Timewaster's Guide Archive
Departments => Music => Topic started by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on September 17, 2004, 10:19:10 AM
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What albums do you like for their art?
Ok, rules: no mentioning just the band and cover. You need to describe it (unless it's obvious, like the Beatles White Album) and at least mention why you like it. I will delete posts that break the rules.
I'll start. Rush's Presto. I mean, rabbits. EVERYWHERE. Even coming out of a floating top hat. And they're all converging on the viewer of the picture, like he holds something that enthralls them. Wow. They even almost manage to distract you from the subtle rock, scissors, paper graphics on the back. So like, where to these rabbits come from? What are they after? Are they merely tools for some deranged stage magician's amusement? It's like a haiku in photograph.
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I like the Levellers, "Levelling the land" it has a painting by Jeremey Cunningham (the bass player) and looks like this
http://www.levellers.co.uk/images/07levelling.jpg
I like the evil glee of the people who look like flames. This is an album that Eric had, and that I eventually bought and lost and bought again...
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I've always rather liked Meatloaf, Bat out of Hell album art. I presume that most people know what that looks like? It just looks rather cool, ever since I was about four I've loved it. I even persuaded my father to buy a copy of the album for me at that age.
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You had good taste even then, Outkast. Both BAT album covers were done by Michael Whelan.
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Why thank you EUOL :)
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Yes, while the music is, at times, only passable, the cover art was extremely cool.
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Michael Whelan, seriously??
I'll have to say the coolest album cover I've ever seen is Skeleton Key's album "Fantanstic Spikes through Balloon". (Great album to listen to, as well.)
The front cover art is a picture of a sausage, just a sausage, except that the paper on which it's printed has holes punched all the way through it. And then in the spine of the CD case is a nail. Just a nail. It rattles a lot. What does it mean? Are any of the songs about nails or sausages? Not really, no.
Here's a picture, to give you some visual reference.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:u1he4jo72wa4
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thats gotta be one of the coolest things i've ever seen fuzzy
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I admit I have a soft spot for Jethro Tull and the cover of Stand Up reminds me of a lot of Arts and Crafts movement stuff I've seen:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:qauk6jah71w0
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hey, Fuzzy, maybe I'll have to buy that one. I have a sampler CD with "Watch the Fat Man Swing" on it and is tres good. You recommend the rest of the album as well?
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Yes, I do. I'm particularly fond of "The only useful word", but that's probably just because I'm an English major.
Hmm, no free downloads, but you can listen to samples of the whole album on Amazon.com
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or you could use lime wire
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except that we do not encourage illegal activities at TWG.
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limewire's illegal?
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downloading songs that you didn't pay for is.
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but you pay for them on limewire, it's just really cheap, like 25 cents a song...
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My husband has reminded me - if you buy the Skeleton Key album, you'd need to pick up a copy of the radio promo from half.com or somewhere. Apparently the normal release is boring, without holes or nail.
I forget we have so many radio promos amongst our CDs, due to the DJing he did in college.
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"Every YES album cover is a Brasky family photo."
To Bill Brasky!
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Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral, and all the singles for this records, cool stuff!
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The Drive-By Truckers albums "The Dirty South," "Decoration Day," and "Southern Rock Opera."
They're very evocative paintings that capture the mood and spirit of the music perfectly...haunting, lonely, and just a little spooky...
http://www.drivebytruckers.com/discography.html
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Album cover for "Lateralus" by TOOL.
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I agree, and I add "Ænima" to the list. The smokebox is awesome.
http://www.hardandheavy.net/recenzije/slike/Tool-AEnima1.jpg
This is the smokebox that I am talking about, for those of you that don't know. On the cover of Aenima, it is a hologram that makes the plumes of smoke look like they are flowing.
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I bought it the night it came out! That is the version that I have, with the rolling eyes and all. Very sweet stuff. Have you taken out the inside insert and looked at the rest of the photos through the 3D plastic cover? Very strange, still cool idea for album artwork!
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Yeah, Tool has a lot of very interesting and original ideas across the board. I present their music videos as exhibit a. Where most bands have music videos that have been dumbed down for the masses, Tool has videos that are full of symbolism, to say the least. By the way, if you want to continue this exchange, it is probably a good idea to do it over PMs, because we are hijacking this thread.