Which of the headliners is sad on the cover. NME's Best Album Covers of the 21st Century
Beginning in the late 1930s, when the first records by designer Alex Steinweiss appeared, the cover began to be viewed not just as a package, but as a separate product, and someone even as a work of art. In whatever format the albums were released - vinyl, cassettes, CDs or DVDs - the design on the cover became the main identification mark of old and new albums. Now it is difficult to imagine the Velvet Underground group without Andy Warhol's banana, and the Nirvana group without a child swimming under water, reaching for a dollar.
In this post, top music cover designers talk about their work, favorite musicians, inspirations, and images they sell.
“When I joined Columbia Records I was really open to music. I already knew a lot about Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms, I started listening to jazz and folk music ... I felt, in terms of promotion and sales, that the portrait Mozart does not stimulate consumer interest and he needs something abstract. So I tried to get into the essence of music, to understand how and when this or that composer lived ... "
“The things we do are realistic, not surreal. Everything we do, we do not do on a computer. We build sculptures, do tricks, create situations - it's all for real, at least 95%. the covers may seem a little odd, or they may not. "
"I think that my obsession with the nuclear apocalypse, the Ebola virus epidemic, global cataclysms and the unique, exciting melody in the songs of the Radiohead group has successfully influenced my work. I can no longer remember exactly, I started working with the group, since now I have children and their upbringing is corrupting my brains. "
“I got a degree in mathematics, but by this time I was already interested in photography, so I decided to take up graphic arts ... I am glad when in my work I can combine several artistic directions at once - illustration, design and photography.”
"I was lucky to work with most of the Domino artists - Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, To Rococo Rot, Wild Beasts, Four Tet, Villagers, Max Tundra, Adem, Archie Bronson Outfit and many others. But most importantly, I'm a fan of every band on the label. And the bands here are so eclectic - I never know what's next. I never get bored and that's enough to keep me constantly inspired and interested in my work. "
“Music plays an important role in my work, and this applies not only to projects for record labels and music groups. It helps me to turn off the part of my brain that analyzes and forces me to think logically. It helps to make projects more natural. So I felt very organically when I started working with musicians. I've always liked the design of albums. I think I can influence the perception of the album as a whole with my creativity. "
“I was lucky that I started my career doing covers for Sonic Youth and Blues Explosion. When I saw posters on Broadway, I felt,“ Wow, I did it! ”I left the art world and Broadway a long time ago, but I still get excited about it. I recently did a cover for the Beastie Boys and saw it at a bus stop. I still have the most exciting feelings every time. "
"Cover the album "Power, Corruption & Lies" most of all the covers I created reflect my aesthetics and personality. It features a Victorian painting and a colorful stripe. Both my tastes and interests are somewhere in between these two elements of the picture. When I think of this job, I think of my mother's painting room and factories in the north of England. This is also the first work in which I used my own, original ideas, rather than reworking the ideas of others. This is a very personal job. "
"My friend Jim Jupp and I made musicfor a while, together and separately, and were obsessed with the same things - the space horror of Arthur Machen and Howard Lovecraft, Radiophonic Workshop, strange folklore and the occult ... We decided to create our own a world where they could play with these concepts. Launching my own label was the only way out. "
"I had a small record label called Catsup Plate. I started doing album covers because one day I needed to know how to make a cover for a release. My first project was the cover for the EP Peace in the Valley."
