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Waking Up with A. Putz: The Best/Worst Album Covers of All Time

Waking Up with A. Putz: The Best/Worst Album Covers of All Time

Posted by Amanda Putz on Dec 15, 2008
Check out that middle one up there. They're all so placid with that raging inferno behind them. I'm not sure it qualifies as a bad cover so much as a poor title. But then again, maybe it depends on your perspective. In 17th-Century England there were beavers that needed to be cocked and someone had to sing about it. Nowadays we sing about love and jerks who won't get their own moustaches.

Then there's Tony G. I find Fado to be sad and sexy at the same time, so I'm not sure why Tony has that Seinfeld-like smirk on his face. Maybe because he suspects someone put one of those 80s "rocker" wigs on him while his eyes were closed.

Over the years of email and the internet we've all received those links to hilarious pages of gone-by albums that we can't believe existed. (That's where Cody's came from.)

    :: Post your links to images of your favourites or the worst album covers you've come across. What makes good album art?

I think young Cody Matherson up there might have had a starring role in Fubar, but I can't be sure. All I know is I've never wanted to loan someone a feelin' so desperately before.

To all those who entered the Double-Date with Martha W. and A. Putz last week: click here for the winners announcement. Thanks so much for all your great blog answers.

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  1. KidGotham
    01

    Re: Waking Up with A. Putz: The Best/Worst Album Covers of All Time

    I nearly fell out of my chair. Tony Gouveia used to teach at my old highschool. Look at him, so high up on that list!
  2. thx1138
    02

    zip zap rap...

    ..wowie..thats bad:

    http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1391/544647277_3365effefb.jpg?v=0
  3. Vish Khanna
    03

    Mr. Gouveia...

    was my French teacher in high school.
    His performing pseudonym was Tony Tabu.

    This is not a joke; this is really real.
  4. Declare
    04

    Thank Goodness!

    I'm glad I know now....Satan IS Real!

    http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphics/louvin.jpg
  5. gunitpants
    05

    Re: Waking Up with A. Putz: The Best/Worst Album Covers of All Time

    that middle one is not real. you are literally yanking my chain.
  6. CookingZombies
    06

    Eddie Mack

    This one is really bad. But then again, his surname is "Mack".
    http://www.danacountryman.com/danacovers/CL-EddieMack.jpg
  7. enerie
    07

    Shock Value

    I see a lot of albums at my campus radio station, but the worst that I've seen lately is Suicide Season by Bring me the Horizon (I don't think they're Canadian). The cover is just disgusting. I guess it's memorable? ...but if I were a band I wouldn't want anyone who saw my album to be filled with extreme revulsion.
  8. strangeencounter
    08

    "Chicken Coupe de Ville"

    http://image.vmixcore.com/66/2468/25/9355354/119/66/93/ccb1ddedb8989bd72a50cf84333b8b02.jpg

    This has to be the worst. The extreme mullet, the ribcage, the horror.

    Good album cover usually does not picture the artist on the cover. Though I'm not so sure I'd go so far to call this guy an artist. But who knows, maybe the smash hit "I Seen Her First" is a complex composition showcasing brilliant insight into modern relationships.

    .... Yeah, probably not.
  9. CookingZombies
    09

    @strangeencounter

    Oh my! I've been LOL'ing so hard at this one, still trying to figure out what the censored word is.

    What a great topic, Amanda. I've been showing off these finds to my colleagues, which is brightening up this Monday morning, big time.
  10. queencitykid
    10

    Monday in Regina...

    - 45 degrees with the wind. Supposed to be like this all week.

    Love the terrible album covers!!
  11. gunitpants
    11

    Elfin

    gladstone and metcalfe. almost rented a place there. IT HAS A POOL INSIDE. and also a little elf logo next to the name on one side
  12. Peplerspray
    12

    Album Cover

    This album should have been called Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    http://www.virginmedia.com/microsites/music/slideshow/worstalbumcovers/img_5.jpg

    I bet this is where she wrote most of her music...
  13. strangeencounter
    13

    @CookingZombies

    Yeah, I can't figure that one out either ... I still can't get over how many "Smash hits" this guy apparently had :)
  14. Amanda Putz
    14

    Real life is stranger than fiction

    Oh gunitpants, it's very real. I took this 5 minutes ago so you'd believe me: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbcradio3/3110804974/
  15. canadajen
    15

    yikes

    http://www.gigwise.com/gallery/lordsofacid_controv.jpg
  16. Declare
    16

    Thank you Amanda!

