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There are several reasons I loved working on the Saints and Sinners Issue. It’s the only magazine I’ve ever seen with Madonna and Gandhi elbowing for cover space, it’s the first issue we ever got the fantastic authors John Green and Michael Stusser to write for, and it had this piece by Chris Smith. It’s just 23 quick notes on 23 important album covers, but it’s one of my favorites. Enjoy!
wearing their art on_their sleeves:
23 album covers that changed everything by Chris Smith
Long before MTV, performers expressed the visual dimension of their art through their album covers. Every music fan has his/her favorites, but several covers stand out for their brilliance, their impact and their ability to make as much of a statement as the music they represent. Every art form has its giants, and album cover art is no exception. The work of the designers featured here spans over 40 years of music.
THE SIXTIES: Before the 1960s, most albums featured portraits of musicians, instruments or musicians playing instruments. But the 1960’s spirit of exploration and experimentation found its way into music and, consequently, onto album covers.
1967 The Beatles, Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles’ album covers act as a kind of scrapbook for their mythmaking career: a serious With the Beatles, a hippie-esque Rubber Soul, a stripped down The White Album, and a funeral procession on Abbey Road. Each is a testament to the band’s creativity and insight into their culture. Yet no single album cover defines its era and its artists more than 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
As with any good cult artifact, stories built around the album: Was Paul McCartney dead? (No.) Are the figures cardboard cutouts? (Yes.) Are those pot plants? (No.) The album was also legendarily difficult to execute—securing the faces of the band’s heroes and influences, from Alistair Crowley to guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi—was a logistical nightmare. Finding photographs of everyone, blowing them up to specifications and tinting them with color all turned out to be well worth the effort, however. The album became the single most recognizable (and, according to many, the greatest) album cover of all time.
1965 Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Whipped Cream & Other Delights
This concept album pushed the 1960s envelope all the way to the fridge. Every song on the album is named for some kind of food, something the cover model seems to be enjoying in a more than metaphorical way. This was Herb Albert’s most successful album, but whether the songs or cover sold the album has yet to be determined.
1969 Grateful Dead, Aoxomoxoa
It’s an iconic example of psychedelic art by one of the giants of the genre, graphic artist and California surfer, Rick Griffin. The band met Griffin backstage after a concert and fell in love with his style. In fact, they were so sure of his talent that they gave him total artistic freedom for the cover. Griffin also designed the first masthead for Rolling Stone.
1967 The Doors, Strange Days
With this album, The Doors touched on the decade’s surrealism with a Fellini-esque circus, but still escaped the psychedelia that typified its generation. The cover’s zoo of characters were a mix of professionals, amateurs and friends. The juggler is the photographer’s assistant. The trumpet player in the background was a cab driver who agreed to pose for $5 right before the image was shot.
1969 Blind Faith, Blind Faith
By the end of the decade, idealism had given way to cynicism, yet this album offered a strange vision of hope. A maiden in the nude, holding a silver spaceship matted onto a pastoral setting, forms a metaphorical union of innocence and achievement, life and knowledge, uncharacteristic of the decade that spawned it.
THE SEVENTIES: The stylistic fragmentation of the 1960s continued in the 1970s. Bands like Pink Floyd, Yes and Led Zeppelin claimed music—and their respective album covers—were definitely a trip.
>>Lots more after the jump!
1971 The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers
Rock n’ roll is sometimes used as a euphemism for sex, so it’s no wonder that the crotch has been the centerpiece of countless album covers. Yet, The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers is the most famous and innovative example.
Sticky Fingers stands out as the best album cover of the decade. The cover features an Andy Warhol photograph of a well-endowed young man (contrary to legend, it was not Mick Jagger). A working zipper on the man’s pants could be opened to reveal another shot of the model, this time in his skivvies. The zipper left its mark on the album cover genre. Unfortunately, it also left its mark on the record itself (right in the middle of “Sister Morphine”).
1973 Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
The classic simplicity of the prism on Dark Side is partly derived from a textbook illustration designed to show how light passes through a prism to form a spectrum. In a science book, however, a prism spectrum has seven colors. The album cover only has six; they got rid of indigo simply because it looked too much like purple.
1977 Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols
Nothing sums up the punk ethos better than this album. Like the record itself, the cover resembles a ransom note (actually designed with cut-up newspaper bits), boldly proclaiming the Pistols had stolen the music industry’s thunder … and didn’t plan on giving it back. The album was first refused in record shops because of the word “bollocks,” and the issue was later taken up in court.
1979 Supertramp, Breakfast in America
This album reflects the English band’s move to the United States and the cynicism that went along with it. A view of the Manhattan skyline, uncannily recreated with salt shakers, creamers, coffee mugs, egg cartons, napkin dispensers and silverware, stands behind a friendly waitress named Libby who offers you a tall glass of OJ—all through your airplane window. Good morning, indeed.
1979 The Clash, London Calling
Punk thrust a rusted safety pin into the nostril of the bloated music industry with this one. London Calling juxtaposed the concept of a 1956 Elvis album with a blurry image of Paul Simonon smashing his bass. Incidentally, during the shoot, he smashed his watch in the process. That’s the price you pay for ripping on Elvis.
THE EIGHTIES: The 1980s offered an interesting contrast: Musically, the decade was both an extension of the excesses of the 1970s and a reaction to it. So what was the product of this conflict? The ability to stir up some controversy.
1988 Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking
This album was shocking in every way. A pair of Siamese twins joined at the hip and shoulder (actually plaster sculptures built by lead singer Perry Ferrell himself) sit naked on a love seat, their heads on fire.
According to Ferrell, it’s harder to get big flames burning on plaster twins than one might think. Nine national record chains refused to stock the album.
1980 Gamma, Gamma 2
This cover perfectly illustrates the fear that 1980’s punk rock brought into the otherwise serene suburbs of America. Originally, the pair of feet in the bottom right corner of the cover were only those of a woman, but Electra Records felt the image might seem inflammatory to certain female customers. At the last minute, a pair of male feet were added to the cover.
1988 Prince, Lovesexy
While heavy metal and punk were making waves in music during the 1980s, Prince pushed the envelope in a different direction. Celebrating both sexual freedom and ambiguity, Prince combined a feminine pose with overt phallic imagery. Believe it or not, the shot was spontaneous: the photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino suggested Prince go nude just before the session.
1983 Def Leppard, Pyromania
This album made Tipper Gore’s “filthy fifteen” list when she crusaded against “porn-rock” in the mid-1980s. By organizing the Parents’ Music Resource Center, she encouraged the Recording Industry Association of America to adopt an explicit content labeling policy to protect minors.
THE NINETIES AND BEYOND: By the 1990s the CD had replaced the old vinyls of yesterday. While the classic square shape was back, the smaller size meant designers didn’t have as much space with which to work. Time will tell what images from the 1990s will stake their claim as classics. Some are immediate standouts.
1991 Metallica, Metallica
The rock band reflects their stripped-down sound with this none-more-black cover, known to fans simply as “the black album.” The album marked the band’s transition from heavy metal to mainstream.
1990 Pixies, Bossanova
The Pixies took their listeners to another world with Bossanova, mixing the old with the new and the new with the kitsch and retro. Pixies’ vocalist Frank Black claims he saw a UFO as a child and was always infatuated with outer space. In fact, the band’s founding members decided to form the band while on a trip to New Zealand to see Halley’s Comet.
1996 Beck, Odelay
One of the decade’s strangest covers comes, fittingly, from one of its strangest artists. Beck’s album shows a Komondor, (a Hungarian sheepdog with a dreadlock-like coat), leaping over a hurdle. It’s almost impossible to tell it’s a dog, but it’s even harder to forget.
1997 Prodigy, Fat of the Land
The rise of electronica brought acts like Prodigy to the fore, which featured a crab with brandished claws, symbolic of their aggressive beats and attitudes. The image was chosen at the last minute as an illustration of the album title: a crab coming out of the sea to enjoy the bounty of the land.
AND SOME COVER ARTISTS YOU SHOULD MEET:
Andy Warhol: 1967 The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground and Nico
Despite what it insinuates on the cover, the album’s title is not Andy Warhol. Rather, the then-unknown The Velvet Underground used their well-known album artist’of Warhol’s name created a persistent myth about The Velvets. Everybody thought Andy Warhol was the lead guitarist.”
Reid Miles: 1962 Freddie Hubbard, Hub-Tones
Reid Miles produced almost 500 graphically striking covers for Blue Note Records jazz acts like Freddie Hubbard. Apparently, Blue Note often didn’t have the budget to print full-color album covers, so Miles was confined to using two colors. With his creativity and resourcefulness though, you’d never know.