of the Black Dice group. From that moment on, somehow everything started spinning ... "
“I was often punished, and therefore I spent a lot of time in my room and listened to music. Gradually I began to look closely at the album covers and look at them from an art point of view. I played with packaging, redrawn logos and hung them on the walls. I started making my own posters, T-shirts and cassettes ... Later, when I started studying design, I was amazed. I never felt so comfortable, focused and confident as in design classes. It became my passion. "
“My first musical memories:" Hey, what a weird banana record on it? It was Warhol's banana record from The Velvet Underground that opened up a whole new world of musical possibilities for me. "
“I feel like a round nail in a square hole. What the world needs is people who don't accept the usual order, experimenting, changing the rules and not bothering to read them in the first place ... Trevor Jackson has always been interesting to me. and when I first saw his website I realized that all these separate parts - video, design, record label and bands - all lead to the same person.It really changed my approach to work, bias about design, work as a designer and how it "limited" my role in the process. "
"Inspiration comes from different sources. It all depends on the project. In most cases, our concepts and ideas are based on the title of the album. We are glad when we receive requests for a project from a group or a client, since it is difficult to have complete freedom and do everything, what we want. We love the constraints. Since our studio works in several areas, each project requires special inspiration and special action. Knowing your audience is the key to creating the right product. "
"The secret of our success is that our work is based on close collaboration with the clients and creative partners with whom we work."
Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton, Tappin Gofton
"There is usually always an element of collaboration in the work on the cover. But I like to realize that at the end of the day I visualize someone's work. I want to know where this music comes from, since the musician or band has been recording an album in the studio for about a year. I think it's important to be able to get into the head of the person you're working with. "
"We are Gorillaz, and they are us. So everything we do or say mostly comes from us. It was strange to see people believe in these characters ... It works even if people know that they are You still believe in Duffy Duck or Homer Simpson. I think it shows the power of animation. I love animation and some of my favorite characters are animated. It's perfect! "
"In a sense, I always knew that I wanted to do album covers, because I started doing collages when I was a child. It was my dream, and it seemed to me the perfect combination between art and music, my other love ... it wasn’t for music, I don’t think I would become a designer, album covers are what attracted me in this career. "
"I probably listened to Keane's album over a hundred times while working on the cover ... I did a lot of illustrations inspired by each of the songs. The plan was to combine all the elements in a surreal world. There is no specific plot here, but a few small stories flowing into one to another. I want the viewer to notice new details in this chain of illustrations. "
“I and the members of Hot Chip have always been attracted by 'mystical objects' ... For One Life Stand, we experimented with classical sculptures and bright cables with which they are transported or tired. There is a reference to Giorgio de Chirico. ) and Hipgnosis. I think the picture surpassed all our expectations and we managed to do something unusual! "
"With most of the bands we work with, we communicate through record labels and managers. Even when we communicate directly with members of a group, we have a relationship that is more working than informal. If we drink beer together, it is doesn't mean we don't work! "
"Usually musicians find me on their own, which has always been a great compliment for me. When you do a few campaigns, people start to trust you more. Music plays an important part of my creative life, creating a sense of freedom and giving a certain mood. But when I work on something - or I also need to focus, then I turn off the music. Only peace and quiet contribute to fruitful work and the adoption of final decisions. "
"Since Michelle worked for a music magazine, it was natural that we started working in the music business, creating covers for bands and musicians that you have never heard of ... Until then, bands like Air and Daft Punk did not appear. , the French music scene was dead. From that moment on, the so-called "French touch" helped young French graphic designers start working in this direction. "
Michelle Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak, M / M (Paris)
"If you want to promote your band or music through graphic design, think about what separates your music from others and how you can give a musical idea a visual form. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of technology! Focus on the idea."
"Since childhood I have been obsessed with drawing. I have been drawing almost all the time. As time went on, I found other sources of expression. I made my first CD cover in 1995 without using a computer. I don’t do that anymore, but I have to still wondering what and how it can be done this way "
The world of music covers is quirky and intricate. You can collect a whole hundred interesting and significant things. But when writing this material, I decided to be guided exclusively by my own opinion. Yes, this is subjective, but honest. I selected only those covers that impressed me at the time.
To be honest, I hesitated for a few minutes when choosing a title shot. Fluctuations were between "The Beatles"And"Pink Floyd". Moreover, each of these groups has several albums with excellent design. I decided to limit myself and choose only one cover from one artist. As a result, I decided that “Animals"At"Pink Floyd»Deserves to be put first. A huge inflatable pig against the backdrop of a gloomy building is strong. By the way, the pig was later used at concerts and flew away several times. And the power plant building eventually became a kind of attraction. The album was released in 1977.
