Okay let's get the bad out of the way first.
Here are the five worst album covers of 1986.
1)Krokus-Change of address
It looks like a set from a bad 1960's movie.
2)Raven-The pack is back
Seriously, when has it ever been cool to wear your jockstrap on the outside of your pants?
3)King Kobra-Thrill of a lifetime
It looks like someone forgot to finish drawing it.
4)Judas Priest-Turbo
Even lots of bright colors can't disguise how lame this is.
5)Bon Jovi-Slippery when wet
They should be very thankful that the radio played their songs because this cover wasn't going to help sell it.
Okay now here are the five best album covers.
1)Iron Maiden-Somewhere in time
Hell, the back cover is so good that it's better than 95% of the album covers done by other people.
2)Motorhead-Orgasmatron
A very fitting cover for this album. Motorhead roared back music wise and their mascot looks angry and scary.
3)Metallica-Master of puppets
The colors of the sky are great and that lone Army helmet speaks volumes.
4)Saxon -Rock the nations
Keep the cover and throw away the album.
5)David Lee Roth-Eat 'em and smile
It still makes me laugh even now and it is just so Diamond Dave. His old band tries to make a big production artsy cover and he just dresses up like a cannibal.
-So that's it for the 1986 awards. In August of next year I will make a list of 20-25 contenders for the 1987 top ten list and start narrowing them down. Then on December 1st of 2007 I will begin the countdown for the 1987 list. I am going to take a break from blogging for a day or two, but will be back with something at the end of the week.
"5) Bon Jovi-Slippery when wet
ReplyDeleteThey should be very thankful that the radio played their songs
because this cover wasn't going to help sell it".
Are you kidding Mark? I still have this poster hanging on the wall in my living room, that's how much I like it.
Great list!
ReplyDeleteWhat a ton you work to put it together!
Captain Corky-You have a picture of the pavement on your wall?
ReplyDeleteIs everyone from New Jersey required to like Bon Jovi?
Then again I think everyone from Maryland is required to like Kix whether we want to or not.
Janet-Thanks.
Your comment on DRL's cover vs. Van Halen's cover is great, lol. So true.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere is Time is probably one of my favorite Maiden Covers. It's one of the last covers to merit the magnifying glass since there is so much hidden stuff.
I would have Master of Puppets as a potentially worst album cover. It's forced and contrived looking. I might have liked it better had the album been named for "Disposable Heroes," but the song "Master of Puppets" is unrelated to the cover. It only fits with the one song. I never really liked it. Actually, I don't know that I was ever fond of any of Metallica's album covers.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Corky, do you have the poster of the original cover with the boobs? That might explain the difference in your opinions over how cool it is.
Two things...
ReplyDelete1. Which Slippery cover? The one they changed, with the buxom woman in yellow, or the one they had to change TO, with the writing on the garbage bag?
2. Raven... jock strap... 'nuff said, there, dude. I'm with ya.
(metal Mark, I think you're onto something about Kix, there!)
The worst I cant argue without thinking really hard. I am trying to recall some of the worst of that time. There must be worse. Bon Jovi - dead or alive was a song I learned to play on the accustic guitar that got me laid. I cant for that reason alone put it on the worst list.
ReplyDeleteWOW - saxon there is a name you dont hear very often. I have crusader, power and the glory, and denim and leather I missed this one. I will check it out.
I used to have a saxon poster on my wall when I was a kid next to a piece of mind poster.
Again excellent blog material here.
Album covers are very important to how I pick out music to check out. Especially if it's a band I've never heard of. But I won't hold an album cover against good music.
ReplyDeleteThe original Bon Jovi cover was SWEET! Theone they changed it too was well deserving of the "Worst" award.
ReplyDeleteGood job with the lists!
Fred-Somewhere in time is probably the most detailed metal cover I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteBob-I have always liked the covers for Master of puppets and Ride the lightning.
Susan- I am refering to the one they had to change it to.
Tom-A bad album cover doesn't always mean it's a bad album. The same is true than good covers don't always contain good albums. Saxon were a good example for that year.
dpth-I feel the same way most of the time.
rockdog-The original cover was good and the second cover was poor. I just don't plain dark covers, it's boring.
Good list. I agree for the most part ... although I think Bon Jovi's is boring more than bad and Master of Puppets is nothing special.
ReplyDeleteI'll add a bad one from 1986: Ratt's Dancing Undercover.
After their first two LP covers--Tawny crawling in tattered clothing on the cover of Out of the Cellar and Marianne taking off her underwear on the cover of Invasion of Your Privacy--they REALLY took a turn downward by putting head shots of themselves on their third LP. Bad Ratt.
-- david
Mark - I think that Master of Puppets is a work of art.
ReplyDeleteHey David - That's Tawny Kitaen on the cover of OUt of the Cellar? I'm gonna have to look more closely at that!
David-Ratt's decision to never put women on the cover after Invasion was poor. I am sure it hurt their album sales. I used to have a carnival mirror of the cover of Out of the cellar. One of my very first posts here was about that. The mirror currently resides in Bob Vinyl's basment now.
ReplyDeleteMike-I am glad someone agrees about the cover of Master.
This is great I just looked up some of these and I totally agree with the worse list. Especially the Raven album very Man o'War ish.
ReplyDeleteI love most of the Iron Maiden albums especially the one for Aces High.
As for Bon Jovi and New Jersey yes we are required to love them. When you are born the lyrics to "Livin on a Prayer" are printed on the back of your birth certificate.
kim jong Ramone-I think most areas have one band that everyone likes because they are local.
ReplyDeletethat was very funny...I lost it over the Raven bit....even worse was those speedos overtop
ReplyDelete