Neon Park XIII: 1970 The Mothers of Invention, Weasels Ripped My Flesh
A painter, whose name is as colorful as his work, Park produced quirky paintings for Little Feat and the Beach Boys, and the infamous Weasels Ripped My Flesh for Frank Zappa’s band, The Mothers of Invention. This one was based on an ad for an electric shaver from a 1950s Life magazine.
Roger Dean: 1973 Yes, Tales From Topographic Oceans
Influenced by John Michell’s The View Over Atlantis—which argues the entire earth is connected via a single prehistoric ancient culture—and by P. Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, Dean imagined otherworldly dreamscapes for prog-rock groups like Yes and Asia. In 1970, Dean also designed the first logo for a new record label, Virgin.
Hipgnosis (A British design pair led by Storm Thorgerson): 1975 Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here
Hipgnosis produced widespread cover art, including Led Zepellin’s Houses of the Holy and over 20 Pink Floyd covers. In Wish You Were Here, the burning man shaking hands actually is on fire. At the photo shoot, the stunt man wore an asbestos suit and a wig, then doused himself with gasoline and lit a match.
—
From “Nevemind” to “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” to “On the Corner”, we definitely left a lot off the list. Be sure to tell us which ones we should have included in the comments below.
A few other posts you might enjoy:
The First Time Aerosmith Made the New York Times
Shhh…super secret special for blog readers.
Comments (167)
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I have strong memories of the Herb Albert album. This was in a stack of albums in my basement. It may seem tame now, but as a boy in the 1970s, this was like an issue of Playboy.
posted by Janix on 9-21-2007 at 11:22 am
I have all of these albums. Whoa.
posted by Rachel on 9-21-2007 at 11:27 am
I worked in a “record store” (remember them?) when Sticky Fingers came out. That zipper on the cover was murder on the vinyl–I bet we got more than half of the records we sold returned as defective!
posted by Annette on 9-21-2007 at 11:36 am
Great story – it brings back a lot happy memories and how much fun it was anticipating some of these great albums.
Jim
posted by Jim on 9-21-2007 at 11:44 am
I’m happy to own many of these too….but my favorite cover is absent: The Black Crowes “Amorica”. Always makes me giggle.
posted by natlynn on 9-21-2007 at 12:15 pm
Screw Metallica’s Black Album. What about AC/DC’s Back in Black cover? The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, is a much better cover( and not just for the naked woman pictured.)The Prodigy….it’s a crab for god sake. Take a look at some of the work on early 4AD covers.
posted by TACU2 on 9-21-2007 at 12:29 pm
what about that nirvana cover with the naked baby swimming in a pool?
posted by kevin on 9-21-2007 at 12:34 pm
The banana on the original Velvet Underground and Nico album was a sticker that could be peeled off. You’ll seldom find one these days on which the sticker’s still there (and I’m not giving mine up for anything!)
posted by Betsy on 9-21-2007 at 12:43 pm
I am surprised that Nirvana’s Nevermind album cover didn’t make the list.
The picture of the baby swimming after the dollar is an icon.
posted by n2y2 on 9-21-2007 at 12:53 pm
I notice a severe lack of hip-hop in this list. Allow me to provide a few possibilities:
- NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton”
- A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory”
- Ice Cube’s “Death Certificate”
And while some might not say it’s great, Public Enemy’s “Fear of a Black Planet” will always be an album whose cover is instantly recognizable.
posted by SpaceMonkeyX on 9-21-2007 at 1:02 pm
Agreed, SpaceMonkey… maybe we’ll do a post on more Hiphop and R&B albums in the next few weeks. I love PE, and The Low End Theory is one of the discs that never gets taken out of my car CD rotation.
posted by Mangesh on 9-21-2007 at 1:12 pm
Santana’s Abraxas. ‘Nuff said.
posted by BrianD on 9-21-2007 at 1:27 pm
What about Smell the Glove? There’s nothing wrong with being sexy.
posted by DW on 9-21-2007 at 1:29 pm
Tubular Bells?
(Replete with note that “This stereo record cannot be played on old tin boxes no matter what they are fitted with. If you are in possession of such equipment please hand it into the nearest police station”…)
posted by Andrew Green on 9-21-2007 at 1:36 pm
I always liked the Fiona Apple “Tidal” album cover. Not because it’s incredibly artistic or meaningful. Just because, if you take it and put it in front of your face, so that the bottom is just about your mouth, you can talk and pretend you’re Fiona. It’s like a Fiona mask. Try it, it’s funny!
Even funnier to try eating while having it in front of your face, because no one’s ever seen Fiona Apple eat anything.
posted by Molly on 9-21-2007 at 2:46 pm
Thanks for the great article re-hash. If ya’all aren’t subscribed to the magazine, you’re missing out!
Didn’t Led Zep release an album in a plain brown wrapper? Also, I was a sucker for that ASIA cover with the sea dragon. I about died when they had it in 40 Yr Old Virgin!
posted by Johnny Cat on 9-21-2007 at 3:37 pm
In the vein of the Stones Sticky Fingers zipper, I am reminded of the classic Led Zeppelin covers: the Wheel thingy on Zep III, Physical Graffiti’s opening windows.
Dismiss these as gimmicks at your own peril. There’s something to be said for an artist that embraces and expands upon the medium. Whether you like the music or not, Tool comes to mind for Aenema’s magic motion cover and the Lateralus cover which resembles an anatomy textbook.
Beck’s DIY cover (with stickers!) for The Information was fun!
I second the opinion that there should be more hip hop on this list. Definitely Cube’s “Death Certificate.”
posted by Jesse D on 9-21-2007 at 3:40 pm
What about Cheech & Chong’s “Big Bamboo”?
Believe it or not, I still have the rolling paper that was included inside the album.
posted by Tamigirlrocks on 9-21-2007 at 3:51 pm
funkadelic’s maggot brain isn’t included. i am going to cry now.
also on the more obscure side, how about john zorn’s naked city and painkiller projects? google ‘em and tell me that you can forget them
posted by Alex on 9-21-2007 at 7:08 pm
The Herb Alpert album cover reminds me of a previous Fact of the Day:
“Truth be told, Dolores Erickson was wearing a bikini and was then wrapped in a layer of cotton before she was covered with layer upon layer of: Shaving cream! That’s right — the only whipped cream was the dollop on her head, since it melted so quickly under the hot studio lights. And they had to use a few extra cans of cream on her midsection, as Erickson was three months pregnant at the time of the shoot.”
I still have my Big Bambu rolling paper, too, as well as the lingerie included with Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” album. (Am I old, or what?) Anyone remember the rumor about the model on the front of the Ohio Players’ “Honey” album – that the scream heard at the beginning of “Love Rollercoaster” was her being stabbed by the band? That story was so persistant at the time that the Detroit Free Press even ran a story about it (and reported that she was alive and well).
posted by Kara on 9-21-2007 at 11:22 pm
By the way, the girl on the cover of the Blind Faith album is Mariora Goschen, who now works as a massage therapist in London.
posted by Kara on 9-21-2007 at 11:27 pm
What about the album with John Lennon and Yoko Ono standing naked, Two Virgins? I don’t think it gets much more controversial than that. Or Rage Against the Machine’s album with the burning munk on the cover? That’s pretty F*&^ed up if you ask me.
posted by Comrade Grrr on 9-22-2007 at 12:34 am
Any Iron Maiden album covers?
posted by chris on 9-22-2007 at 12:37 am
Old dirty bastard’s album Return to the 36 chambers is a great cover. His food stamp card picture perfectly defines the old dirty good time you are in for.
posted by Quato on 9-22-2007 at 12:43 am
What? No Byrds album covers…also get your hands on Monster by Steppenwolf.
posted by John on 9-22-2007 at 12:52 am
What about the beautifully designed and painted early Firefall covers? I’m quite partial to the 1981 “Best of Firefall” Cover with the firemen bucket brigade, but the original “Firefall” album art was pretty nice too. As far as I can tell, this album art was influential not only on other albums, but on the whole course of 1970s and 1980s rock-related art.
posted by PO8 on 9-22-2007 at 12:55 am
Good List.
I’d add
Genesis ‘Selling England by the Pound’,
Uriah Heep ‘Look at Yourself’,
Joe Walsh ‘Barnstorm’
CSNY ‘Deja Vu’
posted by Ironrain on 9-22-2007 at 12:57 am
how about Spooky Tooth’s ” You Broke my Heart, so I Busted your Jaw!”
posted by mugley on 9-22-2007 at 1:29 am
Bow wow wow’s replication of Manet’s painting probably deserves a spot. People got arrested over that picture.
posted by Snottlebocket on 9-22-2007 at 1:46 am
Who was it that had album covers that looked like colored drawings of UFO’s but if you turned them upside-down the pictures looked like guitars?
