The cover of 'Virgin Killer' was censored and replaced by a picture of the six members of the band in some countries. According to the German hard rock band, it was supposedly a representation of the loss of innocence. One such offering is the artwork for the Scorpions's fourth album, 'Virgin Killer.' This features a 10-year-old girl completely naked, posing in a suggestive way. Rock music often courts controversy, as have some of the genre's album covers. 'Virgin Killer' (1976) by Scorpions - Spotify pic 'The picture was to prove that we are not a couple of demented freaks, that we are not deformed in any way and that our minds are healthy,' the artist explains in 'The Beatles Anthology.' 'If we can make society accept these kinds of things without offence, without sniggering, then we shall be achieving our purpose.' In the US, the record made it to number 124 in the charts, with 25,000 copies sold.įor John Lennon, this flop was not so much about the explicit nature of the 'Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins' cover photo, but more to do with the physical appearance of its two models. Only 5,000 copies of the album were pressed in the UK, where it failed to chart. This precaution did not prevent 'Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins' from being perceived as obscene, and therefore from suffering commercially. The image caused uproar when it was released in the fall of 1968 – so much so that some distributors decided to sell the album in plain brown packaging to effectively censor it. The couple used a time-lapse camera to take this black and white shot, where they can be seen posing completely naked. 'Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins' (1968) by John Lennon & Yoko Ono (pictured above)įew album covers are as famous as this one by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Nirvana nevermind cover controversy