Popoff and Pardo at it once again with a deep dive into album cover discussion. Always fun to hear Martin and Pete talk about almost anything and this show is another great time. Martin CLEARLY wins with his runner-up and bringing and expression to Pete's face that fits Martin's quote from Part 1 of this series "Disastrous results can occur." Thanks again, gents. Looking forward to your next shared show.
you all prolly dont care at all but does someone know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me!
That blue barbarian guy looks like one character from Heroes of Might and Magic video game series, but considering sword and sorcery themes of the game I bet developers were metal fans.
I actually didn't mind that first Torch album Martin showed and its startling 'face' cover - it would have made me notice that album on the rack. Maybe I just have poor taste 😂
I personally really like the "Signals" cover. I like the contrast between the black-and-white dalmatian and the bright red fire hydrant on the green ground, and I generally like the tone and texture of the image
The Accept cover for Balls To The Wall is one of my favorites actually, Pete. I remember Chris' Warped Records in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood having a giant store poster of that cover in its front display window. It might have helped that Lakewood has the third largest LGBTQ+ population in the United States.
Me too - such a bold and evocative visual and it suits the musical and lyrical content perfectly to me. I'll take it over the typical (at the time) 'scary mascot' cover any day.
There were a lot of sleazy and suggestive album covers in the 70's and early 80's. For a metal album it's a little strange, but in the context of the time it's not that shocking (I mean, at least there isn't nudity).
Pete: I think you're thinking about Michael Berryman. He plays a lot of mutants or monsters. He was born with a rare condition called hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which means he was born without any pores, so he has no hair, teeth nails or sweat glands. What's amazing was, even though he has no sweat glands, his scenes in "The Hills Have Eyes" took over a week to film in over 100 degree temperature. I don't know how he didn't have a heat stroke making that movie. From what I read about him, in spite of his appearance, he is a very nice man in real life and really enjoys meeting his fans.
There's also a resemblance to Midnight Oil's singer and sometimes politician Peter Garrett, which is kind of amusing because years ago I used to think Climax Blues Band was an Australian band.
How can you guys miss ”Dance of Death” by iron maiden that one made me laugh out loud when i first saw it With those bad computer graphics. I guess it’s not a classic though still a pretty funny album cover :)
Great topic. I love it when you two get together, you always have the most in depth, intelligent conversations. Quo is my favourite album of theirs too, and yeah...that cover..UGH ! I eagerly anticipate new releases from my favourite bands and the covers are sometimes such a letdown. I mean after all, it IS your first impression of it. I hope you do another one of these. Thanks guys.
👍Martin for picking the Torch album in your honorable mention. That debut album is a must for every Metal fan. All 10 tracks are fantastic, each of them has amazing riffs and hooks. Not at a fan of Electrikiss, which is a more like a poor hair Metal attempt.
Hey Pete, according to the book "Vinyl.Album.Cover.Art The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue" (highly recommended BTW), Storm Thorgerson thought the photo on the Climax Blues Band Tightly Knit was a visual pun of saying "shut up." He tried to persuade the band to change the title of the album to "Put A Sock In It", but the band said no.
@Bill Jones Ditto! I thought he had a steaming intestinal squeeze in his mouth. No shit! I mean...yes shit. Back in my day, sometimes I'd buy an album solely by its cover. Not this one...
Martin, the saying is "a dog's dinner" but I will certainly use your "a dog's breakfast" saying in the future 🙂 great show again though. Funny and interesting and a really good watch. Cheers guys. 🇬🇧
I agree it is a great cover that stands out..May not relate to the title but who cares..And as pointed out here before the cake was created by the legendary (In UK) Delia Smith.
Hell yes Martin! I’ve been singing Torch’s praises for years! Just an amazing band. My favorite album from that Swedish scene is Swords and Axes by Overdrive but I’d pick Torch as my favorite band. Awesome that you mentioned them!
I'm a good listener, and respect & appreciate stuff other folks like even if I don't. People seem to look forward to my expressions for punk, Motley Crue, and GnR mentions! LOL
Me too, I would love SofT to do a show on The Damned. I love the MGE cover it really shows the spirit of 1979 and the first british punk band to get to the USA. least favourite cover probably Strawberries and my favourite is The Black Album.
I had to agree with most of your choices, although, myself, I love Rush's "Signals" album cover, because, as Martin said, it is a dog smelling a fire hydrant, where another dog probably peed, and so the dog in the picture is going to pee on it too, as dogs do, and it is indeed a "signal." I always thought the concept was pretty cool. And yeah, the cover for Pat Travers "Makin' Magic" looks like a disco album cover, or something from Richard Simmons! Also, as Martin said, the original cover for Bad Company's "Running With The Pack" was printed silver, but yeah, they could have done something a lot better with that, for sure. All the beautiful imagery you can think up with wolves, and they used that? Now here's a story for you guys, since you were comparing Travers and Foghat, as we were just all talking about this on my music group page on Facebook. Here in southern Ontario, the Pat Travers Band never rose above being seen as anything more than a really good bar band. I don't know why. Rush and Saga and Max Webster and Triumph and even Honeymoon Suite went to that next level, but Travers never did. Maybe because he played so often in the bars around here, both with his own band and his previous one, Red Hot, that people just kind of took him for granted? It also didn't help that he was a bit of a prima donna. And that's where my story comes in. There was a bar here in the Falls called Old Arthur's, which was basically a dance club. It was a big place though, and new owners took over and started to have rock concerts there. So they brought in Pat Travers and Foghat on a double bill. Travers decided that Foghat should be his opening act. People here saw it the other way around. Foghat was a legendary band they heard all the time on the radio, and Travers was just this bar band guy they had seen dozens of times. So Foghat played first, and Dave Peverett and Rod Price were still alive back then, and they even came out after their set to watch Travers and to talk and hang out with their fans. Foghat blew the roof off the place. I mean, they smoked it, and they had this big biker guy on a telecaster who was just awesome. They finished, and Travers came out, and he was really good, as always, but the place started to empty out, and you could see him getting pissed off. A few songs in, and the place was half empty. You could see he was pissed! Well, there you go, letting your ego get in the way of better judgement.