The waitress on the cover of Supertramps “Breakfast In America” album is an actual waitress. Supertramp was on tour when they were trying to think of a theme for the new album. They were sitting in a diner somewhere in midwestern USA when they came up with the “Breakfast In America” idea. The woman on the cover is the actual waitress who served them breakfast that day.
posted by Tdave on 9-22-2007 at 1:58 am
How about…
Devo-’Q: Are We Not Men? We are Devo!’
Black Flag-’Damaged’(or any of their albums featuring Raymond Pettibone art…which is most of them!)
Captain Beefheart-’Trout Mask Replica’
Talking Heads-’More Songs About Building and Food’
et cetera et cetera…
posted by Jordan on 9-22-2007 at 2:27 am
My list, heavily biased due to my age.
Ice Cube – Kill at Will
NWA – 100 Miles and Runnin’
Sly and the Family Stone – Fresh
Led Zeppelin – I
Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street
The Beatles – The White Album
The Talking Heads – Fear of Music
Flipper – Album
PiL – Album
ACDC – Back in Black (as mentioned above)
(you get the idea)
ACDC – Dirty Deeds
Queen – News of the World
Black Flag – any, but My War and Slip It In are strong
The Minutemen – Paranoid Time
Pink Floyd – Animals
KMFDM – many
Beastie Boys – License to Ill
Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
Wyndham Hill Records – their overall design
X – Los Angeles
D.R.I. – I dunno, but they have a good logo
Dead Kennedys – Plastic Surgery Disasters
Roxy Music – Country Life
The Replacements – Let It Be (okay, not great, but it looked cool to me)
Neil Diamond – The Jazz Singer soundtrack
Rush – 2112, but just the guy with the star
The Leaving Trains – Loser Illusion
There were are few cool thematic covers from Earth, Wind, and Fire; Journey; and Iron Maiden.
posted by johnk on 9-22-2007 at 2:33 am
No matter how many hundreds of millions of albums were sold by Black artists over the past 50 years; their album covers get absolutely zero recognition in some circles.
posted by mrogi on 9-22-2007 at 2:54 am
I’d add Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix.
posted by Jim Barbera on 9-22-2007 at 4:04 am
You are forgetting “Beggar’s Banquet” – the original 3-d cover – for many years the “album” carried a flat picture, as do the cd’s, but the original album had an actual 3-d lenticular print!
One of my faves is Zappa’s “Overnite Sensation.”
“School’s Out” unfolded like a desk.
I like Johnny Winter’s “Second Winter” not for the cover, but the fact that it’s 3 sides, “no more, no less!”
posted by Greg on 9-22-2007 at 4:06 am
come on, you need “Who’s Next” mod at its best. them taking a leak. nice
posted by jeff b on 9-22-2007 at 5:30 am
I can’t believe you left this one out- iconic as it is for the generation:
Inna-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly
As a child, I imagined that the ’scraping’ sound in the song was made by the two psychedelic glass spheres on the cover cracking right down the middle.
posted by sandy on 9-22-2007 at 6:18 am
Don’t forget the Led Zeppelin album “In Through the Out Door” that was black and white and had a color wipe across it and how the inside liner was black and white yet if you wiped it with a damp cloth it would turn colors. You know how long it took us to figure that out? Long enough to spill one of our drinks on it while listening to it.
posted by Todd on 9-22-2007 at 6:28 am
David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, where a male dog with Bowie’s head is shown lying on its side, genitals exposed. It was banned until the genitals were replaced by female ones.
Also, Molly Hatchet, and their use of Frank Frazetta paintings for covers is excellent.
Coop’s work on various albums has been stunning. Guitar Wolf’s Rock and Roll Ettiquite, and his illustration for Bad Religion’s 7 inch record: American Jesus, are very good examples.
posted by James on 9-22-2007 at 6:46 am
How ’bout Walter (now Wendy) Carlos’ Switched-on-bach cover? Very simplistic, but a groundbreaking symbol of the times to come.
posted by Edward Madill on 9-22-2007 at 8:13 am
what about chicago’s album that looks like a giant chocolate bar
posted by disco on 9-22-2007 at 8:28 am
I remember hearing about this shortly after 911 and thought how bizarre it is. Here’s the article, to see the album cover, you can go to Wikipedia. Very eerie…
*********
The cover for the upcoming CD from a popular hip-hop group portrays an eerily familiar sight.
Against a backdrop of morning skies, the towers of the World Trade Center stand engulfed in flame from the impact of twin explosions. Clouds of smoke spew from the upper stories, all but obscuring the tip of what was once the epicenter of the New York City skyline.
If it weren’t for the super-imposed images of the Oakland, California, hip-hop duo known as The Coup, the scene could pass for a remarkably precise replica of the horrific tragedy that befell New York City on Tuesday morning.
The cover design predates Tuesday’s twin attacks on the World Trade Center by months.
And now that reality has in fact imitated art, The Coup’s label, 75 Ark, is finding itself in a messy predicament.
“This was done long ago and never meant to be any literal interpretation of an event,” said Toni Isabella, label manager for 75 Ark. Luckily, she said, the release date of the CD, entitled Party Music, got pushed back 2 months from early September to November.
In light of Tuesday’s tragedy — and a barrage of e-mails and phone calls regarding the image — the label is now in the process of choosing a new album cover.
Timing of the original album printing was disturbingly in sync with real-world events.
The printers were set to crank out copies of the fiery World Trade Center image on Tuesday, Isabella said, when the label put in a last-minute call, urging them to stop the presses.
The fictional picture depicted on the cover, it seemed, was a bit too close to the horrific images occupying the television screen.
Isabella said the label hasn’t decided on a new cover. They’re looking at pictures from an old photo shoot as well as an image based on the group’s logo. However, the decision making is particularly difficult due to the fact that 75 Ark has been unable to reach officials with The Coup’s publicist, Girlie Action, which is located in lower Manhattan.
The move to switch covers has not been without opposition.
Coup founder Boots Riley said he argued with the label to keep the original design, which a distributor had threatened not to release.
Riley said the cover design, completed in June, was “supposed to be a metaphor for the capitalist state being destroyed through the music.”
It should not be interpreted as a call to violence, particularly in light of Tuesday’s tragedy, he said.
“My condolences go to the families of the victims and all their friends and anybody affected at all by the catastrophe,” Riley said. “But they can’t sidestep that the reason this is being censored is a political one, not a sympathetic one. It’s not out of respect to the victims.”
Riley said he lobbied to keep the cover intact because he wanted people to consider that it is not only foreign terrorists, but the United States as well, that have committed atrocious acts.
Chris Funk, The Coup’s manager, said it’s most likely that 75 Ark will prevail in its plan to change the cover, however.
“Ultimately, they reserve the right to use whatever cover they want because they’re the label,” he said.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that the original CD cover had already gone out to members of the press, distributors and others. Before the album’s release got pushed back to November, The Coup received reviews in several publications, including print editions of Wired Magazine, Spin and CMJ.
Naturally, many of the reviews came accompanied with pictures of the original CD cover, complete with exploding buildings.
Funk said The Coup, known for lyrics with an edgy, anti-establishment bent, chose the original cover for its powerful imagery.
And, as was the case with The Coup’s previous three releases, “Kill My Landlord,” “Genocide and Juice” and “Steal This Album,” not all harsh statements are meant to be taken at face value.
“We’re not saying go out and blow up the buildings,” Funk said. “But it’s politically charged music.”
posted by Cindy on 9-22-2007 at 8:44 am
holy sh*t…no mention of King Crimson’s
album cover “In The Court of The King Crimson”…hands down my favorite
posted by pinballtommy on 9-22-2007 at 8:57 am
Honestly, no Queen II? That was their most synonymous image – even used in the Bohemian Rhapsody music video. I’m disappointed
posted by Alex on 9-22-2007 at 9:29 am
Plastikman – Musik.
The album cover was perforated blotter paper with a plastikman logo on each “hit” of acid. Pretty crazy stuff. I still have mine.
Some kid got arrested and charged with drug possession for having this cd.
posted by Luke on 9-22-2007 at 9:29 am
Jackie Gleason’s Lonesome Echo album featured incredible art by Salvador Dali. I suppose a great master is below a hack like Warhol.
And Mapplethorpe’s photography for Patti Smith’s Easter is an unforgivable omission.
Ken Kelly’s Destroyer cover (Kiss) is another piece that should be here, but isn’t. The Kiss solo albums also set the stage for album series’ to follow.
The artwork for Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar is truly amazing. But a bit too low brow for folks that edit this rag.
