Favorite Album Cover(s)?

[cedahlia]

Some of my favorites...










I hope these images worked...it should be Madonna, Fugazi, Hole, and Crass...hey, I think I inadvertently have some kind of weird theme going there! :D

So, anyway, what are your favorites? (Post pics if you can!)

[elshiva]

1. Bob Dylan and the Band--Basement Tapes

One of my fav albums,too.

[cedahlia]

11. cool

Some album covers really are works of art, while others are just...eh. I find the "work of art" covers to be fascinating!

The ones I posted are actually fave albums of mine as well, although the Crass album is one I haven't actually listened to in years...I think my husband might actually have it on vinyl, though!

[elshiva]

13. We have the Basement Tapes

on Cassette, CD, and Vinyl. We are frikking obssessed with that album, but we haven't splurged on the outtakes. I think Dylan and the Band recorded 105 songs...

[CanuckAmok]

29. Quite valuable on vinyl...

...the ironing is delicious.

[tuvor]

2. Here are a few of mine

There's more, but I think that's more than enough from one person.

[cedahlia]

7. gorgeous!

The Cocteau Twins and Cure covers are beautiful! So is the last one you posted, but I'm not sure who the artist is?

[tuvor]

9. The last one is by Joy Division.

'Closer' is worth the time it takes to appreciate it. Maybe read some reviews on Amazon to get a better idea. Hmm, think I'll listen to it right now. It's raining out, so why not? :)

Here's a photo of the crypt/tomb used for the cover.

http://www.enkiri.com/joy/pics/genova_closer1.html

[CanuckAmok]

3. Love that Crass cover!

Here's some other great ones (but I'm showing my age):

New Order


Einsturzende Neubauten


Scraping Foetus off the Wheel


Public Image Ltd.


Kraftwerk


Feederz


Sex Pistols


Throbbing Gristle (picture disc)


Psychic TV


Didjits


two great covers from Big Black

[tuvor]

6. Did that New Order colour-code thing ever get solved?

Well, I guess it did, but I haven't been able to find out what it was supposed to say.

(OT When I worked for a well-known record store chain, someone accidentally transposed two of the numerals in a catalog number when placing an order for Top-40 produc. So instead of getting 50 copies of Vanilla Ice or whatever, we received a box of 50 Throbbing Gristle compilations. You could tell by the way the box was packed that they had to rummage all over the warehouse for them.)

[CanuckAmok]

22. I didn't know it meant anything!

What was it, I wonder.

Factory had great artwork... we could post everything up to "Republic" and it would be purdy.

[tuvor]

23. But not *including* Republic, right? :)

Peter Saville designed a colour code for use on several releases circa-83. The decoder is the wheel design on the reverse of the cover to Power, Corruption and Lies. To clear things up a little, the colour wheel describes the meaning of the coloured squares on (not only) Power Corruption & Lies, (but also) Blue Monday and Confusion.

To decode the wheel, use only the outer two rings. You could divide the outer two rings into full colour, various on green, and various on yellow. The inner segments appear to be meaningless. Start with the full colour sections, the first of which will be the green one... This is 'A'. Work your way clockwise naming each colour the next letter. There are exactly 26 segments around the disc. From 'Z' work back into the full colours, the first of which is '1'. This means that the full green segment is either 'A' or '1', and the colour for 'I' is also that for '9'.

You should be able to decode the squares now. Start with the 5 on the front of Power Corruption & Lies, and you will find (if you have the vinyl) that the first 4 squares spell 'FACT' then next square is divided into two, with the lower half being '7' and the upper half being '5'. Therefore the code is 'FACT 75' which is the Factory number for this release. The code for the CD front cover is 'FACD 75'.
Other codes for the various items having the coloured squares are:

Inner cover PC&L: "Power Corruption And Lies New Order"
Blue Monday 12" Sleeve: "FAC 73 Blue Monday And The Beach New Order"
Confusion Outer Sleeve: "FAC 93"


http://www.niagara.edu/neworder/albums/pcal.html

[CanuckAmok]

28. Interesting...

But I didn't know there'd be math.

A few more, because I love album art so much:

[asthmaticeog]

47. Canuck, you MUST see this book if you haven't yet:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1568984227/qid=1112376707/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-5839210-3440835?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

I actually can't believe it took so damn long for a Peter Saville monograph to get published, but now that it's here, no excuses!

