Although some bands are incredibly adept musicians and performers, their artistic sensibilities don’t necessarily translate into the visual realm. There’s no guarantee that your favorite thrash shredder has the same taste in paintings as they do pentatonic solos, and occasionally that gets displayed in really obvious ways. Some of the best albums in rock’s history are matched with some truly embarrassing album covers. Whether it’s a cringeworthy Photoshop job, a bevy of competing ideas all thrown into one, or some straight-up corny art design, there’ve been a lot of great records tucked inside not-so-great sleeves.
Here are 12 awesome albums with accompanying artwork that ranges from weirdly out-of-place to downright asinine…