A critic once conceded that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. They had a point. Painting or drawing about music, however, is another subject altogether. Album cover artwork is a case in point, often helping to encapsulate the emotional direction of an entire album. Sound and vision come together in our list of 57 of the greatest ever album covers, while restricting ourselves to just one cover per musical artist.
By James Lee-Tullis & Anissa Tijani
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley, 1956. The King’s debut album was the first of its genre to top the Billboard charts. The iconic album cover represented the rise of rock n’ roll with a guitar, rather than a piano, at front and centre.
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
London Calling
London Calling by The Clash, 1979. Two classic albums, two classic album covers. Even a cursory glance, however, reveals the similarity in photography and typography. Let’s be kind and call it The Clash’s tribute to Elvis… and now we know who Joe Strummer and the boys were imitating with their quiffs. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Blue Train
Blue Train by John Coltrane, 1957. Seldom has a record label produced as many classic covers as seminal jazz label Blue Note. More than that, they all have a consistent graphic approach that evokes the best graphic art of the 1950s and 1960s from the likes of Saul Bass. Blue Train is no exception, and was the brilliant saxophonist’s second album for the label. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Revolver
Revolver by The Beatles, 1966.We could have chosen the legendary Sgt. Pepper cover, which is in a class of its own. However, the groundbreaking Revolver cover, created a year earlier by Klaus Voormann – a friend of the band from their early Hamburg days – was equally if not more influential. After all, without it the Sgt. Pepper cover would have been unimaginable. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Nina Simone Sings the Blues
Nina Simone Sings the Blues by Nina Simone, 1967. This was Simone’s debut for RCA Records, and her sublimely soulful vocals are perfectly evoked by the atmospheric portrait photo on the cover and great late-60s typography. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967. Before Lou Reed was the King of New York, he was the singer in Andy Warhol’s house band. Their patron was also kind enough to design their debut cover. The album may have sunk at the time, but rock lore has it that everyone who bought a copy started their own band. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Music From Big Pink
Music From Big Pink by The Band, 1968. The album that brought American roots music into the musical mainstream – despite most of the band actually being Canadian. The cover was painted by a talented young amateur artist going by the name of Bob Dylan. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Let It Bleed
Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones, 1969. This was a turning point for the Stones with Brian Jones’s last appearance and the arrival of Mick Taylor. The heightened intensity of the moment was apparent in the heavy bluesy sound and songs such as You Can’t Always Get What You Want. The cover art, created by artist Robert Brownjohn, more famous for creating the opening sequences of Bond movies such as Goldfinger, was suitably surreal. The cake, reputedly, was created by a certain Delia Smith. Yes, really. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Who's Next
Who’s Next by The Who, 1971. A landmark album that introduced synthesisers into rock music on tracks like Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again. The band’s resolutely irreverent punk attitude – well before punk even existed – is underlined on the cover. The band stand bored on a slag heap, having just left a ‘personal statement’ on a bizarre Kubrick-esque monolith à la 2001. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
What's Going On
What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, 1971. The effortlessly soulful Marvin Gaye created a masterpiece with What’s Going On, writing, performing and producing every track. As Gaye tries to save the world, pouring his spirit into each one of the album’s socially aware songs, he was ironically struggling with his own inner demons. The cover image reflects his passionate, but troubled, soul. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane by David Bowie, 1973. This album saw Bowie replace his Ziggy Stardust persona with a new mask: Aladdin Sane, the boy with the lightning bolt on his face. The character’s name is code for ‘a lad insane’, and word play features elsewhere with French novelist Jean Genet’s name reworked as The Jean Genie. Essential. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Horses