Their list is clearly just meant to be the “safe” selections.
posted by Uncle Deercamp on 9-22-2007 at 11:19 am
Dead Kennedy’s original Frankenchrist cover by H R Geiger (same guy who did the design for the original Alien movie and the David Lynch version of Dune).
posted by akb427 on 9-22-2007 at 11:33 am
the title of your post is: 23 album covers that changed everything! yet you don’t explain how the cover art CHANGED anything!
this is a LAME post…based on the title…think it through next time…
posted by Curtis DeMartini on 9-22-2007 at 11:58 am
What about Cheech and Chong’s “Up in Smoke” with the greatly over-sized, 1/4 lb. rolling paper inside? Guess that’s not technically a cover. So how about Led Zeppelins’ “Physical Graffiti”? Or just about every Pink Floyd cover?
posted by Brian on 9-22-2007 at 12:01 pm
skynyrd – street survivors , { on fire steve gaines } .
tommy bolin – private eyes
robin trower – victims of the fury…
boston – first album
posted by linc63 on 9-22-2007 at 1:39 pm
I’ve always loved the spookiness of Black Sabbath’s 1st LP cover or their “Mob Rules” cover.
All of Led Zeppelin’s album covers are classic.
And Iron Maiden’s Eddie ushered in a lot of copycat covers from other metal acts.
posted by J on 9-22-2007 at 6:11 pm
yeah, good list really :)
you should have included the cover of emerson, lake and palmer’s brain salad surgery, a flip out cover by H.R. Giger :D
posted by glen on 9-22-2007 at 6:43 pm
There aren’t any real Metal album covers on here… Those are the most controversial. YOU FAILED.
posted by Anonymous on 9-22-2007 at 9:33 pm
this is a half-baked list. This list is suppose to show pre-MTV album covers. You have post-MTV albums on here. I don’t consider Prodigy, Beck, Jane’s Addiction, etc, Def Leppard… as pre-MTV or albums that changed anything. They represent the typical album covers we see today.
I think Joy Divison’s Unknown Pleasures album should have been on the list.
posted by anonymous on 9-23-2007 at 8:06 am
You’ve to to mention the Car’s Candy-O, with the lovely adornment on the hood.
ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres opened up to a full-scale Mexican dinner.
Don’t forget the 3-legged dog on Alice in Chain’s Grind.
One of my personal favorites: Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Brain Salad Surgery. »tinyurl.com/2djsq6«
Alien, eat your heart out~!
posted by Serr8d on 9-23-2007 at 8:43 pm
Dude,
I am not sure you thought this out. Albums covers are meant to be iconic, make a statement about the musicians, or be a harbinger of a distinct direction. A great album cover is like an appropriate marriage of music to art. It freezes a moment in time and gives a visual image to associate with the music. You would have wanted to toss out covers that were nothing but a photo of the band (like most pre-1967 album art covers) and could have further limited your list because there are no great album covers after 1985 when compact discs came in and simply rendered the medium too small to have the impact of the album era; Meanwhile, after 1985, music videos took away the role of the visual image filled by album covers. I’ll buy into Sgt Peppers and the Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks”, but some of these other choices? The commenters are doing a good job of filling in some of the obvious gaps, but here are a few extra suggestions in no particular order:
“The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” by Traffic – An album that looked like a cube and had no upper left or lower right corners to complete the optical illusion. The re-formed Traffic had unleashed a classic album whose sound was a big departure from their first incarnation. Traffic used the idea again for “Shoot-out at the Fantasy Factory” but that design sadly lacked the optical illusion of “Low Spark”
“Blow By Blow” by Jeff Beck – Beck was (is?) the finest guitarist in rock music. Even Jimi Hendrix admired and wanted to meet him when he went to England. Beck’s Yardbirds were a revolutionary British Blues-based band and the Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) had been Led Zeppelin before Led Zeppelin, but, with this album, Beck suddenly and unexpectedly veered into fusion. The iconic painting on the cover of a guitarist jamming alone is directly relating to what you would hear on the vinyl, which was an artist in love with his guitar.
“Sing It Again, Rod” by Rod Stewart – The album was shaped like a whiskey glass. Rod was on the other side through the glass. When Rod Stewart and Ron Wood (later a Rolling Stone) were recording together, they made some damn listenable music. At this time Rod was -for better or worse– bursting into superstardom and the music inside was best listened to with a glass of scotch suggested by the cover. Iconic.
“Killers” by Iron Maiden – A big change in the band’s direction. Remember many thought this act was supposed to be a hard punk band. Any punker who bought this 2nd album was apt to be disappointed as this band was morphing into metal, and the album was a hint of things yet to come. The mascot Eddie springs forth fully formed and imagined on this cover and gave the band an image that would allow it to survive its spectacularly successful change in lead singers for the next album. If only Bruce Dickinson had been the vocalist for this album instead of the next, everyone would know it … The fullest fruition of the Eddie imagery is on the double album “Live After Death”
“The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” by Bob Dylan. Talk about a frozen snapshot of time. Every rock musician wanted to be Dylan after this seminal album. We all want to walk down this street with a babe on our arm. However points should be deducted for being the image in Tom Cruise’s mind in “Vanilla Sky”
“Fragile” by Yes. This was Dean’s first of many covers of album artwork. It is a surreal and other worldly and, by the way, so is the music inside the cover. Exceptional musicianship and incredible album artwork.
“Saturate Before Using” by Jackson Brown. Led Zep borrowed the wet it down color change idea for “In Through The Out Door” from this album. Doctor, my eyes, indeed.
“In the Court of the Crimson King” by King Crimson. The trippy-est image ever put on an album cover. You looked at this cover of a bloated heavily lined face, blood-shot eyes, and an overly large ear and you immediately had a pretty good idea what an LSD trip was like. The music inside delivered too. It is a powerful soundscape of grandiose psychedelica and despair featuring Greg Lake (later of E.L.&P.) on vocals that is often imitated but never equalled.
“Jump On It” by Montrose. A picture of a woman’s bikini clad crotch. The Black Crowes borrowed the idea for “Amorica” but did put add a pube or two. The author mentions the Gamma 2 cover above and leaves you wondering why the female feet were a concern. It was because Montrose was Gamma’s guitarist and he had taken a lot of flack for the artwork on “Jump On It” 7 years earlier. The art work may be groundbreaking, but the music was not up to the standards set by the band’s self-titled debut (which may be a nominee for a future article as one of the worst covers on a great album, as it was a shirtless band homo-erotica shot).
“Physical Grafitti” by Led Zeppelin. A double album in which the album was a building and the sleeves had pictures that you could slide into the building’s windows. Some of the characters in the tiny pictures to go in the windows appeared to be Led Zep members in drag. LedZep somewhat borrowed the concept from LedZep III, which had windows that could be filled with psychedelic images that were on a paper disc inside the cover that could be spun to make new images appear. Double albums are supposed to be great music and this album definitely was.
“Exile On Main Street” by The Rolling Stones. A drunken, gritty, double album made while the band lived in tax exile is a collage of images of human oddities inter-cut with band photos. The Stones obviously were the carnival oddities now, and the result is an album littered with classic music. The little snapshot inside the cover of Mick and Keith at the studio microphone sharing a bottle of Old Grandad is iconic. The entire body of the band’s 1970’s work is hinted at in this album.
“Stardust” by Willie Nelson. This is the first country album that I ever saw that has no picture whtsoever of the artist on the front cover (Can you name any others from the album era?). There is a reason for that: The music rather than the musician is the star. Willie takes a handful of essential American standards and subjects them to his own unique stylings,taking the songs to a minimalist core. The songs removed from orchestral settings that we were used to hearing them in remained classics and were further enhanced and freshly nuanced by Willie’s bare guitar. The result is quite satisfying for even a non-country fan as myself. The results were not country music; it was just great music.
“War” by U2. This was the last great album cover that I recall before the CD and music videos killed the artform. As the title suggests, there is a great deal of meaningful music about the ‘Troubles’ in Ireland in the album, and it was given an indelible iconic black and white image of a young boy with his arms raised as if in surrender or perhaps under arrest.
Some more honorable mentions:
“Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” by Derek and The Dominos (Eric Clapton & Duane Allman)
Beggars Banquet (Dirty Bathroom Cover) by the Rolling Stones
Tyranny & Mutation by Blue Oyster Cult and “Some Enchanted Evening” also by BOC
“Toys in the Attic” by Aerosmith
“Hair of the Dog” by Nazareth.
“Bitches’ Brew – Miles Davis
“Abraxas” by Santana
“Romantic Warrior” by Return To Forever
“Demons and Wizards” by Uriah Heep
“Permanent Waves” by Rush
“Black Market” by Weather Report
“Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath
“Birds of Fire” by the Mahavishnu Orchestra (John McLaughlin and Jan Hammer)
Also there are many more Jazz and Fusion acts that deserve mention but we seem focused on Rock here.
Also, isn’t it odd that a revolutionary artist like Jimi Hendrix never released a classic album cover that matched his music?
1 by the way Entry:
Led Zep I cited by commenters above was one of the cheapest album covers of all time. It is merely a black and white image of the Hindenburg disaster. I read that the cost of the album cover was less than $500.00. Given the sales of LedZep I, this may make it the most successful album cover of all time.
