What's that old cliche about judging book covers? It escapes us now, but it's not just great works of literature that have been saddled with some seriously ugly cover art, albums can be equally unattractive. And 2013 has been one of the most repellent years in recent memory...
Obviously, artwork has no bearing on the music, but it is important. A good record sleeve can be celebrated for years, but bad cover art will ensure the album is pushed to the back of a collection, never to be seen again.
This year has seen a vile collection of ugly examples, with bizarre images and seriously lazy record sleeves cluttering the shelves of the few remaining music stores we have on our high streets. Check out the 50 worst offenders here.