Album Covers are probably as subjective as the music on the records they house, but today I have one question for you. What is your favourite album cover? Above are some examples of classic album artworks on guitar picks from the kind folks at Cash Generator(who sell second hand musical instruments) they feature memorable covers from the likes of The Beatles, Guns and Roses, Hendrix, Nirvana and The Sex pistols (these are also the most valuable records still available to buy according to The Rare Record Price Guide). They have offered to give away these guitar picks, to one of you luck commenters below. So good luck!
With the rise in digital downloads and streaming maybe the album cover will become less important? Often a small pixelated graphic in the corner of your ITunes programme.But vinyl’s comeback and the use of imagery to tease a new release on Facebook and Instagram: is testament to the fact that some people still cling to the value of a great sleeve. A great album cover(especially on vinyl) can leap out of the shelves (or Spotify carousel if we want to be genuinely of 2015), it can entice you into listening to the record inside, the imagery can offer a tantalising glimpse into the albums contents or another world, or make a wider statement about an artists direction or the evolution of their music. In truth there are album covers that say very little about the records they house, they are just great standalone pieces of artwork, regardless. Here are a few of my favourite album sleeves, of course it helps that I love the music on these albums too:
The album cover for The Velvet Underground & Nico great debut album, is a trademark Warhol print of a banana. The inside showed a peeled banana.
Peter Saville, designed the cover for Joy Division‘s ‘Unknown Pleasures’. Drummer Stephen Morris chose the image, which is based on an image of radio waves from pulsar CP 1919, from The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy. Peter Saville’s Factory designs with their sparing, minimal industrial look have been very influential since.
Rather like Bowie, Bjork appears on the cover of every album she releases, the ever shifting backdrop and style initiating an evolutions of her work. Originally, a photograph shot by Jean Baptiste Mondino, who shot the cover photograph for Debut. Paul White of Me Company idea was to backdrop Björk with a colourful and alluring castle structure made of giant postcards in order to ‘represent the communication with her friends and relatives via the post.’
Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going on’ is a majestic 1971 concept album built around a song-cycle that’s ‘told from the point of view of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing nothing but injustice, suffering and hatred.’ The imagery depicted Gaye in regal pose and strong type face, and was continued on the back-cover with a full profile shot of Gaye, suggesting the intensely personal yet universal themes of the album.
Perhaps reflective of the psychedelic and experimental odyssey that pours forth from this album’s contents, Animal Collective‘s ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion ‘ is a wonderful album from 2009, with a striking magic eye cover. An example of ‘illusory motion, a type of optical illusion which is based on the works of Japanese psychologist Akiyoshi Kitaoka.’ It was compiled and packaged by Robert Carmichael of SEEN studio a long-time collaborator with Animal Collective.
What is your favourite album cover? Comment below to be in with a chance of winning all of these famous album cover themed guitar picks(winner chosen at random)!
