10 Most Controversial Album Covers Of All Time
8. The Holy Bible - Manic Street Preachers (1994)
The horror that greeted the Jenny Saville commissioned artwork of the Manics third album said more about the prejudices of the human race than the bands desire to scandalise. Sure, the Welsh firebrands consciously spent their lipgloss-smattered inaugural years antagonising everyone; you dont write lines like I laughed when Lennon got shot if you dont want to amass the attentions of the press.
But The Holy Bibles cover art, three paintings that depicted an overweight woman in her underwear, didnt sit well with society. And by receiving such a reaction of resounding disgust, the Manics successfully baited shallow critics into exposing their despicable opinions. Content-wise, the record was their most stripped-back and visceral to date, as they swapped the grandiose, stadium-rock pomposity of their earlier albums for a spikier, more post-punk sound.
These lacerated landscapes exemplified the pain and suffering within Richey Edwards abrasive and introverted lyricism, voiced by James Dean Bradfield in both impassioned cries and respectful sensitivity. The Holy Bible proved that abject turmoil could breed achingly beautiful poetry and provided us with a snapshot of a being on the brink of destruction. Sadly, Richey vanished without trace mere months after the albums release.