# Worst/Ugliest CD and/or LP cover



## samurai

On one of the other music forums to which I belong, they have this thread, and it seems to have garnered a lot of interest and participation. Therefore, I would like to bring it to this forum as well. The covers in question may denote any musical genre you wish.
I'd nominate this, from Trane:







The music contained therein is most sublime, but its cover. *YIKES!*  What were the producers possibly thinking about when they released this monstrosity? :scold:


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## joen_cph

Ever since the earliest LPs, there has been a lot of bad-taste covers alluding to aspects of heroism, such as









- the original "Eroica" with Scherchen. It´s a great recording, but the cover is _really_ bad (around 1955).









This is surprisingly late, around 1985 or so - exceedingly morbid or confusingly psychedelic - from the Italian Moviemento Musica label.


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## Crudblud




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## KenOC




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## Sid James

Beethoven's greatest hits (had this ages ago) - or is it Beethoven with gangrene?










No. 1 Debussy album (great 2 cd set I still got!) - but he looks like his head is very badly deformed or something. Like one of those medical conditions where the skull does not grow properly (cretinism?).


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## quack

This is a thread where people post great covers in the mistaken belief they are awful.









Was Brendel born with congenital anguish? "Oh lord that moose is suffering".


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Beethoven's greatest hits (had this ages ago) - or is it Beethoven with gangrene?
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> No. 1 Debussy album (great 2 cd set I still got!) - but he looks like his head is very badly deformed or something. Like one of those medical conditions where the skull does not grow properly (cretinism?).


You hit the nail on the head for me, Sid. Anything that conjures a rock connection. Not that I'm snobbish.


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## millionrainbows

quack said:


> This is a thread where people post great covers in the mistaken belief they are awful.
> 
> View attachment 10835
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> Was Brendel born with congenital anguish? "Oh lord that moose is suffering".


Ha ha Haaa! Hilarois! It even forms a "narrative!" That singer looks like Curly! Is Brendel playing "Larry?"

Here's one I find interesting: I call it "allegro serioso."


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## Vaneyes

On second thought...

View attachment 10837


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## Crudblud

Certainly not the worst or the ugliest ($tewmac has that covered, in all his beer swilling glory) but just look at it. It's hilarious.


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## millionrainbows

Vaneyes said:


> On second thought...
> 
> View attachment 10837


Vaneyes, I'll see your Tristan and raise you a Ring and a Parsifal.

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--------------------->


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## millionrainbows

samurai said:


> On one of the other music forums to which I belong, they have this thread, and it seems to have garnered a lot of interest and participation. Therefore, I would like to bring it to this forum as well. The covers in question may denote any musical genre you wish.
> I'd nominate this, from Trane:
> 
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> The music contained therein is most sublime, but its cover. *YIKES!*  What were the producers possibly thinking about when they released this monstrosity? :scold:


That's a shocking one! This was done with a Polaroid instant camera, and they would somehow smear the emulsion, either by pressure or using a chemical.


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## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> You hit the nail on the head for me, Sid. Anything that conjures a rock connection. Not that I'm snobbish.


Well you'll be pleased to know Vaneyes, there's a set that's got exactly the same music and recordings, just with a more highbrow cover and title to your taste. No "No. 1" reminiscent of lowbrow rock, nor is there a distorted visage of the great Frenchman. Just a suitably PC painting by Monet or whoever:










Is that good enought for you, you highbrow, you!? :lol:


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## Crudblud

millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 10840


I might have actually enjoyed Parsifal if it was done blaxploitation style.


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## Sid James

Not necessarily the worst but this series of Beethoven symphony LP's, some of which my parents owned, had the same design for different symphonies. Where they doing an Andy Warhol? Or is it a case of 'spot the difference?'


