20 Album Covers to Stare at on Flag Day

The first and, ahem, the best record by Pennsylvania punk band Anti-Flag, Die for the Government has the upside-down American flag (a common theme on this list) behind the band members. Anti-Flag went on to distance itself from the overtly-anti-American theme of this record. Always sad to see a band move from its roots to accommodate a larger audience.

Back in the late ’60s all you needed to do to create a controversial album was to throw the American flag on the cover of a decidedly anti-war album and toss in the word “motherfucker” somewhere in a song. Add a few pro-anarchism lyrics, a photo of the band wearing disguises to hide their identity and some pro-Black Panther lines and you have a hit.

Ah yes, pubes. Amorica by the Black Crowes was released in 1994, but an alternative cover was also issued to help boost album sales among people who didn’t want album-cover pubes in their collection. If you didn’t know, it’s a take off the 1976 Bicentennial issue of Hustler, Larry Flynt’s free speech vehicle disguised as a magazine for people who love porn.

1994’s The Hits has Garth Brooks’ face covered in the colors of the American flag and honestly, it’s a little creepy. He looks a little like an alien, with those wide-open unblinking eyes. Conversely, the songs on this record — “Friends in Low Places” — have become downright iconic in country bars and un-air-conditioned gas stations across the South.

The fourth album by Atlanta’s Outkast, released in 2000. By 2011, Andre 3000 and Big Boi might be more famous for their solo work, but this record should take America back to a time and place. This album is full of hits like “So Fresh, So Clean,” “Ms. Jackson” and “B.O.B.”

Ragged Old Flag is one of Johnny Cash’s only super-political albums. While much of his work dealt with ethical, social and political issues, Ragged Old Flag lays it on pretty thick. Even the title track and album opener was a spoken word tribute to America, not a traditional song.

There’s a Riot Goin’ On by Sly and the Family Stone, released in 1971. The original art had a red, white and black flag with suns instead of stars. Sly told a fan website, “Betsy Ross did the best she could with what she had. I thought I could do better.”

If there’s an image that can sum up Jello Biafra quickly, it’s this one. The American flag strung out as a roll of toilet paper should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from Biafra’s spoken word work, much of which was recorded in Seattle, Denver and Boulder prior to his bid for President in 2000.

Ice Cube’s 1991 album, with more piss-and-vinegar than the rest of the artists on this list combined. Just watch the video for “Steady Mobbin” to get a feel for the entire record.

The Reverend John Delore’s 2009 debut album is really, really Americana. Listen to Ode to an American Urn here. With lines like “I been up and down the country with a suitcase in my hand / Through the fields and factories, but my baby doesn’t understand,” how can it not be more American?

What better album cover for a modern psych-folk band than a tie-dyed American flag? It manages to convey both sides of the band, the roots Americana and the psychedelic, in one simple image. Slightly weird, a bit experimental but mostly American — Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free uses the stars and stripes to a surprisingly solid effect.

A quick glance at this album cover is enough to reveal NOFX’s opinion of George Bush. Decked out in clown paint with a flag background, it’s pretty unmistakable the band wasn’t into the former president. Amazingly, the record still picked up a some radio play with its single, “Franco Un-American,” and was even featured on an episode of One Tree Hill when one of the characters read aloud lines from “Re-gaining Unconsciousness.”

The cover for Future Blues, released by LA boogie-rockers Canned Heat, in 1970. They covered “Let’s Work Together” by Wilbert Harrison, originally released in 1962, and became a hit again on Future Blues.

Aging nu-metal purveyors Dope released American Apathy almost six years ago. Perfect for your rebellious teenager. You can catch Dope at the one and only Gathering of the Juggalos later this year.

Generation Swine’s most notable quality was probably the return of Vince Neil as the band’s frontman, but despite the reunion of classic Mötley Crüe, the record wasn’t well-received by fans or critics. While the cover might lead one to believe it’s a political record, the songs stood true to Mötley Crüe pedigree, concentrating mostly on drugs, love and prostitution.