The Bad Company cover layout with the fonts and the grey background and the underlines...looks like a school supply brand you'd buy at the dollar store in the early 80s.
I'm crushed ... I love the Damned MGE album cover ... front and back and the inner sleeve. Of course the most inspired is the pie fight cover of Damned Damned Damned. Great show.
I lived in Logan for many years, was a "milk receiver" (unloaded milk trucks) for a cheese plant for a decade. During winters, all 4 bay doors had to remain open because the semi's were too long to fit inside the bay. Not only were you exposed to the frigid temps, you also had to keep beating on the milk hoses with a sledgehammer so they wouldn't freeze up. I live in the Ozarks now, where the winters aren't too bad, but you're absolutely gasping for air in the summer!
Great show again guys! It's funny how tastes are different - some of the presented album covers I really like 😀 VH is not famous for their album covers at all, but Fair Warning is one I really like a lot. Martin - nice you picked High 'n' Dry I've mentioned it already in Part 1. It's really bad. Soundgarden "Louder than Love" is a classic cover done in "Sub Pop" style (the band left the label the year before I think). Sub Pop did a lot of similar cover photographs.
Pete didn’t mention it during his critique of the Run With The Pack album cover, but I totally get the whole “ raised by wolves” theme with the human baby nursing with the wolf pups. The Signals album cover was pretty straightforward, I thought. Dogs mark their territory letting other dogs know what’s up. Dalmatians have traditionally been recognized as fire station mascots, which respond to fires and utilize fire hydrants. The dog could also reference Pink Floyd’ Dogs from Animals and our Pavlovian response to consumerism. The color motif of red, green, black and white: so many elements in this simple photograph that convey the “signals” that we constantly send and receive to each other on a daily basis with the blanket message that “somedays you’re the dog, and somedays you’re the hydrant.”
If you're going to be pedantic then so am I 😊 Royal Corps of Signals. An old mate of mine is front row, slightly right of centre. Doesn't make a good rock album cover though.
@@paulmaxwell4934 by definition pedantic is an insult and I didn’t think I was. As I said I was just pointing out something our American friends might not know
I disagree....think about the strange apocalyptic scenes of Farewell to Kings/Permanent Waves and the classic looking Moving Pictures. Signals is kind of lame by comparison. I mean, it’s cute I suppose. Anyway, that’s just my opinion.
Great album by Rush - one of their best - top 5 Rush album for sure, but agree with Pete not a good album cover - very boring and uninspired and never got or understood the “Signals” tie in ?
I remember buying it 35 years ago and thought it wos a magnificent cover, thankfully the music wos even better and in my opinion is better than moving pictures where side two is very average despite wot people will tell u
A mate bought Signals around. I was so excited wondering how they could improve after Moving Pictures. We looked at each other dumbfounded after listening thinking it must be a joke. Put it down to being a "one off" & didn't buy Signals. I was more distraught when l bought Power Windows & there was more of (IMHO) the same crap. That was when I got off the Rush train, not getting back on until the glorious return to form with Vapor Trails.
Great stuff guys as always. Look forward to Friday night with poppoff every week. By the way, Martin the album cover you are looking for inspired by Magritte is Styx-the grand illusion. Agree with most of the pics including amused by death which is good conceptually but the execution is sidey and poor. Anyway, these are mine Pearl jam-ten Destruction-eternal devastation Metallica-kill em all Acdc-powerage Zz top-tres hombres Exodus-bonded by blood The Beatles-the beatles Enslaved-vikingligr veldi Radiohead-the bends John petrucci-suspended animation
I agree with Women & Children First. I thought the pose was weird but it is my favourite VH album. And I always thought the Gillan album photo was a leftover from an Ian Gillan Band shoot.
I think the Hypnosis cover of Climax Blues Band "Tightly Knit" has to do with the track on the album called St. Michael's Blues, where the singer keeps accusing his woman of stealing his socks and giving them to another man. I always imaged she got fed up with him and stuffed a sock in his mouth!
Pretty sure "Fair Warning" is generally regarded by fans & musicologists as the "dark" VH album; not sure why the cover should represent that they're a "party band"
My vote for biggest disparity between album cover and the music contained has got to be the one and only T-Ride, self titled release. Black background with a dark logo and red that barely rises above the background. Also, some impossible to make out drawings in gray. WTF? Then you have the music which is one of the most satisfying mind bending journeys in hard rock. Incredible gymnastic rhythms, layered queen meets detective movie vocals and the occasional stunning guitar sprint. Throw in the fact that the making of such an incredible record was quite arduous and it’s head spinning to comprehend how a band doesn’t spend any effort on the package. How this album isn’t permanently on everyone’s lips is a mystery to me. Well maybe not. You have to make it past the cover first!
If you notice on the "Run With The Pack" album cover, there's a human baby with the cubs being nursed by mama wolf. I think that's a reference to the myth of Romulus and Remus, or a reference to wild childs like Mowgli all of whom were raised by wolves. However, I don't think it has anything to do with the song, which is about moving on from a toxic relationship.
100% agree with both of you on Twisted Sisters look. Just like Motley Crue, I would have preferred they stay with the street punk look with denim jackets where Motley Crue should have stuck with a simple leather jacket biker look. We already had Kiss, Alice Cooper, Sweet and The Dolls.
