Album Cover Challenge

October 12, 2003 5:40 AM

Album Cover Challenge. The challenge is this: there are sixty album covers - some better known than others, but none willfully obscure - from which the artist and title information has been removed. Can you identify all the albums and provide the missing information? [via Travelers Diagram]
posted by soundofsuburbia (60 comments total)

You have to contact Meg @ me(ish) to get the answers, though... Still, I thought this was great fun for a sunday afternoon.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 5:42 AM on October 12, 2003

great link. I think I got less than half of them, though. Removing all title stuff really makes you focus on the artwork: some of them are really gems.
posted by swordfishtrombones at 5:47 AM on October 12, 2003

Is there a booby prize?
posted by squealy at 6:10 AM on October 12, 2003

I thought I would do well. I was wrong. And yes, there are some absolutely beautiful covers there. Over the years I've had a few books that featured album artwork. It's pretty cool stuff.

Thanks for the link.
posted by ashbury at 6:20 AM on October 12, 2003

I got 6 out of 10. (The first two especially.)
posted by riffola at 7:21 AM on October 12, 2003

Oops I meant 6 out of 60.
posted by riffola at 7:22 AM on October 12, 2003

Anyone wanna work on this?

Here's what I have off the top of my head (Now going through my collection to get the rest)

1
2
3
4
5 REM – Automatic for the People
6 Cranberries – Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t we?
7 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
8 Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon collie and the infinite sadness.
9
10
11 Blur - Blur
12
13
14 Beastie Boys – Ill Communication
15 Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation
16
17 Foo Fighters – Color and the Shape
18
19
20
21 The Strokes – Room on Fire
22
23 Pink Floyd – The Wall
24
25
26
27 Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
28
29
30 The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow
31
32
33
34
35 The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
36 Green Day – Nimrod
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52 The Beatles – white album
53
54
55 Pearl Jam – VS.
56
57
58
59
60
posted by Quartermass at 7:37 AM on October 12, 2003

1. Bon Jovi - Bounce
2. Def Leppard - X
53. Metallica - Black album
posted by riffola at 7:48 AM on October 12, 2003

Is 53 that Metallica album, or Spinal Tap's Smell the Glove?
posted by UKnowForKids at 7:52 AM on October 12, 2003

...because it's like, how much more black could it be, and the answer is none. None more black.
posted by UKnowForKids at 7:52 AM on October 12, 2003

9. Prodigy - The Fat of the Land
40. Christina Aguilera - Stripped
posted by mmoncur at 7:58 AM on October 12, 2003

10. Eels - Beautiful Freak
12. Incubus - Morning View
30. Suede - Dog Man Star
51. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner
58. The Roots - Things Fall Apart
60. Tricky - Blowback
posted by PenDevil at 8:00 AM on October 12, 2003

1 Bon Jovi
2 Def Leppard
3
4
5 Automatic for the people REM
6 Cranberries
7 Californication - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
8 Mellon Collie - Smashing Pumpkins
9 Prodigy - Fat of the Land
10 Eels - Beautiful Freak
11 Blur - Blur
12
13 Feeder
14 Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
15 Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation
16 Oasis - Masterplan
17 Foo Fighters
18 Muse
19
20 Athlete
21 The strokes
22
23 Pink Floyd - The Wall
24 David Grey
25 Fleetwood Mac
26 Stevie Wonder
27 Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
28
29
30 Suede - Dog Man Star
posted by dodgygeezer at 8:04 AM on October 12, 2003

Quartermass, you have the answers to 36 and 37 listed as number 35 and 36.

40 is Christina Aguilera -- Stripped
58 is The Roots -- Things Fall Apart
posted by mosch at 8:05 AM on October 12, 2003

This is fun. I'm waiting for the answers, but I got about 24 or 25 right.

25. Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac
26. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
32. ELO - Out of the Blue
45. Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
49. 10,000 Maniacs - Blind Man's Zoo
posted by jpoulos at 8:07 AM on October 12, 2003

31 Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
32 ELO
33
34 Marillion - Anoraknophobia
35 Queen Adreena (i think)
36 Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
37 Green Day - Nimrod
38 Manic Street Preachers
39
40 Xtina
41
42 John Martyn (?)
43 Joni Mitchell - Hissing of Summer Lawns
44 Japan
45 Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right To Children
46
47 Take That -n Take That and Party
48
49 10,000 Maniacs
50
51
52 Beatles - White Album
53 Prince - Black Album
54
55 Erasure - The Circus
56 Pearl Jam
57 The Streets
58
59 The Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4
60 Tricky
posted by dodgygeezer at 8:10 AM on October 12, 2003

Ooops, 35 isn't Queen Adreena at all. And 51 is Dizee Rascal - Boy in the Corner and 42 is Solid Air by John Martyn

Actually I've just realised I own about 15 of these records.
posted by dodgygeezer at 8:21 AM on October 12, 2003

Not having heard much pop music in the Seventies and Eighties, I was kind of lost. Beautiful artwork, though.
posted by kozad at 8:37 AM on October 12, 2003

To build on dodgy's list:

04 Jet - Get Born
12 Incubus - Morning View
29 Back To Mine - Everything But the Girl
48 Ani Difranco - Evolve
posted by channey at 8:58 AM on October 12, 2003

54 is Ozzy's Ozmosis, everyone else has pegged all of them I knew.
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 9:15 AM on October 12, 2003

I reloaded # 52 several times thinking the cover image wasn't loading. Then I realized that it was the White Album - duh.

All in all I got 2 out of the 60, I feel so old.
posted by DBAPaul at 9:27 AM on October 12, 2003

26 Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
51 Dizzee Rascal - Boy In da Corner (an unbelievably good album)
57 the Streets - Original Pirate Material
posted by cadastral at 9:33 AM on October 12, 2003

You mean music comes in packaging? What you talkin'bout Willis?
posted by srboisvert at 9:34 AM on October 12, 2003

Here is where we are at now. #46 is driving me crazy (I know it!!!) and I recognize the cover for #19 as being advertised in this months or last month's MOJO.

1 Bon Jovi – Bounce
2 Def Leopard - x
3
4 Jet - Get Born
5 REM – Automatic for the People
6 Cranberries – Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t we?
7 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
8 Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon collie and the infinite sadness.
9 Prodigy – Fat of the Land
10 Eels – Beautiful Freak
11 Blur - Blur
12 Incubus – Morning View
13 Feeder – Echo Park
14 Beastie Boys – Ill Communication
15 Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation
16 Oasis – Master Plan
17 Foo Fighters – Color and the Shape
18 Muse – Absolution
19
20 Athlete – Vehicles and Animals
21 The Strokes – Room on Fire
22
23 Pink Floyd – The Wall
24 David Grey – A New Day at Midnight
25 Fleetwood Mac – The Very Best of
26Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
27 Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
28
29 Everything but the Girl – Back to Mine
30 Suede – Dog Man Star
31The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow
32 ELO - Out of the Blue
33
34 Marillion - Anoraknophobia
35
36 The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
37 Green Day – Nimrod
38 Manic Street Preachers – This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours
39
40 Christina Agulera - Stripped
41
42 John Martyn – Solid Air
43 Joni Mitchell - Hissing of Summer Lawns
44
45 Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
46
47 Take That -n Take That and Party
48 Ani Difranco - Evolve
49 10,000 Maniacs - Blind Man's Zoo
50
51Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner
52 The Beatles – white album
53 Metallica or Prince – black album (or Spinal Tap)
54
55. Erasure - The Circus
56 Pearl Jam – VS
57 The Streets – Original Pirate Material
58 The Roots - Things Fall Apart
59
60 Tricky - Blowback
posted by Quartermass at 9:40 AM on October 12, 2003

46 is Ride: "Going Blank Again"

And, no, I don't know the answers!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 10:18 AM on October 12, 2003

28 - Bob Marley & The Wailers, Trenchtown Rock
44 - Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids
59 - Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4
posted by punilux at 10:21 AM on October 12, 2003

ugh. what's the point of her having a contest if you folks are just going to put the answers here? she obviously spent a lot of time putting together the project and y'all just spoiled it.
posted by dobbs at 10:25 AM on October 12, 2003

Looking at the thumbnail sheet, I was sure 53 was AC/DC Back In Black, but then when I loaded the large image it didn't appear to be completely black. There's some sort of grayness going on at the top left and right corners.

