Album Covers featuring Yawnsomely Literal Cover Art in regards to said album's title.

https://i.discogs.com/rJB-CoUkQ06R8jVbYrqEI4wzVwFoxHcytdNIhRcKhSY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:500/w:500/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIwOTQw/OTQtMTI2MzY1NTE5/NC5qcGVn.jpeg

https://img.discogs.com/6IUjRtIJd6AxeWJaWSP9YYwK2UA=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-1672902-1235988304.jpeg.jpg

ha, thought it said “The Book” at first. could have ..almost.. worked

https://i.discogs.com/h0YSS0Y1q96HH8SSCqAGe44uSEjbSYDP8DmoqYIb5-0/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE0Nzk5/OTY5LTE1ODE4NDM0/NDktNDY1OS5qcGVn.jpeg

One of the other threads prompted me to look through Hipgnosis' portfolio, which was about 1% greatness and 99% terrible puns. I was slightly surprised that Herman Rarebell's Nip in the Bud wasn't a cutting-edge 1970s photo collage of e.g. a Japanese woman curled up inside a flower. Or a cartoon of a Japanese man emerging from the mouth of Bud Flanagan. I don't know.

But for every record that subverted my expectations there were e.g.:
https://i.discogs.com/jmwFe8CMWGMTebwwg6Zyl025k8_rmMQcSs1TMUzDgnk/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:596/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI4MTk4/ODMtMTM1MzcwMjU0/Ni01ODI4LmpwZWc.jpeg
https://i.discogs.com/HYyu7Aq6s54H_wEbN0HIO0C0kHZztznhl10nYBba12M/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:484/w:493/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI1NzMz/NTYtMTI5MTEzNjI3/OC5qcGVn.jpeg
https://i.discogs.com/TA1FtI02uBHilzt6hJyWtMGtzyiNbLu9VFKR1WR9iQw/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTM2Mjc3/MDktMTQxODMxNTQ3/Ni0zNTk2LmpwZWc.jpeg

And also Big Jim's Back by Big Jim Sullivan - it's a photo of his back. But that seemed too obvious. It must have been posted already.

Scrolling through all those records I am again struck by how utterly, totally, inconceivably alien the likes of Third World War, Toe Fat, Ancient Grease, the Edgar Broughton Band etc are to my Depeche Mode-trained ears. It's as if the British music industry decided in 1970 that Humble Pie and Spooky Tooth were the future, so they signed up loads of scuzzy British blues-rock bands that sounded like Slade - but slower and without the catchy melodies - and then realised a year later that it was a bad idea and dropped them all.

Meanwhile the public rejected them, they were erased from the collective public memory by pub rock, and they never ever had a revival anywhere on Earth ever.

would that Winkies album possibly be a Christopherson photo

also moving in between my laptop camera and my Third World War, Toe Fat, and Edgar Broughton albums just in case

not sure if “yawnsomely” is the most appropriate adjective here:

https://queermusicheritage.com/OCT2012/mckuenLP1.jpg
Rod McKuen - Slide… Easy In…

(his 1978 criscodisco album)

Well some guy slides easy in, lookin' a bit like Rod McKuen
He moves just like Crisco Disco, breath a hundred-percent listerine

I've always felt the first two Wire albums had brazenly literal covers. The first is simply a flagpole with a Pink Flag, and the second a table with Chairs Missing.

I find both covers charmingly artful and humourous rather than yawnsome, however. I actually laughed out loud the last time I pulled out Chairs Missing.

https://images.roughtrade.com/product/images/files/000/247/141/hero/ValerieJune_UnderCover_FINAL-1656368048.jpg?1656486636

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Switch-album.jpg

INXS - Switch

I fell asleep just imagining what that cover would look like before I clicked to show image.

When I woke up, yep.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81+HX3iHzjL.jpg

(Forgive me if this^ one has already been done)

i'd argue this cover is AWESOMELY literal: https://i.imgur.com/OGDR6AR.jpg

the album name is "ただいま" (tadaima) which is what one might say when they've arrived home and walked in the door

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81B0jSP3pGL._SY355_.jpg

Jim Glaser: The Man In The Mirror

Pallas - The Wedge

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KqhFhLrzOCM/hqdefault.jpg

Wesley Gonzalez, Wax Limousine

https://www.normanrecords.com/artwork/large/201/189201-wesley-gonzalez-wax-limousine.jpg

https://i.discogs.com/MH2KEWl-OWOpJjBHxw59EJ1OOPSGj9Yh1LDZMpFdVus/rs:fit/g:sm/q:40/h:300/w:300/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI0NTIw/OTQtMTI4NDgyOTMx/MS5qcGVn.jpeg

Davy Graham - Hat. Although it's a great hat so awesomely literal I guess.