Yesterday & Today - The Beatles (butcher cover the most famous bad album cover) Diary Of A Madman - Ozzy Talking Heads 77 - Talking Heads Born In The Usa - Bruce Springsteen Cracked Rear View - Hootie & The Blowfish Velvet Turner Group - Velvet Turner Group
I grew up In the US Midwest and weather was a constant subject mentioned in small talk or the beginning of more serious discussion. Now I live in Southern California and never have to talk about the weather.
Bob Frapples It was a high of 72 degrees today, clear and sunny. It is always so sunny here I miss clouds. I also miss the autumn leaves and it is never cold enough to eat soup. It rarely rains. The truth is there really is no weather. Strange. But I really love it.
30 years ago, I dated a man who owned a used record store, and EVERY.SINGLE.TIME someone purchased Prince's "Lovesexy", they would cringe and say, ".....that cover......"
@@bobfrapples1208 It's a portion of a painting called The Maze by William Kurelek. A Canadian schizophrenic who painted it at a psychiatric hospital. Where you see FAIR WARNING on the VH cover, actually says COURAGE on the original painting. Not sure why VH used that artwork...
That's a great shout with the Jeff Beck Group. I mean, come on! Jeff and Rod looked fabulous back then - why not show that on the cover?! I could envisage a kind of Bruce / Clarence vibe like on the cover of 'Born to Run'. Those Kyuss album covers are shite. The '90s really were a dismal time for album artwork. God, those Living Color ones are terrible too! Some bands received really awful advice or never listened when they *did* get sound advice. I've got to say, for every great Hipgnosis LP sleeve there are three bad ones. I don't think their covers have aged very well. Don't agree with regards 'Let It Bleed'. Interesting fact with the cover - the woman that baked the cake was Delia Smith who went on to be a superstar of British cookery, selling millions of books. That was her first professional job. I used her meatballs recipe only the other day! The Doobie Brothers' cover brings to mind one of my favourite expressions - 'you can't polish a turd'. They must be one of the most unphotogenic bands of all time. If I were an art director, I would avoid sticking them anywhere near a camera. A good idea would have been to put paper shopping bags over their heads and use that as a cover.
HEY PETE!! You finally mentioned the Climax Blues Band. Id love to see a ranking the studio albums show on their albums. Great and unique band. They really got some good ones. And i agree about that tightly knit album cover, horrific.
Another stellar episode well done gentlemen. I disagree about Living Colour love Vernon Reid’s chaotic avant-guard lead style. Very original almost like the John Coltrane of rock guitar. Another addition to the horrible album cover list. “Rick Derringer Spring Fever”. Jeez lol
Chocolate Kings (Premiata Forneria Marconi), Black and White (The Stranglers), Ashes are Burning (Renaissance), Genesis - self titled 1983, Sweet Fanny Adams (Sweet).
I know this probably isn't the place for this post, but it is your latest post. Could you do a memorial to Rusty Young; the banjo, dobro, pedal steel, mandolin virtuoso of the band POCO? I realize country rock isn't really your forte or would ever be included in your usual reviews; but Rusty has passed at 75 and if it weren't for Rusty Young, Jim Messina, Ritchie Furary and Randy Meisner; there wouldn't have been an Eagles. I think their legacy is worth remembering. Thank you for considering it Pete.
My pick is the album covers for the Blind Faith album. Both the notorious original album cover of the child holding the toy airplane, and the second cover which is a very small, very bland shot of the band.
I took guitar lessons in a set of basement studios beneath a music store in the late 70s. Over the years, many old promo posters had been plastered to the basement walls, I guess they kept the ones they liked once their time had expired upstairs. One of them was the Blind Faith cover. I remember 13-year old me, seeing that cover for the first time, thinking "That can't POSSIBLY have been a real album cover? Is that even legal???"
Queen-The Miracle, the cover where all the guys faces mold into each other, YIKES. Was a really good album so might not fit in the "Classic" albums but...the cover argh.
Sorry but I disagree with you about The Miracle .I’ve got a 3D sticker of this album cover and as 3D it really works , maybe they should have made the album cover in 3D . I think that the last Queen studio album cover “ Made in heaven “ really sucks , I’m not that keen either on the “Innuendo” cover On the other hand “A kind of magic “ “ The Works “ and “ Sheer Heart Attack “ album covers are favourite Queen album covers for me .
I don't think woman and children first is that bad, always liked it, now 5150 is a bad cover, love the album and as a 13yr old kid loved the cover of 5150, now it looks pretty dated. I would add both Use Your Illusion albums, terrible covers also.
Get the Knack - The Knack Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Vol I & II Eagles - Long Run Minute By Minute - Doobie Brothers So - Peter Gabriel Black Sabbath - Master of Reality Land of the Midnight Sun - Al Di Meola There and Back - Jeff Beck In the Heat of the Night, Crimes of Passion and Precious Time - Pat Benatar Highway to Hell - AC/DC
OK...agree with the Derringer cover. Got this LP on Xmas back in the day. The LP cover was super glossy. Love the music & it has Bobby Caldwell on some tracks! Check out "Jump, Jump, Jump".
Agree on the Rick Derringer cover. But you didn't mention the next one, "Spring Fever". They got him looking like a teenage girl. Or at the very least, androgynous. Maybe it was supposed to be a Bowie vibe? Whatever it was, it didn't work at all. And both are terrific albums.
I love those Kyuss album covers. Funny how awful I found both your choices in the "Albums Upstaged by Their Covers" vid. Just shows different people like different things👍
Hey Martin(and Pete)....what do you think of the cover of Max Webster's Universal Juveniles??? You either love or hate Kim Mitchell's tight yellow body suit......Nevertheless, Blue River Liquor Shine is one of the best songs I have ever heard
Another great episode guys. Not sure if this question has been presented, but any chance of showing the audio equipment you guys use to listen to all this great music? Best wishes....