1 Entry from the CD-MTV Era (a Curiousity)
“Live in New York” by Dream Theater. It was released in early September of 2001 and featured the WTC seemingly in flames in the background. The original artwork was pulled after 9/11 and the WTC art was brushed out. It’s not the Beatles’ Baby Killers album cover, but the original artwork is of interest to DT enthusiasts and could net you a few extra bucks from a collector if you have it.
posted by Chachi Azzhola on 9-24-2007 at 12:05 am
Alice in Chains 3 legged dog album is the “untitled” or “self titled” album. It is nicknamed “the Tripod album” because the dogs name is Tripod.
The case has a sickly yellowish green color and is made of a type of plastic that has an optical effect of seeming to glow around the edges when held in the light.
posted by Tdave on 9-24-2007 at 12:48 am
great list huh! I personally like the Beatles cover. great great one!
posted by my music blog on 9-24-2007 at 5:45 am
how about starting over, and this time picking album covers based on the actual COVERS, instead of the albums within? i think this list sucks– i could draw album names out of a hat and end up with a better list than this.
posted by Devil on 9-24-2007 at 5:00 pm
cant believe ‘let it bleed’ didnt ‘make’ it.
so kick ass
posted by grossa on 9-25-2007 at 12:56 am
Our friend at No. 35 means “On their Satanic Majesties Request” a three-D cover that actually was better than much of the music inside. One of the Stones’ least successful albums. They followed up with their best, am amazing string: Beggar’s Banquet, Through the Past Darkly, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile. The original Beggar’s cover was banned in the U.S. because it showed a nasty bathroom. Replaced with a boring all-white RSVP invite.
posted by Destonio on 9-25-2007 at 8:49 am
Uhhhh … “Ramones”? The best album cover $150 could buy?
posted by Jens Carstensen on 9-25-2007 at 10:45 am
For all the cover art fans, AllCDCovers.com is a community driven website dedicated solely for music and movies cd covers.
posted by Adrian on 9-25-2007 at 6:12 pm
Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” ?????
posted by Moi on 9-26-2007 at 7:12 am
Great list! I do miss seeing two of my favorite covers, It’s a Beautiful Day’s cover of the girl on a mountainside on their self-titled album and King Crimson’s “Court of the Crimson King”. I could think of a few others but the image of King Crimson’s cover is starting to cause a flashback and I will stop at these two.
posted by Greg on 9-26-2007 at 7:58 am
What about them Osibisa records from the early ’70s
posted by Shakyo on 9-26-2007 at 11:52 am
No mention of ELP’s Brain Salad Surgery cover by surrealist artist HR Gieger. That cover always catches my eye. He was behind the creatures in the Alien movies and much of the set design of the alien ship in the first movie. If you’ve seen the movie and the album cover, you’ll know why.
posted by Doug Richardson on 9-26-2007 at 12:30 pm
For “artists you should meet”, you forgot Brute Propaganda who made all those wonderful propaganda-style covers for KMFDM.
For covers, what about Led Zeppelin I or Nirvana’s Nevermind?
posted by Psychofarm on 9-26-2007 at 1:56 pm
The typification of Gamma as a “punk rock” band is erroneous. They were very much an AOR hard rock band looking to make a splash.
Great article otherwise; I would also nominate Motörhead’s charming “Iron Fist” album cover.
posted by Bart King on 9-26-2007 at 3:24 pm
As I remember it, the first New York Dolls album cover made caused quite a stir (men in women’s clothes and makeup – wow).
posted by Theron on 9-26-2007 at 3:32 pm
An iconic single, not album, cover. The cover for the New Order single ‘Blue Monday’ is notorious as it was so expensive to produce Factory Records initially lost money on the song!
It was a black computer (floppy) disc, die cut. Apparently they re-issued it non-die cut and started to make some money on it!
The cover also doesn’t mention the band or song title anywhere except in a weird code, which could be deciphered from a code on one of their other albums. The spine listed Fac Records 73.
posted by blu-k on 9-26-2007 at 5:11 pm
To Johnny Cat: That was “In Through The Out Door.” Still have it, along with my other 300+ albums I can’t seem to be able to part with. And I LOVED the list!
posted by smc0047 on 9-26-2007 at 5:43 pm
I wish Chachi in comment #56 had written this article instead. How about these:
Peter Gabriel (Face Melter) by Peter Gabriel was an acid trip of a cover. Half of Gabriel’s face melted away on the cover and the music inside was trippy too for post-psychedelic 1980.
Get Yourself Up by Head East was a picture of a truckload of marijuana crossing the border. Save My Life…I’m Going Down For The Last Time
Revolver by The Beatles was the first really LSD-influenced cover I recall. Released in 1966, it had “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “She Said, She Said” as proof that the lovable mop tops were dropping acid by then. Sgt Pepper’s is less of a revelation in sound if you listen to Revolver first.
John Barleycorn Must Die by Traffic was an olde English woodcut image of the personification of whiskey (named John Barleycorn)and gave a message on the back that John Barleycorn was stronger than those who sought to destroy him.
Some Girls by the Rolling Stones was the Stones in different hair styles and seemed to be parodying the gay disco culture of New York that was so prevalent in the late 70’s
Powerslave by Iron Maiden was of monumental Egyptian architecture with the mascot Eddie as a mummy. Totally over the top stuff
Meddle by Pink Floyd was just dark and trippy. It is difficult to see what the hell the album sought to portray on the cover. “One of These Days” and “Seamus” added to the over-all strangeness.
After Bathing At Baxter’s by Jefferson Airplane had an old style bi-plane with ark and with a marijuana plant growing out the window flying over a desolate city awash in its own capitalism and urban decay.
We’re Only In It For The Money by Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention was a parody of the Beatles’ “Sgt Peppers” and the Stones’ “Satanic Majesties”. Inside was Zappa’s hilarious take on the ridiculous hippy counter-culture. This was the antithesis of the summer of love.
Exit…Stage Left by Rush was neat in that all the characters or items from the earlier Rush albums appeared backstage waiting to enter. Great live album.
Diamond Dogs by David Bowie. The cover is a painted carnival-like image of David Bowie as a half man, half dog oddity with some troll-like creatures. Inside includes the words of his poem ‘Future Legend’ on a bleak blurry city-scape. Most of the music seems inspired by George Orwell’s book “1984″
Calypso is Like So by Robert Mitchum was an album owned by my parents. Someone once told the actor Robert Mitchum that he could sing and, worse, they told him that he could sing the Caribbean style of Calypso (Think Harry Belafonte’s Day-ohhh). On the cover, the actor’s sad eyes and somber face appears making a confident hand gesture as if he had just recited the album’s title. The resulting album is one of the most unintentionally hilarious Hollywood vanity projects that you will ever hear! This is the same gravelly voice that used to say, “Beef…it’s what’s for dinner” in television commercials
posted by Chongo on 9-26-2007 at 10:32 pm
Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA
posted by Jon on 9-27-2007 at 1:25 am
Almost everything released by the Gainsville,FL band Hot Water Music, used artwork by Scott “SINC” Sinclair. Look up their albums and you’ll see some great cover art.
posted by gwalchgwynn on 9-27-2007 at 3:55 am
er, The Who Sellout isn’t on this list. An oversight presumably, to leave off the greatest pop art album cover in history?
posted by Paulie on 9-27-2007 at 9:05 am
There Goes the Neighborhood by Joe Walsh
posted by Michael Hadfield on 9-27-2007 at 9:53 am
HOw about the greatest band never to go on tour…The Alan Parsons Project? Some great album covers and great music too!!
posted by Buddy on 9-27-2007 at 6:05 pm
As a kid I was always rather taken by my sister’s Oingo Boingo album with the Louis Wain cat on the cover.
Metallica’s “Metal Up Your (Bum)” cover was . . interesting.
posted by Nat on 9-27-2007 at 7:26 pm
Alice Cooper’s From the Inside- most interactive album cover ever made.
posted by cary on 9-28-2007 at 8:35 am
Great stuff! I vividly recall many others, including Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” and Journey’s “Escape.”
I recently posted an article called “Go With the Flow” about how Apple’s Cover Flow is poised to revitalize cover art design in the music industry. While digital music has removed much of the visual and tactile elements of buying music, I think we’re about to see album art become important again.
posted by Rob O. on 9-29-2007 at 5:30 am
so good to see modern history
posted by bongowongo on 9-29-2007 at 7:59 am
The Pil Box? All of X-Ray Spex’s colored vinyl-45’s?
posted by Sama on 10-2-2007 at 10:55 pm
I guess it’s not so much “which are the greatest covers” as “where are the great covers now”. We remember how much the cover enhanced, incarnated, evoked, distilled the album’s message and music. What a shame the CD seems to have killed the communion between graphic artists, musicians, album concept and music.
posted by Sama on 10-2-2007 at 11:19 pm
The Residents “third reich and roll”
amazing album, amazing cover.
the music is bubble-gum 60’s pop covers played in a WWII type setting…on the german side of things. hysterical.
the cover has a picture of dick clark in a nazi uniform eating a carrot with lil male and female hitler dancers strewn around.
funniest album. ever.
posted by mikey on 10-3-2007 at 11:27 am
Here’s 15 of the WORST album covers. + bonus : Listen to and watch videos of the music.
fiql.com/forum/thread.php?id=110
posted by Mike on 10-3-2007 at 3:05 pm
I agree that The Cars Candy-O cover with the authentic Vargas pin-up is pretty cool.
