Alive With The Glory Of Terrible Album Art

posted in: Music News • Pop • Rock

In the music world, even in this digital era that we find ourselves in, we can’t ignore the visual element. Music videos still entrance us, the clothes a band wears help us identify a culture we want to be a part of, and album art¦Oh, album art. Back in the days of vinyl, when packaging could add value to a recording and we were all nerds for liner notes, covers were a true form of art.

That’s not to say that album art still isn’t important. Who hasn’t bought a record based simply on the album art? Still, album art can be red flag and a red herring”telling component and just some throwaway to wrap the music in. Limp Bizkit seems to think that album art is important, at least in helping them to construct their visually compelling, edgy brand.

Snicker.

Wes Borland, guitarist for Limp Bizkit, recently commented on the eye catching style of the album art for the group’s most recent release, Gold Cobra. Harkening back to classic horror movie posterage and Frazetta-style art, Borland said that, “I put it through my retard filter and it came out like it did on the album.”

Can’t disagree with you there, Borland. Though we can’t expect much better from Bizkit, given their track record of absolutely horrendous cover art. So kudos to them for earnestly embracing their aesthetic and not pretending that it’s something that’s it not. Plus it gives the listener a good idea of what to expect from Durst and company.

Bizkit isn’t the only outfit that features album art that is underwhelming, though few can touch their consistency. And it’s not confined to the world of rap-rock either! In fact, bad album art has a long, illustrious history in the annals of rock music. Now, we’re not going to pick on the little guys who don’t have a big budget for their packaging. No, we’re gunning for the big dogs. Like Poison.

“Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”. “Nothin But A Good Time”. “Fallen Angel”. Classic tracks of the ’80s hair metal era. These songs are a little cheesy, we get it. It’s all in good fun! But Poison made you know how cheesy the material in their seminal Open Up And Say… Ahh! was going to be. Look away if you’re lactose intolerant.

That’s pretty much all the worst parts of the ’80s rolled up into one image.

So sure, pick on the low brow musicians. As though some sophisticated, high-minded artiste couldn’t produce anything aesthetically displeasing. Not true! Jeff Beck has performed with the likes of Mick Jagger, Stevie Ray Vaughn and with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page as part of The Yardbirds. Obviously the man has chops, but his taste in aesthetics has to becalled into question thanks to the release of his 2010 effort Emotion & Commotion. Beck is English by birth but that album cover is enough to warrant him honorary US citizenship.

Think what you will about the cover. Beck is laughing all the way to the bank”Emotion & Commotion was one of his highest charting efforts in his solo career to date, on both sides of the Atlantic no less.

But, in terms of terrible album art, there may be not artist more consistent in both the high quality of their music and the dreck they decide to wrap it in as Prince. Prince’s effect on the pop-cultural and musical landscape is without question, but if he only spent a fraction of the time on his record covers as  he does on his craft…

Since 1988’s Lovesexy, the quality of the album art for Prince’s records has varied from the simply uninspired to the poorly conceived, the ill advised and the “early casualty of photoshop”. It’s not a condition that’s improving with time and judging from his latest, 2010’s 20ten, it’s only getting worse. Prince, you’re an amazing musician, a cross-generational sex symbol and an iconoclast. You don’t need to add comic book character to your resume.

Got any other albums with art that you love to hate, or just outright hate? Any other gloriously bad examples that we might have missed here? Then let us know in the comments!

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