https://www.folkradio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Davy-Graham-Hat.jpg

Bobby Beausoleil – Running With The White Wolf

https://e.snmc.io/i/1200/s/48a767129d91bd460a0ca9ed14797197/5975586

https://i.discogs.com/-ACoUUpNl-hZbNmw66jlHMM9JCngwYBeMZ_fqROMSHY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:576/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTExMjA5/MzI0LTE1MTE5MDI4/NjItOTU2My5qcGVn.jpeg

that one’s fun

Willis Jackson - Nothing Butt

Not exactly yawnsome, but(t)...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Nothing_Butt.jpg

Mike Harding - The Red Specs Album

https://i.discogs.com/ipAnkejFRnXEPT1RZPB5AtJKbzOph02hcVplpHVQB74/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:590/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTQzMTE5/NDgtMTQwNjY2NTk5/Ny0xMzQxLmpwZWc.jpeg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/97/Cedar%21_%28Cedar_Walton_album_-_cover_art%29.jpg

I don't know what this show is, but I saw this promo image and it made me think of this thread:

https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_2000,h_2000,c_fit/https%3A%2F%2Famazonadviser.com%2Ffiles%2Fimage-exchange%2F2017%2F07%2Fie_94698.jpeg

A few nice additions from Exclaim!'s 25 Worst Album Covers of 2022:

Vettor - Obstacle
https://exclaim.ca/images/vettor-obstacle.jpg

Jerry Paper - Free Time
https://exclaim.ca/images/jerry-paper-free-time-art.jpg

Those are both amazing

https://i.discogs.com/EeRsGIbxhoQEMg1-r0eh6WJhH7YkAyk4qIWLR5pIsw4/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:595/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTExODcw/NTMwLTE1MjM4MjM2/OTMtNzAxNS5qcGVn.jpeg

Paul Chambers - Go

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Go_%28Paul_Chambers_album%29.jpg

https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/63b8bf62198393ca23dbcca4/1:1/w_600/Belle-And-Sebastian-Late-Developers.jpg

Belle & Sebastian: Late Developers

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/aa837f88b264f07c335e9caad9283380/6565772/don-henley-the-boys-of-summer-Cover-Art.jpg

The Boys of Summer 1998 reissue

I can never quite get use to this embedding lark

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/aa837f88b264f07c335e9caad9283380/6565772/don-henley-the-boys-of-summer-Cover-Art.jpg

Robert Fleischman, "World In Your Eyes"

https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b27305088ea6f587d62c54c940b2

Yolk - Solar (Yolk is the band name not the album title, but I like the image)

https://metalrock.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Yolk-Solar-2017.jpg

https://shirleygnome.bandcamp.com/album/ho-down

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Over_The_Top.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/Over_The_Top.jpg

Orlando Johnson & Trance, "Turn the Music On"

https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273df2fb696958bc88527ac1ef7

I'm of the opinion that punning album titles like the Cozy Powell one don't really count as yawnsomely literal. Since the Stranglers one that kicked the thread off seems to have disappeared, however, I think it needs a nudge:

https://i.discogs.com/HI-aRgs7ktYINQjbdFQjSW1TVnRqvV1is8-t1dlSVzA/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTM5MzE5/MzQtMTQ3MDA2NTc3/NC04MTY1LmpwZWc.jpeg

Not sure if this is quite the right thread for this but it is a fine Twitter thread

Show me your favourite bad graphic design by boomer bands in the 90s… pic.twitter.com/NL4NUeVma7

— Bobby Lee (@BobbyLeeBoogie) February 21, 2023

https://i.discogs.com/aZv7Wz6Lpv_Tyr3QifDoTOAzsmdjXq5J-YAfxt6NFuM/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:592/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI1OTEw/MTAtMTU3NTc1NjQx/OS0zOTk0LmpwZWc.jpeg

B.J. Cole – The New Hovering Dog

A+ cover

(is there anyone who has played on such a wide range of music as this guy?)

https://cdn.albumoftheyear.org/album/598519-the-girl-is-crying-in-her-latte_1600.jpg

Sparks - The Girl is Crying in Her Latte

https://i.discogs.com/UE9c3ubeb7OXvRcg16gHJyBgTUyFZQRyw1PHaLNMS7U/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:500/w:497/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI3NjU3/MDUtMTMwMDA0MzEz/OC5qcGVn.jpeg

David Ruffing: My Whole World Ended

https://new.openimp.com/tid/f8ad655d6b5308aafa754f27b3a053cea10de56f/fvhpcpk/foyignntpm/30266409540054.jpeg

Tommy Watt - Watts Cooking (sic)

Tommy Watt notable for a) bad album covers and b) being Ben Watt's dad (him off Everything but the Girl).

Watt Where You Thinking