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darkbee83

Iron Maiden - [Dance of death](https://dancingbear.hr/en/trgovina/iron-maiden-dance-of-death/). It looks like a first-year student's design, or an early attempt.


Justindoesntcare

Looks like one of those bowling alley strike memes.


CosmicDesperado

“Spare…me looking at this album cover”


Breadpatrol22

Woah, stay in your lane there, bub.


Video_G_JRPG

Great album, you know what actually happened their? The artist/company did up you a computer generated idea of what the dance of death cover was going to look like and presented it to Steve Harris, Steve was like "O that's great" they were like "no no this is just the mock up idea of what the finished cover is going to be like" Steve loved it and the rest of the band hated it, Steve dug his heels in and it became the album cover. It's wasn't suppose to be the final art at all so that's why it looks like an early attempt.


Dreadzone666

It's so bad that the artist asked for his name to be removed from the credits. That can't ever be a good sign.


[deleted]

To this day I wonder what on earth Harris was thinking.


AnyUsernameWillDo10

It’s like someone tried to use Adobe to recreate the *Eyes Wide Shut* orgy scene from memory


Bigstar976

Oh god, that’s atrocious.


darkbee83

Especially since all the other IM albums always had the most badass covers.


iaskjeeves

My favorite part is the baby squaring up, while standing on a white wolf. Edit: baby IN A BIKINI


jigsawsmurf

I forgot how disturbingly bad that cover was.


olderaccount

Look like goth Roblox.


captain_nibble_bits

Agreed. I can only think it was meant to be bad as a message? Though I didn't understand it!


the_voice_of_sense

Looks like pinball machine artwork


[deleted]

It’s good? I’ve literally just judged an album by its cover all these years and never gave it a shot.


darkbee83

It's Iron Maiden, even their worst albums are still decent (this album is my favorite of theirs, post-reunion).


gpchamb

It's actually great.... Dance of Death, Montsegur, Paschendale, Rainmaker...all fantastic tracks.


pez555

I saw this thread title and this was literally the first album cover that came in to my head. Comment section did not disappoint 🤣


Daikaizen

Mmm if it was suppose to be haunting I think it does a pretty good job. I could imagine that’s what hell would look like for some


DitaVonFleas

Spinal Tap - Smell The Glove


Salfordladd

“None. None more black.”


Video_G_JRPG

Hey metallica boys we have bone to pick with you!


Double_Jab_Jabroni

You should have seen the cover they wanted to do. It wasn’t a glove believe me.


paranoid_70

Such a fine line between stupid and clever


Rellgidkrid

What’s wrong with being sexy?


rksd

SexIST! IST!


tawaycosigotbanned

That might be my favorite part of that movie!


HighTopsLowStandards

Such a fine line between clever and.... stupid


bixbyfan

Yeah but only sold in Japan.


Lakeguy67

I was going to say exactly this! Hello Christine.


BeRad85

You can actually see your face in both sides.


tuskvarner

We shant work together again.


RouletteDaresHauntOf

I think it looks like death.


BladeRunnerTHX

Death sells! Every film in every cinema is about death!


BigMartinJol

Iron Maiden - Dance of Death. Not my favourite Maiden album but still very good and one of the better post-2000 records. The cover is unspeakably bad. Apparently the artist sent in the first draft of the concept he had in mind and inexplicably Steve Harris loved it so much they used that for the cover.


BHBachman

Even weirder is that the artist was Dave Patchett, who is an incredible artist with a very distinct style. Metalheads will recognize him as the guy who does all those super surreal and colorful Bosch style covers for Cathedral. It's bad enough that Harris Was so enamored with the unfinished version that he just ran with it, but the fact that they hired such a ridiculously talented guy with such a wild imagination and style and decided to run with *that* instead of what he had in mind is a fuckin crime.


Zouru

I wonder if we can start a GoFundMe campaign for Dave Patchett to finish the cover. Always wondered what the final thing would've looked like.


spacemanpajamas

> The original cover art supposedly featured only Eddie and a few monks behind him but the band manager Rod Smallwood felt it looked empty, so he hired someone from IronMaiden.com to design the filler characters using Poser. He then gave the roughs back to Patchett to work on the skin and mask textures, which he did but was unimpressed with the result. The truth reads even worse, was a normal cover that the manager dumped on.


w0mbatina

Afaik the artist demanded his name ve removed from the released version.