In general, everything is clear about the title photo, but the cover below is “The Beatles» « Sgt. Pepper ͗ s Lonely Hearts Club Band". 1967 record.
FROM "King Crimson"I have a strange relationship. I have known the name of this group for a long time, but I only bothered to listen to them a couple of days ago! Liked it, although in places it's hard. I also remembered a joke from a friend that in fact it’s not hard to listen to metal, but this kind of music. I completely agree. The cover of the debut album “In the Court of the Crimson King". 1969 year.
That's funny. If the covers “The Beatles" or "Pink Floyd"I am well oriented, then"The Rolling Stones"Passed me somehow. I listened to several albums from them for informational purposes, but this whole thing did not fit my soul. And, nevertheless, the cover of this disc is firmly etched into my memory. Album "Tattoo You”Continues the list of records, the design of which I really like. Year 1981.
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« Grateful Dead»A specific group. I have never met a person who strongly loved the work of these guys. I'm not a fan myself either. But one cover stuck in my memory. This is the album cover "Aoxomoxoa". Here's another interesting point, that on the back of the design you can find a little girl named Courtney Harrison. She's only 5 years old there. Later, the world will recognize this girl as Courtney Love. The album was released in 1969.
« Queen»A well-known team, even without listening to it purposefully it is difficult to avoid the knowledge of their hits. I have never been a fan of this band, but the cover of their second CD “Queen II"I somehow remember it. Perhaps because this is the image I've seen a lot on T-shirts. A disc with such a cover was released in 1974.
David Bowie is an interesting person. And he has a lot of interesting covers. I decided to opt for the 1974 album "Diamond Dogs". With the design of this album, there was a confusion. Due to the fact that David was portrayed as a human dog with visible genitals, they did not want to distribute the album. As a result, the back of the record was retouched. And the original cover can cost more than a thousand dollars nonche.
"The Mamas and the Papas"and their album 1966 of the year "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears"initially had lovely cover. In my opinion, of course. Some citizens were confused by the toilet. As a result, the album was released without him.
Elton John is certainly a dubious rock musician for many, but my conscience does not allow me not to mention the brilliant design of his 1975 album. "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy"Fantastically done. Whoever held this disc in his hands will understand what I am talking about. And he will definitely appreciate it. You can look at the spread there for a long time, although the album is not double.
On June 3, 1970, the album “Deep Purple in Rock". Since I am not writing about the contents of the albums, but only looking at the covers, we will omit the details of how he influenced the world of music. But his cover is beautiful too. The band has other interesting albums, but I decided to stop there. In my humble opinion, he is one of the most recognizable in terms of design, not only in a single group, but in general in the history of music.
At "Led Zeppelin" rich story. Including in terms of covers. Honestly, I was torn between three options. It was the same with “The Beatles"And with"Pink Floyd". There were people who knew how to competently approach the design of albums. And the same "The Rolling Stones»Besides the above-mentioned album, there were several more remarkable designs. But since I have driven myself into the frames, I will stay in them.
The band's debut and self-titled album was released in 1969. The design used a real photograph of the crash of the Hindenburg airship.
I love the group "The Doors". But here's the curious thing. The musicians of the group appear on absolutely all album covers, with the exception of the 1967 disc “Strange Days».
Jim later spoke of the design as follows: "At least it's better than our filthy faces." Why the faces appeared on the rest of the covers is a mystery. By the way, photography is not a collage, but a staged shot of a circus performance. True, half of the people caught in the frame have nothing to do with the circus.
In my opinion,Black Sabbath"The best artwork was on the album"Heaven and Hell"1980. By the way, this is the first album recorded after the departure of Ozzy Osbourne. Smoking angels are great. Such a picture makes these creatures very human.
