Some Of The Most Iconic And Wonderful Album Covers From Rock Music History
Music means a lot to everyone, and the album covers that are connected to the works we love give us an image to the name. Album covers are an underappreciated art form that we take for granted on the day-to-day. Album art was designed to be an iconic image. Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic album covers of all time.
Boston- Boston (1976)
This album was created by the famous graphic designer Paula Scher in 1976. The inspiration for the cover was supposed to be “tech-like” because of his career as a product engineer at Polaroid and his MIT grad status. Boston was one of the more influential classic rock bands of the 70’s, with hits like Peace of Mind, More than a Feeling, and Rock N’ Roll Band.
Sparks- Angst In My Pants (1982)
Sparks was a unique eccentric band whose career began in 1969 and even continues on to present day. Their album Angst In My Pants was not a commercial sucsess, but then again Sparks never was. They were a band dedicated to never selling out purely for money and fame. They delivered their art the way it was intended. The album cover was originally created by the Sparks brothers themselves. The pink background in contrast with the happy couple on the front leads you to recognize the album instantly.
David Bowie- Aladdin Sane (1974)
David Bowie was a master of creating iconic looks. His most recognizable album cover is Aladdin Sane. Most often people confuse the character on the cover as Ziggy Stardust, but in actuality it is the character called Aladdin Sane. He was described by Bowie as Ziggy’s cousin from America. The lightning bolt makeup is so iconic even M&M’s made a candy wrapper spoof of the classic album cover.
The Beatles- Revolver (1966)
The Beatles had a friend named Klaus Voorman that they met in Hamburg in the early 60’s when they were playing in clubs. He later went on to illustrate one of the most iconic album covers in music history, one that most music lovers know. It is unique and uses a style not often seen on album covers.
The Beatles- Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1966)
The Sargent Pepper’s album cover is probably the most iconic album cover ever. The Beatles in their bright military style uniforms surrounded by celebrity cameos and flowers, with the iconic drum logo in the front. Even Bob Dylan can be seen hiding among the faces of celebrities.
My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade (2007)
My Chemical Romance’s masterpiece The Black Parade has album art people don’t often see. This album cover is found only on vinyl copies of the album, and was fully hand illustrated by the frontman Gerard Way. The storytelling presented in the album cover is phenomenal, and the artistry is wonderfully done.
The White Stripes- Elephant (2003)
The White Stripes are famous for stripping down, whether that be two band members or exclusively using the colors black, white, and red. Their album covers are always very intentionally designed to create an iconic image, using color, shape, and storytelling. Elephant is considered by many to be their magnum opus.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Are You Experienced? (1967)
Are You Experienced? uses the power of color and typography to convey a message of psychedelia and a shocking image that we don’t forget.
Green Day- Dookie (1994)
Plastered across every band shirt in every retail store, Dookie is one of the most iconic punk-rock album covers of all. The vintage cartoon style combined with a large logo on an atomic bomb and that swooping plane is one of those album covers we all recognize.
Bruce Springsteen- Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
Seemingly patriotic, it is actually criticizing America at the time. But no one can argue the fact that the album cover is one of the most recognizable and iconic of all time.
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