From covering up taboo toilets to farmyard shenanigans that make you want to vomit, we
look at 11 controversial album covers that were banned.
11 – The Mamas and the Papas – If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
Just looking at this, I really find it hard to believe that anyone would have a problem
with it.
Just a couple of people hanging out in a tub.
Well... stuffed into a tub, but what's wrong with that?
Well actually, it has nothing to do with the tub or the people.
The reason the album cover for “If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears” by The Mamas
and the Papas was banned, was because it featured...
a toilet.
Yep, apparently in 1966, showing something we see everyday was so taboo that they had
to reissue the album cover with the toilet hidden.
Jeez... the people who banned this one would probably have a coronary at what else is on
this list.
10 – Jane's Addiction – Nothing's Shocking
“Nothing's Shocking” is the most misleading title ever, or least it was for the people
at the time since they got this relatively tame cover banned.
This album cover became pretty iconic for the band Jane's Addiction and I can see why.
The conjoined twins, flaming hair...
it's very visually striking, but it was likely banned because it showed...
DUN DUN DUN!
Boobies.
If this cover was released today, it might come across as trying too hard and 2Edgy4U,
but in 1988 the exposed breasts were enough to get it banned.
The album was eventually sold in a plain, brown paper sleeve.
A real shame actually.
9 – Poison – Open Up and Say Ahh!
It's really hard to imagine a time where people would be up in arms over a cover like this,
except maybe during the Puritan's time, but this was made in 1988.
Poison's album “Open Up and Say Ahh!”
featured the image of a red-skinned devil woman with a tongue longer than Gene Simmons
and it certainly turned some heads.
Unfortunately...
they were the wrong heads.
Conservative groups at the time complained about the sexual and satanic content that
the cover apparently screamed at them.
Whichever sensitive group did the complaining, they succeeded in getting the cover changed.
Apparently, demon eyes are okay, but BEGON HEATHEN TONGUE!
Or something like that.
8 – The Beatles – Yesterday and Today
This is probably the most well-known of any banned album artwork... but I guess that happens
when it's an album of the biggest band in the world.
“Yesterday and Today” by The Beatles was only released in the US and Japan, but it
caused quite an unpleasant stir in the former.
There was a huge public outcry over the image of broken baby dolls and butchered meat, and
thus the cover was pasted over with a boring band photo.
There's a twist to this story though.
Apparently, the original image wasn't even intended to be an album cover.
Both the band and the record company blame each other for the mistake, but maybe they're
just trying to cover the whole thing up.
Either way.
7 – Roxy Music – Country Life
Seeing as breasts weren't acceptable on album covers in 1988, you can imagine they were
even more unacceptable in 1974.
Roxy Music's album “Country Life” had a photo of two scantily clad models in front
of some trees.
It was far too much for society to accept and the cover was banned in several countries.
Nudity, partial or otherwise, never seems to mix well with music.
Well, nowadays it does, but that's besides the point.
Anyway, the band re-released the album in America with an updated image... of just trees.
Scandalous!
6 – Blind Faith – Blind Faith
Err... guys... if you're going to put a naked 11 year old girl on your cover, she really
shouldn't be holding something that looks like a flying dildo.
Just saying.
Record stores refused to stock this icon of controversy from Eric Clapton's Blind Faith
debut for obvious reasons.
Most likely, they wanted to avoid being locked up for selling something that could be deemed
child pornography.
The photographer for the cover apparently said something along the lines of, Nah, man,
you just don't get it.
See, it's all super symbolic about the fruits from the tree of knowledge.
Which probably means he was tripping on something good when he took the photo.
To each their own...?
5 – Guns'n'Roses – Appetite for Destruction
There's nothing quite like robot rape to get you in the mood for some killer guitar riffs...
or something... yeah I don't get it either.
That must have been the thought that went through Axel Rose's brain when he designed
the cover for Guns'n'Roses album “Appetite for Destruction.”
A woman dazed on the sidewalk with her panties around her ankles and a robot standing nearby
getting busted by some crazed demon-destructo thing.
That will sell the album for sure!
Well... not so much.
Retailers refused to stock the album and so the cover was changed to the now iconic skulls
and cross image.
Originally, Axel wanted to have an image from the Challenger disaster... which probably
would have been in even worse taste.
Just a bit.
Well... maybe more than a bit.
4 – NOFX – Heavy Petting Zoo/Eating Lamb
This double barrel of wrong offended just about everyone who didn't identify as a zoophile.
NOFX's album “Heavy Petting Zoo” featured a man molesting a lamb and was quickly banned
from public view.
Then the artwork for the single “Eating Lamb” took things more than a few steps
too far.
The cover depicted the same scene, but with the man 69-ing the lamb.
It was banned even faster.
I'm all about free expression and whatnot, but this was just shock value for the sake
of it.
3 – Scorpions – The Virgin Killer
Well, if you were offended by the “Blind Faith” cover, then this one is probably
going to offend you as well.
That said, it's hard not to be more than a little grossed out by the clear sexualization
of a child on the cover of Scorpions' “The Virgin Killer” album.
The image of the naked 10 year old girl didn't sit well with... well anyone really, so it
was quickly replaced with an image of the band looking...
well lame in all honesty.
The artwork is so controversial that in 2008, a conservative group reported it's use on
the album's wiki page to the FBI... because the FBI doesn't have any real things to do
apparently.
2 – Brujeria – Matando Güeros (broo-he-ree-a mah-tahn-doh goo-eh-rohs)
When you're debuting in the grindcore genre, it makes sense to “go for the gold” when
it comes to shock value for your album cover.
Brujeria's “Matando Güeros” cover featured a lovely picture of a severed head, half decayed
and paraded around by a mystery hand.
The album art was, of course, banned in most countries for being just a tad over the top.
But when you have feel-good songs like “Shitload of Cum” and “Molesting Dead Children,”
I'm pretty sure getting banned is the overall objective.
Any PR is good PR...
I guess?
1 – Mayhem – Dawn of the Black Hearts
Okay, so technically this one wasn't banned because it's a bootleg, but... jeez, it would
never be seen on store shelves.
The cover for Mayhem's “Dawn of the Black Hearts” album shows a photograph of the
band's singer after he had committed suicide.
The gory image was taken by the band's guitarist upon finding the body.
Apparently someone took one look at the photo and said “This is perfect!
Let's use it for the cover!”
But I guess you don't get any more “black metal” than that.
Jeez... man, I can't look at this anymore.
I'm out.
Thanks for listening... and watching.
Bye guys.
Man, I need to wash my eyes out.