album covers that look like hideous screensavers

Immolation - Harnessing Ruin

Great band, but the corny block lettering and shitty 90s-esque computer graphics gets you a nom!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/72/Immolation-harnessingruin.jpg

going to get the obvious one out of the way early:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Iron_Maiden-Dance_of_Death.jpg

First one that came to mind
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/MGMT_-_Congratulations.png

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/63/Queen_A_Kind_Of_Magic.png/220px-Queen_A_Kind_Of_Magic.png

xpost

The cover art was done by Anthony Ausgang, known for his kitschy lowbrow art style.[10] The artwork depicts a hedgehog-like animal on a surfboard, surfing on a wave that is anthropomorphized as a cat about to swallow the creature. Commenting on the composition of the artwork, Ausgang stated that he tried to "use bright colors and get across ideas that are slightly dark."[11]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Katebushaerial.png

Kate Bush

just a waveform on a beach

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Endlesswirecover.jpg

The Who - Endless Wire

Soft Machine's "Land of Cocaine" from around the time Hipgnosis clocked out and gave up

https://i.postimg.cc/P5kM7f3L/R-913223-1516322047-1400.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forget_%28Twin_Shadow_album%29#/media/File:Twin_shadow_forget.jpg

I always thought that the cover of Twin Shadow´s debut was very generic.

xp Neanderthal I prefer my waveforms atop icebergs personally.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Pearl_Jam_-_Gigaton.png

screen saver?

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/3ac7773c43bb2cdeb16efc209b2f33d3/11181125/george-clanton-ooh-rap-i-ya-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/12d7290bc81c0f627128ed3ca7cfd4c8/10816435/geese-3d-country-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/f3396343587bff77f3aa5e1b3cb6d772/10883726/king-krule-space-heavy-Cover-Art.jpg

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_(Meshuggah_album)#/media/File%3AMeshuggah-Nothing.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/Tame_Impala_-_Currents.png

https://i.discogs.com/nNiH3qPsqM4fNgYt_UOPh-27HYLKIcQ90DgvDXP66NI/rs:fit/g:sm/q:40/h:300/w:300/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE0NjYz/MzgtMTU4ODA4Mzgy/My0zNDg1LmpwZWc.jpeg

The most famous of the included screensaver modules is the iconic Flying Toasters, which featured 1940s-style chrome toasters sporting bird-like wings, flying across the screen with pieces of toast. Engineer Jack Eastman came up with the display after seeing a toaster in the kitchen during a late-night programming session and imagining the addition of wings. A slider in the Flying Toasters module enabled users to adjust the toast's darkness, and an updated Flying Toasters Pro module added a choice of music—Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries or a flying toaster anthem with optional karaoke lyrics. Yet another version called Flying Toasters! added bagels and pastries, baby toasters, and more elaborate toaster animation. The Flying Toasters were one of the key reasons that After Dark became popular, and Berkeley began to produce other merchandising products such as T-shirts with the Flying Toaster image and slogans such as "The 51st Flying Toaster Squadron: On a mission to save your screen!"

The toasters were the subject of two lawsuits...The second case was brought in 1994 by 1960s rock group Jefferson Airplane who claimed that the toasters were a copy of the winged toasters featured on the cover of their 1973 album Thirty Seconds Over Winterland. The case was dismissed because the cover art had not been registered as a trademark by the group prior to Berkeley Systems' release of the screensaver.

For the young'ns:

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fpd2ty6yko3i71.gif

https://media.tenor.com/zbEi_jXgcZUAAAAC/flyingtoasters.gif

Do screensavers still exist in 2023? It has been a long, long time since I saw one.

my Firestick kind of has one, but the art is too good. I miss the 90s screensavers which could be batshit

I thought I had screenburn on my new refurbished HP Elitebook and nearly sent it back, but it was just a mark from the stupid "trackpoint" thing in the middle of the keyboard.

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music124/v4/d9/f7/dd/d9f7ddf0-af28-3612-1d76-61af2cc9c02f/195448878226.jpg/1200x1200bf-60.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71vaiTKrZhL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

We have a winner

https://images.genius.com/d7e71bf4bda3bb6fe786e0e4683c62ea.1000x999x1.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51zhJvO2ycL._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/40/Bipp_sophie.jpg/220px-Bipp_sophie.jpg

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music113/v4/95/a1/8d/95a18dbe-9733-9693-59f7-8bc2da14029f/886448049005.jpg/1200x1200bb.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81YLWhA1IVL._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

xp wow I didn't realize Tears For Fears were so into DMT

i sort of love the Lightning Seeds one tbh, as horrible as it is

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Blackdog_spanners_cover.jpg

https://i.discogs.com/OOCMPeSmln6wveD4IkNNeKwoYlSzYD9JL2LceX91X3k/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:594/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIwNTU0/NjktMTMyODgyODA1/NC5qcGVn.jpeg

Yeesh. That Lightning Seeds cover needs a trigger warning for trypophobes.

