The 10 worst Jazz Rock album covers | Not Ranked 

I predict a Chick Corea cover.

This is my favorite of all of Andy Edwards' videos...hilarious commentary. I have always thought that fusion album covers were some of the worst.

I love it when we get to important subjects.

I liked the Passport covers. They were proggy/krautrock enough to entice me into buying them before I was really into jazz fusion.

Great video!!! I've got so much entertainment from the commentary :) Great work Andy! Btw the "Don't touch" cover looks more like a chiken ready for the oven :))

The guitar on the cover of Al Di Meola's kiss my axe is a Gibson Les Paul custom, same electric guitar that's on the Elegant Gypsy album cover, how could you mistake that for an accoustic?

Andy, I've had this same ongoing conversation with the owner of a used record store that I frequent. For years now, every time I visit his store we talk about the awful covers of these albums and today I've discovered some new awful covers, thanks to you! Keep up the good work... laughter is indeed the best medicine. Cheers, mate!

This video was a perfect relaxing (and very very amusing) treat, as I took to my rest this evening. Cheered me up no end. In fact, I popped back to remind myself of your top 15 prog covers video from about a year ago. You made a rule for yourself in which the vid could only feature albums that you owned. How about 15 more fave prog covers (but you don't have to own the album this time?). For what it's worth, I'm a huge fan of Caravan's "Cunning Stunts" cover. It would be good to hear your thoughts on some more classic prog and/or fusion covers.

I've owned that Chick Corea album for over 15 years on vinyl. I bought it because it was cheap and among a bunch of other Chick Corea albums. I have yet to listen to it! Maybe tonight will be the night!

love it! When I saw that George Duke / Billy Cobham album I had to buy it!! that cover sold it to me straight away

This was really entertaining! It's a 10/10 from me :) Quite surprised that RTF's Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy wasn't included: or have you covered that abomination previously? haha Please keep up the good work!

Thank you so much for this!!! Too much fun. I kind of like Hangin’ in the City (it's a fun live tune), but then I am such a big fan of Randy and Mike.

From a glance, Al's guitar looks like a Les Paul type. Chick Corea has the smurfiest album cover I've ever seen! Shiny space probably the top of a piano? Omg - the Brecker cover is so interesting! Heavy metal Be-Bop is a pretty cool photo, too. Both those covers have what looks like professional photographers doing them and each look a little like a product of a specific time. I like them for what they are.

Al Di Meola is actually sporting an all electric Gibson LP on his album cover.

This is great I'm only halfway through and I've got tears streaming out of my eyes from laughing so hard! 😂

Gonna pick a Cal Schenkel cover in George's post Zappa period? I love it. Need to AI animate it. George could be a goofy guy, a listen to Space Lady once tells you that. I've wondered what SCO thought of sharing a stage where that tune was featured. There's a good video of that band on the tube.

This video was so entertaining! Thank you, Andy. 😁

Love the Coryell Mouzon cover!!!Hadn’t heard before . Checking out now.

I always thought the Cobham/Duke cover was awesome, artistically speaking. It reminds me of Phillip Kaufman's remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers when the homeless guy's (Harry?) head merges with his dog's body. I always noticed the quotes around LIVE, too. But yeah, weird for an album cover. Michael Brecker? Yeah, WTF? The Chick cover never bothered me. I always thought it was happy, funny, playful, etc. like the opening track. But, that's a bad ass record. As always, I appreciate your videos and the time involved and of course, your humor!

Actually, Chick Corea DID change the cover of the Smurf album because he got the figurines from a Ducht petrol station who was selling those. Here in The Netherlands we had a folk singer called Father Abraham who got the rights from comic publishing companies to use the Smurfs for his 2 or 3 albums. And especially his biggest hit single the Smurf Song in many different languages thoughout Europe and even Japan. He started a law suit against Chick to change the cover and that's what he did.

I actually kind of like the Cobham Duke cover. It reminded me of Salvador Dali, and I think that was the inspiration. If it gives you bad dreams, that may be the point!!!

Another great video. Hilarious. The green in the Passport album cover is not well considered, however, I always thought the design was a riff on Magritte. The Chick Corea cover is awful and it's hard to blame it on anyone other than Chick since he is credited for the "Cover Concept"!

