Band: THE BEACH BOYS
Album: SMILEY SMILE / 12th LP
Released: September 1967
Artwork: as a cover for a children book it would work perfectly,
but it’s a stinker for this album, especially as their best symphony
ever ‘Good Vibrations‘ is on it
Music: 6/10
Two top tracks…
– GOOD VIBRATIONS –
– HEROES AND VILLAINS –
Album in full…
Band: TRAVIS
Album: THE INVISIBLE BAND / third LP
Released: June 2001
Artwork: they lied, the band IS visible,
they’re trying to camouflage as
little trees under that big one
Music: 6/10
Artist: PETER GABRIEL
Album: SCRATCH MY BACK
Released: 2010 / his eight solo LP
Note: It was a covers album
Artwork: Red blood cells?
Music: Some interpretations
worked marvelously, some
didn’t work at all…
Band: EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
Album: ZIPPER DOWN
Released: 2015 / 4th longplayer
Artwork: Poor, sad, sexist, nonsensical 70s shit image
by a band featuring two of the most macho wankers in
rock (Jesse Hughes & Josh Homme), behaving like horny
old men 24/7…
Music: Macho crap
Album: SHOT OF LOVE
Artist: BOB DYLAN
Released: August 1981 / his 21st LP
Artwork: As much I’m a massive Dylan fan, I must admit that his album covers were regularly poor and this one absolutely stinks. It looks like an onomatopoeia out of a
comic book. I don’t know if God loved it as this was one of Dylan’s born-again LP’s
Music: Mediocre, except for ‘The Groom’s Still Waiting At The Altar’ / ‘Every Grain Of Sand’
and title track ‘Shot Of Love’
Band: R.E.M.
Album: GREEN / their sixth LP
Released: November 1988
Artwork: it’s not green at all
Music: supreme score!
Three highlights…
– POP SONG 89 –
– STAND –
– ORANGE CRUSH –
Album in full…
Band: SHELLAC
Album: AT ACTION PARK
Released: 1994 – debut album
Artwork: after Steve Albini got paid for making and producing
his band’s debut there wasn’t any money left for the artwork
Music: we should be happy all the money went to Steve Albini.
MASSIVE resonance! Go deaf here…
Band: KISS
Album: LICK IT UP
Released: 1983 / 11th album
Artwork: the only thing I ever liked about
this macho combo was the fact that their faces
were covered by funny make-up and suddenly
it was over and they became The Backstreet Boys
with curly wigs on. Scary!!!
Music: Arrrggghhhhh
Band: COLDPLAY
Album: X & Y
Released: 2005 / their third LP
What about the artwork: why not just call it A-Z,
end of story and split the band, would have been wiser
Music: two passable tracks (see below), the rest
sounded more like P & R = Plastic and Rubbish
– FIX YOU –
– SPEED OF SOUND –
Band: GUNS N’ ROSES
Album: THE SPAGHETTI INCIDENT
Released: November 1993 / Fifth LP
Verdict: tasteless album cover for
tasteless music by a tasteless band
.