Throughout the years album covers were censored for reasons that norms and values in those times were not accepting things. In most cases we can buy the albums nowadays with the covers as how they were intended officially but for "Electric Ladyland" from Jimmy Hendrix Experience it is still censored untill now.


Alice Cooper - Love It To Death (1971)

original album cover
censored album cover

On the original cover Alice Cooper holds two arms in front of him. It almost looks like his finger resembles a phallus. Not intentional of course. But the cover was soon replaced with a version leaving out the right arm and hand.


David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World (1971)

Bowie was wearing woman's dresses at that time but in the early seventies transvestism was taboo those days and was rejected by the time Bowie breakthrough in the world. It was replaced by Bowie as Ziggy Stardust.


David Bowie - Diamond Dogs (1974)

The album cover displays Bowie as half human half dog. The front of the album was not a real problem but more for the back of the cover where the bottom half of the body was displayed. The original covers hints at a phallus between the legs. But Americans decided to darken that area.

Tin Machine - Tin Machine II (1991)

original album cover

censored album cover

A Greek statues was displayed 4 times to suggest it could be the members of the band. The phallus was again a problem for Americans and this was nicely solved to chissel out the phallus.


Blind Faith - Blind Faith (1969)

Blind Faith was the superband by Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. They only released one album. The album cover displays an 11-year old girl holding a model of an aircraft. The fact that the girl was naked wasn't the biggest issue here but the aircraft was considered to resemble a phallus by some people. Therefore in some countries a cover displaying the band was used at the right.

John & Yoko - Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (1968)

Left the censored cover and right the original cover

The first 3 albums of John Lennon and Yoko Ono were very experimental and a nightmare to listen to. It is not really music but a sound collage of experiments. On the first album a picture of them both naked was used that led to lots of complaints by distributors.


Roger Waters - The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking (1984)

In the USA a naked behind was simply covered by a black banner for Roger Waters his first solo album.


Roxy Music - Country Life (1974)

Left the original album cover and right the censored cover
Bryan Ferry always used women to pose on the album covers of Roxy Music. In this case they were dressed  in ladies underwear and one without bra but covering it nicely up with her hands. Still too much for some people that's why in the USA the cover one the right was used without the 2 women.

Bow Wow Wow - See Jungle! See Jungle ! Go Join Your Gang, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! (1981)

original album cover
Manet's "Dejeuner sur l’Herbe"

Censored album cover
The idea is brilliant to create a copy of a painting by Manet with the characters being the members of the band. Unfortunately not everyone accepted this and another version was created from the photo sessions for the album where Annabella Lwin lies on the ground covered.

Jimmy Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)

Naked girls was too much and the album is nowadays still replaced everywhere with the right cover.


Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy (1973)

Naked children at the Giant's Causeway (Northern Ireland) was too much for some people and putting the band name and album cover above the nearest kid.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)

In the original album two men shaking hands that made the second one set afire was considered too violent. And it was replaced by a cover only including the album title logo in full size.

Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (1968)

The album cover was banned by the record company and alternatively replaced by something that looked like an invitation card. A dirty toilet was a bit too much.

The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears (1966)

Another toilet can affair for the Mama's and the Papa's. They replaced the toilet can by a banner that it includes their big hit "California Dreamin'".