Biggest discrepancy of quality between the record cover and the musical content

Unidisc used put out a long-running compilation series called Star-Funk, that collects some awesome & rare 12" versions of disco/boogie/electro tunes. You wouldn't know how great these comps by looking at the CD covers though, because they look either like this:
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/61WrQkG4c7L._SS500_.jpg

Or this:
http://images.bizrate.com/resize?sq=450&uid=427430638

What are some other examples where the cover of the record is clearly much inferior, or much superior, to the music?

Lotta reggae stuff

http://www.pergunnareriksson.se/images/undertonesB.jpg

For future reference, don't just post images of record covers, please also explain whether the cover is better or worse than the music.

^ worse

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r7ejG9lAHy4/Tk6ZYwSjQAI/AAAAAAAAAok/rDXXnHbhpt0/s1600/MG.jpg

... pretty obvious

http://img2.wantitall.co.za/images/ShowImage.aspx?ImageId=Nona-Hendryx-The-Heat-Expanded-Edition|51rfs4Msa1L.jpg

Here's an example of the reverse: awesome cover, very mediocre content.

i think i did a thread like this, it started with a Bruce Springsteen cover. But I forgot which one and can't find the thread....

Happy Mondays strike me as a band that had consistanly shitty album covers but made good music.

As far as great album covers that adorned bad albums, I've always been fond of this:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417HF44E1EL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

oh yeah, almost all the cover arts of Skylarking that I've seen (the original, the proposed one, the new remaster, etc.) have been awful, but that album is incredible

REM had mostly dreadful album covers IMO.

http://babygrande.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Killah-Priest-Priesthood-600x600.jpg

This is actually a really good horrorcore album, but since Priest had moved from a major label to an indie one, I guess he couldn't afford a graphic designer.

fwiw i found mine! it's slightly different after all

"boring album covers from albums that really deserved better"

boring album covers from albums that really deserved better

heh.

there was another thread with same theme, i remember because i posted this cover:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ca61V1Z1LU0/S3f5odYWpuI/AAAAAAAAFrM/Yg1IEdRmGFU/s320/Linton+Kwesi+Johnson+Tings+An%27+Times+2.jpg

...such a great album...

x-p
that looks fine to me...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u_OCavgR3F8/TUIqINpgzFI/AAAAAAAAC4M/ZmFKZlY6Da4/s1600/Deerhoof_vs._Evil-Deerhoof_480.jpg
a horrid cover for a more or less ok album. there is a discrepancy but it is probably not the biggest one.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31JZc2iU2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
This is particularly baffling given how many of Dixon's previous covers featured his stunning paintings and prints.

Pretty Lights to thread

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--M7JVAny1AY/TlXKDdaZwOI/AAAAAAAAAAg/33Neu7DSmBQ/s1600/black_sabbath_sabotage.jpg

This always irked me when browsing through my Black Sabbath collection.

Also Brian Eno has some pretty dull covers but 'Wrong Way Up' is his only album that gives me the urge to delete it whenever I see that cover popping up on itunes:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4BO-nX-j9B0/S-aErUF-yDI/AAAAAAAATgY/FaOOPJA0HJ8/s640/brian-eno-john-cale%5B1%5D.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xtnZcC6acAU/SMxv_GrNY3I/AAAAAAAAAvM/d02jY3iST6E/s400/Britney+Spears-Blackout+%5BFront%5D.jpg

Also Brian Eno has some pretty dull covers but 'Wrong Way Up' is his only album that gives me the urge to delete it whenever I see that cover popping up on itunes

...which is why they gave it another shot when it was rereleased. It didn't help.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411G0Dt35-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

xpost: Can't decide which one is more hideous to look at. They should have just went with a black square cover with a sticker if they wanted a lazy design.

Is the Black Sabbath cover supposed to be an example "good cover - bad album", or the other way around?

Happy Mondays strike me as a band that had consistanly shitty album covers but made good music.

leaving work now or I would Central Station-bomb this thread

Pills Thrills n Bellyaches had a nice cover.

Bummed is fucking beautiful

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ImoYkxfuoT8/S8a3VlSm88I/AAAAAAAAAMw/QbIk-_72hZ4/s1600/Coverfront.jpg

boring cover - classic album

Cover matches album perfectly for me... but I seem to be very much in the minority on that one.

not the most original cover in the world concerning that this is a top notch album but still ok i'd say.

hey frogbs

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/hm_fudge.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/R-12521-1284490891.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/wroteforluck.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/hm_live.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/hm_wfl.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/R-575718-1133524061.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/hm_peel.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/hm_groovy.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/R-109368-1160774698.jpg

oh and as k1ng k0ng v5 g0dzi11a says

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/kitbrash/recordcovers/happymondays/R-79847-1160778031.jpg

Hey, easy with the govmint names.

Those all look great though, although FAC 129 looks like it belongs to a different band.

besides Pills n' Thrills I don't really like any of them

Is the Black Sabbath cover supposed to be an example "good cover - bad album", or the other way around?

― Tuomas, Wednesday, January 18, 2012 2:44 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Get a copy of it and look at the back. Look closely at the guy in the red tights, and you'll have your answer.

http://s.dsimg.com/image/R-2935759-1308070807.jpeg

Amazing album obv, but I don't dig this cartoony surrealism. I got the limited box:

http://991.com/NewGallery/Orbital-In-Sides-204224.jpg

Surrealism? It's supposed to be yr "insides" innit?

Yeah, the image isn't displaying for me, but I recognized it once I looked it up. It reminds me of something from an early 90s Nickleodeon ad or something. See also:

http://img01.mr-static.com/photo/Coldcut/Coldcut-01-big.jpg

Surrealism? It's supposed to be yr "insides" innit?

*smacks forehead*
i've had this album for years too

btw this isn't really the right thread for this since I dig the cover and album very much but this cover always struck me as being very off. if you know nothing about the band or album what kind of music would you expect it to be?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JD2TYXYFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Some kind of a Christian vocal group, I guess.

I would say "barbershop quartet", or maybe something to do with classical. Either way a total mismatch (which is probably why I'm so fond of the cover).

surprised it doesn't get referenced more often, like this:

http://public-image.org/images/interview/music/080328/J-POP.jpg