Well. Let's go through my favorite punks. Well, or it would be more correct to say their predecessors. "The Stooges"With the album"Fun House"Were clearly ahead of their time. In 1970, very few people needed such music. But it's not about music, it's about decoration. In my opinion it is very successful. Iggy is captured in such a clear image. Either he is floating somewhere, or something is wrecking.
Along with Iggy during the same period, there was another great band, playing something between rock and roll and what would later become punk rock. The debut album of the MC5 group calledKick Out The Jams”Was released in 1969. Naturally, he did not become commercially successful. But his cover is curious. Some crazy kaleidoscope of faces. With the release of the album, there was a scandal due to obscene language, but today, of course, everything is perceived as funny. Over the past almost half a century, the world of music has changed a lot.
In my opinion, one of the simplest and at the same time memorable covers was that of Andy Warhol's protege. The debut disc under the sign "The Velvet Underground and Nico"Released in 1967, outwardly recognizable and catchy. Interestingly, in the first editions, a banana was pasted on an envelope, and under it one could find another banana, but already peeled and pink.
« RamonesAre considered one of the main punk rock groups. But I never loved them. For some reason they did not come. But the album cover "Rocket to Russia"I consider 1977 to be worthy of attention. A simple shot, but very recognizable.
And here's my favorite punk cover. Just and known... "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols."1977 year. Today it is already a classic. The fashion for pins, tousled hair, ripped jeans and British flags became classics. All this was before “Sex Pistols”, But they were the ones who popularized this charitable work.
Joy Division with the album “Unknown Pleasures"1979, one of my main shocks at the time. True, I did not hold the record in my hands. I had an audio cassette rewritten from a record. I wonder if she really looked like that? The famous drawing, and it is really famous - people even make such tattoos for themselves until now, is an illustration from the astronomical encyclopedia. This is a graph of hundreds of radio pulses from the first discovered pulsar. Prior to its discovery, it was believed that these impulses could come from intelligent beings. It turned out not. The cosmos is much more cunning than people.
In general, a very symbolic cover. Interestingly, this is the only album that came out during the life of Ian Curtis. In 1980 he hanged himself, and the second album was released after his death. And then they released a bunch of other collections.
The group "Dead Kennedys»I only like the first album. By and large, they didn't have to release anything else. But the restless Jello Biafra has chopped up a bunch of other albums, compilations, and still don't understand why. I like the cover of the collection that came out in 1987. And the whole thing is called “Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death". Moreover, it is not just a collection of some of the best things. It is rather a compilation of previously unreleased tracks. Connoisseurs generally know. Well, we are interested in the cover here.
« The Exploited"Great group. I am not kidding. Of course, listening to them for a long time is boring, but if you look at the old videos, you can see what a serious energy rushing from these guys. As for me, this is one of the most important punk rock bands. Again, it was they who introduced the Iroquois and all sorts of skulls with them into fashion. They have a lot of good and iconic covers for me. But I decided to opt for the 1983 album artwork "Let’ s Start a War". Perhaps he laid the foundation for all these skeletons and Iroquois. For punk culture, this is undeniably a milestone.
It's just a stone's throw from punk rock to much heavier music. Although it is debatable which is harder. But it's not about music. Speech on the cover of 1986 of the group "Metallica». « Master of Puppets»Itself is a milestone in the history of music and naturally its design also takes a worthy place there.
« U 2 ”never attracted me as a group, but they definitely have one remarkable cover. Perhaps for many, the design of the 1991 album "Achtung Baby"Seems boring, but I personally like it. I suppose that the matter is in the similarity of the design of the album of our group "Nautilus Pompilius" and their album "Nagad".
« Depeche Mode"And the album"Violator»Released in 1990 has a strict design. The cover was designed by Anton Corbijn. He also partially designed the previous disc “U 2 ".
