# Best album covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215 "2005-03-18T22:13:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/41 "2005-03-20T01:11:07Z")
Dead Kennedys- [Bedtime For Democracy](http://besalelosdientes.com/topo/bed_time.jpg) Blanks 77-[C.B.H.](http://www.radicalrecords.com/bands/blanks77/cbh.htm). It’s best on the 10"gatefold Lp version. I second Flippers live album! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/42 "2005-03-20T01:37:58Z")
Natty Dread -\*\* Bob Marley\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/43 "2005-03-20T02:17:05Z")
The story behind the cover of **Who’s Next** is that the band was travelling through Welsh coal country and were inspired by both (1) the pylons set to anchor the man-made hills of mining waste and (2) an ample supply of the brewer’s art. Siezing upon the visual reference to “2001 Space Odyssey” and the obvious irreverent possibility resulted in: [![](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000024NOC.03.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) ](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000024NOC.03.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/44 "2005-03-20T02:41:15Z")
[Southern Rock meets Frank Frazetta](http://www.club-chantal.com/bilder/cover/mhatchet.jpg) - Molly Hatchet I also have very fond memories of the Ohio Players cover art. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/45 "2005-03-20T03:18:03Z")
Commander Cody - Ozone > **[Artist](https://www.artistdirect.com/artists)** > > Check out the hottest artists in Pop, Hip Hop, Alt Rock, Indie Rock, Electronica, Country, Hard Rock, Punk, R&B & Soul, and Rock on the ARTISTdirect Network! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/46 "2005-03-20T03:26:39Z")
How can I forget… [Cameo - Alligator Woman](http://home.concepts.nl/~cderijk/cameo08a.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/47 "2005-03-20T17:03:21Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > Commander Cody - Ozone > > [Artist | ARTISTdirect](http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,68010,00.html) Still have that on vinyl, too. Great cover and great album. Does anyone remember the _original_ album cover for **L.A.Woman** by the Doors? It had kind of a yellow plastic see-through thing going on but then they went to something cheaper. The Doors always had kind of neat album covers. Sunset Ride by the old Colorado band Zephyr was a beautiful example of vintage travel poster art decades before this became trendy. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/48 "2005-03-20T21:59:58Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > While I’m at it, it’s “Drowning Witch”, not “burning witch”. > > Anyway, I dig George Carlin’s album covers. Most all of them, particularly “Complaints and Grievances.” Great Og. I really must be careful posting and mixing martinis. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/49 "2005-03-21T00:23:33Z")
> [@Caprese](#): > > Does anyone remember the _original_ album cover for **L.A.Woman** by the Doors? It had kind of a yellow plastic see-through thing going on but then they went to something cheaper. The Doors always had kind of neat album covers. Yup, I owned it back then. All my albums burned in a fire in 1977, and my collection’s never been the same. My votes: Another vote for [**In The Court of the Crimson King.**](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47918D349A47120D0823E5DC7B153FB0ED24CEFC01D2F4749C586366D9B1E77D340A6C6CFB1E577B479AAB329AE5E0DD9CFEB469CA1&sql=10:oipzefqkhgfj) I had to stop wearing this as a t-shirt, though, because it gave both of my kids nightmares when thy were little. [**Brain Salad Surgery**](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47918D349A47120D0823E5DC7B153FB0ED24CEFC01D2F4749C586366D9B1E77D340A6C6CFB1E577B479AAB329AE5908D9CAEA469CA1&sql=10:37ri282i053a) by Emerson, Lake and Palmer Another vote for **Thick as a Brick** , in its original issue, and for **Wish You Were Here**. Plus one I’m surprised hasn’t appeared yet: [**Big Bambu**](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47918D349A47120D0823E5DC7B153FB0ED24CEFC01D2F4749C586366D9B1E77D340A6C6CFB1E577B479AAB329AE5908D9CBEE469CA1&sql=10:5qf3zfg8eh5k) by Cheech y Chong, which was a giant Big Bambu rolling paper package and even had a paper in it big enough to smoke a gym sock (with apologies to FZ fans for the gym sock reference…). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/50 "2005-03-21T02:39:30Z")
“Undertow” by Tool - that red multi-tentacled thingy creeps me out. “The Hurting” by Tears for Fears - the one with the little boy crying. “Seal” (1994) - he looks strikingly alien in that pose. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/51 "2005-03-21T10:37:14Z")
How about this Dylan poster that was included inside one of his albums: (Greatest Hits Vol. 1?) [http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Images/artwork/poster.glaser.dylan.gif](http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Images/artwork/poster.glaser.dylan.gif) And this Lennon poster that was included inside the Imagine album: [http://www.posterplanet.net/Music/images/lennonsub.jpg](http://www.posterplanet.net/Music/images/lennonsub.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215/52 "2015-11-10T05:49:51Z")
Good answers so far; and too many to mention. Pink Floyd had a slew. I nominate “Ghost in the Machine” by the Police, simple yet effective work of art. The idea behind it makes it all the more adorable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-covers/295215.md?page=2)