Tag Archives: WTF album covers

WTF Album Covers: Loggers Loving Loggers

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In the 60s, lots of so-called manly album covers wound up looking more like unintentionally homo-erotic ones. Here’s a great example, crammed full of “we didn’t mean that” double-entendre song titles.

In hindsight, how ELSE can you interpret a song like Whistle Punk Pete or There Walks a Man? If “whistle punk” isn’t some kind of euphemism for a rent boy, what is? Somebody get George Takei on the phone and ask him what HE thinks a whistle punk is good for.

It must be understood that unlike Rick Santorum, we have no qualms with homo-eroticism. No, the comedy value here is the exact opposite–people trying SO VERY HARD (ahem) to present a “manly” image that they wind up flying in the complete opposite direction. When you’ve got tunes on your record like Sick of Settin’ Chokers and Fire Danger, what else are we supposed to think?

Then again, maybe that’s the point–are loggers privvy to a secret side of their industry the rest of us don’t know? Maybe it’s a sexual free-for-all in those woods and the rest of us are missing out. A record like this definitely gives the game away…maybe you’d like to hitch a ride on the log truck? Now everybody SING: “I’m a lumberjack and I’m O.K……..”

WTF Album Covers: Mew And The Glass Handed Kites

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The WTF factor on this album art by Mew is so high that you might get a nosebleed while contemplating its awfulness. Fortunately for this band, the music itself does not choke the way the cover does.

And The Glass Handed Kits features music that sounds a bit like a more pop-oriented (and less uber-trippy) Gang Gang Dance. There’s an epic quality to many of the tracks on this record that are totally misrepresented by this violently awful cover. Though it has to be said, they manage to veer excruciatingly off into Neil Young “Harvest” territory at times…and do we really need anybody besides Neil Young warbling away like that? Er, not realllllly.

Ignore the cover and try to head toward the experimental pop portions of this Mew record. You can preview bits of all tracks at the Mew And The Glass Handed Kites Amazon page.

Vinyl Blogs To Love: Bad Record Covers

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This totally bewildering album cover (ok, it’s the cover for a SINGLE, not a full-length album, but STILL…) come by way of the absolutely fabulous Bad Record Covers site, which has plenty of visual atrocities on display for your amusement. Behold:

This HAS to be some kind of ironic statement about the futility of war, right? Because otherwise it’s likely some kind of sick nationalistic drum beating exercise designed to whip people into a frenzy of…well, ok, settle down. It’s probably nothing aside from a really awful idea for a record jacket.

I hope.

The real point of all of this is to send you over to Bad Album Covers to get your fill of awfulness for the day. Some vinyl blogs might consider a site like this “the competition” but as far as Turntabling goes, there can NEVER be too many bad album cover detectives working out there. It’s a big, scary world filled with millions of intimidating discount record bins. Who could get through them all? Not me.

–Joe Wallace

WTF Album Covers: Fortran 5 Avocado Suite

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Maybe it’s just me having some kind of visual allergy to looking at people squatting on the toilet? Or is this a pretty lousy way to sell an electronica record?

I have to say though, I enjoy tracks on Avocado Suite. It’s blippy, noisy, abrasive, yet listenable and fun. Sort of Aphex Twin-y, but on operating on different substances…

Fortran 5 fans have a contingent of haters for this particular release, but in spite of the crap cover (sorry) I dig tracks like She Knows The Lot, and Radmen. Listen and decide for yo’self:

–Joe Wallace