Brian Wilson In the Key of Disney makes Pitchfork's Worst Album Covers of 2011

[William Bowe]

Pitchfork's annual Worst Album Covers is, as always, good for a laugh. However, I find the inclusion of BWITKOD slightly excessive given the strength of the competition (check out the entry from "No Emotion"), although from what I've seen lately I gather there are others here who might think differently.

http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/8725-the-worst-album-covers-of-2011/

[guitarfool2002]

It's nice to see Limp Bizkit is *BACK* with more nu-metal jamz (Yeah, muthafukka...)

Equally nice to see Scott Weiland has a Christmas album.

And just as nice to see Steven Tyler finally letting his true artistic self shine through on a solo effort after decades of being held back by those other guys who just wanted to play rock and roll with loud guitars.

I'll thank Pitchfork for adding a few entries onto my Christmas want-list.

(About Brian's cover...it would have been better without the sun in the shape of the mouse-ears.)

[joshferrell]

wow I didn't know William Shatner had a new cd..

[guitarfool2002]

I wouldn't have known 18 of those 20 albums were released had it not been for that list.

[rab2591]

^haha right!?
______

The ITKOD album cover isn't that bad. I mean, it's somewhat cheesy, but when you're marketing a DISNEY covers album it only makes sense.

On second thought they should have painted a Smiley Smile-esque cover only instead of zoo animals looking at the SMiLE shop it's all the Disney characters.

[Austin]

I don't actually think the cover concept is that bad. You could do worse than a woodie looking out at the ocean. My problem is that it looks so damn artificial: all the drop shadows, gradients, grainy textures, and typography just looks very trendy. Compared to the more understated Gershwin cover, it's definitely not going to age well.

[The Shift]

I wouldn't have known 18 of those 20 albums were released had it not been for that list.

So you've rushed out and bought them?

[guitarfool2002]

I wouldn't have known 18 of those 20 albums were released had it not been for that list.

So you've rushed out and bought them?

They're on my wish list for Santa! Although I do think the Scott Weiland Christmas disc would be a good one to have in advance, for those warm holiday times spent sitting 'round the fireplace sipping hot cider.

[Mike's Beard]

Surely if we're talking Scott its "sitting round the fireplace hoofing on your crackpipe".

[SMiLE Brian]

Surely if we're talking Scott its "sitting round the fireplace hoofing on your crackpipe".

What about " i'm dreaming of a white (cocaine) christmas, just like the ones i used to know"

[sparkydog1725]

(About Brian's cover...it would have been better without the sun in the shape of the mouse-ears.)

Don't forget, just as many in this forum will pay for ANYTHING BB or BW-related, some people (like me) tend to buy ANYTHING Disney-related or featuring a not-so-hidden Mickey.

On Amazon: #17 in Music > Children's Music > Disney. Not too bad.

[Roger Ryan]

The thing is, without the sun with the mouse ears the cover would be ridiculously generic. For me, any Brian Wilson / Beach Boys release showing a woodie on the cover after 1964 is just wrong...and the band themselves avoided that particular cliche for a long time (ENDLESS SUMMER dances around it a bit).

[Heysaboda]

Disney is a GREAT album but, wow, the cover sucks so, so, so BAD.

Would it have killed them to include pictures of The Actual Musicians Who Made The Record?!?

Geez.

[runnersdialzero]

The thing is, without the sun with the mouse ears the cover would be ridiculously generic. For me, any Brian Wilson / Beach Boys release showing a woodie on the cover after 1964 is just wrong...and the band themselves avoided that particular cliche for a long time (ENDLESS SUMMER dances around it a bit).

The sun with mouse ears is the least "bad" thing about the cover, I feel. That's cute and somewhat clever, if basically expected. The rest of the cover... eh. I initially thought it was pretty bad, but I'm fairly indifferent to it now. Among the majority of the rest of those, it looks like a f*ckin' masterpiece, although a few are obviously going for the, "So bad it's amusing," thing, namely the Shatner cover.

[Shady]

Pitchfork actually having a go at Brian Wilson, well that's a first

[shelter]

The Mickey Mouse-shaped sun does give it a bit of a creepy atmosphere and it's not one of the most artistic album covers ever made. But I imagine that the designer got a pretty clear assignment: it's a Disney album by a Beach Boy, and that what it must look like to a mainstream audience. And if that's what he had to do, I think he did a good job.

[Wirestone]

As someone who dabbles in graphic design, I think the cover just has one too many things going on. You have a kind of overpowered font on Brian's name AND a woody AND a surfboard AND the Mickey sun AND the whole cover turning to wood grain AND a single color for the whole thing -- it's a very easy trap to fall into. You have one idea you like (which was probably originally just the Mickey sun), and it turns into a whole mess of stuff because the designer or his/her boss didn't think it was enough. So it ends up feeling a bit confused and amateurish, even though it's clearly handled by a professional.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Surely if we're talking Scott its "sitting round the fireplace hoofing on your crackpipe".

He's been off drugs for about 3 years now (and had been clean for the 4 years previous until a  after his brother's death). Sadly, he has residual brain damage from his years of abuse in addition to being on tons of psychiatric drugs (sounds familiar, huh?), making him seem a little more 'off' than what he is. His only real vice these days are alcohol and cigarettes. But yeah, that photo was absolutely terrible. His left eye looked lazy and made it look like he'd had a stroke (which he has not).

[D Cunningham]

There's probably a "favorite album covers" thread around here somewhere...but I'm in a hurry.  As for handling the theme better,
the Disney folks might have looked to what are my favorite covers...the watercolor art covers on the double album reissues that
Reprise put out in the early 70s.  One is Wild Honey/20-20 the other is Friends/Smiley Smile.

I love those covers...the less-is-more quality of the centered palm behind a single girl  (4 different).  "The Beach Boys" in large
fat letters above...not sun-harsh orange, but an almost ghostly apparition...so appropriate for bringing the boys back
some years past the Capitol days.  Lovely modest watercolors, proper matte/textured finish in the board (again a throwback idea).

I even love the simple trees...they were models for the cover art on my old fan magazine (quite a bit more amateurish, of course). 

[Summertime Blooz]

Brian's album cover does not belong in that company. I think it's pretty good for conveying what it is. It's certainly better than Gettin In Over My Head or Imagination. Shatner's was obviously supposed to look bad- so mission accomplished. Some of the others were fine too.

[Wirestone]

Imagination really is pretty terrible. Although the photoshopped, exploding-head Brian of the single cover was even worse:

[Mike's Beard]

Compared to the rest of that list the Brian cover looks pretty good.

[Zach95]

I've gotta say...I'm really surprised by this. I mean...the cover art's nothing fantastic, but does it deserve a "worst album cover of the YEAR" award? and by Pitchfork, who adores the Beach Boys and Brian?  I don't know...I've always been a real Pitchfork die-hard too 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Imagination really is pretty terrible. Although the photoshopped, exploding-head Brian of the single cover was even worse:

OMFG yes...that was horrible.

Agreed about the GIOMH cover as well.

[bossaroo]

it's still publicity, i think they are gently ribbing Brian here.

i actually like the cover ok... the sky/sea/sand turning to woodgrain is pretty cool and the mickey sun though cheesy is possibly a first.
the shadow of the woody should be much longer considering the position of said mickey sun but i'm just being picky


i like GIOMH but Imagination is truly bad. the airbrushing of Brian's jowls is completely unnecessary yet slightly indicative of the album's contents