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[BlueMeanie]

These been another thread about this. Aparaently they had zero control over foreign products. They could be messed with as the locals liked. You must have heard the Hey Jude album (great cover by the way.)

Pointless album, but great cover. Should have used that pic, or one of the others from that shoot as the cover of Let It Be.

[Mrs Lennon]

Two Virgins, straight up. Altough it does make you feel better about yourself.

P.S. Why in the hell is it called Two VIRGINS? The both of them were not even close to being virgins. Just more Lennonism, I guess?

[Mrs Lennon]

[/quote]

I'm afraid I don't agree with that...

[Euan Buchan]

Sometime In New York City

[Geoff]

Two Virgins, straight up. Altough it does make you feel better about yourself.

        






(beer)

[dbone828]

I think John had great album covers for the most part (at least for his pop studio albums)

BEST TO WORST, in my opinion:

1. Rock 'n' Roll - love everything about it.  the old photo, the passers-by, the colored neon lights on the B&W shot
2. Shaved Fish - i love the representation of the different songs on a compilation.  too bad his other compilations couldn't have been this clever.
3. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - such a peaceful shot.  makes me want to be by that tree.
4. Imagine - a very clever concept, but its design has almost taken on a whole new meaning.  i bet most casual music listeners would guess that album cover was designed after his death.
5. Imagine: John Lennon [soundtrack] - it's very John.
6. Walls and Bridges [reissue] - you can't help but laugh when you see all them glasses
7. Some Time in New York City - I think that's a great concept...brilliant.
8. Double Fantasy - nothing over the top, but i think it's cute.
9. Wedding Album - ok, so it's plain, but it is very clever.
10. Live in New York City - the typography is what makes it.
11. Acoustic - the only thing that isn't working for the design is actually John Lennon's name at the top.
12. Mind Games - it's a neat concept and a good design, but it does look a bit cut-and-paste close-up
13. Menlove Ave. - pretty cool...nice use of colour
14. The John Lennon Collection - I know the picture should be valued as being taken on the day he died, but it is kind of a frightening stare
15. The U.S. Vs. John Lennon [soundtrack] - That's cool
16. Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon [B&W version] - good layout, nice pic
17. Wonsaponatime - it's fun, but John's drawing is kinda crude (but I think that works for this album)
18. Walls and Bridges [original] - fun...give him more points for originality
19. Milk and Honey - We've already seen this pose...the colour is nice, and I suppose it's a fitting design for the follow-up
20. Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon [colour version] - looks better in B&W
21. The John Lennon Anthology - looks kinda juvenile
22. Unfinished Music 1: Two Virgins [nude version] - I'll give 'em points for being original.
23. Live Peace in Toronto 1969 - a bit too bland.  unless that cloud is shaped like something i haven't noticed before
24. Lennon [box set] - is that it?
25. Unfinished Music 2: Life with the Lions - looks like a snapshot someone wouldn't even put on Facebook
26. Peace, Love & Truth - ee.  looks like a wedding invitation.
27. Unfinished Music 1: Two Virgins [censored version] - honestly, the brown flap makes it look worse.  there are other ways they could have censored this without making it look like extra scraps from a scrapbooking session
28. Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon - yep.  I can't stand it.  First off, we've already seen the EXACT same image on Menlove Ave (which is different than alternate shots from the same session).  But what really irritates me is the cutoff of the silhouette of his chest.  There are ways you could fix this. You could get rid of the shoulder, but then he just looks like a floating head.  You could bring down John's image to the bottom of the cover and move "The Definitive Lennon" (increase the kerning, decrease the size) under "Working Class Hero" (decrease the kerning, increase size).  I dunno, there's a lot of ways this could be re-designed.

[DoBotherMe]

I think John had great album covers for the most part (at least for his pop studio albums)

BEST TO WORST, in my opinion:

1. Rock 'n' Roll - love everything about it.  the old photo, the passers-by, the colored neon lights on the B&W shot

The passersby are George, Stuart and Paul or Paul, Stuart and George. Cool huh! http://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1961/61.03.27%2007.02%20top%20ten/09%20Jurgen%20Vollmer/vollmer3b.html

Dana ; )

[dbone828]

The passersby are George, Stuart and Paul or Paul, Stuart and George. Cool huh! http://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1961/61.03.27%2007.02%20top%20ten/09%20Jurgen%20Vollmer/vollmer3b.html

Dana ; )

Oh wow Now I love it even more!  Thanks for sharing that.

[adamzero]

I think John had great album covers for the most part (at least for his pop studio albums)

BEST TO WORST, in my opinion:

Great post.  Some thoughts:

1) I agree that Rock'n'Roll is the best cover, even if the album doesn't match up.  It captures the soul of John Lennon in a way that the "posed" pictures on the other covers don't.  This is John Lennon before he was JOHN LENNON.  

2) John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine pretty much establish the John and Yoko romantic ideal lovers thing but in a tasteful way.  (We wouldn't see such restraint in subsequent forays).  Mind Games comes to mind (as does Double Fantasy) in showing more image than substance to the John-and-Yoko thing.  The designs are out of balance (or in DF maybe too balanced--the close-mouth kiss thing ain't exactly an advertisement for "grow old with me").  Mind Games looks pretty nonprofessional from a design point of view and more than creepy with the "hovering" Mount Yoko.

3) Walls and Bridges seems arty but patched together.  This is a guy who's losing his identity and falling apart.  But the cover art seems a little too self-involved, even if it's meant to be light (which doesn't match the mood of the album).

4) Sometime in New York City is a decent idea with some fun pix, but if you're gonna print lyrics all over the cover they ought to be pretty damned good.  These aint.

5) Live Peace In Toronto is a nice cover--even if it totally belies the gut-busting sloppiness of the music inside.  

7) Shaved Fish is cool--like a bento box.  Probably should rate near the top.  

Haven't paid much attention to posthumous stuff but it doesn't seem like anyone's putting alot of time, effort or money into them.  That "Live in New York City" is butt-ugly.  "Menlove Ave" is not one of Warhol's better efforts--compare his classic album covers (Velvet Underground, Sticky Fingers, etc.) to this and it seems like something a third assistant put together on an Apple II.  

Of all the collections Lennon Legend is probably the most interesting visually.  The other ones with a John-shot and title all seem like bargain bin art.  The worst has to be the Lennon Collection.  Would you buy a record from this man?  He looks angry or suicidal.  The one where he's got the pimp hat may be even worse.  Winston O-Boogie.  Ugghh!

And let's add girl privatecats since John produced.  That some of the worst album art ever.  

[colleengirl95]

Two Virgins is the worst album for me. It's because of John and Yoko you know were.... nude. The fist time i saw it i was surprised because i was 11 or 10 at that time and i hit my head for clicking that button and saw it. I really don't like nudeness

[sewi]

Imagine.It is a too "easy"/simple picture for an album cover.As it was Mccartney II.