From Hipgnosis Book "WALK AWAY RENE" "Tightly Knit is a design of ours and is a photographic rendition of the well known phrase 'put a sock in it'. Say no more." And that is all they say about that album cover in this book. Hipgnosis should have taken there own advice and put a sock in it when somebody threw this idea out.
There are a few reasons for crappy artwork on albums: 1. The band, after being told by its label "Nah, you don't need to get LAWYERS involved . . ." signed a contract that did not include creative control over the graphic packaging; 2. After a band meeting where the cost of album art was the primary issue, they defiantly raised their collective fists in the air and decided to keep that money in their pockets. "Hey, we're gonna live or die on OUR MUSIC, MAN!!!"; or 3. The band simply has bad/no taste when it comes to visual presentations. I'm sure there is a plethora of other reasons why, but I'm lucky I made it to these three.
Albums I love with covers I hate: Sabbath - Paranoid Riot - Fire Down Under Def Leppard - High and Dry Sabbath - Sabatage Judas Priest - Turbo Riot - Restless Breed Zeppelin - III BOC - Club Ninja
Popoff and Pardo at it once again with a deep dive into album cover discussion. Always fun to hear Martin and Pete talk about almost anything and this show is another great time. Martin CLEARLY wins with his runner-up and bringing and expression to Pete's face that fits Martin's quote from Part 1 of this series "Disastrous results can occur." Thanks again, gents. Looking forward to your next shared show.
Thanks John! Martin and I truly look forward to these Friday shows as much as some of you do!
Fun fact - the cake on the Stones cover was baked by British TV cookery legend Delia Smith, years before she came to fame.
you all prolly dont care at all but does someone know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was stupid forgot my account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me!
@Adonis Josue instablaster =)
I love that cover. I look on the back and I think yeah, this is definitely a Rolling Stones record. No words needed. The image says it all.
Let It Bleed??!! Really....that’s a classic cover, man!
40:17 Pete's facial expression at that "TORCH" album cover!
😃😄😆😁😂
Lol I actually liked that cover
@@stephanrasmussen1894 It's actually kinda cool, but Pete prefers the Roger Dean covers that were done for Yes, Uriah Heep, Gentle Giant, etc...
@@thomasvarady1210 lol, well I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder because I find all those TORCH album covers absolutely atrocious.
That blue barbarian guy looks like one character from Heroes of Might and Magic video game series, but considering sword and sorcery themes of the game I bet developers were metal fans.
I've always loved the *Let It Bleed* cover.
Me too. The LET IT BLEED album cover is iconic.
I'm with you. I think it's great.
It always reminded me of a birthday, serving cake. Plus all the layers of non food items is unique...
The Magritte painting on the Jeff Beck cover is called The Listening Room; so there is at least a tangential connection to music.
I like that cover...
As a Belgian, I'm offended! :-) Love that cover!
All I saw was JEFF BECK. Boom ! Bought it. I don t play the album cover . Kinds reminded me of the BEATLES Apple logo.
Pete, your face when you saw the Torch album cover is priceless.😂😂😂
I actually didn't mind that first Torch album Martin showed and its startling 'face' cover - it would have made me notice that album on the rack. Maybe I just have poor taste 😂
Someone has to capture that pic of Pete and turn it into a meme,lmao
I was just about to say the same thing! Haha!
@@andychampion77 thats awesome man
Lmao
I personally really like the "Signals" cover. I like the contrast between the black-and-white dalmatian and the bright red fire hydrant on the green ground, and I generally like the tone and texture of the image
Love the Stay Hungry album cover. It worked well.
Actually, these signatures ruined it...
The Accept cover for Balls To The Wall is one of my favorites actually, Pete. I remember Chris' Warped Records in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood having a giant store poster of that cover in its front display window. It might have helped that Lakewood has the third largest LGBTQ+ population in the United States.
Me too - such a bold and evocative visual and it suits the musical and lyrical content perfectly to me. I'll take it over the typical (at the time) 'scary mascot' cover any day.
So that's why it's name was Warped Records in that town. Goes well with that community...
There were a lot of sleazy and suggestive album covers in the 70's and early 80's. For a metal album it's a little strange, but in the context of the time it's not that shocking (I mean, at least there isn't nudity).
Always a joy to watch you two talk about music 🎶
Pete: I think you're thinking about Michael Berryman. He plays a lot of mutants or monsters. He was born with a rare condition called hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which means he was born without any pores, so he has no hair, teeth nails or sweat glands.
What's amazing was, even though he has no sweat glands, his scenes in "The Hills Have Eyes" took over a week to film in over 100 degree
temperature. I don't know how he didn't have a heat stroke making that movie. From what I read about him, in spite of his appearance, he is a
very nice man in real life and really enjoys meeting his fans.
That's him!!!
There's also a resemblance to Midnight Oil's singer and sometimes politician Peter Garrett, which is kind of amusing because years ago I used to think Climax Blues Band was an Australian band.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I'm glad I could help. Anyway, I don't think his name is all that well known, but his face certainly is.
@@LarryFleetwood8675 Garrett and Berryman do strongly resemble each other.
How can you guys miss ”Dance of Death” by iron maiden that one made me laugh out loud when i first saw it With those bad computer graphics. I guess it’s not a classic though still a pretty funny album cover :)
Wow Martin got the the Torch album!!! Did'nt know it was ever sold outside of europe, that's amazing!! Tumbs up!
Great topic. I love it when you two get together, you always have the most in depth, intelligent conversations. Quo is my favourite album of theirs too, and yeah...that cover..UGH ! I eagerly anticipate new releases from my favourite bands and the covers are sometimes such a letdown. I mean after all, it IS your first impression of it. I hope you do another one of these. Thanks guys.
👍Martin for picking the Torch album in your honorable mention. That debut album is a must for every Metal fan. All 10 tracks are fantastic, each of them has amazing riffs and hooks. Not at a fan of Electrikiss, which is a more like a poor hair Metal attempt.
