To mark Bob Dylan’s 60th birthday, how about voting for the worst album cover in his long and (occasionally) illustrious career ?
Let’s face it, there are some doozies to choose from especially those which feature Dylan’s own paintings. Nevertheless, I would have to plump for Shot of Love - a terrible attempt at Roy Lichtenstein style pop-art. Mind you, that terrible Miami Vice style jacket he wears on the cover of Empire Burlesque runs it a close second.
Is he trying to discourage the public from buying his records or what? I can only think of three good Dylan covers - the charming shot of the man with Suze Rotolo on Freewheelin, the enigmatic Bringing it All Back Home and - of course - the ultra cool Triumph Motorcycles T shirt gracing Highway 61 revisited. For a guy with almost 50 albums to his credit, that’s not a good strike rate.
Is there any other major artist who has such consistently awful cover art ?