Maybe that's just a reflection, though.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:28 AM on October 12, 2003

35 - The Delgados - The Great Eastern
posted by afro at 10:44 AM on October 12, 2003

ugh. what's the point of her having a contest if you folks are just going to put the answers here?

You were one of those kids who didn't share their measurements in Chemistry lab, weren't you?

Pondering the information as a group, and drawing from a very diverse pool of interests and specialties is what this turned into... I'm inclined to enjoy that more than "lone gunman music nerd" mode where pale skinny boys can fantasize about some alternate universe utopia where breeding rights are predicated on scores produced in online music quizzes.
posted by cadastral at 10:47 AM on October 12, 2003

People are putting a few answers up in the comments section of the linked page, so I don't think we're spoiling too much here.

One of the comments is troubling me, though - Is #53 Metallica's "Black Album", or Black Sabbath's Masters of Reality? It's too close for me to call.

On preview: Or Back In Black?
posted by skoosh at 10:48 AM on October 12, 2003

MetaCheat - Let's Spoil The Fun ;)
posted by Blue Stone at 10:52 AM on October 12, 2003

I'm with Dobbs here -- posting the answers here, before me(ish) reveals them on his/her site kinda spoils the fun of it...
I managed to get 43 out of 60, with only a few side-steps to allmusic.com for some correct spellings.

peace out.
posted by Badmichelle at 11:08 AM on October 12, 2003

12 of 60. New the artists on more, but not the titles. mmmf, still fun!
posted by effer27 at 11:15 AM on October 12, 2003

53 is none of those mentioned so far.
posted by filchyboy at 11:31 AM on October 12, 2003

What kind of name is "Athlete" for a band, for chrissakes?
posted by Blue Stone at 11:43 AM on October 12, 2003

Has anyone tried looking at the Photoshop preview images? (I don't have Photoshop.)
posted by donth at 11:55 AM on October 12, 2003

Spoil the fun?

Umm, if it was one guy posting everything on a "i know more than you" kick, that would be spoiling the fun. As for this, there are still large gaps in the list.

How would any one person be able to "guess" all of those album covers? Is there a new type of search engine available that I am unaware of?

The only one to spoil the fun was dobbs. Sorry.
posted by Quartermass at 12:59 PM on October 12, 2003

I've found it interesting for another reason; cover art is something I really miss about vinyl albums. With a 12" sleeve to pore over, the cover was a supplement to the music inside. Who can forget those Roger Dean gatefolds, for example? It's hard now to even make out the lyrics on a CD sleeve, let alone appreciate the subtleties of the cover.
posted by punilux at 1:23 PM on October 12, 2003

I've just seen 22 advertised on telly. It's Echoes - The Einaudi Collection by Ludovico Einaudi. The guy seems to have some kind of Richard Clayderman thing going on.

As for controversial 53, Metallica is out because there's no snake on there. AC/DC is certainly out as I've just double-checked with my wife (who has been a fan since the days of Bon Scott) and she confirms the album was never in an entirely black cover - it had the logo in white.