I never got the makeup and clothes for Twisted Sister; they looked ridiculous!!!
Hey Pete, according to the book "Vinyl.Album.Cover.Art The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue" (highly recommended BTW), Storm Thorgerson thought the photo on the Climax Blues Band Tightly Knit was a visual pun of saying "shut up." He tried to persuade the band to change the title of the album to "Put A Sock In It", but the band said no.
@Bill Jones Ditto! I thought he had a steaming intestinal squeeze in his mouth. No shit! I mean...yes shit. Back in my day, sometimes I'd buy an album solely by its cover. Not this one...
Martin, the saying is "a dog's dinner" but I will certainly use your "a dog's breakfast" saying in the future 🙂 great show again though. Funny and interesting and a really good watch. Cheers guys. 🇬🇧
You missed it on Running with the Pack...lying with the wolves is a baby human also nursing....brilliant! 🤔🤔🤔
Surprised "Let It Bleed" made the list it's so iconic.
I agree it is a great cover that stands out..May not relate to the title but who cares..And as pointed out here before the cake was created by the legendary (In UK) Delia Smith.
The cake would've made sense with the title "Beggar's Banquet"
@@terrytheman3317 Come to think of it, yes.
Hell yes Martin! I’ve been singing Torch’s praises for years! Just an amazing band. My favorite album from that Swedish scene is Swords and Axes by Overdrive but I’d pick Torch as my favorite band. Awesome that you mentioned them!
love pete’s expression whenever martin talks about punk rock
I'm a good listener, and respect & appreciate stuff other folks like even if I don't. People seem to look forward to my expressions for punk, Motley Crue, and GnR mentions! LOL
But hes right, punk music is rubbish anyway, no point denying it
@@aidenswords5809 be careful when painting with a broad brush good chance that gets you backed into a corner.
Cool to hear the Damned mentioned on SoT - would love to hear Martin do a show on them. Love the MGE album cover!
Me too, I would love SofT to do a show on The Damned. I love the MGE cover it really shows the spirit of 1979 and the first british punk band to get to the USA. least favourite cover probably Strawberries and my favourite is The Black Album.
Of all your videos,I love the ones with fellow Canuckian Martin the best. The guy is a walking encyclopedia of music.
I definitely remember every metal kid thinking Accept were all gay and it was some kind of "gay metal." That cover and title.
I had to agree with most of your choices, although, myself, I love Rush's "Signals" album cover, because, as Martin said, it is a dog smelling a fire hydrant, where another dog probably peed, and so the dog in the picture is going to pee on it too, as dogs do, and it is indeed a "signal." I always thought the concept was pretty cool. And yeah, the cover for Pat Travers "Makin' Magic" looks like a disco album cover, or something from Richard Simmons! Also, as Martin said, the original cover for Bad Company's "Running With The Pack" was printed silver, but yeah, they could have done something a lot better with that, for sure. All the beautiful imagery you can think up with wolves, and they used that?
Now here's a story for you guys, since you were comparing Travers and Foghat, as we were just all talking about this on my music group page on Facebook. Here in southern Ontario, the Pat Travers Band never rose above being seen as anything more than a really good bar band. I don't know why. Rush and Saga and Max Webster and Triumph and even Honeymoon Suite went to that next level, but Travers never did. Maybe because he played so often in the bars around here, both with his own band and his previous one, Red Hot, that people just kind of took him for granted? It also didn't help that he was a bit of a prima donna. And that's where my story comes in. There was a bar here in the Falls called Old Arthur's, which was basically a dance club. It was a big place though, and new owners took over and started to have rock concerts there. So they brought in Pat Travers and Foghat on a double bill. Travers decided that Foghat should be his opening act. People here saw it the other way around. Foghat was a legendary band they heard all the time on the radio, and Travers was just this bar band guy they had seen dozens of times. So Foghat played first, and Dave Peverett and Rod Price were still alive back then, and they even came out after their set to watch Travers and to talk and hang out with their fans. Foghat blew the roof off the place. I mean, they smoked it, and they had this big biker guy on a telecaster who was just awesome. They finished, and Travers came out, and he was really good, as always, but the place started to empty out, and you could see him getting pissed off. A few songs in, and the place was half empty. You could see he was pissed! Well, there you go, letting your ego get in the way of better judgement.
The Bad Company cover layout with the fonts and the grey background and the underlines...looks like a school supply brand you'd buy at the dollar store in the early 80s.
Rush - Hemispheres. Didn't need the Going For The One nude guy to show up on another prog band cover again.
I really hate how I cant find a Rush t-shirt without a dude's bare ass on the front, lol
@@NostalgiaVHS Well, it *_is_* a rather spectacular ass.
ursaminorjim can’t argue with that haha
The dalmatian sniffing the fire hydrant on a nicely kept lawn represents trying to "leave your mark" in a suburban wasteland
12:10 first thought that was Cabbage Alley by The Meters, really similar and equally random cover
I'm crushed ... I love the Damned MGE album cover ... front and back and the inner sleeve. Of course the most inspired is the pie fight cover of Damned Damned Damned. Great show.
Cold and windy here in northern Utah as well. I don't know how much more of this spring weather I can take.
I lived in Logan for many years, was a "milk receiver" (unloaded milk trucks) for a cheese plant for a decade. During winters, all 4 bay doors had to remain open because the semi's were too long to fit inside the bay. Not only were you exposed to the frigid temps, you also had to keep beating on the milk hoses with a sledgehammer so they wouldn't freeze up. I live in the Ozarks now, where the winters aren't too bad, but you're absolutely gasping for air in the summer!
Great show again guys! It's funny how tastes are different - some of the presented album covers I really like 😀
VH is not famous for their album covers at all, but Fair Warning is one I really like a lot.