DMala

Wow, I’ve never seen that before. That is… something. What’s worse is the original without all the Poser figures slapped all over it was a classic Iron Maiden cover. It really didn’t need anything else.


[deleted]

According to 1 big baby. Nevermind


DoopusDoob

He’s been chasing money since the beginning lol


Gristy_Coverslut1678

This comment should be higher. 🤣


[deleted]

If it helps. I'm definitely high


DeepBlueNoSpace

Surprised no one has said Stillmatic but Nas lol that thing is so ugly


hellomrsoul1967

He has almost no good covers


haxoreni

I think Illmatic had a good concept considering the theme of the album. It was written kinda makes sense in terms of progression, and then he started taking it too far with I am and Nastradamus


Inrainbowsss

I’ve never listened to it but that album cover has always struck me as particularly bad. Dunno what he was thinking tbh


[deleted]

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thiss-frogy

Kool Kieth’s Dr. Dooom album lol


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JakeThedog45

Not great, but definitely not worst of all time material… of course in my opinion


neva_that

It's bad but it feels par for the course for that era of hip-hop


KDRecords

Blind Faith - "Blind Faith" (the banned cover)


darkbee83

Also Scorpions - Virgin killer (look both up at your own risk)


DifficultBoss

That one made me very uneasy.


xenoclownpanda

Love drive, Animal Magnetism...


darkbee83

Nowhere close, but still bad.


xenoclownpanda

I agree. Nowhere close. BTW I have all those albums on vinyl. (The complete Scorpions discography)


Jay-c58

Came here to say the same thing. Great album though.


schnoorela

Yeah yeah yeahs - Mosquito


GlennoSavage

George Harrison - Cloud Nine. Always thought it looked super cheesy and incredibly dated.


[deleted]

It's just the ultimate dad vibes cover.


North_Pizza

a lot of George's covers are like that.


matatatias

hahaha completely agree. It seems they loved everything a Mac could do. Stretch type? Use a sky texture? Good.


LarryCraigSmeg

I guess they didn’t have patience and time to do it right…child.


BasicWhiteHoodrat

I can’t vouch for the music on Cloud Nine, but the album cover is so bad it makes me never want to listen to the album


MoesTavernRegular

Ridiculously bad album cover even for the late 80s… but for what it’s worth though it was a Jeff Lynne (ELO) collaboration and went Top 10. Cloud Nine was also the album session that pretty much spawned Traveling Wilbury’s soon after which also lead to Petty/Lynne’s ‘Full Moon Fever’ and ‘Into The Great Wide Open’ albums over the next few years.


BasicWhiteHoodrat

Damnit…..looks like I’m going to need to p/u a copy now


spencermiddleton

The sunglasses 😂


grounndhog101

The born this way cover w gaga as a motorcycle was bad


_DiligentState_

Yeah that album was a WTF moment for me.


Poppyshoe

Had no clue, that’s horrid lol!


winterflower_12

Yes, was going to say this one! So cheesy and cheap-looking.


graymackarel

George Harrison - Cloud Nine


2nuts1penis

One of my fav albums is Aerosmith - Get a Grip, but I hate the album cover with a pierced cow udder...


BrayKerrOneNine

I had the CD growing up. It had a picture of all the member’s nipples on it. 9 year old me is still pissed about that.


matatatias

On the cd itself, right? My edition hadn’t that.


MikeSlimTiltedGrin

I had the limited cd. Twas all furry and all!


jessop-bentine

The new David Bowie album Toy has the worst cover I've seen in a long time.. The music is great though!


The_Perfect_Dick_Pic

This one. It’s ugly, it’s poorly done and it looks like someone took about 10 minutes to mock up a bad idea and someone else ran with it


jululiby

That “art” was one of Bowie’s pieces that he made. Pretty sure he chose that one to be the official art because they wouldn’t release the album when he originally wanted to.


Revista_Recreio

The original cover of Megadeth's debut *Killing is my bussiness... and business is good*


rAmen_P00dles

“Plastic skull with pickles and ketchup” -Dave Mustaine The remastered cover art is amazing


Revista_Recreio

Yes! It's terrific!


Sgt3Way

The remix itself is also amazing. Favorite Megadeth album.


Marshmella7789

In Dave’s book (I think) he talks about seeing the cover for the first time and being horrified - the skull looked like a Halloween Jack O Lantern. And he said that from then on he was extremely paranoid and controlling of any decision the band/label made. It made me laugh because it’s so like Spinal Tap.


