Top Ten | Worst Album Covers - Vol.4

Another look at some of rock's worst albums sleeves, from the underwheming to the eye-wateringly bad.
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#badalbumcovers #ranking #classicalbum

[@tlmoscow]

This would be a truly wonderful video, if only you’d stop waving your hands around like a Dutch flipping windmill.

[@Pixelologist]

Some people talk with their hands. It's not a big deal. Try not to fixate.

[@dutchcub]

Don't offend our beautiful Dutch windmills!

[@someguy7424]

Hey, I do the same thing. I don’t think about it unless somebody points it out to me, it just comes natural.

[@grantross2609]

must admit I quite like the windmill effects !

[@Foul_Quince]

At last! Hot August Night gets it's Just Deserts! As for the Tom Jones album - U2, Count Basie and Jefferson Airplane all had atomic bombs on their cover art. It's Not Unusual.

[@losburrachomagnifico7153]

You have the corniest sense of humor in the world.

[@bridie1824]

I actually really love the War Child album cover. I've always found it creepy in an odd way and just as avant-garde as the album itself!

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

It's kind of intriguing in a cheap '70s way but a strange position for the title/name, though.

[@davidl570]

Yeah, it's really odd, but definitely not their worst album cover........................that honor goes to A Passion Play.

[@Robutube1]

My interpretation of that Neil Diamond cover has always been something I kept to myself - you've freed me at last 😁.

[@SwisstedChef2018]

Ha ha ha, great comment, I asked myself why Neil Diamond came up at all

[@GeoffCB]

@@luciouslisa5586 Strangely, I've never noticed before. 😅

[@timhewtson6212]

A touch of the Jim Morrisons, literally.

[@lemonpillow]

In the 80s,while me and my metal head pals all wore the standard tight jeans and leather jackets,long hair, the metal buttons ..I was a big Flock of Seagulls fan. I still am in many ways. Of course,I had to order "Dream" into our local record store. And I remember the dude trying his hardest not to laugh as I paid for it ..oh dear ..

[@LolliPop2000]

Speaking of Tom Jones and the Stones... when Decca turned down the original Beggar's Banquet toilet graffiti cover, Mick called them hypocrites because this cover was far more "offensive."

[@nandopelusi7699]

War Child: I loved the mystery and intrigue of the cover, the music, the attitude, and the originality of that album.

[@Wayner71]

Hot August Night reminds me of the incredibly humid and mosquito-infested Summer nights in 1970's Brisbane that I knew as a child. That record cover was always lurking somewhere back then. Just seeing it reminds me of that uncomfortable humidity. The irony is that August in Brisbane has never known a hot night as it is in the midst of Winter. I don't remember ever playing the album either.

[@freeman10000]

My oldies owned Hot August Night. The sound of Brown vinyl sofas.

[@samlove35]

Love the humor and insight! Keep 'em coming!

[@Stephenloizos]

ha ha ha-your neil diamond description is high comedy art!

[@1deplatt]

Fantastic!!! Hysterical!!! Keep ‘em coming.

[@tullmonkey]

I guess Ian Anderson due to the negative view the critics gave Passion Play thought he'd give them a negative view on the next album Warchild......

[@davidl570]

Hmm.....................VERY good point! Maybe that WAS his intention. If that's the case, he's a genius!

[@Metro8k]

Great stuff. Always glad to watch one of your videos because of how uniquely articulate you are. I was wondering if you could make a Prince worst to best video? With a discography as vast and brilliant as it is I’m sure you would make a great video about it. Cheers.

[@harryturnbull4781]

Yes I love War Child too, album and cover. In fact it went missing in one of my many house moves and you've inspired me to replace it!

[@billbez7465]

Always been interested in awful album covers. Excellent channel, never miss a video.

[@classicalbum]

Much appreciated!

[@mjames4709]

Made in the Shade is a great cover considering it was an el cheapo record to buy.

[@tawnieriekena7]

Excellent show. How about some Worst Album Titles too? For worst cover and title, I nominate Grand Funk's All the Ladies of the World Beware.( or whatever it is called.)

[@michaeldy3157]

True

[@keithdonald6583]

As an album cover designer myself I’m indebted to you for emphasising all the tropes I should avoid...thank you great video

[@timhewtson6212]

I think the main lesson is, "Don't design album covers unless you are Roger Dean."

[@marthaworc7873]

This literally made me laugh out loud. Well done.