Martin - nice you picked High 'n' Dry I've mentioned it already in Part 1. It's really bad.
Soundgarden "Louder than Love" is a classic cover done in "Sub Pop" style (the band left the label the year before I think). Sub Pop did a lot of similar cover photographs.
Nice to see apreciation for the Quo, Dog Of Two Head is a cool cover.
Pete didn’t mention it during his critique of the Run With The Pack album cover, but I totally get the whole “ raised by wolves” theme with the human baby nursing with the wolf pups.
The Signals album cover was pretty straightforward, I thought. Dogs mark their territory letting other dogs know what’s up. Dalmatians have traditionally been recognized as fire station mascots, which respond to fires and utilize fire hydrants. The dog could also reference Pink Floyd’ Dogs from Animals and our Pavlovian response to consumerism. The color motif of red, green, black and white: so many elements in this simple photograph that convey the “signals” that we constantly send and receive to each other on a daily basis with the blanket message that “somedays you’re the dog, and somedays you’re the hydrant.”
They are not police on the Rock On album. Its the White Helmets Display Team. This was a British army display team from the Royal Signals regiment.
If you're going to be pedantic then so am I 😊 Royal Corps of Signals. An old mate of mine is front row, slightly right of centre. Doesn't make a good rock album cover though.
@@paulmaxwell4934 thanks for the insult but I was only pointing out who these guys were to our American friends
@@stephenbrown4211 Shame you took that as an insult, it wasn't intended (hence the smiley).
@@paulmaxwell4934 by definition pedantic is an insult and I didn’t think I was. As I said I was just pointing out something our American friends might not know
@@stephenbrown4211 Enjoy your day mate 👍🙄🙄
Pete! You're breaking my heart with Rush's "Signals." That's one of their best covers.
I disagree....think about the strange apocalyptic scenes of Farewell to Kings/Permanent Waves and the classic looking Moving Pictures. Signals is kind of lame by comparison. I mean, it’s cute I suppose. Anyway, that’s just my opinion.
Great album by Rush - one of their best - top 5 Rush album for sure, but agree with Pete not a good album cover - very boring and uninspired and never got or understood the “Signals” tie in ?
I remember buying it 35 years ago and thought it wos a magnificent cover, thankfully the music wos even better and in my opinion is better than moving pictures where side two is very average despite wot people will tell u
Side 2 of MP is killer!! So underrated.
A mate bought Signals around. I was so excited wondering how they could improve after Moving Pictures. We looked at each other dumbfounded after listening thinking it must be a joke. Put it down to being a "one off" & didn't buy Signals. I was more distraught when l bought Power Windows & there was more of (IMHO) the same crap.
That was when I got off the Rush train, not getting back on until the glorious return to form with Vapor Trails.
Great stuff guys as always. Look forward to Friday night with poppoff every week. By the way, Martin the album cover you are looking for inspired by Magritte is Styx-the grand illusion. Agree with most of the pics including amused by death which is good conceptually but the execution is sidey and poor.
Anyway, these are mine
Pearl jam-ten
Destruction-eternal devastation
Metallica-kill em all
Acdc-powerage
Zz top-tres hombres
Exodus-bonded by blood
The Beatles-the beatles
Enslaved-vikingligr veldi
Radiohead-the bends
John petrucci-suspended animation
I agree with Women & Children First. I thought the pose was weird but it is my favourite VH album. And I always thought the Gillan album photo was a leftover from an Ian Gillan Band shoot.
I have always loved the Balls to the Wall cover. I loved the lyrics too - they were just so odd I couldn’t help but love them 😂
I think the Hypnosis cover of Climax Blues Band "Tightly Knit" has to do with the track on the album called St. Michael's Blues, where the singer keeps accusing his woman of stealing his socks and giving them to another man. I always imaged she got fed up with him and stuffed a sock in his mouth!
Pretty sure "Fair Warning" is generally regarded by fans & musicologists as the "dark" VH album; not sure why the cover should represent that they're a "party band"
*Run With the Pack* is a great choice. It looks like it was done with Microsoft Word in about 1994.
Almost twenty years ahead of its time then 😂
"Women & Children First" cover is a masterpiece comparing to "Diver Down" ! 😳
Well Diver Downs is a diving flag, I don’t think either covers are bad though
My vote for biggest disparity between album cover and the music contained has got to be the one and only T-Ride, self titled release. Black background with a dark logo and red that barely rises above the background. Also, some impossible to make out drawings in gray. WTF? Then you have the music which is one of the most satisfying mind bending journeys in hard rock. Incredible gymnastic rhythms, layered queen meets detective movie vocals and the occasional stunning guitar sprint. Throw in the fact that the making of such an incredible record was quite arduous and it’s head spinning to comprehend how a band doesn’t spend any effort on the package. How this album isn’t permanently on everyone’s lips is a mystery to me. Well maybe not. You have to make it past the cover first!
I love the Machine Gun Etiquette cover. Zero dress code and four fashion disasters in one shot
Me too, it’s an iconic cover. Can’t agree with Martin on that.
@@sspbrazil Of course it pales next to the debut.
You guys crack me up! Great choices. And another great show!
If you notice on the "Run With The Pack" album cover, there's a human baby with the cubs being nursed by mama wolf. I think that's a reference to the myth of Romulus and Remus, or a reference to wild childs like Mowgli all of whom were raised by wolves. However, I don't think it has anything to do with the song, which is about moving on from a toxic relationship.
Pete your smile and reactions are priceless.
Hey Martin it's Edward not Eddie ref Butch lol.
100% agree with both of you on Twisted Sisters look. Just like Motley Crue, I would have preferred they stay with the street punk look with denim jackets where Motley Crue should have stuck with a simple leather jacket biker look. We already had Kiss, Alice Cooper, Sweet and The Dolls.