[CanuckAmok]

59. very cool... I'll have to check it out

[cedahlia]

8. sex pistols

That is a classic, no doubt about it. :thumbsup:

I like the New Order and PIL covers as well.

The Feederz cover...now that is fucking disturbing. :wow:

[CanuckAmok]

10. Ooops...I forgot a few more:

XTC


Nurse With Wound/Aranos




UILAB


Flash and the Pan


Blondie


Tom Robinson Band


The Jam


King Crimson


Siouxsie and the Banshees

[sans qualia]

35. Nurse With Wound...

scare the hell out of me. :scared: I applaud your taste in music, however.

[CanuckAmok]

41. Yeah, they're kinda scary...

...but I think sometimes they're just taking the piss out of everything.


A friend of mine bought Nurse With Wound home movies at a record store (Vinyl Solution) in London. four 16mm films, on real little film reels. He hasn't watched them, because he doesn't have a 16mm projector. I keep telling him he could buy one from the school board for peanuts, but I think the real reason is he's too afraid to watch the films. WTF would NWW film at home?!


You know who really scares me? The Residents! I haven't listened to them in years, because they frighten me so much...kind of like clowns. I can't even stand to look at their artwork...it's too fever-dreamy for me, or something.

[opiate69]

4. OK..

[cedahlia]

15. Didn't the Amorica cover get banned or something?

I seem to remember those hairs getting some fundies all riled up. :D

[CanuckAmok]

17. yes, here's the chain store version:

(what I've always found ironic about this is that it now looks like a folded flag from a military funeral, which, of course, is far less obscene than a few pubes :sarcasm: ).

[cedahlia]

20. LOL, you're right

about the military funeral thing!

Oh, those crazy fundies, and the irony of it all!

[otohara]

5. Joni Mitchell's Self Portraits

and all the other covers she painted herself.

[CanuckAmok]

12. How could I forget:

(this is the Canadian pressing, with the more attractive smaller graphic).

Birthday Party

[LiberallyInclined]

14. London Calling...

it's an homage to elvis presley:

[cedahlia]

16. very cool!

I never knew that! Both of those are great.

[CanuckAmok]

19. "Homage" covers are fun:

Beatles


A Punk collection


Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention

[Bok_Tukalo]

18. Nevermind

[4_Legs_Good]

37. I've never been able to get into Nirvana,

but that album cover is sheer genius.

I'll give Nirvana another try soon. I keep meaning to.

david

[4_Legs_Good]

39. Genesis - Nursery Cryme

Best album cover EVER



david

[LiberallyInclined]

21. "Moose" has the COOLEST lp album jackets...

[cedahlia]

24. Never heard of Moose...

...but I love those album covers! That's what I'm talking about--works of art!!

[LiberallyInclined]

67. Seek Them Out!

Moose has a very cool sound...kinda sorta like echo & the bunnymen- only much better.
I HIGHLY reccomend their album "High Ball Me"- it's easily one of the BEST albums i have EVER listened to(many many times). it's available 'like new' for $10 from amazon shops, and you won't be disappointed. go here to sample the tracks:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004YA82/ref=olp_product_details/002-8215770-6424846?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

here's a couple of listener reviews from the page:

5 out of 5 stars A musical gem just waiting to be discovered!, April 28, 2003

Reviewer: Rick Taylor (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews
What a beautiful album this is! If I had read about the different sounds and influences on this recording prior to hearing it, I wouldn't have thought it would work. How in the hell could bongos, goofy organ sounds and spaghetti-western guitar melodies go together with dark and moody British guitar pop? I know it sounds bizarre, but these influences meld together seamlessly on this album.

Moose's "High Ball Me!" simply has to be heard to be believed. Not only for its off-kilter amalgamation of diverse influences, but for the sheer quality of the songwriting contained within. This is pop music of the absolute highest order. Each song on this album has been meticulously and painstakingly crafted with so much love and attention to detail it is staggering. You can tell that the bandmembers of Moose are truly in love with the artistic possibilities of pop music and revel in writing and recording (why else would they continue doing it when obviously no one knows who they are?). It is truly a shame that this album has been completely overlooked by the media and music fans alike (they have no idea what they're missing!).

As far as highlights from the album, I would say the entire album is one long highlight. This is one of those rare records where every track is just as brilliant as the one before it. In fact, I would easily award this record Album of the Year for 2000...