Horses by Patti Smith, 1975. For many – author included– this is quite possibly the best debut album ever made and confirmed Smith as the poet laureate of punk. The cover, shot on Polaroid by her friend Robert Mapplethorpe, reinforces her intriguing aura. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, 1975.Dark Side of the Moon may have a more recognisable cover, but this classic album is much more representative of the work of famed cover guru Storm Thorgerson and, arguably, more influential on subsequent covers. The cover shows two anonymous businessmen shaking hands on a deal and one of them gets burned. Literally. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Blood on the Tracks
Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan, 1975. One of many iconic Dylan albums and covers, the blurred, crimson image could have been painted in blood and perfectly captures the raw, conflicted and laid-bare emotions on this ultimate break-up album. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Ramones
Ramones by Ramones, 1976. If Patti Smith set the template for an authentic new wave album cover with Horses, then the Ramones took that image-building to another level: the sound, the look, the logo, the t-shirt, the album cover… JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, 1976. Arguably the high point of Wonder’s prodigious musical output, the double album took the legendary soul singer to another level of creativity and fame with songs such as Pastime Paradise. The cover design is eminently simple, but instantly recognisable. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols by Sex Pistols, 1977. Not just the definitive punk album, but almost certainly the definitive punk album cover, too. The album helped build the Virgin Records empire with rumours that Richard Branson himself chose the track listing. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Parallel Lines
Parallel Lines by Blondie, 1978. Perfect pop rock with a punk heart, this was the album that took Blondie to superstardom. The cover captures the iconic Blondie look with Debbie Harry in full Monroe 2.0 mode. Supposedly their manager chose the image after the band had rejected it. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
One Step Beyond
One Step Beyond by Madness, 1979. This, their debut album, immediately put the British ska-pop band on the musical map. The typically quirky and playful cover image was actually based on the back cover of an album from 1970s band Kilburn and the High Roads, founded by Ian Dury. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Back in Black
Back in Black by AC/DC, 1980. The plain black cover, adorned only with the name of the group and the album title, wasn’t a ‘less is more’ design choice, but rather a way of paying respects to the band’s lead singer Bon Scott, who died shortly before recording began. Replaced by the thunderous Brian Johnson, Back in Black has gone on to sell over 50 million copies. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Power, Corruption & Lies
Power, Corruption & Lies by New Order, 1983. Taking flowers from a Fantin-Lantour painting, some might see the flowers as an homage to the late Joy Division vocalist, Ian Curtis. Starting with a fast and explosive bouquet of condensed synths and edgy basses, opening track Age of Consent announces the programme of festivities – sunshine after the rain for a new order? AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Unknown Pleasures
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division, 1979. Unknown Pleasures was the band’s debut album, building on the attention sparked by their first EP An Ideal For Living. The iconic cover depicts repetitive radio waves from a pulsar. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Born in the U.S.A
Born in the U.S.A by Bruce Springsteen, 1984. The album cover, shot by Annie Leibovitz, may on first glance appear to be a patriotic statement in tune with the mood of the Reagan era. Springsteen’s message was far more nuanced and questioning than that, though, with the title track a raucous and scathing attack on American attitudes to the Vietnam War. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Legend
Legend by Bob Marley & The Wailers, 1984. Every track on Marley’s posthumous greatest hits album is a classic. As an interesting footnote, the ring Marley wears on the cover is a deliberate part of his legend-building, supposedly given to him by Haile Selassie’s son on the death of the Emperor and reputed to contain fragments of King Solomon’s ring. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
True Blue
True Blue by Madonna, 1986. With this, her third album, Madonna’s status as the ‘80s ‘Queen of Pop’ was unquestioned. Tracks like Papa Don’t Preach or Live To Tell dominated the airwaves and the cover photo, taken by Herb Ritts, remains one of the quintessential images of Madonna. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
The Whole Story