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## elgar's ghost

I never liked the sleeves from that von Karajan edition which showed him either on his boat, next to his jet, in a fast car, riding a motorcycle or gazing out of a chalet window which looked wider than the whole of my home. No problem with him enjoying the trappings of wealth or coming over as a cross between an international playboy and the Milk Tray Man but I thought it was in ones face all a bit too much. Actually, I think I've mentioned this on another thread somewhere unless it was (gasp!) on a different site entirely.


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## Mesa

Stolen from a blog post on awful covers? Yes.










Amusing? Also yes.


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## Xaltotun

Somehow I have special hatred towards this one:
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIVNWTDmccy5PiR4zgV-CO2XfR2dgVXbOjhzkdVmF5c06t58G39A


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## millionrainbows

Sid James said:


> Well you'll be pleased to know Vaneyes, there's a set that's got exactly the same music and recordings, just with a more highbrow cover and title to your taste.


The "No. 1" issue shall henceforth be known as "the deformed head cover."


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## Mesa

Xaltotun said:


> Somehow I have special hatred towards this one:
> https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIVNWTDmccy5PiR4zgV-CO2XfR2dgVXbOjhzkdVmF5c06t58G39A


So inexplicably awful words can't describe.

Actually... fatuous.


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## regressivetransphobe




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## Mesa

Needst thou a reason?


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## Head_case

Thank goodness. Just dropped into check.

None of mine are here. 

Carry on


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## millionrainbows

I think we should confine this to classical covers next time. It looks like the whole can of worms has been opened up.



Head_case said:


> Thank goodness. Just dropped into check. None of mine are here. Carry on


Those Wagners, with De Waart conducting, are rare and hard to find at reasonable prices. I had no regard whatsoever what the cover looked like, only the music inside, after I heard them on the radio. You might also wish you had them if you heard them, despite the covers. Don't let bad cover art deter you from this series.


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## KenOC

Not sure if this is one of the worst or one of the best...


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## Head_case

ME? ME???

Me wish ...I had Wagner???! 

No way hosey! Although Myaskovsky appreciated Wagner's music, I'm well beneath Myaskovsky. I'm one of the little scum like Bolsheviks 

Actually here are my ugly CD covers:

























Impeccable craftsmanship of this excellent American composer. I just don't get it when I consider what the artistic director of the CD cover was thinking ....


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## joen_cph

here´s another one ...


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## millionrainbows

Head_case said:


> Actually here are my ugly CD covers:
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> Impeccable craftsmanship of this excellent American composer. I just don't get it when I consider what the artistic director of the CD cover was thinking ....


Ain't much art direction to it, just photos of the composer. Are you saying that David Diamond is not photogenic?


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## KenOC

A cover that's a comment on the music?


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## millionrainbows

KenOC said:


> A cover that's a comment on the music?


More appropriate for that modern crap! Hyuk hyuk!!:lol:


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## samurai

This would definitely go better with Schubert's* Trout Quintet*, no?


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## samurai

KenOC said:


> Not sure if this is one of the worst or one of the best...


The best, most assuredly!


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## Head_case

Hmm. Something's fishy. 

That looks like fried dace and parsley.


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## millionrainbows

samurai said:


> This would definitely go better with Schubert's* Trout Quintet*, no?


Haaa haaa!


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## regressivetransphobe




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## Huilunsoittaja

I don't really approve of this one...









Or this one...








I mean, I don't think Glazunov would have approved either, they're not his aesthetic ideal at all.


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## elgar's ghost

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51D71mZY+fL._AA160_.jpg

I'll be jiggered if I can figure out the relevance with this one...


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## millionrainbows

I like this King Crimson cover, but nonetheless, I admit to its inherent "ugliness."









This Jethro Tull album is very good musically, but I always abhored this "newspaper headline" cover. Whose idea was this, and what were they thinking?









This is the US-only cover art for this Fleetwood Mac album. That's Mick Fleetwood's face. Was he trying to outdo King Crimson in terms of sheer ugliness?


