B Side Presents, "Friday Gut Check - Art-standing Inserts"

There has always been an aspect of albums/cd's that I've loved - album covers. With today's electronic albums - you don't get any of the fun inserts that contain cool artwork, maybe a lyrics sheet and whatever else the band wants to tell you. I can't say that I've ever really bought a cd just because of the artwork - but I certainly look through it everytime I get a new one. It was always a blast reading through the booklets and especially memorizing lyrics to songs that would be tough to know. I've decided today to challenge you guys (and myself) in finding my favorite cover art of all time. Maybe Heidi can join in later, we'll see what she's got going on. Let's hear what you guys come up with!
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5. Hinder - Extreme Behavior: Okay, I'm a guy. I enjoy looking at tastefully done album covers featuring attractive ladies. Is that such a crime? There are TONS of covers you could go with in this genre of artwork. There is a country album by the band Roxy that caused quite a stir for it's content. I'll let you guys look that up sometime. Other than the modeling work - it's nothing major. But I feel putting something like this in my Top 5 was worth while - as I also think an artist not fearing a stigma is bold. It's easy to get censored nowadays, and everyone likes to keep the old FCC happy. Stick it to 'em Hinder!



4. Green Day - Dookie: When I got this album as a kid - I must have spent HOURS looking at the cover. There is so much going on from the totally absurd to the absolute comical. It's fun to think about what Green Day was envisioning with this piece of artwork. Was it intended to make you laugh? Make you think about society? Maybe they put no thought into it at all...who knows? All I know is I enjoyed it - and it's my number 4.



3. Stone Temple Pilots - Purple: Why do I like this one? I'm not even really sure to be honest. It's just captivating. You've got a baby riding some sort of manticore or dragon or something. Some people looking on in the background that appear to maybe be religious and then something that looks to be Japanese. Do I know what it means? Nope. Could I find out? Of course. But what's the fun in that? I'll come up with my own story as to what's going on and keep it that way locked away in my head.




2. Led Zeppelin - I: This cover is a classic. It depicts the famous Hindenburg airship catching fire and going down back in 1937. The band had gotten its name from the incident, and the image worked well to serve the first album of one of the best rock bands of all time. If this image is part of the reason they took the name they did - I'd say it worked out pretty well. The artist did a great job designing this image, and I'd say it's one of the best in history.



1. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here: You could almost go with any Floyd album cover here. Dark Side is up there in terms of most classic artwork ever. The Wall had probably the best total booklet in with the original LP and even the cd. But this image will forever stick with me. There is a man, shaking another mans hand who is clearly on fire. Why don't they put him out? Why are they shaking hands in the first place? Yet another great conversation piece and an amazing album to boot. This is my clear choice as number one - because I love the image. I should get a poster and put it in my bedroom.



Okay B Siders, let's hear what I've missed!