# Like the album, hate the cover OR vice versa **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669 "2016-05-13T12:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/1 "2016-05-13T12:53:00Z")
I’d have thought this topic would have been covered 😉 here already, but I did a search and couldn’t see anything similar, so here we are. I saw an article somewhere recently about this topic - like the album, hate the cover - and while there were some bad covers, they were mostly for records I’d never heard of. Of the ones I knew, there were two that I liked _both_ album and cover: [In the Court of the Crimson King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Court_of_the_Crimson_King) by King Crimson and [Zuma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuma_%28album%29) by Neil Young & Crazy Horse Now, arguably both now those covers are bad art, but to me they compliment the music really well, so they’re good album covers. And I couldn’t really think of any album I loved but hated the cover of. Anyway, the opposite question occurred to me - like the cover, hate the record? Well, I don’t _hate_ the Eagles, but I’m not a fan. However, I think the cover of [Desperado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperado_%28Eagles_album%29) - front and back - is highly evocative and excellently realised, and really deserves a far cooler album to grace. So, let’s hear your opinions, and post links to images unless you hate something universal like the Sgt Pepper cover or Dark Side of the Moon. ---
**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 13, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/2 "2016-05-13T12:59:07Z")
I never like the cover of “The Who Sell Out”, mainly because it was a waste of baked beans. Actually, the album was pretty much a mess too, despite featuring a couple of the Who’s best songs. ---
**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 13, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/3 "2016-05-13T13:11:10Z")
The album cover for Mott the Hoople’s **[Brain Capers](http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/album_review/7088b000a487e229bd23c0d33a8973a588a3e1d5.jpg)** is pretty off-putting. The album is OK, but I suspect the cover hurt sales. The album cover for Supertram’s **Indelibly Stamped** kind of overwhelmed any music there. No link because NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/4 "2016-05-13T17:15:57Z")
_Smell The Glove_ ---
**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 13, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/5 "2016-05-13T17:44:15Z")
My go-to example of a great, and successful, album with a “surely you could have come up with something better than that!” cover: The Kinks’ [Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Versus_Powerman_and_the_Moneygoround,_Part_One) ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/6 "2016-05-13T18:37:07Z")
Like the album, hate the cover: [Black Sabbath - Sabotage.](http://images.junostatic.com/full/CS366983-01A-BIG.jpg) The story goes that somebody forgot to tell the band members to bring their stage clothes to the photo shoot, hence the cool concept getting spoiled and looking kind of goofy instead. Also, Deep Purple is a band in particular that I would say has a lot of classic albums and a lot of bad covers. Like the cover, hate the album: [Metallica - St. Anger.](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5311d009e4b08cb688151314/5543f842e4b07d3f99006141/559af718e4b0ca287d3ffbea/1461417086529/?format=1000w) ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/7 "2016-05-13T18:57:01Z")
Kane Welch Kaplin is a superb record, but the [cover](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=About+Kieran+Kane+Kevin+Welch+Fats+Kaplin&view=detailv2&&id=0B8F9C2D0AADE22C07866924178008BAB98AEBE4&selectedIndex=0&ccid=CQ4CMAcF&simid=608012008253426962&thid=OIP.M090e023007055b560ae0bb856b6137fdo1&ajaxhist=0)… well. I like the cover of the [first album by Kansas](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Kansas+1st+Album&view=detailv2&&id=89DF6B45E04CCB8BE41119FEA575BC1BDE0FD972&selectedIndex=2&ccid=%2bWXR6G7g&simid=608021242444251518&thid=OIP.Mf965d1e86ee029af5698b5f6dbe06f2do0&ajaxhist=0)(it’s part of a mural by John Steuart Curry called _Tragic Prelude_ and depicts John Brown)… I must say I’m not familiar with the album but I’ve never particularly liked anything I’ve heard by the band. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/8 "2016-05-13T18:58:48Z")
**Blind Faith** - good album, skeevy cover. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/9 "2016-05-13T19:52:58Z")
I never liked the cover of Lou Reed’s [New Sensations](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/new-sensations-19840607). It’s very dated now, plus it always bothered me that Lou’s joystick didn’t seem to be connected to anything. Good mid-period Lou album, though. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/10 "2016-05-16T12:17:04Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > Like the album, hate the cover: [Black Sabbath - Sabotage.](http://images.junostatic.com/full/CS366983-01A-BIG.jpg) The story goes that somebody forgot to tell the band members to bring their stage clothes to the photo shoot, hence the cool concept getting spoiled and looking kind of goofy instead. > > Also, Deep Purple is a band in particular that I would say has a lot of classic albums and a lot of bad covers. > > Like the cover, hate the album: [Metallica - St. Anger.](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5311d009e4b08cb688151314/5543f842e4b07d3f99006141/559af718e4b0ca287d3ffbea/1461417086529/?format=1000w) :eek: My word, the gentleman on the left in the Black Sabbath photo looks like he’s sabotaging his own fertility. Those are some \*tight \*trousers. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/11 "2016-05-16T12:54:28Z")
