Worst looking CD/LP artwork

[Alek Hidell]

Well, folks, I for one accept PerfectWagnerite's explanation.

When I initially saw his question to Ken B., I took it just the way Ken (and probably some others) did and I thought, "Wow, that was uncalled for." It was SO unfair, in fact, that I wondered if PW must have meant the question in a way other than how it came across. As I considered it, I wondered if maybe the question was about the impropriety of the ethnicity of the people in relation to Carmina Burana - and, as PW has explained, that was indeed what he meant. Gurn alluded to the possibility of that explanation earlier as well.

I do agree that the question was poorly worded and I think PW will too when he rereads it. But he's a veteran GMGer and not prone to this kind of rudeness (at least, not that I can recall), so I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

[Ken B]

Well, folks, I for one accept PerfectWagnerite's explanation.

When I initially saw his question to Ken B., I took it just the way Ken (and probably some others) did and I thought, "Wow, that was uncalled for." It was SO unfair, in fact, that I wondered if PW must have meant the question in a way other than how it came across. As I considered it, I wondered if maybe the question was about the impropriety of the ethnicity of the people in relation to Carmina Burana - and, as PW has explained, that was indeed what he meant. Gurn alluded to the possibility of that explanation earlier as well.

I do agree that the question was poorly worded and I think PW will too when he rereads it. But he's a veteran GMGer and not prone to this kind of rudeness (at least, not that I can recall), so I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

You are free to give anyone the benefit of any doubt you wish, but I don't. Madiel put his finger on one reason why. The cover was fine, until he had to defend his smear, and suddenly it wasn't fine.

[knight66]

Folks, I think it is time to move away from this issue now. It does not help either of those directly involved to extend the discussion day after day. I would like that to be the final word on that cover.

Knight

[Ken B]

[Madiel]

*shrug* It's Slavonic. Cheesy, and possibly with an air of "you will look happy or else", but Slavonic cheese.

[Brian]

It contains a 2-minute piece called Elevator Music. (No, that is not a sign for the toilet.)

[Madiel]

(No, that is not a sign for the toilet.)

I beg to differ.

[JBS]

"Mischa Maisky presents a slow-movement album of all-time favorites with relaxing and inspiring melodies" says the blurb on the back cover.

The cover photo was apparently intended for a companion CD titled Presto Agitato.

[TheGSMoeller]

[Madiel]

"Mischa Maisky presents a slow-movement album of all-time favorites with relaxing and inspiring melodies" says the blurb on the back cover.

The cover photo was apparently intended for a companion CD titled Presto Agitato.

I am quite literally laughing out loud.

You're right. What a mismatch.

[geralmar]

I've never liked this early 1960s super-bargain L.P. cover; in part because it's deceiving:  There is no Karl Stein or the York Philharmonic.  They are, instead, Hans-Jurgen Walther and the augmented Hamburg Chamber Orchestra. 

The deception was even more blatant in the later release, below:

[zamyrabyrd]

I've never liked this early 1960s super-bargain L.P. cover; in part because it's deceiving:  There is no Karl Stein or the York Philharmonic.  They are, instead, Hans-Jurgen Walther and the augmented Hamburg Chamber Orchestra. 

I do like your avatar, however. Lenny seems to have had better designers for his recordings.

[Biffo]

I do like your avatar, however. Lenny seems to have had better designers for his recordings.

On the strength of his NYPO Mahler recordings I am not sure I can agree with that. The box set of symphonies has Nos 1 - 5 with the original covers and they are uniformly horrible. No 6 has been bundled with No 9 and given a new cover; I have never actually seen it but from discussions elsewhere No 6 had a garden gnome on the cover for some unfathomable reason.

I can only remember a couple of other LP issues and I  think they just had photos of Lenny on the cover.

[zamyrabyrd]

I can only remember a couple of other LP issues and I  think they just had photos of Lenny on the cover.

Photos of Lenny are legion. They didn't know what to do with all of them. His Norton series, "The Unanswered Question" has more pictures of him than any musicologist would allow in his books or lectures.

[Biffo]

Photos of Lenny are legion. They didn't know what to do with all of them. His Norton series, "The Unanswered Question" has more pictures of him than any musicologist would allow in his books or lectures.

I think he is second only to Karajan in this respect.

[zamyrabyrd]

I think he is second only to Karajan in this respect.

Why were they so much in love with their mugs? Napoleon complex comes to mind...

[geralmar]

On the strength of his NYPO Mahler recordings I am not sure I can agree with that. The box set of symphonies has Nos 1 - 5 with the original covers and they are uniformly horrible. No 6 has been bundled with No 9 and given a new cover; I have never actually seen it but from discussions elsewhere No 6 had a garden gnome on the cover for some unfathomable reason.

I can only remember a couple of other LP issues and I  think they just had photos of Lenny on the cover.

This?

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[motoboy]

This?

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Yikes!

[Biffo]

This?

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The 'garden gnome' was mentioned a few times in a discussion in another forum but I couldn't remember ever seeing it. Now you have posted the offending item it evokes a very distant memory. Well over 40 years ago I borrowed the LPs from a record library and they must have had that ghastly cover. I am not sure what a beheaded piece of garden statuary has to do with Mahler 6 but it a truly horrible.

When I bought some of the Bernstein NYPO on CD they were part of the Bernstein Century series. The covers for these are pretty uninspiring, various photos of Lenny on drab coloured backgrounds. Fairly recently I bought the complete cycle in the DSD remastered versions and original covers fro Nos 1-5 & 8. The original LPs of No 7 have quite a striking photo of Bernstein on the box, probably justified in artistic terms.

[Roasted Swan]

apologies for a dumb question - how do you insert an image from your own desktop?  Clicking on the icon above just gives me the "" link - and uploading a file/image as a post attachment doesn't embed that image as far as I can tell in the preview panel..... (I know I am missing something very obvious so thankyou in advance!)