Concerts

Cutout Bin: Censored and "Recalled" Album Covers

Page 4 of 7

Michael Jackson, Ben (1972)

MJ's album cover for the soundtrack of the movie Ben, a film about rats, unsurprisingly showed a bunch of rats. Someone thought the imagery inappropriate for the kids, so the cover was reissued sans rats. The cover redesign, however, does nothing to change the fact that "Ben" is a love song to a rat.

Three Dog Night, Hard Labor (1974)

This tasteless cover showing some sort of bird-beast giving birth to an LP is apparently the best thing about this album by a band who, years before, had brought "Joy To The World." It was soon reissued with a giant adhesive bandage stuck over the cover. Later issues have the bandage as part of the artwork. Classy!

Roxy Music, Country Life (1974)

This cover was censored for a very common reason - boobs. What was perfectly fine for the rest of the world was once again deemed too racy for American eyes. The titillating pair of ladies were replaced with a dull shot of leaves for subsequent U.S. releases.

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Nick DiFonzo