3 Classic Rock Album Covers That Critics and Fans Hated

A picture is worth a thousand words, and these classic rock album covers inspired a few choice words from fans and critics who hated them. It’s worth noting that we know people don’t exist in a vacuum; you might actually enjoy a few of these album covers. I know I certainly do. However, they weren’t very well-loved when they were released, so they do (unfortunately) deserve their spots on this list. Let’s dive in, shall we?

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1. ‘Born Again’ by Black Sabbath

Quite a few people weren’t happy about the album cover art for Black Sabbath’s Born Again. Though, I doubt many of those people were fans. Who wouldn’t expect a red demon baby on the cover of a Black Sabbath album? One could say a lot of the hate came from more conservative observers who found the cover to be blasphemous. 

However, even the band’s own drummer and vocalist hated the cover. Bill Ward explicitly said that he hated it, and vocalist Ian Gillan said that the cover made him sick.

2. ‘Saved’ by Bob Dylan

This unfortunate entry on our list of hated classic rock album covers could have been better. Bob Dylan is a visual creative as well as a musician, too. However, Dylan is not the artist behind the album cover art for Saved. 

Rather, he commissioned Tony Wright to do the artwork for him. He was told to put together a painting based on a “vision” that Dylan had experienced of Jesus’s blood-covered hand reaching for a group of people. Columbia Records was not happy about the cover, or the religion-heavy themes of the record.

3. ‘Metallica’ by Metallica

Don’t get me wrong! This is a legendary album that influenced countless rock bands that followed in Metallica’s footsteps. However, one can’t help but wonder what the band was thinking with that cover. 

This example of hated classic rock album covers features an all-black background with a cut-and-paste image of a snake and an almost completely ineligible “Metallica” logo in the corner. It’s a creative mess, and it’s kind of a miracle that the band got new fans from the cover alone.

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