Bands whose album covers/artwork you love, but whose music leaves you cold?

For me, it's the Grateful Dead. Ever since I was a little kid I've loved their iconography. It might be my favorite of any band. But, try as I might, I just can't get into their music. I've tried for 30 years, starting when I first moved into a vegetarian co-op house in college that had a LARGE contingent of deadheads. (I myself was into the Smiths, REM, the Cure, Prince, Ramones, Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, Clash, etc).

but the Dead's iconography? Wow.

 

Agreed. Not a Dead fan, but a fan of their associated art.

 

Yes...never have been a fan of their work post "Close To The Edge" but the cover art for the most part outstanding in a mediocre sci-fi platform

Uriah Heep...not a big fan of their post 73 music but the art was perfect for the "Mystical 70s"

Kansas...I detest bands of this ilk with a passion at least the art work was somewhat intriguing (on a certain level of intellect)

IMO the debut & sophomore Boston records were the best of the genre & the only albums of any real substance & personality also

Styx..."Pieces Of Eight" was IMO the only record the band released where the music & art were of equal merited status

That sums it up for me as I don't buy music I don't like

 

Their album covers became less interesting after Aoxomoxoa

 

Roger Dean’s artwork for Yes.

 

when i was a kid, I never heard them. They weren't played on the rock radio stations in San Antonio, TX and I didn't know a single person who listened to them. But I would see some of their artwork in rock magazines, and I'd see some album covers....and I always thought they must be some hard rock or heavy metal band like Black Sabbath or Judas Priest.

Boy was I wrong.

 

Steal Your Face and Blues for Allah are cool.

 

agreed. Loved the artwork and the music.

 

Asia. Not my kind of music but I really dig their album art!

 

you know it

 

That was one of the things that upset Garcia as well, people would identify the band as metal by the way they were marketed to the populace with skulls & such

 

True. But Workingman's Dead, Wake of the Flood, Terrapin Station, Go to Heaven (and everything after it) don't have artwork as great in my opinion

 

Did it not ever occur to him that maybe the band name was part of the problem?

 

Little Feat and Pure Prairie League were never my cup of tea musically, but I will say that their album covers were always artful.

 

Nazareth, No Mean City: cool artwork, but the actual music is not very inspiring.

 

He never said anything about that only the way they were marketed & probably because he never really expected his fan base to grow all that much from his core audience like myself...

Phil Lesh replied he hated the "Mega-Dead" of the late 80s & early 90s, & I couldn't agree more as the close knit community of Deadheads exploded into a behemoth of gargantuan & stadium proportions

 

I had the exact same impression growing up!

I can remember sitting at a high school party looking at the cover of Reckoning and being confused and intrigued by the music. I was not hearing what i was expecting. Boy was i in for a life long treat. Not sure if the acid helped.

 

I'm sure it did. And I'm sure smoking weed also helps appreciate the Dead.

Trouble is, for me at least, I've never been into drugs....and maybe that's part of the reason I've never gotten into the Dead. Drugs just don't agree with me, other than caffeine and alcohol. I;m a caffeine junky most of the time, but do like an occasional drink to mellow out.

 

Black Flag. Their music is ok but their graphics were superb, by Raymond Pettibon, who is Greg Ginns brother.

 

Nobody forced him to accept the cash generated by the stadium tours. He couldn't have hated it that much.

 

Personally, I thought that Journey had cool album covers but I never was into them.

 

Nothin' wrong with that. As the old joke goes.....

What did the deadhead say when he wasnt high.........?

Spoiler: Punch Line

Wow! This band sucks!

Back on point. My pick would be the artwork of Klaatu. Loved the covers but the music did nothin for me. Oh well.

 

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Agree!

 

Make of it what you want I was just stating facts man

 

XTC. I like some of their songs but I'm not a huge fan. Their LP covers are generally great though. Hmmm... maybe I should give them another try...?