Octopus in a Jar

In 1972, UK prog band Gentle Giant released the first album from what is considered their peak period.    

Gentle Giant - Octopus (Columbia 1972)

Although it was their fourth record, it was only the second to be released in USA.  The UK release had an early Roger Dean painting.  The suits at Columbia thought it would be a better sell if they put an octopus in a die cut jar.

I have eaten octopus and it's yummy, but what's depicted on this cover is something I wouldn't touch at a  99 Ranch Market.  The record buying public (save for a bunch of math geeks) felt the same.

Of course, because record company guys can't be wrong, they blamed the band.  Columbia dropped them after this release.   Their following album, In a Glass House, is arguably their best.   It became the top selling UK import in the USA and held that title until Columbia didn't release the first Clash album stateside.

The original UK Roget Dean cover

After having no US label, Gentle Giant signed with Capitol to release a few highly regarded albums through the remainder of the '70's,   For their last few records, in an attempt to reach an American audience, the band 'normalized' their sound.   For their final album, the band moved back to Columbia for the hideous 'Civilian.'  It promptly tanked and the band was never heard from again.