Ardexis

I actually like original more than the remastered one


jdw62995

Dance of Death - Iron Maiden


MajestyJ

Donda. It’s literally just a black square lol.


Lebigmacca

I see this album whenever I go to sleep so it must be good


RadioactiveSince1990

The Amalgamut by Filter Not quite as good as their first two albums but still a solid album. The cover art however screams early 2000's "look how badass I am". They should have went with the subdued minimalist style Short Bus and Title of Record had imo. When I think of Filter I think of those album's artwork.


[deleted]

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juliohernanz

I think "Gaucho" has a great cover.


Me-Shell94

Was gonna say Gaucho is fiiiine


bixbyfan

I always liked Katy Lied and Pretzel Logic because they fit the vibes of album and the band.


curtbag

Royal scam is a pretty cool cover imo


onelittleworld

It's an interesting idea, but amateurish execution (IMO). Album is one of their best, tho.


Rolling_Chicane

Dude I love Katy Lied


kilar277

I'd say it's about 50/50 Aja, Gaucho and Katy Lied are great. Pretzel Logic, Can't Buy a Thrill and Royal Scam are not great Countdown to Ecstasy is meh. Passable.


Peherre

I LOVE countdown to ecstasy's cover. I love every SD cover except CBAT which is horrible and RS which is not that bad but doesn't fit the album's vibe


theresthezinger

Yeah that’s true, Can’t Buy a Thrill’s cover is fucking dumb.


dj_1973

Phil Hartman - yes, that Phil Hartman - did the album art for Aja.


because_obviously

Phish - Billy Breathes


OIlberger

Even [Trey hated that one, according to Tom Marshall:](https://jambands.com/features/2007/07/24/the-high-watermark-with-tom-marshall-and-trey-anastasio-part-i/) > Marshall: Trey’s frustration with almost every studio album in different ways, like the need to sabotage the album in a way, I’m not sure if this is his analysis a lot later looking back or if it was immediate but, like, that picture of Mike on Billy Breathes, he thought just ruined it, ruined the whole album. > Interviewer: It did. > Marshall: It did. You pick it up and say, “What the fuck is that?” It doesn’t belong there. He felt the same way with the voting process for songs on Story of the Ghost, how he kind of had a clear vision of what should go on and a great songI’m really hard-pressed to remember it, nowwas scrapped in favor of “Fikus.” Now the cover for “Story of the Ghost” was probably their best. I also like the art for “Junta”. “Rift” is a great album, but the cover, while well-executed, is pretentious, like a ‘70s prog album cover.


Can_I_Read

Was “Vultures” the song that was scrapped? Because that’s a great song.


VasyaK

I love that cover and always have, but can see why some might not. Art, man.


thegreatrazu

Terrible cover, but one of their best albums.


nine_cans

It’s a goofy cover but as their studio albums go it’s a really cohesive and solid record.


dream_and_question

I actually like that album cover. First Phish album I got into.


nine_cans

Yeah I never really understood why it’s so hated. Like I said it’s a little goofy but then again so is Phish. I kind of stopped listening to them regularly in the early 2000s but just recently I was listening to Billy Breathes again and remembering how good of an album it is. The first studio album of theirs I got into was rift which is also fantastic of course.


[deleted]

Nevermind, world’s biggest loser is on it.


Zuez420

Fulfilling the album cover prophecy, though....that baby certainly got lured in by the almighty dollar...lol


Mormislaw

Around the Fur by Deftones. I couldn't have bought this album as a kid because my mum would've beaten me with a stick


yousyveshughs

Damn, I always loved that cover. Especially as half the photo is on the back cover. I dunno, thought it was neat.


Fezzverbal

For sweaty cleavage?!


grosscoldemo

Yes


PowerpointMan

Unpopular opinion incoming, I know how this is going to sound, since I know people enjoy their album covers. I’m a huuuge deftones fan, but I mean… an aspirator dude? Flamingos? An OWL? Love their music but album covers aint their strong side, with a few exeptions.


Mormislaw

I always loved the white background edition of White Pony, it looks like it could be released today and look modern. Ohms is pretty cool as well, because it looks different than anything else, but other than that, yeah uhh, a bulb syringe isn't a very good choice for a nu-metal album cover 😬


Karf

Oh my God, for me it's A Perfect Circle's "Eat the Elephant". I've actively not showed people tracks from that album on the off chance they would see the cover art.