[@ayeatropoulos1]

You're description of the atomic Jones has had me rolling laughing for nearly an hour.

[@glennpowell3444]

Very entertaning. On a side note I have very much got back into ELO recently and they seem forgotten in the bowells of rock.I actually met Roy Wood many moons ago watching a local band he was supporting.I felt a bit overwhelmed to be in conversation with him.They were a big band in the late 70,s and early 80's but just seem forgotten.Sorry I will stop rambling and go to get a dram.

[@stuarthecht8196]

Some great choices here, Barry, and funny as always! I'm not a fan of the War Child front cover, either. As much as I love Ian Anderson, I don't love looking at this weird picture, but at least it doesn't feature his codpiece. Regarding the back cover, I never minded the pictorial representations of the songs- it was kind of fun to decipher which picture went with which song. Two of my own least favorite album covers are by Styx, but they're both great albums: Pieces of Eight (those women on the cover creep me out) and Cyclorama (that giant descending carrot looks more like an orange turd). I guess for good measure I'll throw in Led Zeppelin's salute to "Father Knows Best" on the cover of "Presence."

[@TheProgCorner]

I love these episodes!!!

[@johncollier9280]

Here are some more awful album covers: Handsome Beasts-Beastiality; Adema-Topple The Giants; Millie Jackson-Back To The Shit!; Wasnatch-Front To Back; Come-Don't Ask Don't Tell; Profits Of Rage-Ultra Mondo; Fela Kuti-Fela's London Scene.

[@SimonHolcroft]

I actually don't mind the Tom Jones, it has an kitsch appeal. My vote for worst cover has to go to Black Sabbath's Sabotage. Poor Bill Ward. The whole thing intimates a cock up of spinal tap proportions.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

I love these!

[@21st_Century39]

Just came across this blog. Glad you like Flock of Seagulls, l do too,despite being a Prog rocker. Never liked Cliffy though. Keep up the "Slaughter of the Guilty" when it comes to bad taste in the music industry. Your wit and humour are well appreciated in this house, l can tell you.

[@frankez1975]

I was always underwhelmed by The Doors The Soft Parade, Black Sabbath’s Technical Ecstasy, and Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic covers. PS, love your channel.

[@chopayrussell9660]

Really ??, Dan's "Pretzel Logic" ??, I think that is great portrait , especially when fully opened and the gate fold band photo , great stuff Now their "Katy Lied" , that's pretty bad

[@natetardini8750]

@@chopayrussell9660 And The Royal Scam is worse!

[@davidl570]

Pretzel Logic is easily one of my favorite Dan covers! Katy Lied and Gaucho are certainly far worse.

[@OldGuitarMan]

I watch this channel to learn some understated (by US standards) British slang. We don't get much matter-of-fact, whispered, "wanging his clanger" over here. I shall add it to my toolbox.

[@timhewtson6212]

Yes, wanging your clanger is definitely appropriate in your toolbox.

[@spiritualarchitect4276]

The 2 WORST album covers ever made are probably the last 2 U2 albums - Songs of Innocence & Songs of Experience.

[@previousimage5326]

My pick for all time worst LP cover art is without a doubt "There's the rub" by Wishbone ash. look it up; absolutely ghastly.

[@someguy7424]

Sweet Christ, you weren’t kidding. 🤮

[@provincialfish]

I think the Tom Jones is a take off or parody of the count basie lp Atomic Basie, which I think may gave also been on Decca, as soon as your jones image came up I instantly saw the Basie cover

[@davidl570]

Now I can't decide what makes my stomach turn more--that Brainstorm cover or the one for Orleans' Waking and Dreaming. I'd say it's a dead heat.

[@michaeldy3157]

I love the diamond cover and like tech ex

[@drmusic3641]

Here's a few more: Orleans "Waking and Dreaming" Paul McCartney "Driving Rain" ELO "Time" Foreigner "Head Games" Cheap Trick "Woke Up With a Monster" Fleetwood Mac - barring "Bare Trees", "Penguin" and possibly "Future Games", there's some gawdawful covers starting with the debut thru "Heroes are Hard to Find"

[@maxthepupp]

Im A big fan of the Hot August Night cover - its an aptly described review of the record from you quote actually. Excellent album! Rock on!🤘😎🤘 Also Love Beach jokes NEVER get old. Worst. Cover. Ever.