As per usual, in addition to the psychologically and artistically penetrating insight you've given, you also briefly touched on some albums that your viewers may want to check out, if they are not already familiar with them, as I am not. (So thanks for that.) Indeed, despite the existential angst some of these morally questionable covers evoke, you have boldly performed a public service in asking that age-old question, "Why?" "Kiss My Axe"-where's the potted plant?? The Chick Corea album whose name you were looking for-done with a Windows 95 version of Paint- is "Paint the World." The album cover, while not great, is not terrible or offensive or stupid-looking, at least in my eyes. The cover for "Origin" is pretty bad. While not offensive, it's rather unpleasant, partly because Mr. Corea wasn't really a handsome guy, and partly because of the gesture that seems to be pushing the viewer away from this red-doppelganger-of-doom image. It's just as you said, most of these musicians were, other than music-makers, just regular people. Wow, that Dave Grusin "Don't Touch" album cover is shockingly bad. I mean, it's shocking, and disturbing, and unpleasant. With regard to all of these album covers, I wonder if the artists themselves had any say in them. And I wonder what record label executives were responsible for approving them? Where, in the money-making machine of the record company, was the cool-headed business person would should have said, "No, no, no!" Or were the execs all so baffled by what was succeeding, so completely unable to determine what the success factors would be for an album (other than, perhaps, the fact that the artist had already had some success on previous albums), or that weirdness in itself might be enough to pass muster for album art, that they just threw up their hands and said, "Whatever! Just put it out there! Those wacky kids will buy anything if it seems anti- … something!"

The title Kiss My Axe was apparently because he could not get a major label deal at this time, and he was giving the finger to the record industry. This was my first Al album, I was 17 when I heard it, and it was one of the very first times I had ever heard fusion. I still love the album even though it's a silly cover. Love the videos by the way!

The Passport albums of this period had covers that were themed around his glasses. I always assumed the man in the illustration was Klaus Doldinger.

A definite favorite and a well-deserved sequel for the previous horriffic video of album covers of fusion artists taking their shirts off. While some are just ridiculous, some of the ones shown here are just hillarious and revolting at the same time. I know that there are great albums with terrible covers, but I have to say that there is something about that period of music that made these terrible artistic decisions seat well with the cheesiness and tackiness of the music too. It's like the whole industry at that time was just not thinking right. Maybe it was the drugs or the innability to communicate with the younger, more visceral generation which wanted a stripped down approach, but not in that way....LOL. Anyway, really enjoyed this one last night just before I went to sleep. It gave me a lot to think about. After that I sat down to watch the Netflix-Wes Anderson - The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. It's a good movie for getting those terrible album cover images out of your system....LOL...god, I love making myself laugh...I don't care if nobody gets it.

WTF???? That Dave Grusin album!!!!!😂😂😂

I love that Jan Akkerman solo album, Angel Watch, Streetwalker and Floatin are standouts. Plus super compressed 70's drums.

Great video Andy. I was going to look through my Jazz Rock albums to find some others but you've done two things. I laughed so hard I had to put the pause button on. I've also lost the will to live being reminded of how awful the 'artwork' on these records is and sadly some of the music, for me, is pretty awful too, especially the Brecker Brothers album 'Heavy Metal Be-Bop'.

After I'd stoped laughing I realised there is something very wrong going on here, which is; these covers are NOT ranked. I REPEAT - NOT ranked. This is outrageous. How could you do this to us? Please rank them immediately.

Oh love this....forgot the Akkerman album!!! More please Andy....hilarious

OMG where’s the junior aspirin ! What we need rite here is a X Art Student to re work these criminal images. Over to you Andy. Great entertainment for a grim Dark Monday evening.

Oh my God, the ‘Randroid’ section got me!

The Friends album cover taught me a valuable lesson about perspective - My friend's niece, five at the time, noticed the album cover on my coffee table when they visited, and she thought it was best thing she had ever seen! Not only that, she insisted on hearing it. So I played the track Friends for her at 45 rpm. She loved it! She wanted her uncle to buy it for her. Finally the cover made sense to me too, that's the truth. From that perspective it would have made absolute sense to call the album Happy Meal, but we're all generals after the battle, aren't we?

The Humpty Dumpty cover: Another way of looking at it is that after falling off the wall someone did manage to put him together again (not the king's men, obviously) as can be seen by the cracks on the side of the head. And to celebrate that, he's going to be breakfast. I think that as an idea depicting Coryell and Mouzon getting together again, it's quite ok.

Al I Meola's holding a Les Paul on that album cover, Andy, not an acoustic. Among all the wrong things on that album cover, somehow the lady's side boob makes me feel happy. I can't explain it. 😅

hilarious! agreed I definitely avoid albums based on their covers

The person on the cover of the Passport Looking Through album is the band's leader, Klaus Doldinger.