Who’s Next has a great cover, too. For the longest Time, I didn’t even realize that they had just peed on the thing.
Led Zeppelin “IV” has somewhat of an iconic album cover because it doesn’t really have a name and it doesn’t even mention the name of the band. It just has their 4 symbols.
posted by Abbasmurf on 10-4-2007 at 11:14 am
I have the old beatles record. I still listening that old record. I like their original sound.
posted by dora on 10-5-2007 at 2:12 am
You’ve forgotten the best album cover ever – Cream’s “Disraeli Gears” !! Uber Psychedelic !! And what about the “Boston” debut album? The great guitar/spaceship graphic helped make that the best selling debut album ever !! And it’s a crime to leave out the Grateful Dead’s “American Beauty” (especially when looked at upside down in the mirror, heh heh…)or King Crimson’s “Court of the Crimson King” or Pink Floyd’s “Animals” !!
And how about Black Sabbath’s debut album with that cool looking witch ?
Or Frank Zappa’s “Freak Out”? Or Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” ? So many, so many !!
posted by Michael Hamburger on 10-5-2007 at 1:15 pm
Dean’s cover for “Babe Ruth”’s first album (anyone remember them? And, perhaps a long forgotten footnote: Led Zeppelin’s “In Through the Out Door” was wrapped in brown paper because there were FIVE different covers used. (Those of us in the industry at the time knew where the code was that distinguished each and made a killing sell all 5 albums at one time to collectors
posted by loop on 10-7-2007 at 9:33 am
And, don’t forget: The 3-D cover of “Captain Beyond”’s first album, Zappa’s “Just Another Band from L.A.”, or (a bit obscure) Javaroo’s “Out”.
posted by loop on 10-7-2007 at 9:49 am
I’m probably about to embarrass myself…
I’m a lifelong Bee Gees fan, and a hardcore to boot. Their 1972 album “To Whom it May Concern” is not only pretty good listening, but the cover opens up to cartoony pop-up Bee Gees! The biggest problem with CD reissues is that they leave out so many of the kitschy things we loved about vinyl…
Other favorite covers:
Warren Zevon, Warren Zevon
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy
Leonard Cohen, I’m your Man (gotta love the banana!)
posted by Kechiro on 10-8-2007 at 5:57 pm
pink floyd has shown us some greatly memorable covers. my special fave among them is the one of wish you were. 1 of 2 dudes shaking hands with each other is on fire…can never forget that
posted by dave on 10-10-2007 at 8:15 am
Hawkwind’s In Search Of Space, with its retro-SF front design, which was a die-cut fold-out that opened to reveal the album bag and a booklet that told the story of the starship Hawkwind and her doomed crew; Michael Moorcock had a hand in their stuff during this period. Also notable in their ouvre is Space ritual, a live set that came in a fold-out cover that opened out into a huge piece that included seriously stoned photography.
Tubeway Army’s replicas was a striking piece that looked like someone had taken a punk avatar and rammed it head-firt into William Burroughs’ Interzone, with heavily made up Gary Numan, blank expression on mug, wearing a vinyl suit and standing like a mannequin in a bare room lit by a naked light bulb. It made for an instant Goth touchstone.
posted by David Alexander McDonald on 10-11-2007 at 3:39 pm
GnR’s Appetite For Destruction (uncensored version)
posted by polopoyokolopomonoho on 10-12-2007 at 4:00 am
Some of the descruptions are cropped or out of order :(
posted by Ahtsar on 10-17-2007 at 5:05 am
Good list and you could always add many more.
One of my favorites is Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces, with the alternating front cover either of elephants or the Jackson Pollak type splatter painting. Plus there was free 45 record inside.
But for some of the funniest covers ever google “stone worst covers ever”
posted by Ralph on 10-25-2007 at 4:25 pm
How about Spinal Tap’s black album? It’s like, ‘how much more black could it be?’
posted by Chris on 10-31-2007 at 8:54 pm
how can the Clash cover be included but not the original Elvis cover?
Ridiculous
posted by rick on 11-7-2007 at 5:00 pm
‘Eve’ by the Alan Parsons Project. That one messed me up as a little kid. Actually, most Alan Parsons covers are kinda trippy. Them and the Moody Blues.
Duuude. Flashback time. And I was born in 1986.
posted by jan on 11-7-2007 at 11:26 pm
“On the Beach” Neil Young standing on the beach next to those great car fins sticking out of the sand; Not to mention some of his greatest music inside.
posted by bruce on 11-8-2007 at 12:39 pm
That thing about the Pixies deciding to form while in NZ to see Haley’s Comet is not correct. According to popular lore, Frank Black decided he would either go to New Zealand to see the comet or start a band. He chose the latter. Joey Santiago and Frank Black were college roomies, Kim Deal joined in response to a newspaper ad, and she recommended David Lovering as drummer.
Where did you fact-check, because even on the shadiest of websites it doesn’t say they actually went to New Zealand.
posted by lp on 11-14-2007 at 2:45 pm
I can think of hundreds to add, but I cannot see greatness in Breakfast in America, Pyromania, Prodigy – Fat of the Land or especially Metallica’s Black Album. For cryin’ out loud, do you think there would have been a Black Album without The White Album? And The White Album is a cool idea, but I wouldn’t even put IT on the list.
What about Who’s Next?
posted by Curt on 11-24-2007 at 7:51 pm
Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. Simply because the setting seems so otherworldly but is in fact a real place. The Giant’s Causeway in Ireland.
posted by teo on 11-30-2007 at 12:28 pm
The Steppenwolf “Gold” cover with the wicked-looking woman was good. There was also a Three Dog Night album that came with giant “playing cards”, I remember them, my brother gave them to me when I was a kid…. I played with them and ruined them *sob* they’d be worth soooo much $$$ now!
Moody Blues “In Search of the Lost Chord” and “Every Good Boy Deserves Favor”
And what was the band that had what looked like a cherry cake on the front cover?
My favorite tho has to be the Chicago cover of the half-unwrapped candy bar.
Mmmmm…..
posted by Tess on 12-5-2007 at 9:58 pm
Rzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!
The first time I ever saw that album cover as a kid, caused me to laugh about it joyously for years!
posted by Space Cowboy on 12-11-2007 at 11:18 pm
captain beefheart & his magic band TROUT MASK REPLICA
posted by mimjaw54 on 12-20-2007 at 5:12 am
What about the Scorpions album with the bent forks in the guy’s eyes. Creeeepy!
That guy me nightmares for years.
posted by Marion on 12-20-2007 at 9:19 pm
Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
Jefferson Airplane- After Bathing at Baxter’s
Pink Floyd- The Wall
The Beatles- Yellow Submarine (Sure it’s a soundtrack for a weird movie, but I think it’s cool.)
The White Stripes- Get Behind Me Satan
The Who- The Who Sell Out
The Beatles- The Beatles (The White Album)
Jefferson Starship- Red Octopus
Jefferson Airplane- Bark (That WAS JA, right?!)
Grace Slick- Dreams
Jefferson airplane- Blows against the Empire (That may be JS, but, yeah…)
Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
John Lennon and Yoko Ono- Two Virgins
Fleetwood Mac- Rumours
Jefferson Airplane- Volunteers
Just some of my personal favourites.
posted by Hayley on 12-26-2007 at 1:57 pm
Wow… I am stunned at the size of some of the posts.
I agree that the covers seem to lean toward a certain genre, and avoid others (like rap) entirely.
I was shocked not to see any Led Zeplin albums listed. Not that I am their biggest fan. I do like them and know almost every other artist seems to list them as an influencial icon.
Also – maybe I am promoting an artist I don’t care much for – but who remembers the cover Janet Jacksons album… (was it called Janet?) had. You know the one – she was using some dude’s hands as a bra. It caused a lot of impact and shakeup as far as I remember. I would think it to be in a top ten… nevermind 23.
posted by Wicked on 12-27-2007 at 6:11 pm
I doubt this will be read, but meh..
Boston, by Boston
Court of the Crimson King, by King Crimson
Bad Company, by Bad Company: The stripped down look of the cover contrasted with the colorful covers of the time and gave a bold statement about the band.
