It is always a delight to see different and creative album covers and the following are definitely a cut above the rest.
1. The Mars Volta-Frances the Mute
This cover shows two cars- one is standing a few feet in front of the other. Both the drivers are wearing blue suits and their faces are covered with red velvet cloth bags. They are both staring straight ahead and the band’s name is etched onto the top right corner.
2. Michael Jackson – Dangerous
The album is hugely popular and the album cover contributed to some of the success. Initially, the album was encased in a large box which showed the singer’s eyes and when it was opened, the normal cover was revealed. It was peppered with Occult Symbolism, Freemasonic symbols and a photograph of Aleister Crowley- a ceremonial magician.
3. Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon
Dark Side of the Moon released in 1973 and the cover art was appreciated because it was simple and clear cut. It shows a white light entering from the left and going through a prism and an array of beautiful colors bursts out from the other side. The background is black and the band and album’s title is in a circle on the right.
4. Circa Survive: On Letting Go
The background of this album cover is purple and grey. A frail and bony girl is floating in the sky and a parachute like object seems to be bursting out of head- only she doesn’t have a head. Fire is coming out of the bottom of the ‘parachute’ and engulfing her head.
5. The Last Goodnight- Poison Kiss
This album cover features an apple that has a part of it bitten off. A skinny green snake is curled around it and its mouth is open. The color of the background is a combination of purple and grey while the album title and band’s name is featured on the left.
6. Rolling Stones – Forty Licks
This album cover has remained popular over the years and has been printed on t-shirts and other paraphernalia. The cover shows a pair of open blue lips which reveal an orange-red tongue.
7. Dream Theater – Scenes from the memory
The image on this album is quite mesmerizing, to say the least. It shows a large face against a black background which is covered with an assortment of other small faces. While some are clearly visible, others are blurred and distorted and the rest are slightly menacing.
8. New Order – Power, Corruption and Lies
This album cover was created by the well known designer, Peter Saville. It has a painted-on look about it and features a variety of flowers against a charcoal background. The rose is particularly stunning and its blood red color stands out among the rest.
9. Soulwax – Nite Versions
The cover art of this album is nothing if not creative mainly because it is so unusual. It basically features about a hundred diagonal white and pink lines. The album and band’s title is hidden behind them and is visible only if you look very closely. Try not to stare at it for too long though- everything you look at will start swimming.
10. Muse – Absolution
The image on this album shows a worried-looking man looking up at the sky. He is standing on barren land and there are about 8 shadows of bald men all around him. Their arms are stretched out they are falling belly-first onto the land.
michael jackson has clearly tried to copy sgt pepper with that useless album cover what a cheap thing to do, clearly you went through your own album collection and did not really understand the title of your own work, what a gimp
Nice little study on album cover design. Simplicity might be the key to getting attention.
I’ve always liked Roger Dean’s artwork; his odd sense of surrealism added an eerie euphoric texture to the artwork he has contributed to works by Uriah Heep, Badger, Asia and especially Yes. Storm Thorgerson has a unique talent as well as one of the reasons I have always looked forward to a new Pink Floyd album was to see how Thorgerson’s (as well as the band’s) imagination would complement and embellish the nature of the contained music within.
Another album jacket that I’m fond of is The Doors’ “Strange Days”. The Fellini-esque freak show on Sniffen Court perfectly paralleled the fatalistic music of the disc. The locale itself is significant as the ivy covered buildings and the broken stone walkway presented a European feel. Further, the dark blue and gray tones presented a cold, sinister ambience that also gelled with the Doors’ malevolent carnivalesque sound.
Speaking of Sgt Pepper, Marc, I am stunned that its album cover didn’t even make the top ten! Are you kidding me?!? What the heck is wrong with the people who made this list? Do you all not know the meaning of the word “iconic?”