The Whole Story by Kate Bush, 1986. Kate Bush’s music seems to exist in a world of her own making. The cover of this Best Of album reflects that slightly hazy, fantastical, fairy tale world of heightened emotions with Bush’s unfocused gaze looking out of the cover. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Standing On A Beach: The Singles
Standing On A Beach: The Singles by The Cure, 1986. The portrait of a retired fisherman – standing on a beach, staring at the sea – is instantly recognisable. This essential album popularised the songs Boys Don’t Cry and Close to Me, whereas Camus-inspired Killing an Arab triggered controversy and led the band to change the title 25 years later. The British new wave in all its fragility. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Sign o' the Times
Sign o’ the Times by Prince, 1987. It might not have been as commercially successful as Purple Rain, but this was the album where the music critics universally hailed Prince’s versatility, creativity and, yes, genius. The tracks are wildly eclectic and deliberately less polished than earlier works. Prince showed his intentions on the cover, happy to literally step aside from the spotlight, and let his music do the talking. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Public Enemy
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy, 1988. Regarded by many as one of the best rap albums ever, Public Enemy’s Nation of Millions made strong statements that are boldly reinforced by the cover image. Flav and Chuck look defiantly through the bars of a prison cell as if to say: “we will not be silenced”. GW
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses, 1989. For a brief moment, The Stone Roses ruled the airwaves. Blink and the moment was gone, with Blur and Oasis in view. The Jackson Pollock-style cover was from the group’s very own guitar hero and art aficionado John Squire. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Goo
Goo by Sonic Youth, 1990. This was the 6th album from the proto grunge/alternative band. The cover was an instant classic and helped enshrine the group’s image. It was created by economist and maths teacher turned artist Raymond Pettibon, responsible for numerous rock album covers and posters. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Ragged Glory
Ragged Glory by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, 1990. For all his beautifully melodic solo work, something happens when Neil Young gets together with his fellow Crazy Horse cohorts. The frenzied, distorted guitar sound is the essence of garage rock and underlines Young’s image as the Godfather of Grunge. Fittingly, the cover of Ragged Glory gives fans a glimpse of the band rehearsing in just that garage environment. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Nevermind
Nevermind by Nirvana, 1991. The first Nirvana album to feature drummer Dave Grohl, Nevermind gave the band a place in rock history and a break-out hit with Smells Like Teen Spirit, which became a cultural phenomenon. The cover design is said to have been personally conceived by lead singer Kurt Cobain after watching a TV documentary with Grohl. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Dangerous
Dangerous by Michael Jackson, 1991. Mark Ryden, master of pop surrealism, spent 6 months creating a micro-universe for this Michael Jackson album cover in which the King of Pop wears a theatrical mask and presides over a Jacksonian world of fantasy. If MJ’s megalomania finds expression through Ryden’s collage, Dangerous marks the album of diversity, with titles such as Heal the World and Black or White, messages of peace and tolerance that became cult hits. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Parklife
Parklife by Blur, 1994. 21 years old this April, Parklife is the album (and cover) that set the template for Britpop and the whole Cool Britannia movement. The band would earn further cover kudos for their Best Of album, painted by artist Julian Opie. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Odelay
Odelay by Beck, 1996. This was the album that finally confirmed Mr Beck Hansen’s particular strand of genius and that he was more, much more, than just a ‘Loser’. The cover itself is delightfully offbeat and sure to raise a smile. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Endtroducing
Endtroducing by DJ Shadow, 1996. Depicting shoppers digging through vinyls in a local record store – a real sanctuary for DJ Shadow – this cover photo can be found as a panoramic poster available on the artist’s website. An explosive cocktail of timeless samples, we just want to hear Endtroducing where it belongs: on the record player, to the grain of every track of a true trip-hop gem. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
The Boatman's Call
The Boatman’s Call by Nick Cave, 1997. The former bad boy of Australian punk and lead singer of The Birthday Party took his solo career to another level with this profoundly spiritual, reflective and haunting album. The cover captures all these emotions. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Homogenic