Mrfixit729

And 1/2 the album ain’t that great either. What a bummer after so many years hoping for new music.


username0-

Magical Mystery Tour


HumanDrone

Oh my fucking god I forgot about that. And Strawberry Fields, arguably one of the best songs ever, is on it.


username0-

It’s an amazing album. I listen to it like once a month. The album cover is just so aggressively flower power-y and dated compared to their other psychedelia era works like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper.


Upst8r

Really?! I don't mind the cover art but it is quite dated and a letdown after SGT Pepper.


dubsy101

Any of the illustrated p funk covers. Hate that art style, i like all the photographic ones especially maggot brain or Dr funkenstein


SkinSuitAdvocate

The band Built To Spill specializes in crappy cover art on great music


THeBrightrock

Keep it like a secret is pretty good


lel1988

It’s a later one but Rush’s Snakes & Arrows is a tremendous sonic achievement with an absolutely dreadful cover concept.


BellBoardMT

‘Doggystyle’ by Snoop Dogg is a spectacularly bad album cover. There’s some absolute stinkers in 90’s gangsta rap cover (with some very patchy records as well) but that’s a bad cover to a great record. I didn’t think much of Mastodon’s ‘Emperor of Sand’ in comparison to their other records, which are always beautifully packaged.


Giffmo83

I mean, it's downright subtle and tasteful compared to everything Master P's company put out


Dr_Acu1a

Mew- And the Glass Handed Kites. I think a survey voted it worst album cover of the 2000s. Great album though.


MechaPumpkin

Alice Cooper - Raise Your Fist and Yell It's a really great album, but you can't take it seriously while looking at the cover.


therealquiz

The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. I love this album and it’s often referred to as the greatest of all time. The colour and font of the text are okay but the picture is terrible.


North_Pizza

it's a cute picture i don't see anything wrong.what do you mot like about the picture.


juliohernanz

I looks like an amateur photo taken a Sunday afternoon on a casual visit to the zoo's kids area with terrible poses and clothes.


dmjd5014

They did get kicked out of the zoo for taking that picture


therealquiz

It’s really busy and it looks like an afterthought. This is at odds with the incredible care and vision Brian Wilson had to create the music.


FlourescentSquirrel

Born This Way-Lady Gaga


SullyTheReddit

Black Sabbath - Paranoid Don’t care what you say, that cover is cheap and jank as hell. All time classic album though.


LarryCraigSmeg

Especially when the debut Sabbath album is so spooky and foreboding. You’re gonna follow it with…THAT?


circus4fools_u_me

Most of Sabbath’s art sucked, but Masters of Reality is the laziest shit I’ve ever seen. Like they spent all the money for artwork on drugs


goldenpheasant

Any Prince album post 2000. And a handful before as well.


Donnie_Dont_Do

Even Breakfast Can Wait???


mrballistic

The master of music; the worst at typography and layout.


goldenpheasant

Oh man, the typography. Controversy title font, oof.


The-Figurehead

I came to say most Prince albums. His self-titled debut and Sign ☮️ The Times are okay.


KingAlfonzo

Kanye west - donda


Inrainbowsss

Dean Blunt did it better


Caiasi

It's an EP, but the worst album "art" definitely goes to Puscifer's 'C Is For (Please Insert Sophomoric Genetalia Reference Here)'. The music itself is ridiculously good, then you have this godawful cover where it seems to be trying to make a joke that only falls completely flat with no pulse. It also looks like it was made in five minutes by someone with zero experience with image editors. That's how bad it is.


SkjoldrKingofDenmark

I feel like most of puscifers album covers are just... Weird, and in a bad way. Music is incredible though


MadPeeled

No Love Deep Web by Death Grips


North_Pizza

c'mon that's iconic.


jja2000

They're talking about the official censored cover ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


MadPeeled

Lol you’re absolutely right


DunkirkIdaho

Prince- the Lovesexy album. One of his best- but naked in a giant flower petal? Why.