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## millionrainbows

elgars ghost said:


> http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51D71mZY+fL._AA160_.jpg
> 
> I'll be jiggered if I can figure out the relevance with this one...


The Hindemith? It looks like a claw & feathers from a mortal who was "Metamorphed." Perhaps a reference to Ovid's "Metamorphosis?"


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## Crudblud

millionrainbows said:


> This Jethro Tull album is very good musically, but I always abhored this "newspaper headline" cover. Whose idea was this, and what were they thinking?
> 
> View attachment 10931


I always thought the packaging of the LP version was the best part of the album. The big fold out newspaper is full of stupid little stories that capture perfectly the banality of local news in England, great satire really.


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## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> I like this King Crimson cover, but nonetheless, I admit to its inherent "ugliness."
> 
> View attachment 10930


Gave me nightmares as a child.

Here's a terrible one no one's brought up yet:

View attachment 10941


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## Art Rock

Bruckner attracts the nutcases in cover design:

View attachment 10944


View attachment 10945


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## KenOC

A gloss on Herb Alpert:


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## KenOC

Get ready for this...


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## Vaneyes

The Donald's roadkill contribution...

View attachment 10950


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## KenOC

If the Donald, why not the Colonel? And timely, too.


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## Mesa

Was the one that terrified me as a nipper.


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## quack

More xmas terrors.


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## KenOC

Can't stay away from this thread.


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## millionrainbows

KenOC said:


> Get ready for this...


My God, it's Kim Beazley's sisters...


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## samurai

Mesa said:


> Was the one that terrified me as a nipper.


I can sure see why!! They look like demented gargoyles.


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## elgar's ghost

A question for millionrainbows (or anyone else) - who's Kim Beazley?


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## Vaneyes

Never mind.
View attachment 10969


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## millionrainbows

elgars ghost said:


> A question for millionrainbows (or anyone else) - who's Kim Beazley?


That's a very good question. I looked it up on WIK, and it says he's an Australian politician, which is true, to an extent. KenOC probably knows. He might even know him personally, or have his e-maill address. Go ask KenOC. Send him a personal message.


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## regressivetransphobe

One!... Two!... Three!... Three people on earth have heard this album! Bleh heh heh!


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## Chrythes

I found this site -

http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/worst-album-covers

Which features quite a lot of subtly creative album covers -


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## Norse




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## violadude

quack said:


> More xmas terrors.
> 
> View attachment 10952


Iono, that looks like a pretty good christmas present to me.


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## millionrainbows

Not ugly, just puzzling...exploiting their bodies for classical music...perhaps influenced by rap culture? Note the hot barefoot bassoonist, and the horn-toting "gangsta" in the background. Check out the lungs on that flute player on the left. The oboist on the right looks unimpressed.

-----------------------•••


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## Crudblud

Art Rock said:


> View attachment 10944


That was an instant day-brightener. Thank you.


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## Cnote11

Black man in a suit is a gangster, of course.

If you want a hideous album cover, look no further than any Kesha album/single/EP/any picture of her ever


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## millionrainbows

Cnote11 said:


> Black man in a suit is a gangster, of course.


_Dude! _I was referring to the pinstripe "gangster" suit! Come, on, Dude...Chicago 1930s...Elliot Ness...The Untouchables...tommy guns...


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Try this .....









American band too...


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## opus55

KenOC said:


> Get ready for this...


This makes me wish I never found this thread


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

opus55 said:


> This makes me wish I never found this thread


I think we have a winner here.....


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## millionrainbows

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Try this .....
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> View attachment 12216
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> American band too...


That's the artist Robert Williams. He does weird quasi-hot-rod art.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

mmmmm - gets my vote there are so many so hard to choose









for example


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## deggial

KenOC said:


> Get ready for this...


I just sat there and laughed for upwards to 5min. What a great find, cheers!


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Found these particularly not so good album covers- some Greek ones (hairy from 70's) spring to mind also as not so good.


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