Not sure why it didn't show up upthread, but my post was supposed to be Nothing by Meshuggah

https://therecordhub.com/cdn/shop/products/Nothing_2048x.png

Most of the Super Furry Animals albums

What's the story with the Butthole Surfers getting a cash windfall around 1990 and buying a graphics workstation?

https://i.discogs.com/KWPsTgagsEh_tHuhSs_Ngy7ApyAhUoXH895JxEkZUbE/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:597/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTU5NDg1/NC0xMTM2MjM2NDAx/LmpwZWc.jpeg

I think they had to share it with Pere Ubu

more like Windows Maker

At least half these covers are brilliant

I love this one.

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/7c/40/09/mzi.tnylwxmn.jpg/1200x1200bf-60.jpg

https://images.genius.com/0009415ce54bbbce2422fc19b74d500c.1000x1000x1.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/0dc0e4a96a011f2a5822427e71dc457b/8971758/bee-gees-high-civilization-Cover-Art.jpg

https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/oddblood.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/75014a2059a46421c5ace70c09618d27/3183971/omd-universal-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/173f59dea9ee0e86a87c530a64c986ea/1421445/lou-reed-set-the-twilight-reeling-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/5ec71a519dffd1a757b574b8447b032f/10886042/magdalena-bay-mini-mix-vol-3-Cover-Art.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71jPlTbxHOL._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

everything ever released by The Chameleons

ditto The Future Sound of London

I reiterate: half this stuff is amazing

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/341e790e3c522d726c8462d82a95fa70/1724034/311-transistor-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/d7993af0db0818cbb6bf0b0741c7595a/7619562/gruff-rhys-pang-Cover-Art.jpg

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1079907698_10.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/a1933ad77aca053353b2f9f2d416530e/9391538/joe-ely-hi-res-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/f9bbd1c0ce6b64a367ff00d90b4a93b5/2844607/toro-y-moi-causers-of-this-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/2961b09b5084533da8e6704d192bd570/3338045/incubi-cornucopia-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/2a3afbe7665a7ccdb7a21e0465a96801/1257445/herbie-hancock-perfect-machine-Cover-Art.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510R4CpeV7L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

the entire genre of Goa Trance to thread

Astonishingly I don't think The Residents have one that fits the remit enough

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/2d2be9a2341207a7cc615130a09018f1/10419388/david-toop-spirit-world-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/0f8cb6550c56f527f96518149c4d8076/11484362/sumin-your-home-Cover-Art.png

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/2b9b4caed13c5cabd86721a4f11b96e0/5334112/the-ting-tings-super-critical-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/9e14cc5f436d2b385aed568ddc964c65/3833133/peatbog-faeries-dust-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/ba96423a0ef853453397c79a757fefd0/8879684/radiohead-kid-a-Cover-Art.jpg

this doesn't quite fit but there's probably not going to be a thread for Album Covers That Look Like Acorn Electron Instruction Manuals
https://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/1801/cover_2040171012020_r.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/4db5b1145f2cddf781e6c6cfc72cd140/3067614/liquid-tension-experiment-liquid-tension-experiment-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/01c608cb65587c8110257f8a66bbdec7/1545810/the-fatima-mansions-viva-dead-ponies-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/4ce10c9432652046a0026db1fab4dbf5/1876564/the-mk-ultra-this-is-this-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/65100b36ab936dd2dfaf0688f4320c45/10156201/spring-heel-jack-there-are-strings-Cover-Art.png

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/78ac450d52a8a6e5e1c6bdddd978d459/1725087/ozric-tentacles-erpland-Cover-Art.jpg

> I reiterate: half this stuff is amazing

It's such a fine line between "knowingly using the latest tools" and "throwing shit together". The Chicago one holds together both as the kitsch of a moment in time and continuing the band's general cover art vibe. The Echo and the Bunnyman does not. Yet I wouldn't be surprised if the same effort went into both.

I agree half of these are great the other half are awful

I'll let you decide which category this insane Todd Rundgren cover falls into

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91kP80Wv5tL._SL1500_.jpg

Lmao that Chicago record was like the second one I ever owned. Folks bought me a turntable at age 9, got me that record and the Oliver and Company soundtrack

xpost brilliant if it came out before the Matrix, shit if after

There is a wealth of material here.

That Bee Gees cover is amazing, this is my favourite thread.

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/feaa883ced863a6ffea39af15a20cc7c/1255544/saga-pleasure-and-the-pain-Cover-Art.jpg

Before digital obsolesce, what were the final brilliant airbrushed fantasia landscapes, and the final janky airbrushed messes?

came here to post Herbie Hancocks an album cover for any of the Bill Laswell era releases, but looks like i was beaten to the post.