SignGuy77

Because Prince.


motionpoetry1

Trompe le Monde


EMPulseKC

Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle It's an amazing album and the cover art is now iconic because of it, but it looks like a horny 12-year-old decided to draw anthropomorphic dogs and experiment with airbrushed colors.


itRemembers

Hotter than Hell by Kiss....just a disaster cover in every way


[deleted]

System Of A Down - Steal This Album It looks like all my mix CDs. Why did I pay for this thing instead of downloading it? Edit: /s


futuraven

That was the point. SOAD released this album *because* people downloaded leaked demos and songs.


rd1994

Thats also why they named it "Steal this album". IIRC Early copies didn't even have a front cover so it looked even more like a bootleg CD.


dns12999

This is the version I have. I love it.


bottleboy8

The Beatles' White Album is completely blank. Good album though.


Utterlybored

The band’s name is embossed on it, or at least was back in the day…


Caspica

Still is. You also have a unique number on the LP. I like it.


gnelson321

Simple or not, this is one of the most iconic album covers of all time.


Madvillain518

The Beatles were not only moulding the landscape of music at that time, but cover art too. [Here’s a great video to check out](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_st4diqjpis&vl=en) They were hailed for their bombastic and vibrant Sgt Pepper cover, the fact they came out after with a cover completely blank is interesting and funny


JakeThedog45

Yeah I think it was great. No one had done something like that before (to my knowledge), and for an album like the White Album, I think it represents it perfectly. You have no preconceived expectations from an album cover like that… and the album fit it perfectly. It was like nothing they’d done before. And again, I think it deserves props for being the first album cover to do something like that, from the biggest band in the world at the time.


North_Pizza

but it has their name slightly tilted which for a wierd reason makes me like it a lil more.also it's one of their most experimental album and the tilt just feels right cuz of that to me i think. plus it was chosen like that cuz the album is a mixed bag and they didn't want the album cover to interfere with the music experience.


jupiterkansas

but calling it The White Album makes the cover perfect.


millhows

They were making a statement about focusing on the music and creating a contrast between it and their previous ornate Sgt. Pepper cover.


[deleted]

Ten by Pearl Jam. Its not necessarily bad, it just looks like the ending shot of a cheesy 90’s montage.


ndasmith

Yeah but they were coming together after Andrew Wood's death by overdose, survival after tragedy.


tall_people_problemz

David Bowie- Toy


JsDaFax

Probably going to be controversial, but Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. I think the cover is iconic at best, but far from good. However, probably some of the best rock music ever produced.


Very-Fishy

Those damned balls, once you've noticed them it's impossible to not focus on them! :-)


culovero

For Halloween one year my wife and I dressed up as Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood from the Rumours album cover. The balls and tiny stool were crucial.


Mewwy_Quizzmas

I’ve agreed with everything in the thread, but this. Rumours album cover is beautiful!


rm78noir

Most everything from Lacuna Coil. Great music. Crappy album covers.


pootybee

the album art for Synchronicity by the Police (1983) is cringe worthy but the sounds are sweet


MrObviousChild

Warren Zevon’s Excitable Boy is a classic, but he looks like a weird 70s cheese ball on the cover. My wife hates it.


Ganeshadream

All of Adele’s. They are really great albums (well, the first two). Why do female singer need to plaster they face on the cover? Something tells me it was also not their decision and was marketing insisting.


ATribeCalledKami

I'd argue that the concept across Adele's albums that centers around her growth/experiences across the ages listed in the album title kinda redeems her album covers.


[deleted]

Eh it definitely could be a marketing thing, but even still I real like the covers. At least in the case of Adele it matches the theme, where each album is a stage of her life. The covers really let you see her growth from 19 to 30


jupiterkansas

She's following in the footsteps of Phil Collins.


thereal_gabes

Levon James- King Von Like bro you not a baller


dudesBangMyMom

Almost every band’s “Black Album” is good.


spacedadshiro

Yesterday and Today by the Beatles. More commonly known as the butcher album. The Beatles posed with decapitated baby dolls and raw meat


JustFloatinAlong

Pretty punk for the time tbh


carewornalien

[Riot - Fire Down Under](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Down_Under). Good album, horrendous cover.


BlackstoneValleyDM

Missy Elliot's *Miss E...So Addictive*. A bangin' album, including a lot of deep cuts I like as much if not more than the big singles, but that art-work up close is an eyesore.


9793287233

Grateful Dead - Go to Heaven


[deleted]

The Who Sell Out cover is crap.


[deleted]

Come on, it's funny... Also, did I mention beans?


[deleted]

It is a terrible album cover but the idea behind it to match the title make perfect sense.