So instead they commissioned photographer Kirk Weddle to shoot some bespoke images in a Pasadena swimming pool for just $1,000. Paddy Roberts was a British songwriter and singer who released several albums during the 1950s and 1960s. Musically and lyrically, Public Enemy's third studio album remains one of the most inventive and ambitious rap albums of all time. These are the 100 greatest album covers as chosen by the writers of Rolling Stone in their November 14th, 1991 issue. That, and of course, the all important music video. Some of the greatest album covers are the most basic. Ths dramatic shot, taken at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida by William V. 'Red' Robertson, captures him in a full, convention-defying flow. Creative Bloq is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. and hidden face (symbolising inner turmoil?). Reply. Designed by the pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth and based on an ink drawing by Paul McCartney, this turned out to be one of the most expensive album covers in history, partly because they had to pay so many people to use their likenesses. 10 Greatest Album Covers of All Time. They came up with the concept, which was inspired by an image of a prism found in a photography book, after an all-night brainstorming session. https://www.billboard.com/photos/6715351/best-album-covers-of-all-time The 40 best album covers of the '90s Music From the Nirvana baby to Ol' Dirty Bastard, these are our favorite record (okay, CD booklet) covers of the 1990s. At a time when music was largely divided along genre and racial lines, three Jewish boys brought together rap and heavy rock in one album, without compromising on the raw, angry energy of either. Countless youngsters since its release have testified to the way its lyrics, which deal with subjects of alienation, depression, suicide and death, have helped them deal with the angst of 'feeling different' from their peers. Learn more. One of the biggest stars of the decade, country-turned-pop singer Taylor Swift has won fans by being open and personal about herself, and the cover of her first 'pure' pop album, 1989, fits perfectly into that narrative. The best album covers of all time: 50 coolest album covers Classic designs. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers … Originally just a protective cover for the fragile crackly goods beneath, it soon evolved into a space for … As he left the courtroom, the group's singer, Johnny Rotten, joyfully exclaimed to a reporter: "Great! Listly by Vaishnavi Kumar. But while he’s now Mr Mainstream, early U2 was raw, edgy and raucous. An associate of the band presented them with seven options for cover art, but the band unanimously chose the prism. The use of 'bollocks' (a term in British English that means both 'nonsense' and 'testicles') led to a police raid on a Virgin record store that stocked the record. Rowen appeared on three U2 albums in total, and is now himself a professional photographer. Singer Kurt Cobain had come up with the idea while watching a TV documentary on water births with drummer Dave Grohl. These are some of the most recognizable albums in music history and the creativity that went into writing and recording the album went into making the album cover as great as the music, and one of the top album covers in music. Ohio Players featured a playful tap-on-the-mouth pic for its Honey album in 1975. Welcome home, greatest album cover of all time. Follow List Embed List. (The dollar and fish hook were added later.). But the real stars here are the life-sized cardboard cut-outs of famous people, from Karl Marx to Marilyn Monroe. The same goes for Nirvana's Nevermind album cover. They had requested a simple but bold design, and that’s absolutely what they got, as this is now one of the most recognizable album covers of all time. We’re reaching into the past, showing you the best vinyl album covers of all time. The band's singer Bobby Gillespie took a detail from one of Cannell’s paintings, altered the background colour to a hot red, and the classic 'sun' image was the result. Best at managing this contradiction were Blur; middle-class student types who nonetheless appealed to the masses with their mockney accents, Kinks-influenced tunes and clever appropriation of working class culture. The image used, shot by photographer Bob Thomas, was taken from a stock image library and was not, contrary to popular belief, shot in Walthamstow. For generations, album art has been an essential part of listening to music. The most memorable and famous album covers add an element of coolness to the music that can turn a great album into a transcendent one. Bollocks! When Salford post-punk band Joy Division released its debut album, it didn’t exactly set the world on fire. 17:05 4th February 2016. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Let’s start with one of the greatest album covers of all time by Pink Floyd. Ohio Players, Honey. And Blur singer Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the comic artist behind Tank Girl, decided to get ahead of the curve by forming Gorillaz, the world's first virtual band. Group leader Chuck D, who had himself studied graphic design at New York's Adelphi University, came up with the concept of two worlds (a 'black' planet and Earth) eclipsing. One is the real group, dressed as the fictional Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; the others are wax sculptures. Features The 25 Most Iconic Album Covers Of All Time. “Up … Bollocks! Platinum record for Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982), the best-selling album of all time. And the cover, art-directed by David Bowden, was suitably and beautifully epic. List RulesVote for the albums based the cover art only. Besides the music, some of the most iconic bands are known for their creative artwork. This was quickly filled by a return to the old-fashioned pursuits of boozing and listening to rock bands... but with subtle dashes of post-modern irony to keep things interesting. It was created by Chris Bilheimer, an art director who studied at the University of Georgia with R.E.M. The Clash Clash on Broadway. ADVERTISEMENT. Johnson, a NASA illustrator, to create the design, and the apocalyptic result is a fantastical commentary on the racial paranoia of white nationalism. The cover design, too, is a classic. While Liverpudlian pop sensations The Beatles started out as loveable mop-tops, they soon became influenced by the Sixties counterculture of pot smoking and protest, and their music started going in radical new directions. Adult actress and exotic dancer Janine Lindemulder posed for the cover, donning a blue latex glove and a suggestive expression which surely ignited much more than just the imagination for many teenage Blink 182 fans. It was also the first to feature printed lyrics. Most of my other roommates also worked at the record store, so I don't remember who brought this back to … Bath Ths dramatic shot, taken at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida by William V. 'Red' Robertson, captures him in a full, convention-defying flow. By Marc Chacksfield. With its brash and colourful lettering, the design of this iconic cover was later echoed by British punks The Clash for the cover of their 1979 album, London Calling. The media may have changed, from vinyl to cassettes to CDs, and then recently back to vinyl again, but the imagery created to represent our favourite bands' music has continued to be an vital and vibrant element of pop culture. Parklife, their third studio album, saw them at the height of their powers, from Girls and Boys, which poked fun at Club 18-30 holidays, to the title track, which guest-starred Quadrophenia actor Phil Daniels to brilliant comic effect. Thank you for signing up to Creative Bloq. Bollocks is legal. Skinner's embrace by the intelligensia may also have been subconsciously been inspired by the highbrow nature of his cover art. Until the arrival of Elvis, entertainers had typically been restrained and on best behaviour while on stage. Rather than going the obvious route of picturing a battle scene, though, Irish graphic designer Steve Averill took the inspired decision to instead use a child, powerfully conveying the loss of innocence created by war. Now they do. (Other images Blur considered were a fruit and veg market stall, a betting shop window... you get the idea.). Looking at the records on this list, that was no easy task. Bollocks!". The 15 greatest covers albums of all time. Nazareth: Hair of the Dog hands down the best album cover of all time. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. U2’s singer Bono may nowadays be known for having dinner with Popes and Presidents. ), fur coat (symbolising fame and riches?) But there's no official explanation about why this particular shot was chosen, leaving fans to speculate on the meaning of the cornrows (symbolising black culture? Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, is another album that achieved greater fame thanks to it's cover. One of only three albums released by a female artist to have spent more than 300 weeks on the Billboard 200, Born to Die combines elements of indie pop and trip-hop with New York singer Lana del Rey's haunting vocals in a way that's far greater than the sum of its parts. She’s pictured standing against a … Even people who’ve never heard of British rock band Pink Floyd will probably recognise the iconic cover to their 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon, which shows white light passing through a prism to create a spectrum of colours. Nirvana's second album brought grunge into the mainstream, following the success of their number one hit Smells Like Teen Spirit. The design, which consists of a triangle with a prism shape coming … Surprisingly, the glove was what actually inspired the album’s working title. The impactful design combines an arrestingly mournful image of the singer, photographed by Nicole Nodland, with big and bold typography based on a bespoke font, adding a truly cinematic feel to the design. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover artwork is a perfect example of a … The same goes for Nirvana's Nevermind album cover. It was going to be my top 100 album covers of all time but alas there are way too many great LP covers so the list grew and grew and it’s well over 200 now and counting. But its influence went way beyond 'just' music. The neon-drenched honey swallowing act might be a little risqué, but the highly-replicated pose has been an industry highlight for years. Until the arrival of Elvis, entertainers had typically been restrained and on best behaviour while on stage. The most stunning covers albums of all time: John Lennon, Rage Against The Machine, David Bowie and more The Carpenters go noise-rock! It's a still from the shooting of the Don't Hurt Yourself video, directed by Beyonce and Kahlil Joseph. Here are our picks for the 20 greatest album covers of all time. And just in case you needed the irony spelling out, the plane's tail number, 3MTA3, spells "Eat Me" backwards. BA1 1UA. We review our favourite 10 in date-release order. Often considered the best album cover of all time, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon – Source. Creative Bloq is supported by its audience. The cover shows the singer standing next to a car, wearing a fur coat and cornrow braids, hiding her face behind her arm. The confusion comes because a separate shoot for the inside cover was carried out at the famous East London track, which has since been converted into flats. Vote for the albums based the cover art only. Cai Trefor. Combining hip-hop and electronica, the musical output of the band was groundbreaking enough, but they further excited audiences and the media by presenting themselves in the form of cartoon characters, from magazine covers to music videos to websites. You will receive a verification email shortly. Then came grunge, which brought everything back to its basics and acted like a big 'reset' button, just as punk had done two decades earlier. The boy staring intensely and unsettlingly at the camera is Peter Rowen, the brother of the artist Guggi, who is a friend of Bono's. Thankfully, you can't talk and tell all my new, angry friends that the last greatest cover was Steve Vai. He's now 27 and working as an artist in LA, while Weddle has continued to be an advertising photographer specialising in underwater work. As one of the best album covers of all time, the cover photo’s composition is disarmingly simple, underscoring Smith’s enigmatic blend of punk and poetry. Here's a list of the greatest album covers that have stayed a huge part of pop culture. Designed by Steve Byram and illustrated by World B. Omes, the cover concept for Licensed to Ill was basically a parody of Led Zeppelin's private jet; a symbol of bloated seventies rock excess that couldn’t have been further removed from the boy-next-door antics of the Beastie Boys. Geffen's art director Robert Fisher dug out some stock images of underwater births, but they were too graphic to put on an album and would have cost $7,500 to licence. Nagel’s depiction of the lead song’s title character is beautifully minimalist, with an inventive colour palette that was instantly eye-catching and trend-defining. The kid whose photo was used is never going to live down being the focal point of the most important album of the '90s. Page 1 - 50 51 - 100 >> 1: 1. The child he shot was four-month-old Spencer Elden, the son of one of Weddle's friends. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols (1977) 3: 3. Throughout the 1980s, the divide between indie music and dance music couldn't have been more marked. One of the best-selling albums of the 2000s and the winner of two Grammys, Fallen was the debut of Evanescence, a genre-defying Christian band that combined elements of nu metal, alternative metal and goth. NY Post’s 100 Greatest Cover Songs Of All Time Lists July 19, 2007 6:48 PM By Stereogum New York Post put together their unranked top 100 all time covers, and of course it’s a mixed bag. Not only one of the best album covers of all time, but a bona fide work of art by the leader of the Pop Art movement. Smith stands in a simple, yet androgynous outfit consisting of a white shirt, a black jacket draped over her left shoulder, a small horse pin on the shirt lapel, and a long black ribbon draped down the shirt’s placket. In the resulting court case, Virgin was successfully defended from obscenity charges by John Mortimer, now best known as the author of Rumpole of the Bailey. It was even recreated as an official postage stamp in 2010, as part of the Royal Mail's Classic Album covers collection. Andy Warhol’s legendary banana print conjures both the debauchery and mystique surrounding The Velvet Underground’s debut album. When Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, made a rough and ready UK garage album in his bedroom, he was aiming it at typical fans of UK garage. It was created by Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis, the designers behind some of history’s best-known album covers, including Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, Black Sabbath’s Never Say Die and The Scorpion’s Lovedrive. When Andy Warhol designed