The album cover is part of a painting by guitarist Martin Tielli.
Honours
In 1996, the Canadian music magazine Chart conducted a reader poll to determine the greatest Canadian albums of all time. Whale Music placed fifth in that poll, behind only Sloan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and The Tragically Hip. When the magazine conducted a follow-up poll in 2000, Whale Music placed fourth behind Mitchell, Young and Sloan, and was followed in fifth by the band's 1991 album Melville. In the magazine's third poll in 2005, Whale Music placed tenth. It is one of six albums to have ranked in the top ten in all three polls.
Barenaked Ladies, who had been guest musicians on the album, also covered "Legal Age Life at Variety Store" on the 2007 Rheostatics tribute album The Secret Sessions. Their version also included guest performers Jason Plumb and Tim Mech. On the same album, The Inbreds covered "Dope Fiends and Boozehounds" and By Divine Right covered "Shaved Head".
