October 25, 2007

The B List: 10 Albums You Won’t Find on the Shelves of Purity at Wal-Mart (NSFW)

Artists have used nudity in their work since the days of the Greek Empire, so it’s no surprise that a few rock bands have used images of the naked body on their album artwork. Some bands use nudity to stir controversy, while a few others actually summon artistic intent to make their naked decisions.


For a while during the ’70s and ’80s it seemed like every week there was a new controversy over album art, but we don’t hear about that as much anymore. Two big factors have led to a decline in artists submitting albums with graphic covers. First, the obvious: CDs have a much more limited space for album artwork than vinyl. But more importantly, Wal-Mart has taken over physical distribution of albums, and they don’t stand for anything with even a hint on controversy. Apparently no one ever takes off their clothes in Bentonville, Arkansas.

This week’s B List takes a look at 10 controversial album covers that would never find their way into the racks at Wal-Mart (and, hey, nice racks). Some of these are quite graphic, so we’re gonna post them all after the jump and issue a big fat Not Safe For Work warning before we get down to business. So read on for our quick study of titties and penises on album covers…

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Fillmore Flags Everywhere Flying at Half-Mast

Sixteen years ago today the world lost the man perhaps most responsible for this site’s possible existence. Bill Graham escaped Nazi Germany, stole Buddy Hackett’s car, discovered Santana, delivered Otis Redding to white audiences, brought the Allman Brothers to national prominence, indirectly kicked Zeppelin out of the United States, put on The Band’s Last Waltz and promoted just about every worthwhile show and festival that didn’t conclude with a fatal stabbing.

BillGraham

Photo by Michelle Vignes


He’s a truly memorable figure. So on this day, the anniversary of his untimely death returning in a helicopter from a Huey Lewis & The News concert, we honor the man some consider to be the best supporting actor in the history of music.

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OiNK = Google? No, The Defense Is Wraawng

I’m all for alleged OiNK founder Alan Ellis’ freedom from prosecution and cult hero status, but someone needs to help this dude out with his analogies. Ellis told The Telegraph

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MP3 Boot Camp: Nazz Bleeds Out

Nazz Nomad provides interesting tracks for us to check out on a regular basis over at Bleedin’ Out. Just this week he posted an interesting mix of bands his wife

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Van Morrison Greatest Hits Due

More than 40 years since bursting out of Belfast with Them, Van Morrison continues to make great music, continues to tour theworld, and continues to inspire and engage new generations

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Building the State: Faces in the Architecture

Both indie and math rock can easily degenerate into dispassion on their own. Combining the two should increase that possibility exponentially, making Building the State's latest EP all the more remarkable.

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John Scofield: This Meets That

his Meets That is as guitarist John Scofield describes, “real jazz music,” and he’s not exaggerating.  With so many albums being tagged with some variation of the jazz label (acid, free, smooth), it is refreshing to hear an album that recalls the classic jazz greats: Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and Chet Baker.

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