Uriah Heep - "Look at Yourself".
Nightwish - "Dark Passion Play".
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy".
Hustler - "Play Loud".
Nirvana - "Nevermind".
Don't know all these but agree on Vitalogy and Nevermind.
C'mon, I love the Nevermind album cover! Certainly FAR better than the Incesticide cover (WTF IS that supposed to be??).
Yesterday & Today - The Beatles (butcher cover the most famous bad album cover)
Diary Of A Madman - Ozzy
Talking Heads 77 - Talking Heads
Born In The Usa - Bruce Springsteen
Cracked Rear View - Hootie & The Blowfish
Velvet Turner Group - Velvet Turner Group
Enuff Z'Nuff's debut with the fluo-green Peace-sign.
Rick Derringer "All American Boy" looks more like Suzi Quatro. But good album.
Suzi Quatro is pretty underrated
I thought that it was just us English that talked about the weather constantly!😀
I was about to say that myself, then I scrolled down to the comments.
Here in Norway too, especially in Bergen, lots of rain and fog. Boring!
I grew up In the US Midwest and weather was a constant subject mentioned in small talk or the beginning of more serious discussion. Now I live in Southern California and never have to talk about the weather.
Well it's cold here in Ohio. How's it going over there?
Bob Frapples
It was a high of 72 degrees today, clear and sunny. It is always so sunny here I miss clouds. I also miss the autumn leaves and it is never cold enough to eat soup. It rarely rains. The truth is there really is no weather. Strange. But I really love it.
30 years ago, I dated a man who owned a used record store, and EVERY.SINGLE.TIME someone purchased Prince's "Lovesexy", they would cringe and say, ".....that cover......"
🤣
Martin is hilarious at times picking out Van Halen album 😂 and his fettish for naked men 😂
I love the Fair Warning cover.
I do too.
@@bobfrapples1208 It's a portion of a painting called The Maze by William Kurelek. A Canadian schizophrenic who painted it at a psychiatric hospital. Where you see FAIR WARNING on the VH cover, actually says COURAGE on the original painting. Not sure why VH used that artwork...
I always thought it perfect imagery that goes with Mean Street and the general tone of the album
@@thomasvarady1210 Probably because it's their darkest and angriest album.
The new album cover for the 2015 re-release of Roger Waters Amused to Death was definitely a step up from the original 1992 album cover.
That's a great shout with the Jeff Beck Group. I mean, come on! Jeff and Rod looked fabulous back then - why not show that on the cover?! I could envisage a kind of Bruce / Clarence vibe like on the cover of 'Born to Run'.
Those Kyuss album covers are shite. The '90s really were a dismal time for album artwork.
God, those Living Color ones are terrible too!
Some bands received really awful advice or never listened when they *did* get sound advice.
I've got to say, for every great Hipgnosis LP sleeve there are three bad ones. I don't think their covers have aged very well.
Don't agree with regards 'Let It Bleed'. Interesting fact with the cover - the woman that baked the cake was Delia Smith who went on to be a superstar of British cookery, selling millions of books. That was her first professional job. I used her meatballs recipe only the other day!
The Doobie Brothers' cover brings to mind one of my favourite expressions - 'you can't polish a turd'. They must be one of the most unphotogenic bands of all time. If I were an art director, I would avoid sticking them anywhere near a camera. A good idea would have been to put paper shopping bags over their heads and use that as a cover.
HEY PETE!! You finally mentioned the Climax Blues Band. Id love to see a ranking the studio albums show on their albums. Great and unique band. They really got some good ones. And i agree about that tightly knit album cover, horrific.
Yep, it's coming!
Another stellar episode well done gentlemen. I disagree about Living Colour love Vernon Reid’s chaotic avant-guard lead style. Very original almost like the John Coltrane of rock guitar. Another addition to the horrible album cover list. “Rick Derringer Spring Fever”. Jeez lol
Vernon Reid is what would sound like if Greg Ginn actually learned to play.
Chocolate Kings (Premiata Forneria Marconi), Black and White (The Stranglers), Ashes are Burning (Renaissance), Genesis - self titled 1983, Sweet Fanny Adams (Sweet).
C'mon, Stay Hungry is a classic cover. And his costume was made by his wife, Suzette.
Might've said this before, but visually impaired guy here!! Hilariously enlightening stuff. Some of it beyond anybody's imagination man!!
I mean it man. Never asked about album covers in all my40-plus years. This is some stand-up comedy right here!!!!
Kiss' Dressed to Kill cover is comical! All in suits and all 4 members are making odd, funny faces! The album isn't too bad either
I think it's their best album cover.
@@bobfrapples1208 I would have "Love Gun" as their best cover. But, that's just my opinion.
Dressed to Kill is their best album. And the album cover is SUPEF iconic. It's Lenny Kravitz favorite album
@@terrytheman3317 I might be their best but the debut,Unmasked and Alive 2 are my favorites but DtK is definitely up there on my list
The Def Leppard album cover. The link between the two images is the man is looking up to represent High, the diver hasn't reached the water, as in Dry
And, there is no water in the pool.
Exciter from Canada's album covers are amusing. Violence and Force especially.
I know this probably isn't the place for this post, but it is your latest post. Could you do a memorial to Rusty Young; the banjo, dobro, pedal steel, mandolin virtuoso of the band POCO? I realize country rock isn't really your forte or would ever be included in your usual reviews; but Rusty has passed at 75 and if it weren't for Rusty Young, Jim Messina, Ritchie Furary and Randy Meisner; there wouldn't have been an Eagles. I think their legacy is worth remembering. Thank you for considering it Pete.
Great video as always guys
My pick is the album covers for the Blind Faith album. Both the notorious original album cover of the child holding the toy airplane, and the second cover which is a very small, very bland shot of the band.