[@eriamjr]

May I suggest you do a video on the ten feeblest attempts at rhyming in song lyrics? I’ll kick off with Ken Hensley’s Rain, the first two lines of which *rhyme* ‘unusual’ with ‘usual’.

[@slowmarchingband1]

Always been puzzled by Warchild's cover.. Front cover - just pants really, back cover - Reader's Wives. Bizarre.

[@Foul_Quince]

Not a lot of people know that Melbourne looks exactly the same at night time as it does in the day time.

[@slowmarchingband1]

Ah, because it's upside down...

[@chrisboerger465]

Have you ever included Schoolboys in Disgrace by the Kinks? Even at the height of my Kinks adoration, I was still hesitant to buy this album because I wasn't sure I wanted that monstrosity in my collection. Another one is Struck by Lightning by Graham Parker for the sheer cheapness of it. It looks like some obscure 60s album you'd find at the back of a bargain bin or at a suburban garage sale.

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

I like the back cover of "Warchild" because it portrays all of the song titles using people, props, and even a Sea Lion.

[@robertharvey2604]

Some of those covers are, indeed, really bad. I somehow missed volumes 1-3 of this series. Will check them out.

[@7554EdwardG]

"There's nothing like a picture of German proggers in ladies underwear to set your day off right". Hilarious tour of album covers gone wrong. Much as I love them, Jethro Tull. outside of Stand Up, Aqualung and Thick As A Brick had some lamentable LP covers and War Child is right up, or down, there with the most underwhelming...

[@nyrocks5580]

I think the War Child front cover is pretty cool. or at least not bad. (Certainly not as bad as WC2!) You had Too Old to Rock...in Vol 3 as well. I was surprised by that, too.

[@thirdcoast5755]

I like Magnification (looks like a radar image or maybe some kind of map of the heavens).

[@12dreams]

Dire Straits has always been one of my favorite bands, but their album covers, with the possible exception of "Love Over Gold", are about as boring a collection of covers as you'll find by a single band.

[@frommetoyou1981]

Agreed. Great band, poor covers. 'Love over gold' is a good cover as you say but bar that........pretty dull. 'Making movies' love that album but what an underwhelming cover.

[@Captain_Rhodes]

the self titled album has a good cover. i think the image suits the title and while its not striking or eye catching, when you look closer i think it works. the image on lov over gold is nice but i dont like the typeface they used over it and it spoils it.

[@michaelbaucom4019]

This Dire Straits fan completely agrees, Love Over Gold the only good cover...and the live album " Alchemy "... looks like a bad attempt at being like Salvador Dali...or something you'd find in a litter box

[@davidl570]

Eh, I agree.....................but, while pretty lame, Mark's guitar is definitely a thing of beauty on the Brothers in Arms cover.

[@12dreams]

@@davidl570 Absolutely...It's a 1937 14-fret National Style "O" Resonator

[@harizonflamingice3167]

I'm probably exaggerating this a fair bit as many argue that this album art does fit around the theme of the album quite well, and the album itself is quite great for sure despite me preferring later works a bit more, but I never was crazy about the artwork for Deloused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta for whatever reason, though generally speaking their artwork is quite amazing as a whole.

[@rushbravado1972]

I still think if you want to pick a Stones album that has a bad cover what about "Got Live If You Want It". Mick biting the hand that buys the albums maybe? Here are some other ones to consider 10 Peter Criss-Out of Control (Exploding jukebox) 9 Type O Negative-Slow Deep and Hard (No Comment on this cover, explanation not necessary) 8 Queen-Hot Space (Too much Rubik's Cube going on) 7 David Bowie- Reality (Looks way too cartoonish) 6 Kiss-Hot In The Shade (Shades on the Sphinx? No thank you) 5 Queensryche-Hear In The Now Frontier (Ears ears everywhere) 4 Motley Crue-Generation Swine (The Pigs have it) 3 Quiet Riot-II (Just dont get the locker room scenario, just a bit weird) 2 Black Sabbath-The Seventh Star (Hello I'm Tony Iommi, nice to meet you) 1 Rod Stewart-Foolish Behavior (Stewart in your face)

[@davidl570]

.........................and on the inner sleeve of Got Live If You Want It, it shows all of the other band members biting somebody's hand! The hell were you guys thinking??

[@spiritualarchitect4276]

I bought Made In The Shade TWICE just for the album cover! LP & CD.

[@dancalmpeaceful3903]

My wife and I were dying......better than a comedy album....

