Classic albums with boring covers

[Stumpy Pepys]

Not so much bad LP covers; more the "will this do?" school of artwork.

Countdown to Ecstasy is a fine album, but Christ, that cover is bland.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Astral Weeks.

[ad hoc]

[Jah Womble]

The Beatles I get, but the other two are great sleeves.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Astral Weeks is bog standard cut 'n' paste, psychedelia. Also totally wrong-headed given the content of the album.

[Jah Womble]

I wouldn't really call it 'psychedelia' at all. Just a classic introspective singer/songwriter shot.

Works for me, at any rate.

[3 Colours Red]

N E W

O R D E R

S U B S T A N C E
1 9 8 7

I don't really need to post the cover, it's pretty much just that.

[G-Man]

The cover for the White Album is great, within its context. As the proper follow-up to Sgt Pepper's* with its colourful, hyper-elaborate sleeve, the almost entirely blank cover of the 1968 album is intended to communicate that this set is going to be something very different. "We've left Sgt Pepper's behind; this is us now," the cover says, with the attendant message that The Beatles fancy themselves as having progressed from Sgt Pepper's.

Of course, once you opened the White Album, it turned out to be a very generous packaging, with the huge poster of a collage, and the four individual cardboard A4-sized photos. It can't be said that nobody bothered much with the cover presentation.

*if we disregard Magical Mystery Tour, which was a compilation rather than a conceptual album.

[WOM]

... but the other two are great sleeves.

If you're looking for design that says 'hey....here's this....if you want'.

[Jah Womble]

Steely Dan’s isn't a promo shot, it’s an unusual illustration.

I'm not saying they’re the most stunning images ever committed to print - they just ‘aren’t’ boring.

[elguapo4]

The Jam, great band that they were, had a lot of dull covers of the lads standing around looking moody.

[Guy Profumo]

Dire Straits

Making Movies

[Hot Pepsi]

[Sporting]

*if we disregard Magical Mystery Tour, which was a compilation rather than a conceptual album.

There were quite a number of songs which had their debuts on this album. Half a compilation maybe.

[Amor de Cosmos]

It was an EP in it's original UK release.

[caja-dglh]

As per AdC - it was definitely not on 12" vinyl, which is not an album.

[Jah Womble]

Apart from the minor amusement factor provided by Art looking as though he has a huge moustache.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Sorry, deleted my post by accident.

Apart from the minor amusement factor provided by Art looking as though he has a huge moustache.

Not good on any level.

[Sits]

I always assumed that was symbolic of something.

[Patrick Thistle]

Metallica

[Stumpy Pepys]

[Stumpy Pepys]

Actually, that G'n'R cover is more shit than boring.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Actually, that G'n'R cover is more shit than boring.

Think it's stretching the scope of "classic album" too.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Think it's stretching the scope of "classic album" too.

I only own Appetite for Destruction, but I was under the impression that was one of their better efforts. But I submit to your superior knowledge.

[delicatemoth]

Ugh, that is horrible. Looks like tinned spaghetti.

The thing about Magical Mystery Tour is that if you grew up hearing it (the album length reissue with the singles on side 2), Revolver and Abbey Road then it's in your head as a proper album like the others, and a very good one too.

I always found the cover of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn rather dull, but I grew up with A Nice Pair, the cover of which is endlessly fascinating to a child.