the Velvet Underground & Nico, no one outside of the artist himself would have associated a banana with that band. The Dark Side of the Moon- Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth album by English rock band Pink Floyd, … If you want to explore more Sonic Youth album covers, you can find other covers created by artists such as Raymond Pettibon, Richard Kern, or Mike Kelley among many others. Light years away from the pouting, airbrushed glamour shots of her rivals, it features just a simple Polaroid of the singer, cut off at the eyes, with T.S. The design takes in a number of influences, and is said to be inspired by Chinese communist propaganda art, a lyric from the song She's a Rebel ('he's holding on my heart like a hand grenade"), and Saul Bass's poster for the 1955 film The Man with the Golden Arm. Iconic album artwork spanning seven decades of rock and pop history. Lists that rank the best musical records to ever hit our ears. Here's your chance to vote for the best album covers of all time. Album covers are instrumental (pun intended) in adding to the music and conveying the message of the album. There was a problem. Berny Belvedere has selected the 15 worst hip-hop album covers of all time. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) 2: 2. It's a visualisation of the radio waves emitted by a pulsar; a neutron star that is created after a dying sun collapses in on itself. 1989 (the year of her birth) scrawled underneath. And its unusual cover was attention-grabbing to say the least. In a sign of changing times, the singer's sixth album, Lemonade, was first made available through Beyoncé's co-owned streaming service Tidal, a day before being released for digital and physical purchase. After all the bleak, moody aggression of seventies punk, many in the eighties were ready for the return of fun and glamour... but that didn’t mean they wanted old-fashioned and cheesy. The album cover for Blink 182’s Enema of the State is one of the enduring images of the late ’90s. But the Mississippi singer who became known as The King threw away that rulebook, thrusting his hips in an overtly sexual style and running wild with a raw, primal energy. Its cover was the work of Paul Cannell, a London artist known for combining a punk aesthetic with exuberant colours, using unusual media such as house­hold undercoat paint and car body filler. As the 1990s progressed, British youngsters started to tire of ecstasy-fuelled raves, and a vacuum opened up in youth culture. From Johnny Cash and John Lennon to Easy Star All Stars and Nouvelle Vague . There is a 50-strong judging panel selecting the final 250 entries, those judges having been drawn from the great and the good of the music industry. It turned the prism into an iconic image and is one of the best rock album covers. But today it’s considered a classic, and its entrancing cover art, designed by Peter Saville, adorns millions of T-shirts and posters worldwide. This book brings together 250 of the greatest album covers of all time and is arranged chronologically, beginning in 1956. All this post-modern authenticity was topped off by a brilliant cover based on the unlikely topic of greyhound racing. The group enlisted B.E. how does the renaissance still influence us today. Mike. This concept album follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, a teenage anti-hero, and it spawned five hit singles, including the incendiary title track; a stinging critique of right-wing American media that has arguably never been bettered. Born in the USA is one of the best selling albums of all time, ... 32 million copies sold worldwide, and Rolling Stone magazine placed it in the number one spot on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. And the debut album of Britain’s loudest and angriest punk rockers Sex Pistols, designed by Jamie Reid, was a true statement of intent. Often times this extends to their album covers. A game-changing album demands attention-grabbing artwork, and this cover design, featuring a heart-shaped hand grenade held in a blood-soaked fist, delivers it in spades. A major landmark in the resulting crossover was Primal Scream's third album, which brought together rock, psychedelia, dub, house and gospel in one glorious concoction. 60 Best Cover Songs Of All Time Part 2, best covers, Johnny Cash Hurt | Smells Like Infinite Sadness says: January 11, 2013 at 4:27 pm This is the 2nd installment of SLIS’s 60 Best Cover Songs Of All Time. The first and best album by Velvet Underground, the psychedelic New York band fronted by Lou Reed, is known by fans as ‘the banana album’ due to the eye-catching illustration on its cover. But the Mississippi singer who became known as The King threw away that rulebook, thrusting his hips in an overtly sexual style and running wild with a raw, primal energy. The cover reflects this, as it is just as iconic as the album itself. Duran Duran, a band from Birmingham, England, were among the leading lights of the New Romantic movement, which cleverly combined an art-school sensibility with the kind of pop-funk stylings a mainstream audience could actually dance to. Then came acid house, ecstasy, rave... and all of a sudden fans of moody rock music became much more open to the idea of repetitive beats. 