Homogenic by Björk, 1997.Homogenic is widely listed among the greatest electronic albums of all time. The title reflects the Icelandic songwriter’s quest for one simple sound on the album. The striking cover portrait is from noted fashion photographer Nick Knight. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Portishead
Portishead by Portishead, 1997. The eponymous second album from Bristol band Portishead is, if anything, darker and even more atmospheric than their debut, Dummy. It almost sounds like it should be the soundtrack for a 1960s Michael Caine spy movie – a thought that the retro-inspired cover does nothing to deflect. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
OK, Computer
OK, Computer by Radiohead, 1997. Stanley Donwood might not appear on stage, but we can’t stop him in print: the so-called “6th member” of the band, Donwood has created every Radiohead album cover of the last 20 years. In OK, Computer, he intertwines societal themes of the future, technology and their possible coexistence, as well as their effects on the (alienated) human. The instrumentals are electrifying, Yorke’s vocals spellbinding, and together they create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, questioning the very nature of life in all its complexity. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
You've Come A Long Way, Baby
You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby by Fatboy Slim, 1998. Once upon a time, Norman Quentin Cook was bassist for twee ‘80s pop group The Housemartins. Fast forward 10 years, and he was transformed into Fatboy Slim, the undisputed master of big beats. The album featured a raft of unstoppable hits, and the cover was one of the most talked about of the decade. Surprisingly, the model for the cover has never been identified. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill, 1998. Reminiscent of The Wailers’ Burnin cover, the former Fugees’ face appears on a school desk; a tribute to black culture, beauty and music, the image is not only carved into the wood, but also into minds. The album is a personal one, reflecting Hill’s choices and decisions as a future mum and rising artist with songs like To Zion, a sublime ode to her son featuring the oh-so recognisable guitar riffs of Carlos Santana. Soul and hip-hop overtones propelled the album to classic status. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Discovery
Discovery by Daft Punk, 2001. Having received much acclaim with Homework, the duo’s next work was eagerly anticipated – and it succeeded, landing on the elitist banks of the electro scene. The French touch didn’t disappoint, merging genres in perfect symbiosis. Aptly named and elegantly frugal, Discovery was born, and with it, the promise of timeless sounds we still enjoy listening to a decade later. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Is This It
Is This It by The Strokes, 2001. A debut album and a cover design that delivered an immediate impact around the world. This is the funkiest, most rhythmic Rolling Stones album that they never made, and the most Helmut Newton-like image that he never shot. Considered too risqué for the US demographic, the cover was replaced for that market. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
( )
( ) by Sigur Rós, 2002: For an Icelandic band that mainly sings in an invented language (‘Hopelandic’), but crafts exquisitely beautiful and inspiring melodies, the cover design is suitably… unusual. All the band’s covers in fact are perfect reflections of their enigmatic style and sound. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
The Man Comes Around
The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash, 2002. This was the 4th album in Cash’s American Recordings series with Beastie Boys and Jay-Z producer Rick Rubin. It features hauntingly emotional and at times unflinching – but neverthless inspiring – tracks such as Trent Reznor’s Hurt. The quiet contemplation in Cash’s frame of mind is etched into his portrait on the album’s cover. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips, 2002. For a group whose music has been described as neo-psychedelic, space rock or dream pop, the cover design is suitably dreamlike. However, the concept album’s story of the fantasies of a Japanese girl battling cancer is both surprising and uplifting. JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Elephant
Elephant by The White Stripes, 2003. Like all the duo’s albums, the cover features exclusively red, black and white images and lettering. This album, however, which features the epic Seven Nation Army, is unusual in that the cover design varies slightly between UK, US and vinyl versions. In one, Jack White’s cricket bat (really!) is raised, in another it is lowered. This is one for the true cover art obsessives… JLT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Funeral