Nevermind, by Nirvana
Let it Bleed by the Stones
posted by Stropko on 1-4-2008 at 4:44 am
Where is ANYTHING by the Ohio Players?
posted by Fred Mertz on 1-24-2008 at 12:11 am
How can you forget Satanoc majesties request with the pictures of the four beatles hidden in the flowers
posted by bob on 1-24-2008 at 6:15 am
Only one comment for tool? and for the aenema cover only? I think perhaps the fact that these covers are so recent that they havent changed anything. Interactive concepts like the newest album 1000 days where you physically touch the cover, and the “stereoscopic” lenses definitely push the envelope. Not to mention the flip-book style for lateralus that alludes to the fact that as you dwelve deeper you find the core, which was the basis of the album itself.
posted by simpletonsavant on 2-16-2008 at 11:46 pm
flipper, generic.
nirvana, (in the pool)
and my favorite
“herbie mann” push push
posted by muymalgal on 3-20-2008 at 10:57 pm
I believe that was the white album.
What about the album with John Lennon and Yoko Ono standing naked, Two Virgins? I don’t think it gets much more controversial than that.
posted by Comrade Grrr on 9-22-2007 at 12:34 am
posted by C on 3-21-2008 at 1:37 pm
What? No Kansas covers?
Loved Song for America and Leftoverture.
posted by Dan in Phoenix on 3-29-2008 at 6:16 am
…..Nirvana Nevermind?…..
posted by justin reddy on 4-15-2008 at 1:35 am
That Supertramp album was the first one I ever bought. Now that I look at it, the waitress is also supposed to represent the Statue of Liberty, with the OJ as the torch and the Menu as the book.
posted by Ryan in Denver on 4-16-2008 at 4:16 pm
PINK FLOYD-ANIMALS; Alltime best 70’s IRON MAIDEN-KILLERS; Alltime best 80’s
CD covers are an afterthought now.
Another sad loss from technology.
posted by Gristle McThornbody on 4-18-2008 at 4:11 pm
Already mentioned, but any album cover list without Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Brain Salad Surgery” is immediately suspect.
Also already mentioned, Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” folded out into a desk. Not mentioned, though, was that the original pressing’s inner sleeve was a pair of paper panties.
posted by Paul on 5-2-2008 at 2:38 pm
Elton john’s Captain Fantastic.
posted by Bob on 5-7-2008 at 2:43 am
Why would you list a Metallica album that simply reproduces the Damned’s Black Album from 11 years previous? It was either homage or blatant ripoff, the band likes to think it’s the former. Credit where credit’s due.
posted by Jeftop on 5-12-2008 at 9:07 pm
Where’s Boston’s original cover? Bad list.
posted by hello on 6-1-2008 at 1:03 pm
good list, but I am missing George Harrison and gnomes
posted by becky on 6-2-2008 at 12:29 pm
Best album cover ever was on The Dwarves’ “Blood Guts & Pussy.” Look it up. (NTSW)
posted by Steve on 6-4-2008 at 10:55 am
Oops. I meant NSFW.
posted by Steve on 6-4-2008 at 10:59 am
This was a featured article on a page I was on…
Why isn’t Abbey Road on here? That has got to be one of the most recognizable album covers ever. It’s constantly being parodied and replicated (even by Paul McCartney on a solo album). For crying out loud, there’s a webcam on the spot so you can see the crossing 24/7!
posted by M on 6-18-2008 at 4:50 pm
“In Through The Outdoor” -8 different album covers
posted by Delilah on 6-25-2008 at 7:10 pm
I’m surprised I didn’t see Nirvana’s Nevermind.
Also, Pixies Surfer Rosa, Rage Against the Machine…the album with the burning monk on the cover…crap…which one was that? Oh, and how about some of the Joy Division album covers…
posted by Scott on 6-27-2008 at 12:50 pm
How about Tools’s album Aenima? the visual prsentation is amazing! or Tool’s 10,00 Days, which features stereoscopic images?
posted by JW on 6-30-2008 at 7:45 pm
Hi there – thought you might want to see things from a slightly different angle. Based on sales of album cover-related artwork in my gallery, the most-popular covers include (in no particular order):
- Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon
- The Eagle’s Hotel California
- Santana’s Abraxas
- Santana’s Santana (the “Lion” cover)
- Bob Dylan’s Self-Portrait
- AC/DC Back in Black
- Don McLean’s American Pie
- John Lennon’s Rock’n'Roll
- Grateful Dead’s Workingman’s Dead
- Led Zeppelin IV
- Supertramp’s Breakfast in America
- The Ramones’ Too Tough to Die
- YES’s Relayer
- The Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bullocks…
A lot of the best-known art and photography has never been made available as fine art, so the sample is a bit skewed, but the list does show that there are a LOT of images that have emblazened themselves into our minds over the years.
Cheers – Mike G – RockPoP Gallery
posted by Mike G on 7-3-2008 at 8:10 am
this changed everything? hahahahah what a joke of a post.
posted by sir jorge on 7-3-2008 at 2:15 pm
wow, these are mostly really boring and bland covers. and really, aside from the pink floyd and the beatles, i never really would have even called them popular pieces of art.
posted by kyle on 7-3-2008 at 2:16 pm
You forgot to mention one of my favourites :
Bob Marley’s album that brought the Wailers to international prominence “Catch a Fire”, had a really nice cover too…Zippo lighter style flip cover that opened to reveal the wax
posted by dub on 7-3-2008 at 2:32 pm
Where is My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless’ album cover?
posted by Patrick on 7-3-2008 at 2:38 pm
23 Album Covers that Changed Everything! | Emusiclist.com…
\r\nIts just 23 quick notes on 23 important album covers, but its one of my favorites…
posted by Emusiclist.com | The web's music news on 7-3-2008 at 2:46 pm
Live – Throwing copper
Alice in Chains – Alice in chains
Nirvana – Nevermind (no brainer)
posted by Punk Rock Biyatch on 7-3-2008 at 3:38 pm
The jacket for the Ambrosia album Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled was rather unique. It had inner and outer sleeves made of cardboard. The inner sleeve held the album while the outer sleeve could be folded up to make a pyramid. One side of the pyramid was open so you could put your stash or something in there. I can still picture the pyramid sitting on top of a speaker cabinet.
posted by ~M on 7-3-2008 at 4:55 pm
I’m glad you have Fat of the Land and the Velvet underground album.
but what about
Lou Reed’s “Set the Twilight Reeling” cover done by Sagmeister? (you can see it by clicking on my name)
posted by erik - flyergoodness.blogspot.com on 7-3-2008 at 5:04 pm
The jacket for the Ambrosia album Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled was rather unique. It had inner and outer sleeves made of cardboard. The inner sleeve held the album while the outer sleeve could be folded up to make a pyramid. One side of the pyramid was open so you could put your stash or whatever in there. I can still picture the pyramid thing set up on top of a speaker cabinet.
posted by ~M on 7-3-2008 at 5:05 pm
That Blind Faith album cover was not sold in the U.S. obviously.
posted by TJ on 7-3-2008 at 6:31 pm
I second (or third, or whatever) whoever suggested My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless’. It sounds pretentious, but the image fits perfectly with the music. Blurry, confusing and blissed-out, just like the music. But a good list all the same!
Joe – http://www.anewbandaday.com
posted by Joe | A New Band A Day on 7-4-2008 at 9:52 am
what about the Mayhem album cover with a photo of their singer Dead with his brains blown out?
posted by some peurto rican guy on 7-4-2008 at 10:18 am
I can’t stand music snobs. I’m sorry, but seriously, most of what is on this page is just reading WAY too much into things, especially when you point out that so much of it was done last minute, and the eras and conditions of the bands at the time….. maybe there wasn’t much really to read into them other than they were high/drunk/stoned out of their mind, eh? Reminds me of that horrible movie w/ john cusack.. Ghey Fidelity, or whatever it was…
posted by Same old Drivvel on 7-4-2008 at 10:59 am
Elton John, Captain Fantastic and Good Bye Yellow Brick Road.
posted by dmk on 7-4-2008 at 12:58 pm
Illmatic
posted by Nas on 7-4-2008 at 8:06 pm
were are the DIRE STRAITS????
posted by majmun on 7-15-2008 at 6:38 pm
What about the Blind Guardian covers? Those inspired me in my own artwork as I grew up.
posted by Orchids on 7-17-2008 at 9:44 am
DW. That was the funniest thing I’ve ever read. A Spinal Tap reference is always awesome.
posted by eric on 7-29-2008 at 10:30 am
I agree with you about the Gamma 2 album cover. However, the album had NOTHING to do with punk. Ronnie Montrose (Guitars) was one of the most unsung but influential guitar players of the 70’s and 80’s. Hard Rock yes…
Punk… NO WAY
posted by Nikolas Kinze on 7-29-2008 at 12:02 pm
The Who – Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy
Probably Jack Bruce’s Harmony Row for the same reason
as a kid (and I’m way younger than you’d think I just like good music :p)
a cover like that allowed me to insert myself into it somehow
Meatloaf’s “bat out of hell” made me want to hear it but then when I did I couldnt’ turn it off fast enough :p
posted by Afake Nomm on 8-5-2008 at 9:12 pm
Great list!
