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The Dark Elf 
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 Topic: Great Album...Bad Cover
Posted: September 19 2016 at 19:33 |
In honor of the release of Black Sabbath's Paranoid 46 years ago yesterday, it's time to talk about great albums with annoying, stupid, cheap or plain bad covers -- Paranoid being a great example.
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...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...
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EddieRUKiddingVarese
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Posted: September 19 2016 at 20:47 |
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"Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes"
and I need the knits, the double knits!
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The Dark Elf
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Posted: September 19 2016 at 22:05 |
^Nice one, Eddie. Phallus guitar and scrotum chin. But what's on the album? Is it at least good?
How about this great album with decidedly bad costuming (it even looked dumb when I was a kid):
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...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...
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EddieRUKiddingVarese
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Posted: September 19 2016 at 22:54 |
 The Dark Elf wrote:
^Nice one, Eddie. Phallus guitar and scrotum chin. But what's on the album? Is it at least good?
How about this great album with decidedly bad costuming (it even looked dumb when I was a kid):
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Yes album is good - cover shocking. Album contains some of the better tracks from the ill fated original Lather set, which Warner Bros refused to release due to Frank's ongoing contractual dispute with his former Manager and Business Partner Herb Cohen.
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"Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes"
and I need the knits, the double knits!
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Magnum Vaeltaja
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Posted: September 19 2016 at 23:51 |
A non-prog example:
Depending on who you ask:
Of course, the best example:
Perhaps you could argue that the minimalism is effective since it lets you keep your attention on the music and the ambiguity heightens your perception or whatever, but I've always thought that this one was generally bland, the exact opposite of the music therein.
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when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents
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Kingsnake
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 01:18 |
Magnum Vaeltaja wrote:
Perhaps you could argue that the minimalism is effective since it lets you keep your attention on the music and the ambiguity heightens your perception or whatever, but I've always thought that this one was generally bland, the exact opposite of the music therein. |
What about the inlay? It's part of the artwork, isn't it? Have looked at the inlay for hours, while listening, dreaming away.
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Kingsnake
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 01:20 |
Saga never were the band with the greatest artwork. Very sci-fi most of the time. Some were spot on, some were terrible kitsch, but this one takes the cake. Grande album, with excellent music, but the cover isn't something you want to be staring at for 40 minutes, while playing the record:
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Magnum Vaeltaja
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 11:15 |
Kingsnake wrote:
Magnum Vaeltaja wrote:
Perhaps you could argue that the minimalism is effective since it lets you keep your attention on the music and the ambiguity heightens your perception or whatever, but I've always thought that this one was generally bland, the exact opposite of the music therein. |
What about the inlay? It's part of the artwork, isn't it? Have looked at the inlay for hours, while listening, dreaming away.
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That's a different story. The Close To The Edge gatefold is one of my favourite Roger Dean pieces. Absolutely gorgeous.
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when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents
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Barbu
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 12:22 |
Magnum Vaeltaja wrote:
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Masterpiece.
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Barbu
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 12:26 |
Good music but... 
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Ier
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 12:39 |
Kingsnake wrote:
Saga never were the band with the greatest artwork. Very sci-fi most of the time. Some were spot on, some were terrible kitsch, but this one takes the cake.Grande album, with excellent music, but the cover isn't something you want to be staring at for 40 minutes, while playing the record: |
I don't mind staring at this cover for some minutes. 
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siLLy puPPy
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 13:39 |
Magnum Vaeltaja wrote:
A non-prog example:
Perhaps you could argue that the minimalism is effective since it lets you keep your attention on the music and the ambiguity heightens your perception or whatever, but I've always thought that this one was generally bland, the exact opposite of the music therein. |
I always thought that this Kansas album would have been a great Close To The Edge cover
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siLLy puPPy
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 13:40 |
I love this Brainstorm album. The cover would scare anyone aware from listening though
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aglasshouse
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Posted: September 20 2016 at 14:23 |
 Not a huge fan of Lionel Koechlin's art. I know it has that quirky and sort of childish charm but this is definitely one of his better pieces. Mainly because the blank space emphasizes the subject of the cover pretty well. Just not really to my taste.
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http://fryingpanmedia.com
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The Dark Elf
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Posted: September 26 2016 at 17:37 |
This one is genuinely disconcerting. It didn't make sense then, and makes even less sense now. Was Roger Dean on vacation? Great album, dumb cover.
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...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...
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Magnum Vaeltaja
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Posted: September 26 2016 at 17:47 |
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^ This is beginning to look a lot like the "album covers: WTF were they thinking?" thread.
Lots of men's bums...
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when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents
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The Dark Elf
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Posted: September 26 2016 at 18:02 |
Magnum Vaeltaja wrote:
^ This is beginning to look a lot like the "album covers: WTF were they thinking?" thread.
Lots of men's bums...
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The difference in that thread is most of the albums were dreadful. I'm strictly interested in good albums with poorly conceived covers. For instance, this is what I would consider a bad album design (without any bums):
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...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...
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stegor
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Posted: September 26 2016 at 19:50 |
 This album is pretty well known here, but when I found it in a used record shop years ago I had never heard of Fireballet. When I saw the cover I laughed, but when I looked at the back and saw it was produced by Ian McDonald and read some of the liner notes I figured this album was either awesome or horrible. I was pleasantly surprised. I would say it's pretty awesome. The cover is pretty horrible. Their other album cover of course is even worse, but I haven't heard it.
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uduwudu
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Posted: September 30 2016 at 05:06 |
Kingsnake wrote:
Magnum Vaeltaja wrote:
Perhaps you could argue that the minimalism is effective since it lets you keep your attention on the music and the ambiguity heightens your perception or whatever, but I've always thought that this one was generally bland, the exact opposite of the music therein. |
What about the inlay? It's part of the artwork, isn't it? Have looked at the inlay for hours, while listening, dreaming away.
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No. It took about a minute and the album about 40 minutes. Every time. Except for when I had only a cassette copy and no inlay. But yes, I do think the front, while not bad and a nice shade of greens does pale compared to say, Yessongs. Apparently Mr Dean disliked the brown on the front but the rest is ... finest kind.
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siLLy puPPy
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Posted: September 30 2016 at 07:19 |
decent BIRTH CONTROL album but need i say more about this hideous cover!
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Great Album...Bad Cover