Funeral by Arcade Fire, 2004. For this cover, artist Tracy Maurice collected bits and pieces of memories from the band, centred around the main themes of the album, and depicted them in a wooden artwork at the base of the cover. As the title indicates, Funeral was overshadowed by the loss of several band members’ loved ones, and yet their songs tell us that when life gets tough, optimism is what helps keep your head above water. The album will go on record as a real turning point in alternative music. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Dear Science
Dear Science by TV on the Radio, 2008. After two outstanding album releases, standards were high for TV On The Radio, and so were expectations. Here, the Brooklynites not only reveal their deep chemistry, but also prove they don’t have to stick to pop to please their audience: jazz, hip-hop and electro psychedelic mix with other influences dear to their hearts …and science? That’s right, the album’s title refers to a joke made by member Dave Sitek, criticising the discipline. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Veckatimest
Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear, 2009. Protégés of Radiohead, it seems that good fairies watched over the Grizzly Bear cradle. Songs are atmospheric, graceful and exigent, echoing William O’Brien’s abstract drawings on the cover. Ben Wilkerson Tousley added his personal touch on the sleeve with a 1960s jazz typography reflecting “the intricately layered music and artwork”. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Lungs
Lungs by Florence + The Machine, 2009. The talented Englishwoman unleashes her voice, revealing melodious echoes from the confines of her soul. While Cosmic Love allows the stars to speak on the first few notes of harp, the galvanising choruses of Dog Days Are Over make us want to dance under them. The ethereal cover art depicts Florence in an enchanted garden, wearing a lungs necklace that was crafted and sewn by fellow art student and The Maccabees’ member Orlando Weeks. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver by Bon Iver, 2011. Artist Gregory Euclide created surreal landscapes for Bon Iver’s eponymous album, using not only paint but also natural materials like pine cones and melted snow. It’s been forever since the breakup with Emma, and here, Bon Iver offer a journey through time and across borders from Perth to Lisbon. An atmospheric sound subtly tinted with folk and melancholic melodies, the travel journal begins here, and we are ready to take to the road. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Trouble Will Find Me
Trouble Will Find Me by The National, 2013. Artist Bohyun Yoon’s particular interest in modern science and plastic surgery find expression in this cover art for The National. For this album, the Americans hit the road again with the same ingredients for success, starting with melancholy, but transported with maturity by lead singer Berninger – a daydream where singing on sadness has never tasted better. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Passive Me, Aggressive You
Passive Me, Aggressive You by The Naked and Famous, 2013. In their whimsical multi-coloured globe, the New Zealanders hit the nail on the head with their successful combo of dreamy indie-electro-pop. With festival season underway, we just want to turn up the sound on Punching In A Dream and learn the anthem, forgetting what tomorrow might bring. AT
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Hard Believer
Hard Believer by Fink, 2014. 2011’s Perfect Darkness certainly didn’t leave us unmoved, and we were eagerly awaiting the next creation from the nomad trio. Here it is: a downward spiral designed by James Lake, opening with 10 tracks of rewarding reflection crescendo. The warm, bluesy timbre of Fin Greenall is one of those voices that inspire everything but indifference. We surprise ourselves, not only liking one song after the other, but becoming absorbed in the notes, flying off on a wonderful escape. AT #staysafe #stayathome #selfisolation
These are our top 25 greatest cult films, from Kubrick classics to Tarantino blood baths and a few surprises in between. Did your favourite make the list?
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The 57 Most Influential Album Covers.
Influential Album Covers Poll
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37 Comments
Moufas
Posted at 08:33h, 29 July
We forgot all about metal… I believe “Master of Puppets” deserves a place here!
White Stripes, Bjork, Blur and Daft Punk… really?????
Moufas
Posted at 08:34h, 29 July
I believe “Master of Puppets” deserves a place here! Also I think “Queen II” is missing…
White Stripes, Bjork, Blur, Fatboy Slim and Daft Punk most influential album covers… really???
Amex Essentials
Posted at 11:30h, 31 July
Thanks, Moufas, great suggestions. Time for a Top 50 metal and hard rock album covers?
Nick Tryfonas
Posted at 12:18h, 29 July
really? no dark side of the moom?
