Best Album Covers of All Time

[Dave (in MA)]

I don't think I want to go there...

http://www.hark.com/clips/jdgmsgtvyn...-of-the-ladies

[Bucka001]

Does anybody remember the Dickmobile on the inside cover of Steppenwolf's "For Ladies Only" album? The cover art is also rife with subliminal (and not so subliminal) sex-related stuff.

Not that it's my fave cover or anything, just that it's... uh... interesting.

[wilcox660]

Randomly off the top of my head:
Beatles - Revolver
Yes - Relayer
Genesis - Wind & Wuthering
Cream - Wheels Of Fire
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Who - Sell Out
Big Brother And The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills
Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night

[Bigpicturekeys]

Captain Beyond- Sufficiently Breathless
Moody Blues- In Search of A Lost Chord
among many others.

[Dave (in MA)]

Not my favorite but...



Certainly out of character for the record label (ECM).

[Facelift]

I like covers that add something to the way in which I value the album. To explain myself, I mean that if someone made a great painting and put it on an album cover, that would not necessarily make it a great album cover, IMO. I like to think of the cover and the music going together in some way - much like how the title of a book isn't necessarily good or bad on its own, but good or bad for that particular novel. With that in mind, I've always liked Wish You Were Here, Exile on Main Street, Sticky Fingers (the vinyl package), the first Faust album (the vinyl package), Thick as a Brick, American Beauty, Close to the Edge, The Royal Scam, Maggot Brain, Strange Days, Ziggy Stardust, Music of Another Present Era (Oregon), Miles Davis in Berlin, New Day Rising (Husker Du), Return to Forever, and probably many others I can't think of right now.

[albumcoverhalloffame]

At least the site makes mention of progressive rock. I'd agree, for a blog/site like that, I WOULD expect them to showcase the actual album art...man, talk about dropping the ball.

Whitehead--didn't he also do some of the Van Der Graff Generator covers? I like those.

Santana Abraxas was a good call. I think most of my favorite covers are from prog artist or albums. I think I bought Crimson's In The Court Of, just on album art alone. I'm sure many others back in the vinyl day were the reasons I bought the album--some of the psychedelic/rock albums too.

Hello all and thanks for visiting my blog site. I just wanted to get back to you with a bit of an explanation about the ACHOF and what me and my fellow writers are trying to do there. If you'll dig a bit more, I think that you'll find that we have a LOT of information about the talented people that have created many of the best-known album covers featured on albums released over the past 50+ years. Our focus is on providing you with more info about the PEOPLE and less so on displaying their work.

Having worked in the music/TV production world for many years prior to starting my gallery in 2005 and then lauching the ACHOF site last year, I've worked hard to stay "on the good side" of the people that own the copyrights to the images used to promote popular music, so while I will be adding more images as time goes on, the goal is to keep adding more info about the designers, illustrators, art directors and photographers that create our favorite images (I try to add 1-2 bios each day). We will be adding more Featured Artist Portfolio pages as time goes on, and those will have more images (check out our first one, created working with Ernie Cefalu from Pacific Eye & Ear, the art agency that did covers for Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Jesus Christ Superstar and many others - the link's on the home page). I also try and put up headlines about album cover art and artists via my Facebook feeds, which also appear on the home page of the site.

In any case, hope this helps a bit - my cohorts and I are working hard to turn this into something really useful for fans of album cover art and photography, so I hope that you'll continue to visit and send in any suggestions you might have. Thanks again - Mike G, curator.
PS - Yes, Paul Whitehead did the artwork for the first 3 Genesis releases, as well as for VDG Generator. He also did the Mad Hatter logo for the record label. He's a good guy and a very talented artist. MG

[Dana5140]

It's a great site, Mike G. I am into graphic arts, and appreciate good album art. I wish I could find the youtube clip of the graphic design for the Magma sigil, using older technology to design and lay it out- very interesting.

I am partial to older psychedlic artwork- Blue Cheer, 13th Floor Elevators, and so on.