Passport: It's the band leader, Klaus Doldinger.

After this I feel there is a whole genre of album covers from the mid Seventies that deserve your attention; Boxer? Toe Fat? Ohio Players?

we have to remember that it wasn't only the musicians on loads of coke, it was the record companies as well, hence why these terrible covers got approved

I guess Klaus Doldinger’s face is green on this poor man’s Magritte painting because the cover of German passports were green at that time.

Herbie Mann is clearly intentionally being as unscrupulously silly as possible on those album covers and I think he succeeds. It had me laughing!

Your channel is where prog and facial hair collide. Time for a mutton chop episode!

Hilarious, I actually (and thankfully) have never seen most of these album covers. I'm a big Chick Corea fan and have a number of his records with questionable art work on the cover but I was definitely repelled by the Smurf cover when I saw it in the store. I never even considered that it might actually be a great album. It sounds like a great band; I love Joe Farrell, but I'm still not sure I can handle the cover. If I ever buy it, I will avert my eyes when I play it.

I thought Al Di Meola's Casino had an awful cover but after seeing Kiss My Axe takes the cake!

Andy, this video made me laugh. Thank you!

I actually bought several of those albums precisely BECAUSE of those funky weird covers: Larry Coryell, Breckers, Cobham/Duke in particular. No accounting for taste I guess.

Andy - I laughed all the way 😄 Great video! BTW: Check out other covers by Jim Warren who made the Cobham/Duke cover - they are just as bad...

I thought Jan Akkerman's guitar touched him... more specifically, it is poking his back. Or scratching the back with one finger.

Hilarious overview. And regarding Al Di Meola kiss my axe. You did a great overview of the arrogance behind that cover. It’s fun to see you talk about passport. They have a couple really good albums that I really enjoy but the covers have always just been atrocious. Moreover, I believe that is a green version of the leader of the band. I forget his name. Dear God that Dave Gruisin cover with the vagina as a biting mouth is the most misogynistic picture I’ve ever seen

I have that Jan Akkerman album and yeah, that cover and the cropping of the photo, what were they thinking?! i just don't get the "sexy" cover. I've never considered fusion to be all that sexy if I'm being honest.

Agree on all counts. Kiss My Axe is also a lame title and yeah, he still had a really bad hairpiece at the time. He looks much better now. The Herbie Mann album is a given. But hey, it was the 70's. As for the Chick Corea stuff, it was his idea of being assessable to a large audience. That's what Scientology will do to you. Never saw the Dave Grusin cover. Now, that's disturbing.

Some good laughs in this video. Thanks! I chose not to buy a few of these albums because of the horrid covers, and never liked Al DiMiola after that Axe album. 👍

So funny! ”Billy looks pleased with the situation”! 😀😀😀

Brecker Bros. album cover is HILARIOUS!!

Yeah. I have the Billy/Duke LP. I love it, but the cover is, special.

This video was CHOCKADOOBY! Me scrooble now...

Brilliant as ever - laughed so much.

im dying of laughter. classic video

Those Smurfs were half naked as well 😂

Top marks for the comedy accent

Some of these album covers are so horrible it really is hard to drag your eyes away. Thanks for inflicting these on us, Andy; if ever I buy a digital version I'll be looking for other graphics to display.

These album covers make me feel violated.

Hilharious. Yet again.. Bravo

Chick Corea "Vigil" Priceless...

What do you mean with accousic guitar on the cover of Kiss My Axe? It's a Gibson, a Les Paul if I'm right...

The cover that cracked me up the most recently was a chubby dude, naked, who crammed himself into a cardboard box, then took a pic. Was it jazz/rock. One only hopes.

Very funny. For weird and disturbing early 70's rock and prog covers by Australia bands The Masters Apprentices (Choice Cuts with a hand and chair by Hipgnosis, and A Toast to Panama Red - see how many genitals you can spot. Panama Red was potent weed. The covers by Buffalo can be disturbing. If you dont like clowns, avoid A Strange Fantastic Dream by Ariel. Panama Red (1972) was recorded at Abbey Road.

Chick Corea's Friends could use a makeover, great album.

Jan Akkerman doesn't fuck around.......except when he does!

Did you get your sweater from Bette Midler?

I’ve noticed that many of these awful covers are coming from Atlantic Records. I too have noticed that many Atlantic covers that I own by rock groups and pop artists have some heinous and ridiculous artwork.

Steely Dan, Two Against Nature. Not that there's anything offensive about it. It's just an incredibly lazy effort, especially compared to the care given to the music and after covers like Aja.