Under appreciated eclectic pop bliss!, March 4, 2003

Reviewer: R. Scott Leisk (Schertz, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
It never ceases to amaze me how a wonderful and musically diverse band like Moose is so un-appreciated and sent to the cult status files. I guess in a strange way the band's cult status makes them even more enjoyable for me but take a listen for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

This is the latest and hopefully not the last recording of Moose. This album finds the band at a more mature and refined level, which is to be expected, but all Moose albums even their earlier EPs are treasures in their own right. High Ball Me is a beautiful blend of pop sound that is refreshingly unique. Recommended for those who like the Orchids, Smiths, Mercury Rev, Ocean Blue, Belle and Sebastian and the Trash Can Sinatras.

[jpgray]

25. I love this one to death

Sparks - Kimono My House

[CanuckAmok]

31. I LOVE that one...

I have never not taken it out of a used bin to look at, no matter how many times I've seen it.

[AntiCoup2K4]

26. Here's a few classics

[cedahlia]

30. that Clash cover

I wonder if this Rancid cover is sort of an "homage" to it? I know Tim Armstrong is a huge Clash fan, so it is very possible. (This is another one of my fave covers, by the way!)

[electricmonk]

32. More like Minor Threat

Or rather exactly like Minor Threat.

[CanuckAmok]

33. Now I wanna listen to "Good Guys...", and my copy is warped...

and has something...ancient, 20+ year-old hash, probably...caked in the grooves.

[cedahlia]

46. Right!

I forgot all about that Minor Threat cover! (And that's another good one, too.)

[tuvor]

27. Fantastic Plastic Band's 'Luxury'

Great album, too.

[sans qualia]

34. easy

[CanuckAmok]

36. Neat! What is it? Miles Davis?

Never seen it before.

[sans qualia]

38. Sigur Ros

The album is called Agaetis Byrjun. I <3 it. :loveya:

[Richard Steele]

40. "ALBUM", by Public Image, Ltd.

[CanuckAmok]

42. Yeah, an "homage" to Repo Man.

Plate of shrimp.

[Dukkha]

43. my favs

[CanuckAmok]

44. EDDIE!!! n/t

[Elidor]

45. old memories

[Tektonik]

48. New Order- Technique

[Aiptasia]

49. According to Playboy Magazine

Ween's "Chocolate and Cheese" was named the top album/cd cover of all time.

[bobthedrummer]

50. I've always been intrigued by the album cover on Procol Harum's

"Shine on Brightly" for some reason, and I don't have the tech to post that.
Reminds me of better days.

[asthmaticeog]

51. Well, CanuckAmok already posted a lot of my faves

So here's a few from what's left:

[CanuckAmok]

58. I love that "Liars" one! looks like a 7"?

Swastikas for Goddy is a good call, too.


Since we're all gloomy, check this one out:















(btw, that's a famous crossdresser on the Roxy cover...I forget her name)

[asthmaticeog]

60. I LOVE that Laibach cover.

Years ago, irwin, the arts collective that does almost all of Laibach's visuals, had a salon-style exhibit in Cleveland. The stuff looks INCREDIBLE in real life.

That Hanson Brothers sleeve is hilarious. I've never seen that one before.

The Liars thing, btw, is a full-length. And they're fucking awesome. Try to check out their newer album "They Were Wrong So We Drowned" sometime.

[CanuckAmok]

64. Do you happen to have the Crispy Ambulance 4-song 7"....

...which is all Foetus covers? I've been looking for that for YEARS.

[asthmaticeog]

65. ?????

I was not aware of that. Do you know the title? I don't see it on their website's discography.

[CanuckAmok]

66. No... I saw it on Ebay once, but I got outbid in the last :05.

It had a brownish cover, and one of the songs was "I'll Meet You in Poland, Baby!"

[Cocoa]

52. Night and Day

mostly for sentimental reasons, but it's also cool in it's own right.

[Seabiscuit]

53. Rolling Stones' LP cover with real zipper on the front.

Forget the name of that album. Anyone have a pic of it?

[Jessica]

54. I love this one ...

[MissMillie]

62. I like that one too! (n/t)

.

[Solly Mack]

55. Any by Franzetta and ,of course, "Eddie" by Riggs

and I really like this one: by Kelly Freas

[dean_dem]

56. Mr. Canuck must be reading my mind, but...

I still can add:

[Tikki]

57. The Flesh Eaters album....

Tikki

[MissMillie]

61. I love Roger Dean's cover art

[charlyvi]

63. My Favorite---Cheap Thrills

Big Brother and the Holding Company with JANIS!!!




Drawn by Robert Crumb