[fictionmusic]

Starless and Bible Black
Relayer

[Oreb]

The Who, Who's Next is IMO the greatest of all time. Perfect image capturing the essence of the music.

Others I like:

Godley and Creme, Consequences

Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica

I'm not a fan of "fantasy art".

[Rand Kelly]

Ed Unitsky is amazing.

So is this artist:

[ThomasKDye]

Huh. I never, ever looked at it that way.

A friend told me the ABWH cover was supposed to represent a mushroom cloud theme. Kind of destroyed what I always thought was one of Dean's better "sci-fi" covers.

[gpeccary]

Does anybody remember the Dickmobile on the inside cover of Steppenwolf's "For Ladies Only" album? The cover art is also rife with subliminal (and not so subliminal) sex-related stuff.

Not that it's my fave cover or anything, just that it's... uh... interesting.

Yup, I do. One of my all time favorite albums too! I always wondered just who would drive that thing!!??
I'm sure I'm opening up the gates with that question but what the hell. Release the hounds!!

[Dave (in MA)]

LadiesOnly.jpg
20076701758_dickmobile.jpg
ambiguouslygayduo.jpg

[Septober Energy]

I believe there is something to the Relayer vaginal thing. I wouldn't have noticed it on my own, but I read something somewhere about "vaginal walls" being represented. Also, Dean himself says in his book Views that the cover for Uriah Heep's The Magician's Birthday represents "an allegory of cosmic eroticism: the source of the waterfall signifying that of all life in time." There's clearly some female anatomy going on there if you look closely.

[Septober Energy]

Not my favorite but...



Certainly out of character for the record label (ECM).

The music is out of character too, compared to what ECM would become known for in later years, but many of the early ECM albums are actually quite out there.

[fictionmusic]

I believe there is something to the Relayer vaginal thing. I wouldn't have noticed it on my own, but I read something somewhere about "vaginal walls" being represented. Also, Dean himself says in his book Views that the cover for Uriah Heep's The Magician's Birthday represents "an allegory of cosmic eroticism: the source of the waterfall signifying that of all life in time." There's clearly some female anatomy going on there if you look closely.

I'm not totally familiar with the art work for Magician's Birthday but Demon's and Wizards has a watefall flowing from what could be constred as a vagina and a very obvious dick head poised right below.


Still and all I much prefer the simplicity of the Crimson's Starless

[arabicadabra]

King Crimson - Thrak
King's X - Gretchen (already cited, I agree)
Beatles - Sgt. Pepper
ELP - Brain Salad (already cited, I agree)
Barnstorm (Joe Walsh's band) - s/t
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out
Rush - Power Windows
Mott The Hoople - Mad Shadows (one of my favorite covers of all time!)
Leon Russell - Carny

[AncientChord]

The Rolling Stones: Their Satanic Majesties Request. Original vinyl album front 3d cover photo. A psychedelic classic.

[soblivious]

LIFESIGNS Front Cover with text.jpg
but I would say that wouldn't I :-)

[Dana5140]

ECM has been running a series of posts on FB about their art, and it is a wonderful thing to see the consistency of it.

[Septober Energy]

I'm not totally familiar with the art work for Magician's Birthday but Demon's and Wizards has a watefall flowing from what could be constred as a vagina and a very obvious dick head poised right below.

You're right, it's Demons & Wizards.

[Lopez]

My absolute favorite and vote for best cover is Blood, Sweat and Tears' Child Is Father to the Man.

[Scott Bails]

LIFESIGNS Front Cover with text.jpg
but I would say that wouldn't I :-)

Excellent cover - love it!

Almost as great as the music inside.

[Trane]

Originally Posted by fictionmusic
I'm not totally familiar with the art work for Magician's Birthday but Demon's and Wizards has a watefall flowing from what could be constred as a vagina and a very obvious dick head poised right below.

You're right, it's Demons & Wizards.

You guys are either pulling my leg... or pulling your wire too much

Either for Relayer or D & W, I simply can't see it...

However for the inner and outergatefold of Peter Hammill's Silent Corner and Empty Stage, it's quite obvious