Censored Album Covers

Below are a few album covers that for one reason or another, were just too offensive for the public. Most seem ridiculous by todays standard – one seems really justified.

Roxy Music – Country Life. All Roxy LPs up to this point had sexy women on the cover but this one went one step further featuring semi-nude women in see through underwear, (there was even a rumor that the woman on the right was a man?!). Roxy’s label Island quickly caved into the controversy releasing the second printing with just the background, erasing the women all together and creating an exceptionally ugly cover for a very fashion conscious band.

Tad – 8-Way Santa. Seattle rockers Tad created one of the funniest LP covers to come out of the Seattle scene (or any scene for that matter). A found photo of a happy man grouping his happy girlfriend. No rights to the photo, no worries. When the LP was released it wasn’t long before the couple (now born again christians) came forward causing a stink forcing Tad and SubPop to dump the cover and replace it with the band and a bunch of cows. Side Note: 8-Way Santa is apparently slang for either a sex act or a drug experience (or both).

The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet. Very simple – in 1968 it was bad taste to show a toilet. And this toilet in a Porsche dealership in LA was just too much for the tender eyes of the public.The new cover w/ a pretty cool interior gatefold is less than inspired.

The Black Crowes – amorica. Just say NO to pubic hair. The new cover? An Exacto knife and a black piece of construction paper fixes any problem.

Janes Addiction – Ritual de Habitual. Offending genitalia on lead singer Perry Ferrel’s very cool diorama. Simply and effectively replaced w/ the 1st Amendment.

Alice Cooper – Love it to Death. Alice, what a jokester. Putting you thumb through a hole in your cape suggesting your penis. So shocking. Well, no problem – just airbrush out his whole arm. Easy peasy.

David Bowie – Diamond Dogs. A beautiful gatefold cover by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert. Originally painted and released in 1974 w/ Bowie having dog genitalia. Later released w/ the offending member airbrushed out and replaced by a weird black blob.

GN’R – Lies. This is sort of a subtle one. In the lower left corner the headline “Wife beating has been around for 10,000 years” is replaced by LIES LIES LIES and in the middle right “Ladies welcome to the dark ages” is replaced by “Elephant gives birth to a midget”.

Scorpions – Lovedrive. Voted the Best LP cover by Playboy in 1979 and the worst cover by everyone else, Lovedrive’s confusing cover was just too much for most. The even uglier blue metal scorpion was the obvious choice for a replacement.

Pantera – Far Beyond Driven. The logical choice to replace a drill in the ass is a drill in the head – ’nuff said.

Tin Machine 2. David Bowie’s second LP as a band depicted drawings of Egyptian statues (I think), w/ penises. Solution – Break ’em off (and change the type placement).

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction. The original Robert Williams painting of a robotic rapist was dropped for the more awe inspiring “Band as Skeletons” approach, inspiring a thousand college boy tattoos forever.

The Beatles – Yesterday and Today. This is the one everybody knows. Getting tired of their American label chopping up their British albums to podge together songs for their US releases The Beatles released the infamous Butcher Block cover. 750,000 copies were shipped but quickly recalled because of complaints. Some survived w/ DJs and shop owners but most were returned and a boring photo was quickly slapped over the offending original. You can see a faint outline of Ringos hair and turtleneck on the right if you own a paste over copy. The originals in good shape sell for a few $1000.

Wayne Cochran and his Fabulous White Pompadour

Talvin Wayne Cochran (May 10, 1939 – November 21, 2017) aka, The White Knight of Soul.

Influenced by the country and RNB, Cochran fronted his first band – a group called the Rockin’ Capris – as a teenager, and eventually left high school to pursue music as a full-time career. He relocated to Macon, GA where he befriended Otis Redding (playing bass guitar on Redding’s early recording of “Shout Bamalama” and its B-side, “Fat Girl”) and recorded his first single, “The Coo”, which attracted the attention of King Records. Cochran became close friends with King labelmate James Brown, whose stage show and road band influenced his own performing style and inspired him to assemble his own soul revue, the C. C. Riders, which occasionally featured as many as 14 musicians plus two female backing vocalists, the Sheer Delights.

Wayne is best known for writing the song “Last Kiss” that would years later become a hit for Pearl Jam (?!) and of course his mile high hair. Wayne spent his final days as an evangelical minister in Miami FL. passing away in 2017 at the age of 78

With a bearded Elvis Presley

The very frightened Mrs. Cochran

Wayne and Jackie Gleason

Wayne and James Brown. What is up w/ yer junk, man?

Praising the lord – Reverand Wayne Cochran

Bruce Gilden – Photography

Bruce Gilden (1946) is a New York based street photographer best known for his extreme spontaneous portraiture. Crooked faces, bad skin, bad teeth, scars and dirt all are all represented right up front in Mr Gilden’s amazing photography. His first major project was of people at Coney Island, (seen in a couple of theses shots). He has photographed people on the streets of New York, Japanese Yakuza, mobsters, homeless people, prostitutes, and members of bike gangs.

Painted Wolf Hand Painted

Painted jackets have a great and important history. The Airman of World War 2 would paint there coats w/ flight symbolism, a girlfriend, pinup or film star. Motorcycle Clubs would either patch or paint there ‘cuts’ w/ logos. The hippies, well the hippies would paint anything and everything on their clothes. It encapsulates history and style and trends. As I love to paint – primarily portraits, I thought why not turn vintage jackets into walking pieces of art.The jackets shown below are all from 2018. All hand painted w/ acrylic on either leather or denim. If you’d like a commission please inquire. All items listed as For Sale are various sizes and prices, so ask about those too.

Miley Cyrus on the Late Show w/ Stephen Colbert. Commission of Sir Elton John for the Grammys

Elton John painted for Miley Cyrus

 

Kurt Cobain – For Sale 

 

David Bowie – Scary Monsters and Super Creeps – SOLD

 

Patrick Bateman, American Psycho on olive green leather – For Sale

 

Sam Lachow jacket commission for album cover and promo art

 

Bowie Alladin Sane – SOLD

 

The Last of Us – Commissioned Video Game art on vintage leather bomber

 

Adam Ant on Bright Blue Leather. For Sale

 

Johnny Cash – Tattoo Flash Style – SOLD

 

KFlay – Commission

 

Pennywise – SOLD

 

Web of Evil Vintage Magazine Cover – For Sale

 

Slick Rick – Commission

 

The Cramps featuring the Handsomest Man in Rock n Roll – Bryan Gregory – SOLD

 

Siouxsie Sioux – Tattoo Flash Style – For Sale

 

Lady Gaga – Commission

 

Frankenrod – Hot Rod Art – For Sale

 

Joey Ramone and Friend – For Sale

Andrew W.K. – Commission

Eleven Nineteen is now Painted Wolf

It’s been awhile and for anyone still following this blog I apologize for the year long absence. The content will remain the same for further posts – good design, bad design, photography, things of interest to me (and hopefully to you) etc, etc. The only difference is it will be linked to my art and design portfolio site (coming soon) and my instagram @ painted.wolf. Painted Wolf is the name of my business of hand painted clothing and canvas which is also being combined w/ my day job of graphic design. The first official post will be of the jackets I’ve done over the last year and then on to more varied and interesting content. Please comment, say hello, ask questions and if your in the mode commission a piece.

Thanks a bunch,

Jon @ Painted Wolf