It is a widely held observation that geniuses aren’t the same as the rest of us.  Some of them are a little eccentric, some just plain weird, while others are flawed in ways that can harm their health and have major influences on those around them. Still, we’re going to stick to looking at the fun ways we can embrace eccentricity and that means looking at some of the most eccentric, weird, and downright bizarre album art to ever grace the cover of a CD.

Back to the S***

Many “worst album cover ever” polls feature this as number one, and for us it is probably the most eccentric and probably disturbing, too. It features Mille Jackson, the ‘star’ of the album, sitting on a toilet with her knickers around her ankles.

Not a whole lot of thought went into this, clearly, although it is perhaps a better outcome than having her playing around on a farm with pigs or cows. The album ‘peaked’ at number 79 on the US R&B album chart, so at least it lived up its name in some ways.

You can see the album cover here.

III aka Melt

The cover for this Peter Gabriel album is actually quite good and was ahead of its time when it comes to photo manipulation for media purposes. The cover is basically a photo of Gabriel with half his face running down it as if it were a painting that hasn’t dried properly.

We don’t know who created this effect – Gabriel and his record label are on record as saying they can’t remember themselves – so it could well be that it was simply pulled from a developing tray in an old school dark room 10 seconds before they needed to have a final result and something to live up to the title.

Image Credit: http://www.allmusic.com/

Down on the Farm

Whenever an album cover – or a song for that matter – feels eccentric, it is always fun to spend time exploring the hidden meaning or message behind it. Sometimes, no matter how much you think or how weird a headspace you’re able to escape to, it proves impossible to find what’s being said.

The cover for Little Feat’s Down on the Farm album fits this idea/problem perfectly. It involves a floosy Daisy Duck inspired, erm, duck sitting by the pool showing far too much leg and pouting while holding a cigarette. At the opposite side of the pool sits a tiger. You work it out!

Check it out for yourself on the Little Feat website.

Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus

One look at the name of this album should give you an idea of what to expect. Released by a band called Cloud Cult – itself somewhat eccentric and even sinister sounding – in 2004, the cover for the album involves a child (which disturbing cover doesn’t these days) sitting on a rocking horse while their head appears enlarged by a bubble, a goldfish bowl, or an astronauts helmet, depending on your interpretation. Add in the bizarre frame and the open door to what looks like an outdoor acid trip, and you have something inexplicable.

The cover is featured in this Pitchfork review of the album.

Music is art, and so are some of these eccentric album covers. That said, they’re better than boring, insignificant ones!