Great albums....horrible cover art

[vi5]

I'm listening to Slint's "Spiderland" and looking at the cd cover. The sounds coming out are phenomenal and this is just one amazing record front to back.

But that cover of just a picture of the 4 of them in the water is just one of the worst pieces of cover art in music history I think. They just look like four meatheads swimming in a watering hole. Which is not suitable for one of the more cerebral bands out there.

Any personal nominations in this category?

[johansen smith]

I like that cover.

[vi5]

Well, to each their own. It's just the juxtaposition of the music with looking at that cover doesn't gel for me.

It's one of my top 5 albums of all time. But that cover. Ick.

[justin_S]

the cover for the latest Fruit Bats album Mouthfuls, has to be one of the least inspired album covers I have ever seen.

[tinobeat]

Originally posted by vi5
But that cover of just a picture of the 4 of them in the water is just one of the worst pieces of cover art in music history I think. They just look like four meatheads swimming in a watering hole. Which is not suitable for one of the more cerebral bands out there.

thing of it is, though, is that they *were* just a buncha Louisville boys in the watering hole. I think that cover really adds perspective to the music inside. These are just some young kids whiling away the hours on a hot Kentucky night, making some amazing noise after a languid day at the lake.

[tinobeat]

I nominate any Archers of Loaf album cover. Except White Trash Heroes, where the cover fits perfectly. But come on, Vee Vee and ...vs. the Greatest of All Time? Total garbage cover art (to go along with the total garbage band name), but some of the absolute best mid-90's rock around.

[miss understood]

Pet Sounds.

[satcho]

Originally posted by vi5


But that cover of just a picture of the 4 of them in the water is just one of the worst pieces of cover art in music history I think. They just look like four meatheads swimming in a watering hole. Which is not suitable for one of the more cerebral bands out there.


What would you suggest to replace it?

anyways, i would say Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever to Tell, but i don't think that's a "great"(good, yes, great, no.) album. so i'll say The Shins- Chutes Too Narrow. Oh, Inverted World has much better cover art, even though it's understated. The cartoon landscape just doesn't do it for me. But then again, if no band ever did anything different, our record collections would look extremely boring.

[Funk]

Originally posted by vi5
I'm listening to Slint's "Spiderland" and looking at the cd cover. The sounds coming out are phenomenal and this is just one amazing record front to back.


A little off-topic, but can somebody verify something about the cover art of this album for me: last week in a CD store, I saw this album really misfiled, so I picked it up to put it in its rightful spot, and I looked at the back and noticed it didn't have the "This album was meant to be heard on vinyl" scrawl across the back. Then I wondered "Did it ever actually say that?" (I have it on vinyl, m'self, which doesn't say that) It did say that at one time, didn't it? This was a later pressing because it had a 1995 publishing copyright on the songs in addition to the C+P 1991 T&G Recs.

[vi5]

I'm not saying I have a better suggestion as to what the cover art should be, or that someone else can't find it appealing. Just that the visceral reaction I have to the music (overwhelmingly positive) is different than the one I have to the cover (more head scratching confusion than outright negativity).

[vesper]

Originally posted by Funk
A little off-topic, but can somebody verify something about the cover art of this album for me: last week in a CD store, I saw this album really misfiled, so I picked it up to put it in its rightful spot, and I looked at the back and noticed it didn't have the "This album was meant to be heard on vinyl" scrawl across the back. Then I wondered "Did it ever actually say that?" (I have it on vinyl, m'self, which doesn't say that) It did say that at one time, didn't it? This was a later pressing because it had a 1995 publishing copyright on the songs in addition to the C+P 1991 T&G Recs.

I'm assuming that it must've changed on or before the '95 pressing. I'm looking at my CD with the vinyl-mention and the songs, as well as the T&G, copyright is 1991.

[romanp]

New Model Army-Impurity.

[mac m]

Fear of a Black Planet

[cant see over]

Modest Moust - Moon & Antarctica
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish

Oh, and every Chainsaw Kittens release, ever.

[gwai]

tortoise's new album.

[Paul]

Originally posted by cant see over
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish

Oh, and every Chainsaw Kittens release, ever. Re: Gish. I'd have to disagree. I can't think of an album cover utilitzing a fish-eye lens to photograph the band that I don't like. It's a sure-fire winner in all cases.

Re: Chainsaw Kittens. I like the silvery cover of the Angel on the Range EP.

[two llamas]

i'll see your moon & antarctica and raise you a:


http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf500/f549/f54970rb6df.jpg

[vesper]

As a Robert Mapplethorpe fan, I completely disagree.

[Kameek N Deesha]

I totally agree, and that cover (MARQUEE MOON) looks EXACTLY like the music sounds -- baroque and meloncholy and weird.

As far as GISH is concerned, I thought this thread was about COVER ART that sucked, not RECORDS that sucked -- in that case it's definitely BOTH.

[two llamas]

the marquee moon artwork is awful, but i love it still. it's perfect for the record.