I love cover art too and it's the only thing I miss about vinyl. I loved the stuff Hypgnosis did and Vaughan Oliver's stuff for 4AD. And you've got to love all that over the top metal stuff like Iron Maiden and Motorhead. Oooohh, and Designer's Republic too.
posted by dodgygeezer at 1:38 PM on October 12, 2003

Well, "Spoil the Fun" is my middle name, so...
posted by dobbs at 2:32 PM on October 12, 2003

53 is most definitely AC/DC's "Back in Black" -- there's no white logo on it, dodgygeezer, because the logo was removed. The location of the black square at top center of the cover (as evidenced by the slight reflection that's been covered up) confirms it.
posted by me3dia at 4:39 PM on October 12, 2003

bah. aside from the white album, i 'recognized' only one - and was wrong at that. #8 i had pegged as Blind Faith. i suck.
posted by quonsar at 6:04 PM on October 12, 2003

Ha, I KNEW it!!!

Hey everybody! quonsar sucks!!! This is the best news I've heard all day. OK, the line up starts right behind me...no pushing or shoving, let's be cool and we'll all get a turn.
posted by ashbury at 7:04 PM on October 12, 2003

19. damien rice - o
59. the housemartins - london o hull 4
posted by jimmy at 7:32 PM on October 12, 2003

I only got 15, 23, and 52 right, before looking at everyone else's answers. Then again I wasn't trying too hard.

The argument introduced by Dobbs does bring up an interesting point. When we have any kind of competition where each indivdiual works on their own, or tries to outdo others, no one individual is as strong, or as smart, or as successful, as if a whole bunch of people band together and cheat. This is after all what the country of America is founded upon: united we stand, and divided we fall.
posted by ZachsMind at 8:30 PM on October 12, 2003

One of the comments is troubling me, though - Is #53 Metallica's "Black Album", or Black Sabbath's Masters of Reality? It's too close for me to call.

On preview: Or Back In Black?

I thought it was Smell the Glove...
posted by jokeefe at 8:50 PM on October 12, 2003

I, too, suck at this. I recognized about six of the covers, and they were all, except for Tricky's Blowback, released during the 1970s. I think this must mean that I spent far too much time as a teenager gazing, stoned, at album art.

It's just not the same with CDs.
posted by jokeefe at 8:53 PM on October 12, 2003

no one individual is as strong, or as smart, or as successful, as if a whole bunch of people band together and cheat.

Ahem. Let me quote from meish's own contest announcement:

There's no prize, except for a perfect score (all artists and all album titles, as written on the original cover), but feel free to post your workings and results below [in the comments section].

In other words, nothing is at stake here. It's just for fun. And Meish is encouraging people to guess in public. She's practically asking us to work together. We're not ruining anything by working cooperatively, and it's not cheating if the game-master wants you to do it. So can we all just relax and concentrate on what #33 is already?
posted by skoosh at 9:42 PM on October 12, 2003

I figured you granola loving MeFi hippies would be all over Damien Rice - O (number 19) apparently me and Jimmy are the only ones up on that.
posted by BackwardsHatClub at 9:53 PM on October 12, 2003

I'm pretty sure the earliest released of several possibilities for #53 is the Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat" (which one book I read swears has a black skull on a black background--different inks, y'see--but no such thing is visible on my vinyl copy. But then I'm sure my copy is some sort of reissue, as the Velvets only sold about seven records before they broke up.)

(Enter the invisible spirit of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: "You are such a HUGE NERD!")
posted by arto at 12:33 AM on October 13, 2003

Here are the blanks from Quartermass' list, with subsequent answers filled in:

3
19 Damien Rice - O
22
28 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Trenchtown Rock
33
35 The Delgados - The Great Eastern
39
41
44 Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids
46 Ride - Going Blank Again
50
54
59 Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4

And of course, #53 - possibly Prince, Spinal Tap, AC/DC, Metallica, or The Velvet Underground. Spinal Tap is out because Smell The Glove is not an actual album; Metallica is out because of the absence of the snake. AC/DC and VU's covers both have small icons on them, which make them both problematic. The best answer, therefore, is Prince's Black Album.
posted by skoosh at 6:38 AM on October 13, 2003

there's no white logo on it, dodgygeezer, because the logo was removed

You are, of course, absolutely right and I now feel like a right plonker. In my defence I will point out that at least the Pink Floyd and Muse covers don't need to have anything erased and so it's possible the black one is similarly bare.