There’s so many

Herbie Mann could not get any closer to the Superman graphics without being sued. I am friom Sioux City, Iowa our town decided to promote us as Siouxperland. and had graphics that looked just like DC Comics's and they put a stop to it real fast. The next promo was locals singing the terrible Straship song "We built ths City" Nudity is much better and "Push. Push" is a great lp! Good one Andy.

I actually love the Swiss-Fondue Nightdreams the Digestion of hot Chees can inflects. Psychedelics that are not really hurting to your bodily Health. And that Passport Cover, really looks like „Cheese Monster“. But i really does not like Passport.

How much control do the musicians have over the cover art? Maybe they mistakenly placed their trust in an art director.

Is that Dave Gruisin or Dave Goosen?

Is that an acoustic Di Meola is holding? Looks like a les paul

i wore out that Cobham/Duke live record! A classic for me. Love the cover as well! It's weird and fun! That Grusin cover is as bad as it gets - Dave GRUESOME!

Herbie Mann's flabby, shirtless, hair covered torso on his Push Push album is one of the worst for me. Edit: Oh my god, you featured it!

Oh, man, this is giving me pure belly laughs! Now I'm actually crying from laughing. Your commentary is too much...

My Chick Corea friends album has two froggies, a bunny and a dolphin being watched by a mouse.

Di Meola's album was from 1991. This shocked me a bit as the cover looks like it could be from 1971. He is announcing to the world that he is a ladies' man. This attitude could be an antecedent to some Rap artists down the track. If the cover was done ironically it would be okay but one doubts that it is. The Jan Akkerman cover has put me off Focus which is a shame as I like their "Eruption" piece very much. The 'Friends' cover reminds me of a smurf version of Queen's 'A Kind of Magic' even though it was released eight years earlier. The 'Passport' cover is one of the best representations of a bad hangover I have seen.

On Kiss my Axe that's a Gibson Les Paul, not an acoustic guitar.

Yeah that Cobham/Duke live Europe cover is fuckin horrible. On the plus side I eventually discovered the track ‘Almustafa The Beloved’ via the sample used on ‘Everything’ by P-Money,( New Zealand DJ). As soon as I heard it back on Radio 1,(hard to believe I still had it as my radio station of choice that recently … 2008 ish I think), I thought … ‘hold on.. that synth line is really cool and interesting’. It’s strange how some of these dance DJ’s discover crazy samples of Jazz-rock/fusion tunes.

That's a Les Paul on rhe DiMeola cover! It's still awful though.

I thought the cover to Mahavishnu Orchestra's Inner Worlds is pretty dreadful. Like Herbie Mann, who wants to see a bare-chested John McLaughlin? Luckily you only see the upper half of him.

As Roger Huyssen album covers go, Back Together Again is great. Can't say I'm a fan, but the level of draftsmanship here beats just about all his others. If you fast forward a few decades, check out Party Feel by the Gastric Band for a real (probably deliberately) ugly and cringeworthy cover. The album really smokes and isn't near as corny or formulaic as most of the albums featured here.

Hanging in the city album is actually a pretty good album

It so bad i actually think is very good😂😂😂😂

These album covers seem to all be a case of, "From start to finish, everyone involved in the making of this album was high!"

Look you are too young to remember, but Push Push, as i think I already mentioned somewhere else on your Channel was a Cover People rather showed than hided back in the 70ties. Coz the Times they are a changing! Really, that Cover was popular back in the good old golden Days.

I don't see how you picked the Duke/ Cobham cover as being so bad. I always thought it was done pretty cool and hip. You're analyzing too much on that one dude.😊 And yes, it does look like George Duke.

Sounds like Al took the jab.

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

Based on your discussion of Al Di Meola's Kiss My Axe, I think you'd be very good at giving sex education classes.

Hilarious

Andy, your original intent to make this a funny tongue-in-cheek discussion might have been just that. But that quickly devolved into your quasi, Freudian talk about the unknown motivation of the musicians. You have no idea how much these musicians were involved in the choice of theses covers. You extrapolate about the actions the people (or things) on the cover may be about to do. You comment on the choice of colors, face type, and textures as if they were important. I own most of the albums you chose to discuss, and if the covers were important there may be a point to this. But like most people, once I had the album the music was all I concentrated on. Your contention that 'it was a great album ruined by an awful cover' is, as you would say, just rubbish. One has nothing to do with the other. Tell you what, put these albums on a disk, and you never have to look at the covers again.