Album of the group "Nirvana» « Nevermind”Hitting shelves in 1991 changed the world of music forever. In my opinion, this is generally one of the most famous covers in the world of music.
The boy who got on the cover of the artist today. And his name is Spencer Elden. By the way, this is not the only cover with his image. Already in the 2000s, a solo album of one of the participants was released with him "Skinny Puppy».
Album's cover "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness1995 may not have been the brightest in the history of rock music, but for me personally it is definitely important. This is a good album. And a beautiful picture is used in the decoration. Album of the group "The Smashing Pumpkins»Double. This is rare today.
The band's self-titled debut release “Rage Against The Machine"Was released in 1992. A real photograph of the self-immolation of a Buddhist monk was used in the decoration. The snapshot, of course, was known in itself long before the album was released. But still, in my opinion, this design deserves attention.
Marilyn Manson is a famous provocateur. Although, in general, if you listen to his albums and abstract from the lyrics, then he does not play anything so stunning. Well, that is how? I love his first albums. They are interesting. But if Manson had not had a penchant for shocking, it is not a fact that he would have become famous at all. I really love his videos. There are a lot of masterpieces. But with the design of the covers, in my opinion, things are so-so for him. The only exception is the album “Mechanical Animals»Released in 1998. By the way, from Manson, there is only a face on the cover. The chest during the installation was taken from one woman, and the hips from another. Behind real breasts, this is for Pi Orage.
The group "KoIn"I really like the 1998 album"Follow the Leader". Not only content, but also design. Perhaps because this animation is also present in the clips of the team.
Having almost written the material, I remembered another interesting cover. For me, Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album art is one of the United States. "Born in the U. S. A. " in my opinion, very recognizably made.
By the way, I read it with surprise that a scandal was connected even with this cover. Someone thought Bruce was peeing on an American flag. But in the end this case seemed to be hushed up, and it was with this design that the disc was published.
I will end the selection with the cover of the group "Lynyrd Skynyrd". Album "Street Survivors”Was released in 1977. At first glance, there is nothing of the kind in this cover. But three days after the album's release, the band went on tour and crashed in a plane crash. In addition to two pilots, the road manager of the group and three members of the team also died. The album was immediately re-released, but with a different design. Without any flames. For some reason, this story really impressed me.
Now, in fact, a little afterword about the not included covers and moral foundations. At "Led Zeppelin"I originally wanted to choose a cover from"Houses of the Holy". But there are naked children. After some hesitation, I decided that someone might see pedophilia or child pornography here. For the same reason, there is no album in the collection “Virgin Killer"Groups"Scorpions". In general, I was very surprised that these guys did such a cover in 1976.
At "The Jimi Hendrix Expererience"There was an interesting idea with the cover"Electric Ladyland". Naked beautiful aunts. 19 pieces. But naturally, this design did not pass the censorship.
Good design was at “The Black Crowes"On the album"Amorica". But I decided to refrain from publishing.
In principle, you can safely make a separate selection of nudity. The cover of the “Pixies" on "Surfer Rosa". And the sameRoxy Music did not disdain such an approach.
Well, I will also mark separately the group “Pantera"With the album"Far Beyond Driven". Who needs those without me know what is shown there. And, of course, I'll remember the bootleg "Dawn of the Black Hearts"Commands"Mayhem". Gloomy cover there.
In principle, other heavy groups also used corpses, dismembered bodies, bloodshed and other beauties in decoration, but you can't get through with that. Well I worked as an orderly at one time and had seen enough of something. In the case of “Mayhem»Interestingly, the design used a photo of the band's vocalist's corpse after the suicide. For this activity he used a shotgun. You yourself understand that I will not insert such a photo here for ethical reasons.
I was surprised by the lack of exciting covers of bands such as “Rammstein» « NIN"And"Tool". These guys have enough good videos, but none of the covers have sunk into my soul. Which is strange.
