“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. - Cesar A. Cruz

Eternal now

*** WARNING ***

Some images may be offensive, disturbing, and not safe for work.

The adage “You can’t judge a book by the cover” just doesn’t seem to apply to the jacket art of musical recordings! Often, a photograph of the band serves as a simple solution to a fascinating problem; What should we put on our album cover? But when a band chooses a piece of art to represent the contents of the record, many wonderful ideas and images surface. The best art forces us to ask questions; How was this made? WHY was this made? WHAT were they thinking?? Here are ten mind-bending LP covers worth pondering.

1. ROLLING STONES – GOAT’S HEAD SOUP (1973)

Recorded at Dynamic Sounds studios in Kingston, Jamaica. The album cover was designed by Ray Lawrence and photographed by David Bailey. The album's original rejected cover art featured the entire band as centaurs and an image of goat's head soup, a Jamaican dish made from a goat’s varied parts, including the head, testicles, intestines, feet, and more. Eventually, the Stones landed on their iconic cover image of Jagger’s face behind a mustard yellow veil.

2. CROSBY STILLS NASH – LIVE IT UP (1990)

Those hotdogs were not going to harvest themselves. Looks like the one on the left is going to get away. Fly, lunar hotdog! Be free! 

ï  Jimmy Wachtel – art direction 
ï  David Peters – cover art 
ï  Sarajo Frieden – logotype

3. ATTILA – ATTILA (1970)

Before the beloved “Piano Man” Billy Joel launched his multi-platinum Grammy laced solo career, he and buddy Jon Small released the little rocker. Yes, they ARE knights…or medieval mercenaries… standing in barn full of beef carcass. 

ï  Music By, Lyrics By – William Joel*, Jonathan Small*ï  Photography By – Columbia Records Photo Studioï  Producer – William Joel*, Irwin Mazur, Jonathan Small*ï  Vocals, Organ [Hammond B-3] – Billy Joel

4. ALICE COOPER – HEY STOOPID (1991)

This gem of a rock album from the godfather of glamp was roundly ignored upon release, and really who can blame us. ï  Cover – Mike McNeilly 

5. LADY GAGA – BORN THIS WAY (2011)

This little mashup photo didn’t keep folks from snatching up Lady Gaga’s second full length. Debuting atop the charts worldwide, the record sold over a million copies it’s first week. That means there are millions of these cd’s under the backseat of millions of cars all around the world. Described by Gaga as "a Christmas gift for my fans” She explained, "The cover with me half-female, half-motorcycle is meant to be or symbolic of the fact that I'm endlessly always changing in so transformative, many ways."^[85] It was shot and art directed by photographer Nick Night 

6. DWARVES – BLOOD, GUTS, AND PUSSY (1990) 

These women are someone’s daughter. Punk as fuck. 11 minutes of spitting in your face, harassing your girlfriend and throwing shit at your local punk band. 

ï  Design – Jane Higgins
ï  Photography By [Color Photo] – Michael Lavine

7. ANNA HOMLER And STEVE MOSHIER – BREADWOMAN & OTHER TALES 

Where is this party, and how do I get there?
Originally released on cassette in 1985, a lavishly packaged vinyl re-issue in 2016 gave us this truly delightful cover with ï  Photography By [Cover] – Susan Einstein. The world conjured by this record is as warm as a fresh loaf and you can almost smell the baking of this every-granny. 

8. CEVIN AT THE HERMITAGE (????)

Nestled in the scenic foothills of Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand lies The Hermitage Hotel. Here we see Cevin (Kåeveen) who has lugged his baby grand up the slopes to entertain hikers as the start on the Hooker Valley Track. Since 1884, The Hermitage has provided a luxurious launch pad for folks adventuring on the picturesque South Island. This treasure was released by the esteemed Tourist Hotel Corporation Of New Zealand. 

9. QUEEN – THE MIRACLE (1989)

Watch the eyes. Let your gaze mingle with the hypnotic, irresistible charisma of the queen-beast. Imagine having this on your wall as a kid. 
Created by designer Richard Gray using the Quantel Paintbox workstation. It’s worth seeking out a copy for the back cover too.

10. CATTLE DECAPITATION – HUMANURE (2004)

Drawn by artist Wes Benscoter this cow hemorrhaging the humans it must have eaten the night before. Check your barn, kids. Just do it in the daylight.