Back before the internet ruled our lives, people used to go into stores and look around. Whether that was your favorite clothing store, bookstore, or music shop, people used to like to browse the selection. Today, that’s very different. But back in the 90s, it was one of the most fun things to do. As a result, bands sought to have eye-catching and even controversial album covers to get consumers’ attention.
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Below, we wanted to examine three such examples. Let’s look at a trio of record covers that not only catch your eye but also ones that display some pretty heinous stuff. From body fluids to body parts, these are three controversial classic rock album covers from the 90s that display some pretty heinous stuff.
Metallica, ‘Load’ (1996)
While at first glance the image on the cover of this album might look like flames shooting up, what it really shows is something much more stomach-churning. The artwork is titled “S*men And Blood III” and features bovine blood mixed with artist Andres Serrano’s… yeah. The fluids were put between two sheets of Plexiglass and photographed. (Yuck!) But the image didn’t come without some regret. Metallica lead singer James Hetfield told Classic Rock in 2009 that he didn’t like the photo, saying he just went along with it despite feeling icky about it.
Nirvana, ‘Nevermind’ (1991)
If this album came out today, it would shut down Twitter (X). But in the 90s, things were a little different, it would seem. Showing a baby’s naked body in full was quite the choice for the Seattle grunge band Nirvana in 1991. And more recently, it led to the baby on the cover, now an adult, suing the band. Spoiler alert: he didn’t win in court. But still, it seems inappropriate today to look at the album cover. It just feels kind of gross to do so. The music on the album is divine, but the cover is just strange.
Green Day, ‘Dookie’ (1994)
Compared to the other two albums on this list, Green Day’s classic debut Dookie is rather tame. But it has still got some interesting stuff on there that could send your local pearl-clutcher into convulsions. Starting with a cartoon image of a monkey grabbing its own feces and preparing to throw it, there’s also a bomb explosion and other nefarious things going on. The Bay Area-born punk group knew what they were doing with this image. It was all the rage in the mid-90s for its eyebrow-raising antics.
Photo by Venla Shalin/Redferns
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