OUCH! Worst Elvis CD/ LP Cover "ART"...

But what about "Forever Young and Beautiful" , an 80s vinyl boot?!

Ah, Forever Young, Forever Beautiful (Memphis Flash Records - JL 92447).



That sucker came out in 1978, and I bought it! It was the first issue of the bizarrely entertaining Eddie Fadal home jam session, with Elvis, girlfriend Anita Wood, Eddie and his little daughter all chiming in at various times on songs like "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby." It was taped in May 1958. The infamous Paul Lichter was behind this beauty -- despite plenty of photos from the period, he put that inappropriate piece of original "art" on the cover.

Those were the days!

This one is definitely at the top of my "why in the world did I waste money on that" list.

T

This is a hillarious thread, Tallhair! And what a stinker that Lichter cover is, Doc. So bad, it's actually kind of good.

It's too bad my lap-top doesn't have a mouse at the moment, otherwise I'd be serving up my candidates!

It helps if you got "Moody Blue" in '77 when it was released. I can't imagine anyone having too big of a problem with it back then or else it's just the nostalgia of always having that. When the reissue came on CD with the new cover, I had to flip that booklet over...!

I have no real problem with the "STUDIO B" cover, either.


I agree about CHICAGO BEAT and BURNING IN BIRMINGHAM, so much so that I was relieved to print up some of the excellent "alternative" artwork that exists at various sites and now I don't have to wretch everytime I pick these discs out to play.

There's an excellent alternative one of CHICAGO BEAT that keeps the spirit of the original but with much better photos.

****

Last edited by The Purple Gang on Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

my opinion is that who ever brought out "elvis greatest sh*t cd" needs topping!

Im a fan of the baxter, rock legends cds , but the Triangle release of hampton rds has got to be one of the all time best cds for art and superior packaging. Along with Madisons too

How about "Elvis Is Back" - yes the original 1960 release (not that the picture has ever been changed).

Must be one of the worst photos of Elvis, ever.

Steve Morse

Elvis Is Back! The coverphoto didn't actually "boost" the magnificent content of the album itself! One of Elvis' best albums ever, and one of the poorest front covers!

Some other "beauties" are;





A lot of Asian albums are so ugly they can almost be classified as good, so I'm not sure if they should be pictured here.

....erm....

Last edited by Swingin-Little-Guitar-Man on Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Some other "beauties" are;

Kind of dumb they used a picture from 1977 for the cover of a '71 concert

Worst cover to me will always be GOLDEN RECORDS VOL.2 (50,000,000 ELVIS FANS CAN'T BE WRONG).

Bless his cotton socks - Elvis looks like a complete twat in the gold lame suit. And to have all those different size images repeated over the cover with Elvis' deformed looking hand - dear me. And yet they got it so right with the first couple of albums....

Can we all agree this is among the most unflattering? It looks like a candidate for one of those funny-caption contests.

Can we all agree this is among the most unflattering? It looks like a candidate for one of those funny-caption contests.

It's funny, but I have always liked this cover...

Elvis looks pretty damn mean in the picture though Not one of his best poses...

I mean, seriously! Bad album to boot.

This one is definitely at the top of my "why in the world did I waste money on that" list.

Actually, that Fadal home tape from May 1958 is kind of charming and bizarre, all at the same time.

Half the tape has Elvis running bass lines behind records played by Fadal! The recording is not half-bad, quality-wise.

There must be more of such 1950s tapes -- recall the Dec 1956 Audubon recording released in part on the Platinum set or the 1958-59 German demos? Anyway, someone recently sent a "needle drop" of the original LP:

ELVIS PRESLEY - JAM AT FADAL HOUSE, MAY 1958

w/ Anita Wood, Eddie Fadal, Janice Lynn Fadal

1. I Understand Just How You Feel [EP + piano]
3. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby [EP + piano]
5. I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) [Anita + EP + piano]
7. Who's Sorry Now? [Anita + EP + piano]
9. Who's Sorry Now? [Anita + EP + piano]
11. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby [EP bass, falsetto + Eddie + 45]
12. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - end [all + 45]
14. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby [EP bass, falsetto + 45]
16. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - end [EP bass, falsetto + 45]
18. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - end [EP bass, falsetto + 45]
20. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - end [EP bass, falsetto + 45]
22. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - end [EP bass, falsetto + 45]
24. Tumbling Tumbleweeds [EP mouth noise]
25. Don't You Know I Love You [EP bass + 45]
27. Tomorrow Night [EP bass + 45]
29. Faithful And True [ Eddie puts on wrong side of 45!]
31. Little Darlin' [EP bass, falsetto + 45]
33. Just a Closer Walk With Thee [EP + piano]

All other tracks: chat between EP, Anita and host family.

