# 40 of the Worst album Covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 16, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125 "2023-05-16T13:23:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/1 "2023-05-16T13:23:31Z")
You may have a couple of these on your shelf. šŸ˜„ No genre is spared. Rock, Metal, Rap, Gospel, Pop. Adele even made the list . I feel bad for the musicians. Graphic artists and the record label are usually responsible for designing the cover art. Iā€™m surprised The Beatles Butcher cover didnā€™t make the list. Link [https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/2A4E/production/\_106903801\_cb44d434-f8ac-4e94-9bb0-458fcc8d8f91.jpg](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/2A4E/production/_106903801_cb44d434-f8ac-4e94-9bb0-458fcc8d8f91.jpg) > **[Itā€™s Called Art, Sweetie: 40 Of The Worst Album Covers That Ever Existed](https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-bad-album-covers/)** > > Some album covers are so iconic, it only takes a second for people to name the band and the album itself. However, a terrible choice for a cover image can ward off potential listeners without even giving the recordings a go. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/2 "2023-05-16T13:35:31Z")
Thereā€™s always a lot of Christian music albums in these. Itā€™s usually because theyā€™re self recorded and donā€™t have an art director. Most of the time, the photo is staged like a high school yearbook photo. It doesnā€™t help that many hymns have double entendres. ā€œHe Touched Meā€ is very popular. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/3 "2023-05-16T13:38:52Z")
Thereā€™s nothing wrong with that Cramps album cover. šŸ¤¬ ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/4 "2023-05-16T13:43:32Z")
I know, right? Thatā€™s exactly what I thought. I was briefly intrigued when I saw the entry titled ā€œ **#34 Burt Reynolds And Susan Sarandon** , Music to Massage Your Mate Byā€. The couple on the cover do indeed look like they could be Burt and Susan, and I had high hopes for a celebrity duet vanity project that I had somehow never heard of. But alas no, the cover models are look-alikes, and the music is by some guy named Robert Wotherspoon. > **[Robert Wotherspoon - Music To Massage Your Mate By](https://www.discogs.com/master/1067108-Robert-Wotherspoon-Music-To-Massage-Your-Mate-By)** > > Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Music To Massage Your Mate By by Robert Wotherspoon. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/5 "2023-05-16T13:46:49Z")
No _Smell the Glove_ by Spinal Tap? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/6 "2023-05-16T13:54:28Z")
Many of them are funny (ha ha) and funny (sad) rather than just plain bad. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/7 "2023-05-16T13:58:32Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > No _Smell the Glove_ by Spinal Tap? You should have seen the cover they WANTED to do! I always find the bad album cover collections interesting. Who knew there were so many religious ventriloquists? In the linked list the one I found most horrifying was Leonard Nimoyā€™s record. And it didnā€™t even have the hobbit song on it. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/8 "2023-05-16T14:16:58Z")
And no Scorpions this time. They, by themselves, have at least 3 covers that regularly show up on lists like this. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/9 "2023-05-16T14:30:22Z")
A mildly cringeworthy album cover: [![](https://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/73/5/5/383.jpg) ](https://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/73/5/5/383.jpg) I was the unwilling host of ā€œThe Organ Music Showā€ early Sunday mornings, back in my radio days. This was one of the better albums available. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/10 "2023-05-16T14:47:31Z")
Mary Hinge ?! Yeah. Right. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/11 "2023-05-16T15:19:58Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Thereā€™s nothing wrong with that Cramps album cover. šŸ¤¬ Seeing that iconic cover pop up in the middle of that list is jarring. I think someone must have just done a Google image search on ā€œBad album coversā€ and found ā€œ_Bad_ Music for _Bad_ Peopleā€. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/12 "2023-05-16T15:27:16Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Thereā€™s nothing wrong with that Cramps album cover. šŸ¤¬ There is literally no other possible cover thatā€™s more ideal for that album. That cover is perfect and lives a life of its own. ETA I freaking love that Jodorowsky cover. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/13 "2023-05-16T15:54:01Z")
Two things. Nacha Guevara heavy tango does not rock as hard as I thought it would. And Adeleā€™s album cover does not belong on that list. Itā€™s not a great album cover, but itā€™s not horribly bad either. Uninspired at best. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/14 "2023-05-16T16:38:48Z")
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=240&width=320&href=https://www.facebook.com/TheIridium/videos/wing-back-in-black-2010/581674678960865/ Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/15 "2023-05-16T17:29:09Z")
Iā€™m in no mood to investigate myself, but is the actual music as cringeworthy as the covers or do you sometimes get some decent tunes? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/16 "2023-05-16T17:42:51Z")
The Adele and Cramps are fine. I have no clue why either is on this list, especially the latter. The rest I donā€™t know a thing about. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/17 "2023-05-16T17:52:09Z")
Some of the Gospel albums have a amateurish approach to the album covers. It does make me wonder about the music production. I donā€™t want to investigate. Musicians would visit our church and perform. They usually had a box of music cassettes to sell afterwards. It helped pay their travel expenses. We also passed around the offering plate to pay them. The production on those albums was minimal. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/18 "2023-05-16T18:32:31Z")
I expected the same old stuff, but was surprised to see many bad covers that were new to me (yeah, and I also wondered what the Cramps album does on this list). I especially like the white gospel group covers, they look like randomly picked photos from the family stack of self-taken pictures with cheap cameras, blown up for an album cover. And oh, the double entendres! Itā€™s actually quite unbelievable, but I suspect that really everybody in the production of these records were so naive that they werenā€™t aware of these double meanings. Or some were, but didnā€™t have the heart to tell the artists. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/19 "2023-05-16T18:34:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I feel bad for the musicians. Graphic artists and the record label are usually responsible for designing the cover art. At least one of those is deliberately ā€œbadā€ (#9: Bad News is a ā€œjoke band,ā€ like Spinal Tap, featuring Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, and Nigel Planer, of _The Young Ones_), and I wouldnā€™t be at all surprised if several others arenā€™t, too. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125/20 "2023-05-16T18:36:20Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > At least one of those is deliberately ā€œbadā€ (#9: Bad News is a ā€œjoke band,ā€ like Spinal Tap, featuring Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, and Nigel Planer, of _The Young Ones_), and I wouldnā€™t be at all surprised if several others arenā€™t, too. Yeah, the Knorkator cover too is intentionally bad. Theyā€™re a veteran German metal parody band. The title of the album, ā€œHasenchartbreakersā€, gives it away. Itā€™s a veeery bad pun on ā€œHasenscharteā€, which is German for cleft lip. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-the-worst-album-covers/984125.md?page=2)