A few more to add..
Cat Stevens – Tea For The Tillerman
Echo & The Bunnymen – Songs To Sing & Learn
The Smiths – Meat Is Murder
Roxy Music – Country Life (heeheehee)
posted by Cardinal_Fang on 8-13-2008 at 2:04 pm
Album Covers that “changed the world” is overstating it a bit. It’s only rock and roll after all. “Meet The Beatles” was a beautiful album cover, and the band and sound actually did change the world. But then again it was the lads from Liverpool that changed the world, not the album cover. This is the case with some of the above choices – it was the music that made the list, not the album cover. The Sex Pistols’ “Nevermind the Bullocks..” What is so special about that cover? Nothing. It looks like a ransom note. Oh be still my heart. Big deal. Lame. Almost as lame as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. Here, too, clearly a choice of a fan of the music, because there certainly is nothing special about the cover. A light broken into colors by a prism. Wow, let’s all piss our pants over that one. And “London Calling”? If it’s so cool because it’s a knock-off of the debut record by Elvis, why not include the debut record by Elvis? Better cover anyway. Probably because the person making the list is around 30 years old. Oh well, it’ll happen. Here are a couple nominees for the list, not based on the merits of the music, but simply for the originality of the cover:
Cheech and Chong’s “Big Bambu” – a giant pack of rolling papers including a giant rolling paper. I bought it strictly as a collector’s item and the rolling paper is still intact.
Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Electric Ladyland”. The original English cover that is, with Jimi seated, surrounded my naked women.
John & Yoko – “Two Virgins”. A naked Beatle. Nuff said.
The Small Faces – “Ogden’s Nutgone”. This round album cover (the only one I ever remember) unfolded about 9 times. Very original and very cool.
Jethro Tull – “Thick As A Brick”. The original unfolded many times and became a newspaper at about 4 feet by 6 feet.
Dave Mason – “Alone Together”. The original tri-folded and became a wall hanging. In the front of the wall hanging there was a pocket that held the multi-colored vinyl record that was awesome under a black-light.
Joe Jackson – “Look Sharp!” – a 10 inch album, black and white, complete with a “Look Sharp” lapel pin in the corner opening of the LP. Yes dear readers, mine is still intact – as if it matters anymore.
There was an LP “Mom’s Apple Pie” (can’t remember if that was the name of the album or the name of the band) which had very clever artwork on it. A young motherly type offering pie…. let’s just say, the kind of pie has always been irresistible to me. Can anyone help out with more specifics about this?
The Dead Boys – “Young, Loud, & Snotty”. I just liked the grungy New York look that says more about New York than any skyline shot.
And finally, has anyone mentioned one of the most controversial album covers of all time?
The Beatles – “Yesterday and Today” – also known as the “Butcher Cover”. ? This is the cover where the Beatles sit in a blood splattered room with decapitated dolls all around and them in blood soaked smocks. The current cover was simply glued over this “too disturbing” cover of the first printing. If you find this album at a garage sale and know what hints to look for (a dark blemish over Ringo’s shoulder for example) you can send it away and have the top sticker removed, thereby leaving you with a Butcher Cover worth around $400 at last look.
posted by Hugh Jorgan on 8-19-2008 at 7:13 pm
The Who’s “Who’s Next.”
Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”
Thanks for admitting how hard the 90’s would be to choose. Thanks for mentioning Beck’s “Odelay.” I would’ve said:
Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled (burning monk cover).
Maybe Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness”
Green Day’s “Dookie.”
And easily the most “where is it?” one, Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” Honorable mention? Pshaw! #1 of the decade!
posted by Zeppo on 8-21-2008 at 12:40 am
I think that the beatles white album is the most important album cover of all time
posted by lazarus on 8-22-2008 at 4:27 pm
Ethnocentric, at best! Some choices hit their mark. Others, however, leave me cold. No harm, no foul! My advice…..keep looking!
posted by Rex Cooper on 9-4-2008 at 1:18 am
Tipper Gore’s “filthy fifteen” included “High ‘n’ Dry (Saturday Night)” the 1981 title track by Def Leppard not Pyromania.
She also accused the bands Styx, Rush,Pink Floyd, Kiss, Van Halen and Queen of “Backmasking” promoting Satanism and Drug use. Considering that I had most of the albums by those groups I can blame that on my early, shall we say indescretions. LOL
posted by KinGA on 10-29-2008 at 11:35 am
On the Blind Faith cover the girl is holding a hood ornament from a ‘56 Chevy, not a spaceship. . . . .
posted by mort1369 on 11-30-2008 at 1:46 am
Alice Coopers “Schools out” had a pair of ladies panties included in the school desk.
posted by Rick whitehurst on 12-9-2008 at 10:02 pm
It’s so great when good art can stand the test of time. These are great concepts and it’s nice to see them all together. Thanks for posting.
posted by Nikki - Logo Design Guru on 12-16-2008 at 3:11 pm
The Edgar Winter Group “They Only Come Out At Night”.
Ohio Players “Honey”
posted by Numsthe Clown on 12-26-2008 at 1:08 pm
“Bitches Brew” Miles Daves (And the album is a trip too).
Also Live-Evil
Jr. Walker and the All Stars play Shotgun
Country Living Roxy Music
Innervisions Stevie WOnder
Talking Book Stevie Wonder (The inner sleeve was typed in braile)
The First Kansas Album
Issac Hayes Black Moses (the large unfolding album cover with two sides of Issac Hayes)
Luther Ingram I’ve Been Here All the Time (came with a framed photo of Luther on the cover)
“Relayer” by Yes
“Brain Salad Surgery” Emerson, Lake and Palmer
“Bigger than Both of Us” Hall and Oats
This album firmly put them in the mainstream. Their best one.
“Hard Labor” Three Dog Night
“E-Pluris Funk” Grand Funk Railroad The album jacket that resembled a coin.
“The LOw Spark Of High Heeled Boys” and “Shootout at Fantasy Factory” Traffic The ones with the corners of the jackets slashed off.
“In the Wake Of Posiden” King Crimson
“America Eats IT’s Young” Funkadelic
The album that looks like a vicious American greenback
“Odessa” The Bee Gees Very pre “Saturday Night Fever” with a velvet cover. The inside shows a baby being tossed to a liferaft. In their more artful state.
“Thic As a Brick” Jethro Tull The alabum cover resembles a newspaper more than an album jacket. Don’t wrap the fish in this one!
“Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” Elton John
“Hot Butter Soul” Issac Hayes
“Muscle Of Love” Alice Cooper The album that resembled a cardboard package than an album cover.
“Spitfire” Jeferson Starship When they changed from the name of Jeferson Airplane. Shows drawing of Grace Slick riding the back of a dragon.
“Foxtrot” Genesis In the midst of their art rock form. Contains the side-long “Supper’s Ready”
The promo single of “What YOu Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell. IT was stamped in the shape of a red heart. The folks who press the CD’s will never come up with a marketing tool like that one.
posted by tonerant on 12-29-2008 at 12:12 am
I also liked
Blue by third eye blind because it had a blue sun
Everything you want by vertical horizon
Demon days by Gorillaz
Painting it red by the beautiful south
Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness by the smashing pumpkins
All the lost souls by James Blunt
Wonder whats next by Chevelle
In light syrup by toad the wet sprocket
Get behind me satan by the White Stripes
Splinter by Offspring
Nine Lives by Aerosmith
Closer By better than ezra
Hits by Mike and the mechanics
Echoes, Silence, patience and grace by Foo fighters
All things must pass by George Harrison
Miaow by The beautiful south
A few small repairs by Shawn Colvin
Everything to everyone by the barenaked ladies
Scissor Sisters by Scissor Sisters
posted by Kanishka on 4-25-2009 at 6:57 pm
you should do an albums that almost landed people in jail one and include BOW WOW WOW I want candy album the naked girl on the front was only 16 and it caused a huge stink
posted by music city man on 6-19-2009 at 4:13 pm
Out of 160+ posts not one mention of anything “Molly Hatchet”? for shame!
but definitely some of the best dang cover albums ever!!
posted by DixonSteele1on1 on 7-12-2009 at 2:46 pm
I’m looking for a band’s name. I only know their is a woman on the inside CD cover standing in front of a mirrior in a dress,but she’s naked on her back side.This is a rock band.Can anybody out there help figure out this band? your cooperation in this matter willbe greatly appreciated. Thank you!
posted by Chopper on 11-5-2009 at 2:00 pm