[@RodericSpode]

“I don’t know what it says about the album except it should sold in a brown paper bag”. Harsh but fair.

[@NicholasSadlier]

Imagine standing in a queue waiting (not too long hopefully) to buy that Brainstorm album

[@marcbergeron8690]

I like A Flock Of Seagulls more now than in the 80's. Especially their 3 first albums. When they did Dream Come True in 86, they had lost the services of their excellent guitar player Paul Reynolds. And it's probably the reason this album is not as good as the previous ones.

[@lancep4164]

I like the War Child Cover.

[@TooSkinnyKenny]

how were there 2 separate bands called Brainstorm? The one I know what a soul/disco group who had a big hit called "Lovin' Is Really My Game"

[@johnw706]

Those 4 guys from the Brainstorm album cover should have been frolicking in the toilet bowl as well….

[@davidl570]

*resists urge to vomit*

[@SwisstedChef2018]

Have you reviewed the great Steve Hackett, I know Sea of Tranquility did but I really want to hear your bid.

[@SwisstedChef2018]

"post shag fatique" Dude, only YOU can come. up with this - brilliant

[@aquatarkus2022]

As for The Lemon Pipers, I doubt they had much input into their covers. The record company, Buddah, was notorious for doing what they wanted with their groups. LP were also expected to record bubblegum pop when they wanted to be heavier.

[@frippp66]

delicious - really enjoyed that

[@stanferraro4130]

The current Jethro Tull cover is quite annoying to look at . But I still love Ian.

[@danaaronmusic]

A Passion Play is the worst cover. Almost puts me off listening to the brilliant music within.

[@davidl570]

@@danaaronmusic Yeah, that cover is just plain UGLY.

[@davehandelman2832]

Ok so for vol 5, you MUST include Billy Breathes by Phish!

[@MrButtonpresser]

Brilliant

[@jimhyman8544]

"Panty-loosening music." 😆😆😆

[@chopayrussell9660]

A truly worst album covers is Jan Akkermans 1977 self titled , polychromatic brown with a stylized neon light title logo with Jan in bed with a horrific acoustic guitar The cover is so terribly disturbing I just had to have it

[@zsatsfm]

I've never liked that War Child cover either, it's a shame because the album has some great songs on it. I could say the same for the follow up album, Too Old to Rock and Roll...

[@MsBenlane]

i don't know neil diamond was or what he sounded like but looking at that cover i don't want to.

[@richard623]

The Rick Wakeman Cover is my favourite 🤣

[@jimmycampbell78]

It’s so godawful its brilliant 🤣

[@davidl570]

Looking past the awful background, WTF was with Rick's hairdo? Yeah, I know it was the 70s, but still...................................

[@lenpey]

I always like my green tambourine

[@TheDavidtk240]

Uriah Heep put out some interesting things back in the day, however the album Wonderworld has an off-putting cover.

[@jamiethorstenberg1033]

I always thought Abominog was a crazy cover

[@michaelpdawson]

I thought the Wakeman sleeve, with the mountain covered in foil, was possibly a spoof of Christo (Wraps-odies, get it?). While mocking the Lemon Pipers' lyrics, you rather quickly skipped over the fact that they coined the phrase Tangerine Dream! That Brainstorm album really is aggressively off-putting...they REALLY didn't want you to buy their album. Waiting to hear more about where you gained your familiarity with the upholstery in French bordellos...

[@mr.bloodvessel260]

I think that will be answered on Patron!

[@walterevans5658]

Dude, the Tom Jones cover is awesome.

[@stanferraro4130]

Van Halen's "A different kind of truth" and the " Tokyo Live" are "hideous".

[@worldofameiso5491]

You make I laugh my old lover.

[@marcraygun6290]

On a random note i worked with bowling for soups ig guitarists mother in law in a school here in wales

[@Frank_nwobhm]

Haha, the Neil Diamond album is one of the worst. I've always thought it should be called "Selfellatio".

[@jamesstegemoeller9069]

🤣🤣

[@davidl570]

I just DON'T GET WHY Neil would've okayed that cover! Was he too stoned or something?

[@mikebruce3933]

And your expertise in the wall coverings of French bordellos stems from?? 😉

[@Spock105]

Funniest or worse album sleeve ? I go for Acid Motherhood . That makes me wonder : band Gong is less known then f.i. Yes , but scoring higher in the general album rating then Yes on AllMusic.

[@stevecloutier8673]

Wallpaper in a French bordello! Apt comment.

