Acutus]

People judge books by their covers, and the same can be said about albums. While it doesn't affect the actual music, first impressions go a long way in drawing your attention to a particular album, and that's what covers do best. So post some of your favorite and/or hated covers.

---

Here's some of my picks:

The Good:
"Face Dances" - The Who

I like the variety of art styles, and they're all done pretty well.

The Bad:
"Smithereens" - Joji

Joji is alright, but I hate how fucking lazy this cover is. If I saw this in a record store, I would ignore it out of spite.

The Ugly:
"They Only Come Out At Night" - The Edgar Winter Group

I think The Edgar Winter Group is good, but this cover is just gross to look at. I don't find transvestites appealing

Spoiler: Bonus

This one is kinda cheating, but I like it simply because the whole cover is one of my favorite paintings. The album is "Southern Accents" by Tom Petty, but the painting is "The Veteran in a New Field" by Winslow Homer.

 

[Soso]

Good:

True Blue - Madonna
Even though Madonna is such a cow. True Blue in both song selections, and album art, remains her peak in my honest opinion. It has that old glamor behind it that I can appreciate.

 

[Calandrino]

This one is nice, it shows you the people who played the music on the album:



Maybe nothing special but you could definitely do worse

 

[Angry Shoes]

A few of my personal favorite covers:

The Stone Roses self-titled


American Water by Silver Jews


Bloom by Beach House


Loveless by My Bloody Valentine


Velocity : Design : Comfort by Sweet Trip


Pom Pom by Ariel Pink


Suburban Light by The Clientele

 

[fake farts]

Posting Iron Maiden is almost cheating, but this is one of my favorites. I love Tim Bradstreets art. It more than made up for the cover for Dance of Death that came before it (which was apparently an unfinished cover that got approved).

 

[MerelyAPlateOfSpaghetti]

Good

 

[Crocodylus Acutus]

Good:
"TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER" - King Geedorah (MF DOOM)

Probably my favorite cover for a rap album.

"Jar Of Flies" - Alice In Chains

One of my favorite albums with one of my favorite covers. I especially love the color of it.

Bad:
"But Seriously" - Phil Collins

Another lazy but also egotistical cover imo. I don't like covers that are just the artist's face, YOU CAN DO BETTER. Collins has a couple covers like this, but his music is great so I'll let it slide.

 

[User names must be unique]

bad/good

I don't hate the art even though it's freaky and weird but the colours hurt my eyes but that was probably the point so....

 

[TokiBun]

I think The Edgar Winter Group is good, but this cover is just gross to look at. I don't find transvestites appealing

Huh I never realized how much he looks like season 7 drag race contestant Max. But yeah good album, weird cover.

First the Bad: Virgin Killer by the Scorpions. It counts as CP/CSAM so don't repost it in the thread please. It was controversial when it came out, it's controversial now and illegal to view in most countries. The cover has since been replaced. EDIT: Someone already brought it up and I didn't notice so here's context I guess.

The Ugly: Beatles for Sale I know it was quickly thrown together slop but George looks like a fucking onion!


The Good: I don't have time to post them all so I'll give a shoutout to ELO's Eldorado for being so captivating despite legit just being a screencap from the Wizard of Oz.

Jeff Lynne didn't like the concept but I think it sells instantly that the album is about escapism and maladaptive day dreaming. When the album came out Oz wasn't the cultural phenomenon it is now. To a Brit like Lynne he found referencing it super random which is fair. In hindsight as time goes on the cover becomes more meaningful.

 

[The Last Stand]

Good:
Ver archivo adjunto 7705033
True Blue - Madonna
Even though Madonna is such a cow. True Blue in both song selections, and album art, remains her peak in my honest opinion. It has that old glamor behind it that I can appreciate.

I could see the Marilyn Monroe inspiration. Not bad.

The Bad:
"Smithereens" - Joji

Joji is alright, but I hate how fucking lazy this cover is. If I saw this in a record store, I would ignore it out of spite.

How about this album art for Kayne West's single: "Ye. vs. the People?"



He's so proud, he didn't even bother creating album art or using a photo.

 

[HandsomeDan]

Good

Not only is this have unique imagery but it is modeled after a classic early 1960s cover.

 

[Dagoth AMOGUS]

 

[Asian tech support]

good:


bad:

 

[Squanto Airi]

bad:

Using Stratovarius is cheating - almost all of their album covers look like they were from a middle school math textbook.

 

[Hulkster]

This one is nice, it shows you the people who played the music on the album:

Ver archivo adjunto 7705045

Maybe nothing special but you could definitely do worse

Trust me, the scorpions have done way worse.

 

[Idiotron]

I've heard several people say that this is a good album cover and.... nigga, what?

 

[my penis is on fire]

Good:
Primus - Tales from the Punchbowl


Bad:
Primus - Tales from the Punchbowl

 

[Asian tech support]

Using Stratovarius is cheating - almost all of their album covers look like they were from a middle school math textbook.

I like of like most of their old art. They have this almost Dali quality to them (I may or may not have a Visions poster in my bedroom).

 

[TokiBun]

good:
Ver archivo adjunto 7705235 Ver archivo adjunto 7705262 Ver archivo adjunto 7705318 Ver archivo adjunto 7705336

bad:
Ver archivo adjunto 7705297 Ver archivo adjunto 7705306 Ver archivo adjunto 7705326 Ver archivo adjunto 7705338

That AC/DC one is fucking hilarious what the hell.

 

[The Last Stand]

Good:



Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom. You'd expect this dread, moody art on rock music, but no, this is Latin hip-hop. The instrumentals on the album's songs are moody, which fits. Throw Your Set in the Air being one great example.