    I love love love Old Man Luedecke....not in the romantic sense you understand...he's so great. I'm gonna go pick up his album today I think.
  17. gunitpants
    17

    re: real life

    oh i can't click on your link i don't have any internets. oh wait. yeah i do. and i you've proved thy self true. here is a little link http://www.smidgy.com/smidgy/2007/04/classic_album_c.html i think the man o war might be the best.
    and yeah avoid Primus. VOIP is the cheapest but not the best way to go.
  18. Silvorgold
    18

    Re: Waking Up with A. Putz: The Best/Worst Album Covers of All Time

    This one gives me nightmares:
    http://peasantswithpitchforks.com/point/images/ken_by_request_only.jpg

    Ivan Hrvatska's album cover makes me giggle each time I see it, reminds me of Borat
    http://dawn.cbcr3.com/nmc/13/13705/Images/clip_image002.jpg
  19. Declare
    19

    @ Silvorgold

    Ha, Ken looks like a serial rapist. I am scared too, hold me.

    Ivan's cover just goes to show that anyone with Photoshop can make an album cover!
  20. tb3
    20

    I love the time that gets spent on coming up with the package

    Being a graphic designer by day, smart ass comment maker by night, album cover art is something I've long had a keen love for…

    There are many many many examples of bad that can be talked about, but I'd like to talk about the good ones.

    One that stands out, likely cause I just picked it up in iTunes last week is the Brian Borcherdt. But I love the smoking sky hawk. Mid air, clutching a butt, without a branch in sight to be standing from… Is he levitating? Is he in Wonder Woman's jet? Who knows? But I love that cover.

    But I do believe I heard somewheres, here perhaps that the artwork was created by the same person who did the Holy Fuck artwork which explains why I like that one too.

    I also love the artwork for Ongiara by Great Lake Swimmers… That one for me is like a nod to the time when artwork came as a sleeve for a long playing record… a 12" sleeve that was in of itself like a canvas you could hang on a wall.

    One of my all time favourites was Hayden's first album. I remember in a time when CD's were all coming out in this standard plasticy form factor, that his was matte, printed directly on a card stock that created the CD holder itself was a marked change in the limitations, look and feel of how that shiney, four and three quarter inch silver disc came to us.

    And to step out of the CanIndie focus a couple other notables are anything PIL put out, especially Compact Disc. And didn't Pet Shop Boys release one that looked like it was made of Lego? and oooh oooh, I have always loved the Garbage releases.

    I could go on forever…
  21. suckamc
    21

    Re: Waking Up with A. Putz: The Best/Worst Album Covers of All Time

    Years ago we got a stack of CD's from some of our US coworkers, apparently they were somehow involved with the production of this one album. I'm having a hard time finding a big picture of the album cover, but it was pretty bad.

    The music was much much worse. The artist is Triggaman, and the album is Trigganometry:

    http://www.africanimportsusa.com/MusicStore/preview.asp?imageName=e236061ded3

    He's a dark dark man, and they didn't really take that into account for the cover...

    Such classy songs include:
    Bend On Over
    What It Hit like
    Food Stamps & Credit Cards

    yikes!

    Martin
  22. gunitpants
    22

    ghost consider yourselves hunted

    on the positive album covers i freally like Library Voices - Hunting Ghosts EP. also going back a little bit Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is another personal fav.
  23. vespa150
    23

    Royal Wood

    man descending is pretty cool.
    i'm looking at the new royal wood album on my desk right now and it is pretty sharp. he had a fantastic show at the Black Sheep on Saturday night by the way!
  24. jillenium00
    24

    @gunitpants

    Yeesh. I think that last one takes the cake. I boughtthis record the other day for 40 cents because I couldn't resist the cover:
    http://www.musicstack.com/item/12628937/fureys+_apz_+davey/golden+days
  25. Amanda Putz
    25

    Awwww jillenium00...

    My colleagues and I just oohed and awed over its cuteness. Love that one. Good bargain at 40c!
  26. Ahmed Khalil
    26

    Sad Cafe - Facades

    Check out the heinous bulges on these guys' too-tight jeans. Is everyone impressed with their masculinitay? Imagine the BULGING, THRUSTING POWER of their MUSIC!

    http://www.cdthen.net/CD_Graphics/Sadcafe_F.jpg
  27. Graeme WA
    27

    Richard & Willie

    This one takes the cake its offensive in so many ways.
    http://www.smidgy.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/13/worst_covers_richardandwillie2.jpg
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