I like a lot of the Kleenex Girl Wonder art but it does often have that 'designed by Ryan Trecartin' look
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1128134646_10.jpg

https://api.roughtrade.com/media/thumbnails/products/Screenshot_2023-09-28_at_12.16.38_e8ff364b_thumbnail_1024.webp/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misfits_(The_Kinks_album)#/media/File%3AKinksMisfits.jpg

https://i.discogs.com/0EZxOH4m6qdJObV28-nCBbrgAymKPXTr2ZdCpTSkxTI/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI4NDQ1/MTI4LTE2OTU5OTY2/MTYtMjM1MC5qcGVn.jpeg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81nGMcTGKHL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rQiZoLcZL._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/4103C41PR9L._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71xD-tHREdL.__AC_SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/0701ade49386b23519b15d64080fe139/10192899/grace-jones-inside-story-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/296b0a9c000e2cd009e7241570a3039e/2095765/the-irresistible-force-flying-high-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/a89ce49f733cd61c6cc9226b9dc3c98c/6806962/808-state-sawnoff-dali-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/be6f617baa59428fde70b556fca07154/1334290/a1-the-a-list-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/b83cb77f1df6e3e1bbea121fe387e821/8199775/backstreet-boys-millennium-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/1b8c342ba9f5497cc5d8b9fd73122eac/1364246/the-auteurs-vs-ziq-the-auteurs-vs-ziq-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/6c877a4d2407b0d049ddfafb8aacc7df/1996137/moby-ambient-Cover-Art.jpg

Bryce 3D hell yeah

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/b58f29ef8049ba07961223d5166109ab/7308291/dolphin-midwives-liminal-garden-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/09047d3a1ef4be37e6d3752e88d607e9/1281396/motorhead-inferno-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/3d09d3c1e58af72f9444e2ae44c6f6c7/1275065/ash-meltdown-Cover-Art.jpg

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/54/49/ae/mzi.qhtwpaei.jpg/600x600bf-60.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/218f25da75a1ee7487335e9f2e0086c3/10152674/tomu-dj-half-moon-bay-Cover-Art.png

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/73c43799bc380e0d7ab4c7a03cbb3fae/5040064/stevie-wonder-conversation-peace-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/59348124b00157955828e0ab5eb57d8d/2008640/earth-wind-fire-electric-universe-Cover-Art.jpg

also

came here to post Herbie Hancocks an album cover for any of the Bill Laswell era releases, but looks like i was beaten to the post.

― mark e, Wednesday, 22 November 2023 16:29 (forty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

The ones I didn't post are still highly appropriate for the thread imo

and going way back to the start of the thread, A Kind of Magic is great for this because the first computer I ever owned was a Windows 95 or 98 given to be my dad's friend who was chucking it out and was a big Queen fan and the desktop background was the stretched A Kind of Magic cover with a 20-second sample of the song every time I booted it.

I'm actually surprised I've found a relevant place to bring it up after 18 years

nearly forgot
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/719pkShKZ-L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

https://d1c4rk9le5opln.cloudfront.net/17d7309b8dce7986e8e47815bcaa5eb6.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/6724989b5ad025a4ef4cb4d2b4c14a48/1210304/mike-oldfield-the-millennium-bell-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/5910c4a0563dfc6f4c1ead2b7725e319/1560274/various-artists-the-philosophy-of-sound-and-machine-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/f4fcb41da1492dbb7bb73b7b680a3000/5917093/def-leppard-slang-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/8789e3c141cfa1304fe2755db13b0253/1314287/utah-saints-two-Cover-Art.jpg

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/b9f16ea9252281fd865ef228296e1be1/11367292/missy-elliott-miss-e-so-addictive-Cover-Art.jpg

maybe some crossover with this thread, who knows how many image links are still alive there

itt: post pictures of record covers w/ abstract or future or digital landscapes

I feel like it's not just Jollification that counts for the Lightning Seeds but basically any of their original albums

The Beautiful South's painting aesthetic is different to the screensaver schtick imo but I always associate this one with Jollification and vice versa, so..

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/775b5533686ed2546962b6e4b300a47c/6847680/the-beautiful-south-0898-beautiful-south-Cover-Art.jpg

looks like this one didn't embed properly upthread so re-posting and hoping it works now
https://i.imgur.com/if1vfzq.jpg

also think this Residents cover fits close enough . . .
https://i.imgur.com/sRtiQ4O.jpg

Friends don't let friends use Photoshop.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51e1y97vN2L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

Popol Vuh - Shepherd's Symphony

These are superb. Proper lol at "Windows maker"

The OMD one brought back some flashbacks of university lectures...
https://images2.imgbox.com/9e/9e/YMVEBTrm_o.png

https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273d92d66f81b9c852ee61bcdda

^also crosspost to "album covers that look like textbook covers"!

universal james is probably less cool than it looks