I took guitar lessons in a set of basement studios beneath a music store in the late 70s. Over the years, many old promo posters had been plastered to the basement walls, I guess they kept the ones they liked once their time had expired upstairs. One of them was the Blind Faith cover. I remember 13-year old me, seeing that cover for the first time, thinking "That can't POSSIBLY have been a real album cover? Is that even legal???"
Badmotorfinger is a great pic but louder than love is pretty cool IMO.
Louder than love isn’t great but nothing wrong with badmotorfinger
I like the Soundgarden cover...they dont rely on Cornell's good looks to sell albums and a cool punk band style b&w photo
Queen-The Miracle, the cover where all the guys faces mold into each other, YIKES. Was a really good album so might not fit in the "Classic" albums but...the cover argh.
Sorry but I disagree with you about The Miracle .I’ve got a 3D sticker of this album cover and as 3D it really works , maybe they should have made the album cover in 3D .
I think that the last Queen studio album cover “ Made in heaven “ really sucks , I’m not that keen either on the “Innuendo” cover
On the other hand “A kind of magic “ “ The Works “ and “ Sheer Heart Attack “ album covers are favourite Queen album covers for me .
@@christopherdavies3079 Disagree away, and would like to see the 3D could not make it worse, LOL Stay safe CD.
@Martin Popoff Nice, backed up by another Canadian, you have to love that, lol. Stay safe in Covid Hell Martin.
I don't think woman and children first is that bad, always liked it, now 5150 is a bad cover, love the album and as a 13yr old kid loved the cover of 5150, now it looks pretty dated. I would add both Use Your Illusion albums, terrible covers also.
Get the Knack - The Knack
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Vol I & II
Eagles - Long Run
Minute By Minute - Doobie Brothers
So - Peter Gabriel
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Land of the Midnight Sun - Al Di Meola
There and Back - Jeff Beck
In the Heat of the Night, Crimes of Passion and Precious Time - Pat Benatar
Highway to Hell - AC/DC
Let It Bleed It's pretty cool to me... Goat Head Soup on the other hand...Damn, horrible !
The 'Let It Bleed' with the burger and bun on top was the US only version
OK...agree with the Derringer cover. Got this LP on Xmas back in the day. The LP cover was super glossy. Love the music & it has Bobby Caldwell on some tracks! Check out "Jump, Jump, Jump".
Agree on the Rick Derringer cover. But you didn't mention the next one, "Spring Fever". They got him looking like a teenage girl. Or at the very least, androgynous. Maybe it was supposed to be a Bowie vibe? Whatever it was, it didn't work at all. And both are terrific albums.
When they do a Best Album Covers video I hope Styx - Man of Miracles will be included.
The cake would've made sense with the title "Beggar's Banquet"
I love those Kyuss album covers. Funny how awful I found both your choices in the "Albums Upstaged by Their Covers" vid. Just shows different people like different things👍
London fetish boys
@@orchidcarpetcleaningrp6061 😂😂
Actually Run with the Pack was shiny silver on original vinyl.The cd version flat grey
@@orchidcarpetcleaningrp6061 metallic silver sounds cool. Even though the subject of the photo is a bit naff, the photo itself is well shot
Quo had terrible album covers.
Queen Sheer Heart Attack cover gives no indication of the greatness within.
Pretty poor alright, forgot about dat one
Probably was done in about 5 minutes.
Hey Martin(and Pete)....what do you think of the cover of Max Webster's Universal Juveniles??? You either love or hate Kim Mitchell's tight yellow body suit......Nevertheless, Blue River Liquor Shine is one of the best songs I have ever heard
Another great episode guys. Not sure if this question has been presented, but any chance of showing the audio equipment you guys use to listen to all this great music? Best wishes....
The Rolling Stones - Tatoo You / Edgar Winter Group - They Only Came Out At Night
40:17 Pete's face speaks volumes...
It might not quite qualify as a classic album, but Todd Rundgren's Faithful has one of the all time "We can't be bothered" covers.
The cover of Balls to the Wall mesmerized me at first glance. It looks strong, dark and arrogant. I like it.
The Balls to the Wall cover reminds me of There's the Rub by Wishbone Ash.
From Hipgnosis Book "WALK AWAY RENE" "Tightly Knit is a design of ours and is a photographic rendition of the well known phrase 'put a sock in it'. Say no more."
And that is all they say about that album cover in this book.
Hipgnosis should have taken there own advice and put a sock in it when somebody threw this idea out.
They also wanted to put a tennis racket on a Led Zeppelin album because the band made, ahem, a racket!
I kinda like the Balls to the Wall album cover. I didn't like it at first, but I happily accept that it's a part of the album.
Right on ... Marten comes through again with the DamneD machine gun etiquette!
circus leaves town sleeve picture - is actually upside down if you examine it closely - quite cool i think
Women and Children First...awesome cover!
There are a few reasons for crappy artwork on albums:
1. The band, after being told by its label "Nah, you don't need to get LAWYERS involved . . ." signed a contract that did not include creative control over the graphic packaging;
2. After a band meeting where the cost of album art was the primary issue, they defiantly raised their collective fists in the air and decided to keep that money in their pockets. "Hey, we're gonna live or die on OUR MUSIC, MAN!!!"; or
3. The band simply has bad/no taste when it comes to visual presentations.
I'm sure there is a plethora of other reasons why, but I'm lucky I made it to these three.
Albums I love with covers I hate:
Sabbath - Paranoid
Riot - Fire Down Under
Def Leppard - High and Dry
Sabbath - Sabatage
Judas Priest - Turbo
Riot - Restless Breed
Zeppelin - III
BOC - Club Ninja
I'm with you Marin. Roger Waters last album i his best solo work imo. Thanks for a great show guys.