Amex Essentials
Posted at 11:29h, 31 July
Thanks, Nick. Yes, it was a controversial choice, but we restricted ourselves to just one cover per band and instead selected Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd as being more influential. Dark Side of the Moon is instantly recognisable though and in a class of its own.
Anthony Paginton
Posted at 15:11h, 12 August
If you’re going to restrict your choices like that then you can’t call your list the MOST influential can you ?
mono tronics
Posted at 18:11h, 08 August
Ive seen better-most of these are graphic design,not that theres any wrong with that,but i see little in the way of art-probably because every band on this list is populist and marketed in a certain way-if you were to look underground,you d find much better,but thats just my opinion
Scat Lahngmo
Posted at 18:30h, 13 August
No Oasis Definitely Maybe?!? Or Morning Glory?!? No My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or The Life Of Pablo by Kanye?!?
Amex Essentials
Posted at 13:28h, 17 August
Wow, some fantastic suggestions. Definitely time for a Top 100!
ikke
Posted at 19:48h, 17 August
No ‘Steal This Album’ from ‘System of A Down’?
Gareth J Farmer
Posted at 11:15h, 26 August
Not a very good list, where is the Iconic Tubular Bells album cover artwork?
Salvador Ocaña
Posted at 15:56h, 26 August
U2’s The Joshua Tree should have been listed here…
Amex Essentials
Posted at 12:25h, 30 August
Thanks, Michael, great suggestion.
Denis Smagin
Posted at 21:24h, 16 September
couldnt start slideshow. will never know what album covers blah blah
Ian Usher
Posted at 06:47h, 28 October
What about led zeppelin physical graffiti 10 cc how dare you or the best cover of all time the Beatles Sgt peppers? This is the most inconclusive list of all time!
Kamaran Hamza Cola
Posted at 17:06h, 29 October
and where was one of the best i think “Bitches Brew” Miles Davis.
Electro Funk
Posted at 19:06h, 29 October
With the Beatles should be on this list. It was revolutionary. The sixties didn’t begin until that image was snapped.
Joseph Dzbinski
Posted at 12:41h, 14 November
Beatles suck
Mathias Henry
Posted at 17:16h, 04 November
This list sucks
Chuck M
Posted at 12:53h, 06 November
There’s definitely a few on here I’d change, but I’d also add King Crimson’s Court of the Crimson King & Grateful Dead Aoxomoxoa
Ravens00
Posted at 18:43h, 10 November
Rio?
Bonnie E. Kaai
Posted at 22:11h, 10 November
No Ohio Players???
WTF!!!!!
mikelt
Posted at 23:02h, 11 November
No Led Zeppelin? Maybe it was too difficult to chose only one of their truly influential covers?
Patrick Stenson
Posted at 09:15h, 12 November
No,Led Zepp!
kevin
Posted at 15:40h, 12 November
Marillion – misplaced childhood or Script
Adrian Hernandez
Posted at 22:51h, 13 November
Wow! I only recognized about 10 of these bands. I thought sure I would see:
Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast
Beatles – Abbey Road
and Slayer – South of Heaven
but none of them are in here.
Jara Matthews
Posted at 23:29h, 13 November
i donno nout INFLUENTIAL
but gogos vacation is definitely the best of all time.
and before photoshop!
Steve H.
Posted at 00:11h, 22 November
A list like this is always going to spark massive disagreement. Here’s a few I think warrant serious consideration, if not inclusion:
Santana – Abraxas
Wilco – Being There
Roxy Music – Siren
Rolling Stones – Definitely Sticky Fingers instead of Let it Bleed
Elton John – Captain Fantastic
Iggy & the Stooges – Raw Power
ELP – Brain Salad Surgery
Greg Erhart
Posted at 04:58h, 22 November
No Moody Blues, no Rush, no Yes…
Rob Peterson
Posted at 17:10h, 22 November
Dark Side of the Moon. Put on the headphones and listen to it with the album cover in front of you.
