1. The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" - This might be a classic album but it's a truly awful cover. Looks like something the art department knocked out at ten to five on a Friday afternoon. This'll do fine, a picture of the band with some animals, perfectly sums up the content and quality of the music contained ... no, wait ... those are farm animals! Ah - it'll do, probably won't sell many anyway.
2. Black Sabbath "Born Again" - Not a great period in Sabbath's history. Ian Gillan had been drafted in on vocals and never really fitted the band's style. The Born Again tour was also a major inspiration for the Spinal Tap film. Sabbath's Stonehenge was much bigger than expected after the company that built it mistook feet for metres. Over the years I've developed a sort of grudging respect for the cover despite the appearance of having been designed by someone who was drunk and high on speed. Thanks to the wonder of Wikipedia I've now discovered that designer Steve Joule WAS drunk and high on speed.
3. Manowar "Into Glory Ride" - You could lay out every Manowar album on the floor, stick a pin in one whilst blindfolded and find a contender for this. Manowar became a bit of a guilty pleasure during my METAL years. Muscle bound jocks who seemed preoccupied with sword and sorcery, and were probably better served by the later artistic interpretations of their looks than this, all too real, attempt at "looking buff".
4. Rush "Presto" - A major band on a major label (they'd just signed to Atlantic) and they produce a cover as shoddy as this. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that the person responsible for "Pet Sounds" was involved with this design too. Presto? Rabbits out of a hat. Looks a bit naff though. Make it black and white then, everyone will think we're being arty.
5. The Scorpions "Lovedrive" - No top five bad covers list would be complete without an entry from The Scorpions, though I have to admit the cover was a major factor in me buying this album in the first place.