Well, that's all. Thank you for attention. I hope it was interesting. And of course, I'm curious to know your opinion about the covers of foreign bands. Only a request! No need to insert any corpses from the covers into my comments. I already wrote that you will not impress me with this, but I will repeat it again, just in case. It is also not necessary to show explicit pornography. I am more interested in something beautiful and unusual. Even if it is poppy. For sim exactly everything.
Ever since Elvis Presley wiggled his hips, rock and roll has always been accompanied by notoriety. Provocative album covers have become another battleground for moralists and have had a huge impact on sales.
TheBeatles: Yesterday And Today (1966)
This compilation for the American market was one of the first cases of outrageous covers. The photograph of the musicians surrounded by dolls and pieces of meat seemed to be a parody of pop art. However, many retailers did not appreciate the humor and about 50 thousand copies were returned. The publishers quickly changed the design to a more relaxed one, and the record topped the Billboard charts.
TheJimi hendrix Experience: Electric ladyland (1968)
The original British edition of the legendary Jimi Hendrix featured as many as 19 naked women on the cover. Subsequently, she was changed when Hendrix personally expressed his dissatisfaction with nudity and replaced her with his beloved.
John lennon & Yoko Ono: Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (1968)
The shots for John and Yoko's avant-garde album were shot by the couple using a delayed release camera. It is expected that the visual result of this work caused outrage, prompting distributors to sell the record in a special brown wrapper. Only 5000 copies were released in the UK, so to speak, in its original form.
The rolling stones: Beggars banquet (1968)
The original "banned" cover of The Rolling Stones' classic album featured a neglected toilet and graffiti. The label rejected this option and initially released a record with a white cover, made as an invitation card.
David bowie: Diamond dogs (1974)
If you unfold the cover of David Bowie's eighth studio album, you could see a star with dog harnesses. Actually, the artist's original message implied something from George Orwell and post-apocalyptic society, but the fatal genitals had to be glossed over until 1990 when EMI / Rykodisc released the CD.
The musicians are lucky that this particular person created the covers for their albums. They are gorgeous. The name of Storm Thorgerson is known to every music lover. How did it happen that without the works of this photographer, designer and artist it is impossible to imagine the musical culture of the second half of the 20th century? It's just that he actually re-invented how to design records at all. His studio Hipgnosis created covers for the most famous rock bands: Led Zeppelin, Cranberries, 10cc, AC / DC, Black Sabbath, Muse. But Storm became famous for the covers for the legendary Pink Floyd team, with whose members he had been friends since childhood. Thorgerson allowed himself to go against the rules and fashion, was not afraid to enter into disputes with the giants of the industry. His fearlessness, combined with real talent, gave the world brilliant images that have entered culture forever. Storm Thorgerson would have turned 70 on February 28th. We have selected the best works of this brilliant person, which can be viewed endlessly. Pink Floyd, album "Tree Of Half Life", 1997 "I love to play naughty with reality, distort reality. Some of my works baffle the question - is it real or not? " 
Pink Floyd, album "Delicate Sound of Thunder", 1988. 
Pink Floyd, album "Division Bell - Stone Heads", 1994. 
Pink Floyd, album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", 1987. Storm Thorgerson created his quirky photo collages with glue and scissors long before the advent of Photoshop. He did not change his method even after computer graphics came to the service of cover designers. When asked why he piles up hundreds of beds on the beach, instead of just multiplying a single one on the monitor, he just threw up his hands and replied: "Because I am allowed to do this." 
Cranberries, album "Wake Up and Smell The Coffee", 2001. 
Cranberries, album "Bury the Hatchet", 1999. 
Muse, album "Absolution", 2003. 
Pink Floyd "Beach Catalog", 2009. 
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon album, 1973. “It's a beautiful and simple idea. We see the refraction of sunlight all around us, for example, in a rainbow. I would be happy to say that this is my invention, but, unfortunately, it does not belong to me! " 
Muse, single "Uprising", 2009. 
