FEATURE:
Cover Versions
Is It Possible for Modern Artists to Equal the Greatest Album Art Ever?
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IT is interesting debating…
whether the album cover is regarded as highly now as it was years ago. Last week, Rolling Stone published a feature where they ranked the one hundred greatest album covers ever. There were some surprises in the pack. Aside from the fact that kicking off the one hundred was Spinal Tap, there were some notable omissions. Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love not making the list. Also, in terms of the top ten, Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures was at one. The Beatles’ Abbey Road, which I think is the best album cover ever, was at two. Usual suspects like Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and The Clash’s London Calling were in the top ten. An unexpected but worthy addition, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual, was in there. It raised debate as to what people were looking for when it comes to a classic album cover:
“THE ALBUM IS the best invention of the past century, hands down — but the music isn’t the whole story. The album cover has been a cultural obsession as long as albums have. Ever since 12-inch vinyl records took off in the 1950s, packaged in cardboard sleeves, musicians have been fascinated by the art that goes on those covers, and so have fans. When the Beatles revolutionized the game with the cover of Sgt. Pepper, in 1967, it became a way to make a visual statement about where the music comes from and why it matters. But the art of the album cover just keeps evolving.
So this is our massive celebration of that art: the 100 best album covers ever, from Biggie to Beyoncé to Bad Bunny, from Nirvana to Nas to Neil Young, from SZA to Sabbath to the Sex Pistols. We’ve got rap, country, jazz, prog, metal, reggae, flamenco, funk, goth, hippie psychedelia, hardcore punk. But all these albums have a unique look to go with the sound. The most unforgettable covers become part of the music — how many Pink Floyd fans have gotten their minds blown staring at the prism on the cover of Dark Side of the Moon, after using it to roll up their smoking materials?
What makes an album cover a classic? Sometimes it’s a portrait of the artist — think of the Beatles crossing the street, or Carole King in Laurel Canyon with her cat. Others go for iconic, semi-abstract images, like Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, or My Bloody Valentine. Some artists make a statement about where they’re from, whether it’s R.E.M. repping the South with kudzu or Ol’ Dirty Bastard flashing his food-stamps card to salute the Brooklyn Zoo.
Many of these covers come from legendary photographers, designers, and artists, like Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, Storm Thorgerson, Raymond Pettibon, and Peter Saville. Some have cosmic symbolism for fans to decode; others go for star power. But they’re all classic images that have become a crucial part of music history. And they all show why there’s no end to the world’s long-running love affair with albums”.
I am going to discuss The Beatles’ Abbey Road cover, as it turns fifty-five on 8th August. What I notice about the top twenty from Rolling Stone’s list is the 1970s is the most prolific decade. The 1990s not too far behind. Not too much from the 1980s. I was surprised that Madonna’s Like a Prayer cover was not in the top twenty. What I did notice is that only two albums from the past twenty years made the top twenty – Beyoncé’s Lemonade from 2016 at fifteen; Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 release, To Pimp a Butterfly, at twelve. Two albums released within a year of each other. Nothing from the past nine years. Look right up the top fifty, and only four other albums from the past twenty years join Lemonade and To Pimp a Butterfly. The most recent entry is SZA’s SOS (2022). That was ranked twenty-sixth. In terms of the best-ranked album covers, most of the inclusions are from albums that have been in other lists. Nirvana’s Nevermind at ten. An album cover often included in the top five. I wonder whether it is the quality of the album that dictates how we feel about a cover. If the songs seem to match the cover and there is this connection, people are more attached to the artwork. Few albums with striking covers and poor songs are deemed a classic when it comes to the artwork. Most of the albums with lauded covers have amazing music within. Is it possible to love an album cover for an album that is a disappointment? What is clear that albums that many of us grew up with and we fell in love with their covers are still hugely regarded. The passing of time has done nothing to diminish their appeal and power. It’s the same as human attraction. You can have all these emotions and feelings seeing someone you see as beautiful. That intensity grows when you learn more about them. That first impression and look is vital. It can rule the heart and change your life. I think that way about albums. If there is a cover that does not catch the eye and heart, I am less compelled to check out the album. If I do, then I often feel that there is a missed opportunity regarding making a better cover.
Whilst we might see a smattering of album covers from the twenty-first century in the highest positions, the biggest takeaway is the majority of the album covers from Rolling Stone’s list are from the past century. Most actually from more than thirty years ago. One could argue that this is subjective. All rankings are subjective. They only express the opinions of a very small selection of people. However, there is some universal truth. I am not sure whether most people, if asked, would have a personal top twenty where recent album covers were featured. I can think of a few albums from the twenty-first century that would be in mind. Alongside Amy Winehouse’s Frank (2003) would be Lorde’s Melodrama (2017) – that did make the top one hundred. There have been some great album covers from this century. If you look at Billboard’s top one hundred album covers from last year, there is a lot of crossover with Rolling Stone. Not that many modern examples making the top twenty. One could say that the streaming age means that there is less emphasis on album covers. That the artwork would be ignored. Others might say that there is such a saturation of albums now that many classics are being missed. Is there generational bias. Writers who grew up with classic albums more likely to love their covers rather than modern examples?! I there is some truth to all those statements. Many artists still put a lot of thought into album art. Pride themselves on how important that is. However, more and more, there are lacklustre covers when, in the modern age, there is this need to create something that could rank alongside the absolute best ever.
I think it is possible, in the next decade, we will see cases of covers that can challenge some of the all-time best. Maybe not as iconic as anything from The Beatles. Even so, there is this notable lack of modern album covers in ranking lists. Maybe visuals are less prominent and important. Music videos not seen as much as decades ago. There was a lot of emphasis on album covers at a time when we didn’t have the Internet. No option to post videos or edit photos like we can now. Fewer promotional avenues. Now, artists use TikTok, Instagram and have different ways of marketing an album. The rise in vinyl, I hope, leads to artists re-prioritising album covers. Major artists who can sell millions of units should not sit back and let the hype and their name do all the world. Many albums are going to be kept for decades to come. So many of the albums I grew up around stick in the mind because of their covers. Such vivid memories of discovering them. There are features that give tips about what makes an effective album cover. It is harder to stand out because of the quantity of albums coming out. The music industry has become more about visuals and images. If artists are posting photos all the time, how easy is it to have an album cover that stands out?! Some might say who really cares whether an album cover is great. So long as the music is brilliant. I would argue against that. Many people buy an album on the strength of a cover. Others will pass an album down through the generations because of the image. A truly moving album cover tells a story or gives you an indication of what the album’s story and intention is. A boring or unambitious cover can be jarring and also mean an album passes some by. Now more than ever, there is a need for the rise of the album cover. Artists really pushing themselves. As Rolling Stone’s top one hundred shows, most of the very best are from decades past. We really need to reverse this and show that, today, artists still value…
THE art of the album cover.