[@robertsaul234]

Herbie Mann "Push Push"

[@anthonyscully2998]

Too serious Barry. The tom Jones cover is a fun cover

[@user-zh9ow3jz1t]

I kind of like the tull cover

[@lonegroover]

I bought that Rick Wakeman album back in '78. Sorry to say the music's worse than the cover. But how can you not like that Jungle Marmalade cover?

[@moose6509]

Hilarious stuff ! Flock of Seagulls may be much maligned mainly because of Mike Score´s side-splitting hair-do (The irony being that he´s as bald as you now) However, Space Age Love Song has to be one of the greatest pop tunes of all time......

[@adrianokury]

Late 70s must be the worst offender. The fondness for horrible collages, or worse, lame montages using color-altered photos...

[@jonesy2111]

Crosby, Stills and Nash 'Live it up' album cover has to be one of the worst ever and I'm kind of surprised its not on your list. As bad as that Tull cover is its still better than so many more that are arguably worse.... Queen 'the Miracle' is another stinker.

[@classicalbum]

It made vol.3

[@adrianreyes7114]

fleetwood mac english rose

[@Captain_Rhodes]

the tom jones one was cool

[@mikehernandez6024]

One vote for the Toe Fat album. Either of their albums, really.

[@brucybabyy7355]

toe fat 2 for sure.

[@davidl570]

Pete Pardo mentioned that cover in a "worst album cover" video he did a while back.............................if it weren't for him, never would've heard of Toe Fat!

[@sarahlouise7163]

the Tom Jones album cover is hilarious

[@kevinmuldoon224]

We’re the MFP sleeves ever that bad? Hallmark maybe.....:)

[@josemiguelfernandezdemarti7799]

I miss some Birth Control cover

[@rahulmatthew8035]

Dance of Death cover by Iron Maiden,even they were like what the hell is that!!!! 😂

[@classicalbum]

I think it made one of the earlier videos.

[@stevetobin7495]

Pyramids - read occult

[@NSlok.]

I dont think War Child or Magnification are that horrible. Replace those 2 with Fates Warnings "Night on Brocken" & ELP's "Love Beach". Seriously, what were they thinking? Apparently they weren't!

[@classicalbum]

Love Beach already done. Vol 1

[@michaelbaucom4019]

Supertramp's debut album( Indelibly Stamped is awful too, except for the boobies) Dire Straits: The live album " Alchemy "...a bad attempt at being Salvador Dali...or something you'd find in a litter box

[@TheD4VR0S]

Can anyone come up with a word that rhymes with orange

[@classicalbum]

You could do the whole poetic half-rhyme and sit it next to arrange

[@TheD4VR0S]

@@classicalbum OOh thats clever

[@KeithFarrelly]

Drop the... I believe

[@classicalbum]

Why?

[@KeithFarrelly]

@@classicalbum Good point

[@KeithFarrelly]

You do say it a lot

[@classicalbum]

I have to, I get a micro-penny from the 'I believe suppositories' for every plug... 'plug ' .. see what I did there?

[@keithfarrelly3869]

@@classicalbum Very good lol, I do enjoy your videos

[@timhewtson6212]

Brainstorm: the whole Trans thing used to be treated as a bit of fun (think 'I want to break free,' by Queen). Much more dangerous territory nowadays (actually, it was dangerous territory for Queen then, but in a different way). Still, as most Trans men I have seen in San Francisco recently are wearing boots and beards, maybe this cover just looks inauthentic. Plain red covers were in vogue at one time: Talking Heads, Jefferson Airplane, The Streetwalkers. Red is, of course, considered the ultimate color of beauty in certain countries, like Russia and China, thus its adoption by Communism. Red, in the West, is more associated with garishness and aggression. (Thank you, auto-correct: yes, harshness.) And Communism. Block red is very popular for covers in the book industry. The Rick Wakeman cover would have been OK without the cheesy photo of the man himself. Still, he has released something like 112 albums, so his stocks of art supplies must be getting rather depleted.

[@bobthebear1246]

How is keeping listening to you more important than avoiding COVID? 🤔

[@saurian11]

I think the Yes album cover for Magnification was kind of bland, but my least favorite covers by Yes are the ones for "Going for the One" (Odd, because musically speaking, it's one of my Favorite Yes albums), and the cover for "The Very Best of Yes" from 1993.

[@cyclesgoff9768]

A Gnu 🤣😂