Top 25 Album Covers

Thanks to downloadable music, the one thing missing from this modern age of music is album art.

Even before there were music videos, there were album covers. Perhaps the art then was what current marketers would see as modest means to peddle the band or musician’s wares.

The days of album covers are deteriorating faster than a teenaged music fan’s attention span.

In order to keep the memory of these album covers alive, while the future generations lose interest in visual art, here are my Top 25 covers. Honourable mentions go to Van Halen’s 1984, Fleet Foxes’ self titled album and Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick.

25.		Album: (The Album) Year: 2009 Musical Artist: Wilco Cover Artist: Autumn de Wilde (photographer) Why: Camel in a party hat. Win.
24.		Album: Breakfast in America Year: 1979 Musical Artist: Supertramp Cover Artist: Mike Doud Why: Using cafe utensils to illustrate New York City is classic. Plus, there’s comedy in using Doctor Detroit‘s “Mom” as Lady Liberty.
23.		Album: Yessongs Year: 1972 Musical Artist: Yes Cover Artist: Roger Dean Why: Nothing screams ’70s like lime green on shit brown. Still, the trippy Stanslaw Lem influenced universe created by Dean is okay in my books.
22.		Album: Fly By Night Year: 1975 Musical Artist: Rush Cover Artist: Eraldo Carugati Why: A Superb Owl on the cover. Nothing could be more Canadian than that snowy bird of prey.
21.		Album: El Oso Year: 1998 Musical Artist: Soul Coughing Cover Artist: Jim Woodring Why: The Monkey Bear, drawn by Frank artist Woodring, stands out on the yellow background.
20.		Album: Led Zeppelin Year: 1969 Musical Artist: Led Zeppelin Cover Artist: George Hardie (design) Why: The Hindenburg going down in flames. A homage, if you will, to how the band’s name came to be, thanks to Keith Moon.
19.		Album: Molly Hatchet Year: 1978 Musical Artist: Molly Hatchet Cover Artist: Frank Frazetta Why: Will Eisner Hall of Famer, Frazetta, illustrated most of Molly Hatchet’s album covers. This one though was one helluva way to make a debut.
18.		Album: Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy Year: 1996 Musical Artist: The Refreshments Cover Artist: Jeffrey L. Schultz Why: Not too many people remember the Refreshments. But I do. I also remember this album cover, a homage to bombshell art.
17.		Album: Costello Music Year: 2006 Musical Artist: The Fratellis Cover Artist: Sam Hadley Why: Sam Hadley‘s throwback to the burlesque days smacks of Vargas, but that’s a good thing. The band carried the theme over for the video to “Flathead“.
16.		Album: Rio Year: 1982 Musical Artist: Duran Duran Cover Artist: Patrick Nagel Why: Nothing says ’80s pop art like a Patrick Nagel print. Nagel was the Warhol of the ’80s, in my opinion, and Duran Duran capitalized on his popularity.
15.		Album: Rumours Year: 1977 Musical Artist: Fleetwood Mac Cover Artist: Herbert Worthington (photographer) Why: There’s a startling quality to a black and white photograph on off-white.
14.		Album: Gold Medal Year: 2004 Musical Artist: The Donnas Cover Artist: James Jean Why: Another soft spot, this time for all-girl punk band, the Donnas. I like the salute to the ’70s with this cover.
13.		Album: Bat Out Of Hell Year: 1977 Musical Artist: Meat Loaf Cover Artist: Richard Corben Why: Legendary Heavy Metal artist Richard Corben pulled out all the stops on this horror-inspired cover from one of the greatest years in rock music: ’77.
12.		Album: Dark Side of the Moon Year: 1973 Musical Artist: Pink Floyd Cover Artist: George Hardie Why: I’d have “Brain Damage” if I didn’t include this on any list for covers. Simple, yet iconic. Alan Parsons, eat your heart out.
11.		Album: Skullduggery Year: 1976 Musical Artist: Steppenwolf Cover Artist: Jerry Edmonton Why: Reflecting skull, sans mandible. Simple, elegant and macabre all in one shot.
10.		Album: Electric Warrior Year: 1971 Musical Artist: T. Rex Cover Artist: Hipgnosis Why: Marc Bolan never looked cooler than in this moment at Albert Hall, Nottingham.
9.		Album: Book of Dreams Year: 1977 Musical Artist: Steve Miller Band Cover Artists: Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse Why: A pegasus with parrot wings. Almost on par with a unicorn shooting fricking laser beams.
8.		Album: Aja Year: 1977 Musical Artist: Steely Dan Cover Artist: Hideki Fujii (photographer) Why: Simple contrast at its finest.
7.		Album: Wish You Were Here Year: 1975 Musical Artist: Pink Floyd Cover Artist: Storm Thorgerson Why: Everything gelled with this album from the music to the lyrics to the cover art emphasizing the empty gestures we make in society. This is a winner in every aspect.
6.		Album: Out of the Blue Year: 1977 Musical Artist: Electric Light Orchestra Cover Artist: Kosh / Shusei Nagaoka Why: Fold out album that was incredibly cool. My dad had this, and I used to play it all the time on the roundtable.
5.		Album: Brain Salad Surgery Year: 1973 Musical Artist: Emerson, Lake and Palmer Cover Artist: H.R. Giger Why: H.R. Giger, of Alien fame, for the win.
4.		Album: Boston Year: 1976 Musical Artist: Boston Cover Artist: Roger Huyssen Why: Earth destroyed and spaceship guitars sending the planet’s survivors into the icy reaches of outer space.
3.		Album: Eliminator Year: 1983 Musical Artist: ZZ Top Cover Artist: Tom Hunnicutt Why: No other car has become a benchmark of a band like the famous red, customized 1933 Ford Coupe.
2.		Album: Loud ‘N’ Proud Year: 1973 Musical Artist: Nazareth Cover Artist: Dave Field Why: From the man who also brought you the cover designs for Razamanaz and Thin Lizzy’s Night Life, I give you the strutting peacock on Loud ‘N’ Proud.
1.		Album: Point of Know Return Year: 1977 Musical Artist: Kansas Cover Artist: Peter Lloyd Why: Kansas has had a lot of provocative covers during their 40 plus years of performing. Monolith, Leftoverture and Two For The Show are favourites, but this one, this one’s the ultimate.