Rob Peterson
Posted at 17:11h, 22 November
Led Zeppelin 3 with that spinny thing.
Shannon Ogden
Posted at 21:22h, 22 November
HERB ALPERT: WHIPPED CREAM AND OTHER DELIGHTS!!!
Jesuit_Feast
Posted at 03:16h, 26 November
Yes!
Lared
Posted at 08:21h, 26 November
As usual, Frank Sinatra’s towering influence is overlooked: In The Wee Small Hours (1955)
Jesuit_Feast
Posted at 23:08h, 27 November
G’n’R – Appetite for Destruction
Kanye – My Beautiful Dark…
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
Bowie – Hunky Dory
Madonna – Like a Prayer
Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire de Melody Nelson
Eurythmics – Touch
LL Cool J – Mama Said…
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to
the Pleasuredome
Primal Scream – Screamadelica
Stooges – Raw Power
Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
Suede – Suede
Blondie – Autoamerican
Various – Tropicália ou Panis et Circencis
Stones – Beggars Banquet
Lou Reed – Transformer
Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club
Duran Duran – Rio
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Enigma – MCMXC a.D.
Floyd – Dark Side of…
Blur – Parklife
Sadistic Mika Band – Kurofune
Richie Smith
Posted at 23:50h, 27 November
Led zeppelin. 3
Rebekah Kate Hunter
Posted at 07:44h, 30 November
Why are you so salty? I don’t think they were all great, but there were a lot of good ones.
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Moufas
Posted at 08:33h, 29 JulyWe forgot all about metal… I believe “Master of Puppets” deserves a place here!
White Stripes, Bjork, Blur and Daft Punk… really?????
Moufas
Posted at 08:34h, 29 JulyI believe “Master of Puppets” deserves a place here! Also I think “Queen II” is missing…
White Stripes, Bjork, Blur, Fatboy Slim and Daft Punk most influential album covers… really???
Amex Essentials
Posted at 11:30h, 31 JulyThanks, Moufas, great suggestions. Time for a Top 50 metal and hard rock album covers?
Nick Tryfonas
Posted at 12:18h, 29 Julyreally? no dark side of the moom?
Amex Essentials
Posted at 11:29h, 31 JulyThanks, Nick. Yes, it was a controversial choice, but we restricted ourselves to just one cover per band and instead selected Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd as being more influential. Dark Side of the Moon is instantly recognisable though and in a class of its own.
Anthony Paginton
Posted at 15:11h, 12 AugustIf you’re going to restrict your choices like that then you can’t call your list the MOST influential can you ?
mono tronics
Posted at 18:11h, 08 AugustIve seen better-most of these are graphic design,not that theres any wrong with that,but i see little in the way of art-probably because every band on this list is populist and marketed in a certain way-if you were to look underground,you d find much better,but thats just my opinion
Scat Lahngmo
Posted at 18:30h, 13 AugustNo Oasis Definitely Maybe?!? Or Morning Glory?!? No My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or The Life Of Pablo by Kanye?!?
Amex Essentials
Posted at 13:28h, 17 AugustWow, some fantastic suggestions. Definitely time for a Top 100!
ikke
Posted at 19:48h, 17 AugustNo ‘Steal This Album’ from ‘System of A Down’?
Gareth J Farmer
Posted at 11:15h, 26 AugustNot a very good list, where is the Iconic Tubular Bells album cover artwork?
Salvador Ocaña
Posted at 15:56h, 26 AugustU2’s The Joshua Tree should have been listed here…
Amex Essentials
Posted at 12:25h, 30 AugustThanks, Michael, great suggestion.
Denis Smagin
Posted at 21:24h, 16 Septembercouldnt start slideshow. will never know what album covers blah blah
Ian Usher
Posted at 06:47h, 28 OctoberWhat about led zeppelin physical graffiti 10 cc how dare you or the best cover of all time the Beatles Sgt peppers? This is the most inconclusive list of all time!