-----

Pretty cool! Anita Wood had a great voice to match that figure, too.

Last edited by drjohncarpenter on Wed Nov 04, 2009 12:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

You're blaming some of the bootleggers for using unflattering pictures in those albums, especially the ones from '74 onwards. I think it matters more the fact that Elvis looked very bad himself, and it was difficult to choose photos were he did look ok (in fact, just an issue of the angles, as we all know which shape Elvis was in later his life).


You don't complain about the 69, 70 or 72 covers; pretty obvious, it was because Elvis was slim and healthy, and no matter the angle, he looked fine.

You're blaming some of the bootleggers for using unflattering pictures in those albums, especially the ones from '74 onwards. I think it matters more the fact that Elvis looked very bad himself, and it was difficult to choose photos were he did look ok (in fact, just an issue of the angles, as we all know which shape Elvis was in later his life).


You don't complain about the 69, 70 or 72 covers; pretty obvious, it was because Elvis was slim and healthy, and no matter the angle, he looked fine.

The problem is, there's no accounting for taste.

You're blaming some of the bootleggers for using unflattering pictures in those albums, especially the ones from '74 onwards. I think it matters more the fact that Elvis looked very bad himself, and it was difficult to choose photos were he did look ok (in fact, just an issue of the angles, as we all know which shape Elvis was in later his life).


You don't complain about the 69, 70 or 72 covers; pretty obvious, it was because Elvis was slim and healthy, and no matter the angle, he looked fine.

The problem is, there's no accounting for taste.

I agree Joe , that's the problem !!

Because they use a picture of Elvis from say '76 or '77 does not make the cover bad...It's because the designers most of the time don't put the time and effort into them...no creativeness, or style if you will.
Trust me, theres some from '69-'72 etc that look bad...look at the one PEP posted with the 1970 picture...Great picture, yes, but the makers ruined it with the Welcome In San Antone logo...

The problem is, there's no accounting for taste.

Indeed.

Maybe one can get some agreement on the '71 Christmas set (so even Yule covers should be hip?), but folks are bashing "Elvis Is Back!" and the legendary "Golden Records Volume 2" set? Give me a break. Have a rip first with "Elvis For Everyone" (US version) and any number of '70s albums, first....

At this point, I can't imagine anyone here still begrudging really any RCA album. Even the bad ones seem like old friends that were "meant to be."

I think Long Lost Songs( Vault Records EAP1020), sorry I can't scan, is pretty bad, they should have used the head & shoulders from the live shot on the back, mind you after playing it yesterday it might have been a better idea not to have bothered altogether.

... Long Lost... the one with the paunch, waving to the fans, 1974...?

That was the original. No luxery 16 page photo booklet included, but still

it outsold these days cds 3 to 1 ! After all, it was the time only

audience recordings were available, and we ate them up like fresh

jelly donuts! Nothing wrong with this big mother. Try again!

... Long Lost... the one with the paunch, waving to the fans, 1974...?

That was the original. No luxery 16 page photo booklet included, but still

it outsold these days cds 3 to 1 ! After all, it was the time only

audience recordings were available, and we ate them up like fresh

jelly donuts! Nothing wrong with this big mother. Try again!

That's the one, maybe I've been spoiled with all the great Madison & Fort Baxter/Bilko releases I've been picking up the last couple of years, your old boss has a lot to answer for.

This is another valid candidate.



Pew!

Regards

I think Long Lost Songs( Vault Records EAP1020), sorry I can't scan, is pretty bad, they should have used the head & shoulders from the live shot on the back, mind you after playing it yesterday it might have been a better idea not to have bothered altogether.

This is one of the most horrible desings by RCA but in this case the content of the album matches the cover. One of the poorest sounding cd's ever.

"Long Lost Songs" - oh yeah, remember that one! Was really excited when it came out... those were the days! For a long time I thought that photo was from '76 or '77 because of the size of his paunch! Was surprised to hear it was '74, although I guess the leather pants should have given me a clue. Must be from the October tour, right?