Brilliant albums with horrible album covers

The Gentle Giant album cover is supposed to be a joke. The tongue appears to be licking a pair of buttocks which might get you thinking ‘ugh’. However, when you open the gatefold cover the tongue is licking (tasting) a peach .
The title presumably refers to acquiring the taste of their amazing but hard to categorise music.
But you knew that really.

 

glad they stuck to theirs guns for the box set, too

 

Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour: Great album, but cheap and amateurish cover art:

 

Yep, that one's pretty horrid.

And the album is great.

 

Well, this is much better than the original Starless And Bible Black Cover. Here, the background color for the text is much softer and neutral and by putting just "Starless" they avoid the clutter and smudginess of the design of the original album cover.

 

Good God.

 

I've never heard the album to be fair - but I've just realised that this could be because I hate the cover so much...

 

Simple. Such a brilliant album deserved a better. It's not like LZ didn't have the money for it.

 

Yeah - it's like the photographer couldn't be bothered to pose for the picture, let alone look at the camera for the shot.

Wonderful album, though - my second favourite Beach Boys LP.

 

I agree but then do we all think Zepp IV has a great cover?

 

Always like those two covers. Represents the music I think.

 

That is my favorite cover ever. It helps that I like cows.

 

If I remember correctly, the artist had a whole collection of similar minimalist drawings where the title was a sort of punchline that clarified the subject.

 

This cover doesn't bother me that much....not on the great side though....

 

Go-Go’s Beauty And The Beat

 

Seems to me that cover is meant to be a bit tongue in cheek...playing on the word beauty...and a bit of a poke at the glorification/beautification of women, while doing the exact opposite... not that bad of a cover

 

I think you’re correct. But from a commercial standpoint it is ug-lee. It should never have sold the amount it did except for the fact that the music is that good.

 

The cover is so bad I own 2 copies

 

I always thought that cover was inspired by Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, one of the most important (and beautiful imo) paintings in the history of art:


But yes, it may not have helped sales.

 

Going in the opposite direction, this is one of my favorite covers....and it is great album as well... good place to start with the Bonzos

 

No, but I think it's an improvement on this one. LOl.

 

Are you serious?

 

For worst, this is probably not the worst cover ever, but I don't get the impression that it helped the sales any....
Also good album... some great stuff on here...."Roll Over Vaugh Williams" always sounds like Godzilla is stomping Tokyo flat.....heavy sound... love it....all downbeats

 

Great music but....