While Smell The Glove is certainly fictional, This Is Spinal Tap is very real - it came in a featureless black gatefold sleeve and featured all the songs from the film. Having said that I'm now with the AC\DC camp on this one if only because it's the best and most popular of all the possibles.
posted by dodgygeezer at 12:22 PM on October 13, 2003

1 Bon Jovi – Bounce
2 Def Leopard - x
3
4 Jet - Get Born
5 REM – Automatic for the People
6 Cranberries – Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t we?
7 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
8 Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon collie and the infinite sadness.
9 Prodigy – Fat of the Land
10 Eels – Beautiful Freak
11 Blur - Blur
12 Incubus – Morning View
13 Feeder – Echo Park
14 Beastie Boys – Ill Communication
15 Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation
16 Oasis – Master Plan
17 Foo Fighters – Color and the Shape
18 Muse – Absolution
19 Damien Rice - O
20 Athlete – Vehicles and Animals
21 The Strokes – Room on Fire
22Echoes - The Einaudi Collection by Ludovico Einaudi.
23 Pink Floyd – The Wall
24 David Grey – A New Day at Midnight
25 Fleetwood Mac – The Very Best of
26Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
27 Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
28 Bob Marley & The Wailers, Trenchtown Rock
29 Everything but the Girl – Back to Mine
30 Suede – Dog Man Star
31The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow
32 ELO - Out of the Blue
33
34 Marillion - Anoraknophobia
35The Delgados - The Great Eastern
36 The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
37 Green Day – Nimrod
38 Manic Street Preachers – This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours
39
40 Christina Agulera - Stripped
41
42 John Martyn – Solid Air
43 Joni Mitchell - Hissing of Summer Lawns
44 - Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids
45 Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
46 Ride – Going Blank Again
47 Take That -n Take That and Party
48 Ani Difranco - Evolve
49 10,000 Maniacs - Blind Man's Zoo
50
51Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner
52 The Beatles – white album
53 Metallica or Prince – black album (or Spinal Tap)
54 Ozzy Osbourne – Ozzmosis
55. Erasure - The Circus
56 Pearl Jam – VS
57 The Streets – Original Pirate Material
58 The Roots - Things Fall Apart
59 Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4
60 Tricky - Blowback
posted by Quartermass at 1:38 PM on October 13, 2003

3 is Nickelback - The Long Road
posted by punishinglemur at 1:45 PM on October 13, 2003

39 ZZ Top - Tres Hombres

Only 3 left, 33, 41 & 50. Any ideas?
posted by the biscuit man at 5:20 PM on October 13, 2003

If you click through 'em fast enough, they're all the White Album. Extra points for finishing in less than 10 seconds! I win! I win!!!
posted by groundhog at 5:57 PM on October 13, 2003

Skoosh, I was arguing that this is not cheating. Or rather, if this is cheating, so was the American Revolution, and any time people band together to accomplish anything. I agree with the indivdual who started this and disagree with dobbs. Actually I'm against competition in general, wishing our sporting events were more cooperative based. I applaud this accumulative effort to answer all sixty albums. If only human beings worked together more, but unfortunately, all too often it seems we don opposing team uniforms be it for play or for war. Same clothes, different colors. Same god different name. It's all rather futile, when we'd get further as a species if we pooled our resources, compared notes and worked as a team.

In hindsight I probably shoulda put the word "cheat" in quotation marks. That mighta made my point a bit clearer, but brevity has never been a strong suit of mine.
posted by ZachsMind at 6:19 PM on October 13, 2003

41 is driving me crazy. I know that one. I've seen it. I just can't think of what it is!

And I thought 47 was New Kids on the Block. Two of the guys look like New Kids to me. *heh*

I only got five or so of these. Yikes!
posted by SisterHavana at 11:27 PM on October 13, 2003

41 is Bill Withers »Lovely Day - Best Of«.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 2:28 AM on October 14, 2003