Steely Dan made some sublime music, but their album covers mostly reeked, with the lowest point, IMO, being [this effort](https://s3.amazonaws.com/thisismyjam/i/3fda6421eff5f47c649eee4e7134f986.jpg?1360536779) for _The Royal Scam_. A plain manila envelope would have been a massive improvement. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/12 "2016-05-16T13:56:02Z")
Though I didn’t exactly hate it, the album cover for Led Zeppelin’s [In Through the Out Door](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Led_Zeppelin_-_In_Through_the_Out_Door.jpg) was infinitely more interesting than any of the music (sorry, **fool in the rain** ). There were six different versions of the cover photo, all of the same scene but taken from different vantage points. The record sleeve was a black in white drawing that you could color by putting water on it. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/13 "2016-05-16T14:06:15Z")
Zep 4 - liked the album, not the cover (lol same goes for Houses of Holy…also skeevy, like the Blind Faith cover) (and its contents I’m nowhere near as crazy about as I am with #4.) first Sabbath album - like both album and cover, despite green-faced lady giving me the heebie-jeebies.:eek: King Crimson’s quite simple cover for “Lark’s Tongue’s Aspic” I dig, along with its contents. There’s an inner gatefold of a certain Lionel Ritchie album that there’s no fucking way I’m gonna be dastardly enough to show here. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/14 "2016-05-16T14:11:34Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Steely Dan made some sublime music, but their album covers mostly reeked, with the lowest point, IMO, being [this effort](https://s3.amazonaws.com/thisismyjam/i/3fda6421eff5f47c649eee4e7134f986.jpg?1360536779) for _The Royal Scam_. A plain manila envelope would have been a massive improvement. I find the cover for [Can’t Buy a Thrill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can't_Buy_a_Thrill) worse. ---
**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, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/15 "2016-05-16T14:16:45Z")
[Hypgnosis](https://wimwords.com/the-hipgnosis-album-cover-gallery/) did some amazing covers. Some were worthy of the album, but many far better. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/16 "2016-05-16T14:58:40Z")
Like album, hate cover: [Voice Farm, The World We Live In](http://www.recordsale.de/cdpix/v/voicefarm-theworldwelivein.jpg) A fun album of quirky early New Wave, but oh, I can’t leave that album lying around. Great cover, don’t like the album [Weasels Ripped My Flesh](http://www.zappa.com/stufftoget/wallpaper/images/downloads/Weasels_Ripped_1024.jpg) Rzzzzz! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/17 "2016-05-16T17:34:43Z")
Ca. 1990, I dated the owner of used record store. Every.single.time someone purchased Prince’s “Lovesexy”, they would cringe and say, “…the cover…” > **[Lovesexy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovesexy)** > > Lovesexy is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. The album was released on May 10, 1988 by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded in just seven weeks, from mid-December 1987 to late January 1988, at Prince's new Paisley Park Studios, and most of the album is a solo effort from Prince, with a few exceptions. The lyrical themes of the record include positivity, self-improvement, spirituality, and God. > Receiving mixed reviews, Lovesexy reached... ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/18 "2016-05-17T12:47:14Z")
☹ > [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Though I didn’t exactly hate it, the album cover for Led Zeppelin’s [In Through the Out Door](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Led_Zeppelin_-_In_Through_the_Out_Door.jpg) was infinitely more interesting than any of the music (sorry, **fool in the rain** ). There were six different versions of the cover photo, all of the same scene but taken from different vantage points. > The record sleeve was a black in white drawing that you could color by putting water on it. ☹ Awe _sniff_ I got the reverse for ya. Led Zeppelin III was a great album, the high point of their rock, blues, and folk sound, but the cover was horrible. It looks like they couldn’t make up their mind, and just threw a bunch of stuff at it and just said “fuck it”. ---
**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 17, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/19 "2016-05-17T13:03:11Z")
Come to think of it, the Who’s problem with album covers extended to [their later work](http://www.feelnumb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/1857546_logo.jpg) as well. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669/20 "2016-05-17T17:04:00Z")
Monochrome, featureless covers. It was original for the Beatles; everyone else is a copycat. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-the-album-hate-the-cover-or-vice-versa/754669.md?page=2)