BC's own Album Covers Album - post unknown stuff you think is unique

[BassTractor]

As per the title, I guess.
Many record covers exist that are sublime in many ways, and many of these are also very well known.

I was thinking we could delve into and post really unique covers that we love, but that are NOT very well known.

 

Lemme start:
Like Yes had Roger Dean, Swedish band Bob hund (stylised "bob hund") has their record cover designer in Martin Kann.

For bob hund's officially untitled 1996 record, the cover read: "cover: Martin Kann" in Swedish, and indeed a photo of Martin Kann graced the cover.
Ingenious, I though, and highly original. Of course, the record is now generally known as "Omslag: Martin Kann".

 

I'll indulge in another one, also by bob hund:
In 2011, their record "Det överexponerade gömstället" came with slightly different covers on CD and vinyl, one of them being of a yellow sticky note just stating:

"I have no ideas for a cover.
Sorry, 
Martin" 

😁
 

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by BassTractor

[Simon.]

That 2nd one is utter genius!

Love it. 😁

[stewblack]

The second one put me in mind of Keith Arnatt

[BassTractor]

Another special one where the idea seems to trump the demands on prettiness:

"Pool" by Norwegian rock band Bever.

This is how to design a cover when you're skint

(though the iron was slightly warm for my tastes):

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Not particularly obscure, but for some reason I love this one:

[bartelby]

Neither are really unknown, but I love the cover of Clutch's Book of Bad Decisions

and Opeth's Sorceress

Edited April 3, 2019 by bartelby

[bartelby]

I was reminded of another favourite this morning.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Haus Der Lüge:

The cover is a wood cut from the 1500s by a printmaker called Hans Baldung. There are two more of his horses on other artwork in the album. When this album was released, in 1989, there was a merch slip in it. You could order the usual things; shirts, posters, badges etc. But you could also order a 20cm x 400cm wallpaper frieze with a repeating pattern of the 3 horses. I really wanted a couple of rolls, but at DM28 each and 30DM shipping, plus international ordering wasn't quite so easy back then, I never got around to getting any.

[bartelby]

But for consistently great artwork my award has to go to the Italian band Ufomammut. These guys design and, for a few years now, screenprint the initial releases themselves.

Idolum:

ORO: Primum:

ORO: Alter

 

Ecate (this came with a 12"x12" book with images for each track, all screenprinted):

 

8:

Some of the album names are links to the Discogs page. There is a link showing some more detail to the covers

[BassTractor]

@bartelby Wow. Just wow!
Thanks!

[bartelby]

Just now, BassTractor said:

@bartelby Wow. Just wow!
Thanks!

The Ufomammut are totally works of art in real life. They have a 7" with the same level of attention. But no photo does it justice. Pearlescent white print on white paper then red over that.

You can sort of see the detail there is in the white here:

[Teebs]

I used to have this book - probably still got it somewhere...

Some very interesting artwork, and none of it influenced by drug-use, no siree, not here! 

I particularly like the Janis Joplin / Big Brother & The Holding Company cover

Edited April 4, 2019 by Teebs

[Stub Mandrel]

3 hours ago, bartelby said:

These guys design and, for a few years now, screenprint the initial releases themselves.

And are totally uninfluenced by Hawkwind -)

34 minutes ago, Teebs said:

I particularly like the Janis Joplin / Big Brother & The Holding Company cover

Bob Crumb, of course.

[BassTractor]

33 minutes ago, Teebs said:

I used to have this book - probably still got it somewhere...

That, dear sir, is as invigoratingly unacceptable as a good joke in a bad jokes thread! 😡

😂

[bartelby]

1 minute ago, Stub Mandrel said:

And are totally uninfluenced by Hawkwind -)

 

They're kind of doomy space/psych rock, so the influence is strong

[Rich]

Love this.

[Graham]

Post-rock bands often have great sleeves:

This Will Destroy You

 

Explosions In The Sky

Mono

[bartelby]

The LTD edition of Clint Mansell's score to the film The Fountain is also particularly nice. As is the vinyl:

[Graham]

11 minutes ago, bartelby said:

The LTD edition of Clint Mansell's score to the film The Fountain is also particularly nice. As is the vinyl:

That's lovely

[Teebs]

Sigur Rós often have very beautiful covers to their music. I love these:

 

[Teebs]

Also these...(sorry for posting too many )

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Teebs

[BassTractor]

Great, great stuff!

Here's another rare one: the triangular cover for Willem Breuker and Leo Cuyper's "Live in Shaffy", IMHO beautifully designed by Ger van Elk.

IMHO, sadly the pics don't do it justice. It's also about the quality of the materials and the inks used, just like in @bartelby's Ufomammut example. I've had this one on the wall for decades - as a piece of art.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by BassTractor

[BassTractor]

3 hours ago, Teebs said:

(sorry for posting too many )

Too many fantastic covers in a thread about covers? Nah.
I'd rather say you're now officially forgiven for your famous-album-covers-book faux pas! 🙂

[Teebs]

Phew!

8 minutes ago, BassTractor said:

I'd rather say you're now officially forgiven for your famous-album-covers-book faux pas! 🙂

[funkgod]

6 hours ago, Teebs said:

I used to have this book - probably still got it somewhere...

Some very interesting artwork, and none of it influenced by drug-use, no siree, not here! 

I particularly like the Janis Joplin / Big Brother & The Holding Company cover

this reminds me of an LP i have, called flash feerless with a comic inside,

https://reprobatepress.com/2018/02/07/flash-fearless-vs-the-zorg-women-a-forgotten-1970s-comic-book-rock-opera/

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by funkgod

[Teebs]

That's cool!