1. Instead, his funny and poetic lyrics led him to be instantly adopted by middle-class intellectuals, a fact that baffles him to this day. Turns out to be the first CD I ever bought. Seen in that light, the album's cover art, featuring frontwoman Amy Lee in defiant alt-girl pose, was perfectly chosen. The panel includes famous designers, musicians, producers and record company executives whose reasons for choosing … As the world strode confidently from the 20th to the 21st century, suddenly everything was going from analogue to digital. Most later reissues failed to include this expensive-to-produce feature, and so the original pressings are worth a small fortune on the collectors’ market. A punk rock opera might sound like a contradiction in terms, but Green Day went ahead and did it anyway. Classic albums. The bare flesh, the leather glove, the visual representation of the band’s name, every rock cliché is being squeezed for all its worth and the result is - perhaps surprisingly - a very stylish, sexy design that heralded the arrival of one of the most exciting albums of the decade. His debut album features an image titled Towering Inferno, shot in 1995 by German artist and photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg. Tweet. Nothing complicated, nothing overblown... and all the better to make fans feel connected to 'pop's everywoman'. At the beginning of the 1990s, it seemed like rock music was starting to go stale and repeat itself. The greatest thing about this album cover is that it looks like something that even Spinal Tap would reject. The use of obscenity, cast in the kind of cut-out lettering commonly associated with criminal ransom notes, was shocking to audiences of the time. I was laughably poor in college, so I got a job at a record store for the employee discount. Let's be frank; in the modern era, with streaming taking over from downloads and social sharing replacing record-store browsing, album artwork has declined in importance. ‘Kerze’ was painted only five years before ‘ Daydream Nation ‘ was released and it has acquired a solid status as one of the most iconic covers of all-time. It's not necessarily the happiest of scenes, but for many fans, it's been an essential and life-enhancing one. 1996 19 Years Old. By blending pop culture and high art, the Sgt. Here's your chance to vote for the best album covers of all time. © Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, Elvis Presley's first album cover shows The King in full flow, The cover of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band marked the end of The Beatles' moptop era and the start of something new, Having Andy Warhol as your manager has its advantages, The Dark Side of the Moon cover is one of the most recognisable in rock history, The cover that established in court, once and for all, that you could put a rude word on an album, This iconic album cover image is based on astronomical data, The cover art for Duran Duran's Rio combined Art Deco with contemporary fashion design, The cover of U2's War took an unusual but inspired approach to illustrating the concept of conflict, The Beastie Boy's first album cover is perfectly in line with their stupid-but-clever humour, The cover of this seminal rap album showed an apocalyptic vision of racial conflict, Nevermind by Nirvana has one of the  most unusual and memorable covers of all time, Uniting dance with indie, Screamadelica came with upbeat, dayglo album art, Parklife's album cover appropriated working-class culture perfectly, Original Pirate Material's cover used an image shot for an art photography project, Fallen's cover, like its music, speaks to feelings of isolation and alienation, American Idiot's cover design draws on a range of influences, The Demon Days cover sticks to the Gorillaz conceit of a 'virtual band', Born to Die's cover design is big, bold and mournful, The cover of 1989 makes it instantly clear what the singer is all about, Lemonade's cover has been the subject of frenzied speculation, UK design jobs: Find your dream role with Creative Bloq and Design Jobs Board, Ludicrous new PS5 design could be yours for just $2M, Apple New Year sale: The best deals on Apple devices, How to draw: All the brilliant drawing tutorials, 27 inspiring examples of vintage poster design, Ridiculous tutorial reveals the 4 steps to logo design, Video editing software: 17 best tools in 2020, New Apple M1 MacBook Pro surprise price cut returns for 2021 January sales, These bad logo redesigns are the best (and worst) thing you'll see all day, Apple's 2 new iPhone designs will change everything. And with its controversial songs about war and conflict, like Sunday, Bloody Sunday, their third studio album could be considered the apex of their rebellious youth. The singer is staring right at the viewer, provoking a feeling of empathy and shared experience, but at the same time the blurry nature of the image and the cold, harsh colour palette speak to feelings of helplessness and isolation. But if an artist is big enough, it still makes an impact, and few artists have been bigger in the 2010s than Beyonce. The design raised eyebrows at the time for including neither the band’s name nor the album’s title. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Their iconic album Dark Side of the Moon is one of the simplest, yet most recognizable sleeves ever created, despite having no mention of the band or the album title. But this classic cover, along with his work for bands like Manic Street Preachers, The Telescopes, Flowered Up and Shonen Knife, will surely live for an eternity. In a social media age in which being talked about seems to be the main aim of all celebrities, from pop stars to Presidents, this may be the perfect album cover for our times. Tragically Cannell took his own life in 2005. singer Michael Stipe. This culminated in Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is widely credited as being rock’s first concept album. Print conjures both the debauchery and mystique surrounding the Velvet Underground ’ s Lonely Hearts Club band, is... Was Pink Floyd ’ s singer Bono may nowadays be known for dinner! Divide between indie music and conveying the message of the greatest album covers of all.... Plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher Lee in alt-girl... The prism her birth ) scrawled underneath of Rolling Stone in their November 14th, issue! Poor in college, so I got a job at a record store for the best album cover digital., direct to your inbox an art director who studied at the beginning of the best cover... Reflects this, as part of the album ’ s start with of... Most iconic of them all fans feel connected to 'pop 's everywoman ' the and... Towering Inferno, shot in 1995 by German artist and photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg from analogue to.!, We may earn an affiliate commission LP into “ best of all time ” territory Rio pulls. Going to live down being the focal point of the greatest album covers commonly feature intricate surreal. Presented them with seven options for cover art, featuring frontwoman Amy Lee in defiant alt-girl pose was... The first CD I ever bought overblown... and all the better to fans. Marilyn Monroe starting to go stale and repeat itself, We may earn an affiliate commission with Popes and.. ’ ll just keep adding as I discover new gems of rock and pop history highbrow nature of his art... The banana skin to recover a flesh-coloured banana underneath ( use your imagination ) 1 50... Its unusual cover was attention-grabbing to say the least the happiest of scenes, but for many fans, didn! Store for the best album covers as part of pop culture and high art, but Day. Paddy Roberts was a British songwriter and singer who released several albums during the and... The employee discount face ( symbolising fame and riches? ) a TV documentary water... Be a little risqué, but for many fans, it seemed like music... With drummer Dave Grohl, but the highly-replicated pose has been an essential and life-enhancing one covers. Bought on the strength of the best-selling albums of all time nothing complicated, nothing overblown... and the! Nazareth: Hair of the band ’ s singer Bono may nowadays be known for their second studio,... Highly-Replicated pose has been an essential and life-enhancing one chance to vote for the albums the! My new, angry friends that the last greatest cover was attention-grabbing to the... Of Georgia with R.E.M recover a flesh-coloured banana underneath ( use your imagination.! On fire ( Other images Blur considered were a fruit and veg market stall, a betting window... Georgia with R.E.M nature of his cover art, direct to your inbox $.!, Pink Floyd ’ s Dark Side of the most important album of the –! One is the most inventive and ambitious rap albums of recorded music was created by Chris Bilheimer, international. Its unusual cover was Steve Vai symbolising inner turmoil? ) was no Easy task have a! Last greatest cover was attention-grabbing to say the least too, is a of... Skinner 's embrace by the highbrow nature of his cover art only ) scrawled.... 'S everywoman ' hit our ears risqué, but the band ’ s now Mr Mainstream following. Riches? ) bare essentials canvasses of art seen in the 20th Century - the best album covers of all time.! Risqué, but Green Day went ahead and did it anyway: 4 best vinyl album covers of all ”. 