Kamaran Hamza Cola
Posted at 17:06h, 29 Octoberand where was one of the best i think “Bitches Brew” Miles Davis.
Electro Funk
Posted at 19:06h, 29 OctoberWith the Beatles should be on this list. It was revolutionary. The sixties didn’t begin until that image was snapped.
Joseph Dzbinski
Posted at 12:41h, 14 NovemberBeatles suck
Mathias Henry
Posted at 17:16h, 04 NovemberThis list sucks
Chuck M
Posted at 12:53h, 06 NovemberThere’s definitely a few on here I’d change, but I’d also add King Crimson’s Court of the Crimson King & Grateful Dead Aoxomoxoa
Ravens00
Posted at 18:43h, 10 NovemberRio?
Bonnie E. Kaai
Posted at 22:11h, 10 NovemberNo Ohio Players???
WTF!!!!!
mikelt
Posted at 23:02h, 11 NovemberNo Led Zeppelin? Maybe it was too difficult to chose only one of their truly influential covers?
Patrick Stenson
Posted at 09:15h, 12 NovemberNo,Led Zepp!
kevin
Posted at 15:40h, 12 NovemberMarillion – misplaced childhood or Script
Adrian Hernandez
Posted at 22:51h, 13 NovemberWow! I only recognized about 10 of these bands. I thought sure I would see:
Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast
Beatles – Abbey Road
and Slayer – South of Heaven
but none of them are in here.
Jara Matthews
Posted at 23:29h, 13 Novemberi donno nout INFLUENTIAL
but gogos vacation is definitely the best of all time.
and before photoshop!
Steve H.
Posted at 00:11h, 22 NovemberA list like this is always going to spark massive disagreement. Here’s a few I think warrant serious consideration, if not inclusion:
Santana – Abraxas
Wilco – Being There
Roxy Music – Siren
Rolling Stones – Definitely Sticky Fingers instead of Let it Bleed
Elton John – Captain Fantastic
Iggy & the Stooges – Raw Power
ELP – Brain Salad Surgery
Greg Erhart
Posted at 04:58h, 22 NovemberNo Moody Blues, no Rush, no Yes…
Rob Peterson
Posted at 17:10h, 22 NovemberDark Side of the Moon. Put on the headphones and listen to it with the album cover in front of you.
Rob Peterson
Posted at 17:11h, 22 NovemberLed Zeppelin 3 with that spinny thing.
Shannon Ogden
Posted at 21:22h, 22 NovemberHERB ALPERT: WHIPPED CREAM AND OTHER DELIGHTS!!!
Jesuit_Feast
Posted at 03:16h, 26 NovemberYes!
Lared
Posted at 08:21h, 26 NovemberAs usual, Frank Sinatra’s towering influence is overlooked: In The Wee Small Hours (1955)
Jesuit_Feast
Posted at 23:08h, 27 NovemberG’n’R – Appetite for Destruction
Kanye – My Beautiful Dark…
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
Bowie – Hunky Dory
Madonna – Like a Prayer
Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire de Melody Nelson
Eurythmics – Touch
LL Cool J – Mama Said…
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to
the Pleasuredome
Primal Scream – Screamadelica
Stooges – Raw Power
Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
Suede – Suede
Blondie – Autoamerican
Various – Tropicália ou Panis et Circencis
Stones – Beggars Banquet
Lou Reed – Transformer
Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club
Duran Duran – Rio
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Enigma – MCMXC a.D.
Floyd – Dark Side of…
Blur – Parklife
Sadistic Mika Band – Kurofune
Richie Smith
Posted at 23:50h, 27 NovemberLed zeppelin. 3
Rebekah Kate Hunter
Posted at 07:44h, 30 NovemberWhy are you so salty? I don’t think they were all great, but there were a lot of good ones.