Controversial
37. Black Sabbath: 'Born Again' - Born Again is Black Sabbath's eleventh studio album, released in 1983. The album cover, which featured the image of an infant with horns and vampire fangs, with a purple background, was designed by Steve Joule. He also handwrote the lyrics that appear on the inner bag. The deliberately lurid design was submitted by Joule in a vain attempt to be rejected from this design commission, as he was also retained on a lucrative contract by Ozzy Osbourne's organisation for his sleeve designs. To Joule's horror and surprise, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler approved the image for the album. Gillan and Ward were not present when the decision was made, though they later noted that they hated the finished cover. Gillan reportedly hated the cover so much, that he threw a box of 50 records out a window. Joule reports that he was drunk and high on speed when he drew the finalized designs for the album. The cover is hated by many fans, but also has a cult following (much as the album itself), most notably with Max Cavalera and Glen Benton both stating that it is their favorite album over. Chris Barnes of Six Feet Under also said he likes the artwork, stating; "It's really the birth of the Antichrist in a Pop Art way which is scary of sorts on a few different levels for me."
It was panned by critics at the time of its release, but reached #4 in the UK charts as well as the top 40 in the U.S. and has gained a strong cult following among a number of fans.
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Weird
37. J-Zone: 'Music For Tu Madre' J-Zone is a rapper, producer, and CEO of Old Maid Entertainment. He lives in Queens, New York. J-Zone has enjoyed a large following of underground hip hop aficionados and a sizable European fan base, which continues to grow.
At a young age, he developed and honed his musical abilities by listening to records and playing bass guitar. He later learned the basics of production under the tutelage of DJ Vance Wright (Slick Rick's DJ) in 1994. In 1999, he released Music for Tu Madre, garnering critical acclaim in the hip hop underground, but it was not enough to propel him into the mainstream spotlight. He has since worked with and produced beats for artists such as Biz Markie, Cage, Diversion Tactics, DM & Jemini, High and Mighty, Jehst, Redman, R.A. the Rugged Man, Tame 1, MF Grimm, and Tha Liks.
Usually accompanied by fellow Old Maid Billionaires Huggy, Al-Shid, and Captain Back$lap (J-Zone's more crass, arrogant alter ego), J-Zone's music could be described as somewhat unconventional. He typically uses lots of offbeat samples, which often function as a sort of Greek Chorus. While generally praised for his comedic storytelling, clever punch lines, acerbic wit, and stellar production work, some critics have claimed that his music is crude, juvenile, and misogynistic.
Apparently, this image is the best that they could do for an LP cover. Weird? To me, this belongs in the 'worst' cover section, and probably in the top ten.
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Worst
37. Crosby, Stills & Nash – ‘Live It Up’ Someone was waaayyy too drugged up for this cover. A weinnie roast, but where is the fire? And wouldn't the men on the sticks get toasted too? 1990's LIVE IT UP fully embraces the era's slick production ethos--right from the bombastic opening title track, the album is timely take on CSN's timeless sound. Graham Nash performs the big power rock epics, from the singalong "If Anybody ... . Full Description Had A Heart" to the tender ballad "House Of Broken Dreams." Stephen Stills indulges his Latin-tinged shuffle muse on "Tomboy" and slows things down for the gritty, acoustic 'Haven't We Lost Enough?" Crosby brings his sweet, melodic gift to bear on some of the album's lighter numbers--from the philosophic "Yours and Mine" to the chiming, synth-driven "Arrows." The album's powerful social statement, "After The Dolphin" unites all three, in a vocal blend which instantly harkens back to the group's early classic works, combining masterful musicianship with a stirring message. Producers: Joe Vitale, Stan Johnston, David Crosby, Steven Stills, Graham Nash. The boys also brought in a number of amjor players to help out including: Mike Landau, Roger McGuinn, Peter Frampton (guitar); Bruce Hornsby (accordion, piano); Branford Marsalis (soprano saxophone); Joe Vitale (keyboards, synthesizer, drums); Craig Doerge (keyboards); Leland Sklar, Bob Glaub (bass); Mike Fisher, Michito Sanchez (percussion); Tony Beard (programming); The Williams Family, J.D. Souther (backgound vocals). Too bad they didn't splurge for a top-notch album cover designer.
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Best
37. Motorhead: ‘Ace of Spades’ Ace of Spades is the fourth album by the British heavy metal band Motörhead. Released on November 8, 1980, it peaked at #4 on the UK album charts. It was preceded by the release of the title track "Ace of Spades" as a single on October 27, which peaked in the UK singles chart at #15 in early November.
The album was produced by Vic Maile at his Jackson's Studio in Rickmansworth. This is the first of what would be a series of projects with Maile, and members of the band commented at the time about finding the right producer. Whereas the band had previously had an input at the mixing stage, Maile took sole responsibility here, Clarke explaining that the result was that "you can finally hear everything that's going on". Of the performances, Lemmy claimed that "Vic got me singing instead of just shouting all the time", while Taylor added "and he got me playing more solid".
It was the first of the band's albums to feature a photograph of them on the cover, dressed as cowboys. The 'Arizona desert-style' pictures used on the album sleeve and tour programme were taken during a photosession at a sandpit in Barnet. They were not in a desert and there were no horses. Great cover anyway!
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