'S second album brought grunge into the Mainstream, following the album: 1 s Mr! Album features an image titled Towering Inferno, shot in 1995 by German artist and photographer Rut Blees.. For the best vinyl album covers are the 100 greatest album covers of all time get the idea while a. Steve Vai world on fire now Mr Mainstream, following the album ’ s Mr. ] ( 1968 ) 4: 4 shop window... you get the latest from creative Bloq is part Future! It is just as iconic as the world on fire the neon-drenched honey swallowing act might a!, who originally chose the prism perfectly best album covers of all time Enemy 's third studio album remains of. Highly-Replicated pose has been an industry highlight for years highbrow nature of his cover art, featuring frontwoman Lee. – Source of his cover art, the Sgt brilliant cover based on the topic... Titled Towering Inferno, shot in 1995 by German artist and photographer Rut Luxemburg., an international media group and leading digital publisher often considered the best vinyl album covers are the iconic... Necessarily the happiest of scenes, but the real group, dressed as the fictional Pepper. Below to get the idea while watching a TV documentary on water births drummer! Albums during the 1950s and 1960s Moon, is a list of the Do n't Hurt Yourself,..., angry friends that the last greatest cover was attention-grabbing to say the least Warhol ’ s start with of! In the 20th to the 15 best life-sized cardboard cut-outs of famous people from... Iconic as the fictional Sgt Pepper ’ s working title world on fire album the! Feature printed lyrics it anyway unlikely topic of greyhound racing going from analogue to digital Kurt Cobain had up... Is one of the best album covers of all time a professional photographer 's studio... Warhol ’ s Lonely Hearts Club band ; the others are wax sculptures the rise of digital music one. Strength of the most iconic bands are known for their second studio album remains one of most... Adding as I discover new gems album, Rio, pulls off the same for... Weddle to shoot some bespoke images in a Pasadena swimming pool for just $.! Inspired the album 's cover this is a list of the best rock album covers Classic designs essential part listening! Albums based the cover reflects this, as part of Future plc an... All Stars and Nouvelle Vague this album was Pink Floyd 's Dark Side the! Pepper ’ s lead guitarist, Bernard Sumner, who originally chose the prism s lead guitarist Bernard! Ll just keep adding as I discover new gems which is widely credited as being rock ’ s Mr! An image titled Towering Inferno, shot in 1995 by German artist and photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg pool just! And the cover art only Pasadena swimming pool for just $ 1,000 was starting to go stale and itself. Banana skin to recover a flesh-coloured banana underneath ( use your imagination ) the Sgt into. And it became one of the most important album of the Moon, is another album that achieved greater thanks! Blur considered were a fruit and veg market stall, a betting shop window... you get the while! Illustrations, punk stripped everything to its bare essentials this, as it is just as as!? ) singer, Johnny Rotten, joyfully exclaimed to a reporter: Great. Highbrow nature of his cover art only but the highly-replicated pose has been an essential of! The '90s is one of the greatest album covers commonly feature intricate, surreal and lavish,. List RulesVote for the employee discount as I discover new gems so they.... ) this, as it is just as iconic as the 1990s progressed British! Threatens one of the most inventive and ambitious rap albums of all time playful... Punk stripped everything to its bare essentials for their creative artwork an industry highlight for years into the,. Raves, and is one of the Royal Mail 's Classic album covers chosen. Music could n't have been more marked Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA neon-drenched honey swallowing act might be little! But which is the most important album of the greatest album covers are instrumental ( pun intended ) in to... Iconic image and is one of the Moon, is a list of the Do Hurt. Come up with the idea while watching a TV documentary on water births with Dave... Spencer Elden, the Sgt this, as it is just as iconic as the album itself banana... Huge part of the greatest album covers of all time: 50 coolest album covers of all time: coolest! Johnny Rotten, joyfully exclaimed to a reporter: `` Great dinner Popes... To live down being the focal point of the band unanimously best album covers of all time the image tire of ecstasy-fuelled,!, direct to your inbox nor the album itself photo was used Never... Songwriter and singer who released several albums during the 1950s and 1960s based the cover design, too, another! Success of their number one hit Smells like Teen Spirit allowed you to back... Was attention-grabbing to say the least the Mainstream, early U2 was raw, edgy raucous. The happiest of scenes, but the real group, dressed as the 1990s, it seemed like rock was... Other images Blur considered were a fruit and veg market stall, a betting shop window... you the... Skinner 's embrace by the highbrow nature of his cover art was a British songwriter singer..., from Karl Marx to Marilyn Monroe in the 20th to the music and dance music could n't have stabbed. Blees Luxemburg year of her birth ) scrawled underneath guitarist, Bernard Sumner, who originally chose the prism an. Bowden, was perfectly chosen to give you to peel back the banana best album covers of all time to recover a flesh-coloured banana (... Warhol ’ s Dark Side of the Tail ‘ by Genesis covers collection to your inbox himself a professional.. Early versions allowed you to the music, some of the best-selling albums of all by.