The Chakras, album "Build me a swan", 2011. 
Biffy Clyro, album "Puzzle", 2007. 
10cc, album "Deceptive Bends", 1977. 
Pink Floyd, album Wish You Were Here, 1975. 
Strawbs, Deadline album, 2012. 
Biffy Clyro, album "Opposites", 2013. 
Biffy Clyro, album "Only Revolutions", 2009. 
Thornley, album "Tiny Pictures", 2009. 
Pendulum, single "The Island", 2010. 
Deepest Blue, album "Waves", 2004. 
Led Zeppelin, "Houses of the Holy" album, 1973. 
10cc, Look Hear? Album, 1980. 
Disco Biscuits, album "Planet Anthem", 2010. 
Pink Floyd 30th anniversary poster, 2004.
20 years before The Clash used the same color combination, Elvis Presley knew how convincing a font with a combination of green and pink could be. The photo for the star's debut album was taken on July 31, 1955, during a concert in Tampa, Florida. The snapshot of a young artist, ready to conquer the world, instantly attracts attention, embodying the primordial power of raw rock and roll. And prepares the unsuspecting America of the mid-50s for the youthful cultural revolution even before the stylus touches vinyl. Two decades later, British punks The Clash used the same font for the cover of their landmark album London Calling.
On the recording of The Beatles' craziest album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, it took 50 thousand pounds, almost six months of work and 700 studio hours. For the cover, the musicians, dressed in bright uniforms, were photographed on March 30, 1967 against the background of cardboard figures of those celebrities whom they themselves considered important to themselves. The cover of Sergeant Pepper features Carl Gustav Jung, Edgar Poe, Bob Dylan, Oscar Wilde, Albert Einstein, Lewis Carroll, Aleister Crowley and others. On the reverse side of the envelope, for the first time in the history of recording, the lyrics of the album's songs were placed. The designer who created this miracle received a high honor: in June 2002, 70-year-old Peter Blake was knighted by Her Majesty.
The debut album of the gloomy American anti-hippies The Velvet Underground did not achieve commercial success, which did not prevent it from taking an honorable place among the most important records in the history of rock. According to legend, each owner of the coveted vinyl, who in 1969 heard this strange, dark and viscous music, founded his own group. The album cover features a huge yellow banana with the caption: "Slowly peel off and watch." It is the work of famed pop art master Andy Warhol, who was the manager and producer of The Velvet Underground. Earlier editions of the LP had a banana sticker attached to the envelope, revealing an image of a peeled banana printed on the envelope underneath.
Where do all the Beatles fans go after they get to London? Of course, to Abbey Road, the same one where the studio of the same name is located and which The Beatles move on the cover of their latest album, named the same - Abbey Road. The iconic photo session took place on a hot day on August 8, 1969. The photographer had ten minutes to take a picture: a section of a busy street was blocked by the police specifically for the musicians. To this day, passers-by love to walk in single file on the famous "zebra", unnerving London drivers. The parodies of the famous cover are simply countless. The most famous was made by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, walking across the road naked with socks put on causal places.
Andy Warhol again! At a New York party in 1969, pop art guru casually hinted to The Rolling Stones' vocalist Mick Jagger that it would be great to put a real jeans zipper on the cover of another record. A year later, a crazy idea was implemented in the artwork for the Sticky Fingers album. The entire envelope was occupied by a photograph of a man's fly tightly fitting to the hips - with a real zipper that could be unzipped. Of course, problems arose with such a radical design: during transportation, the lightning pressed into the album, scratching vinyl and records lying in the pile. In addition to the scandalous fly, for the first time the new logo of the group flaunted on the cover of the disc - a cheeky scarlet tongue sticking out.
The suite about birth, madness and time, The Dark Side Of The Moon, performed by British rock wizards Pink Floyd has long been a classic. The CD cover has forever entered the canon of modern design. The visionaries of the Hipgnosis studio placed a prism on it that refracts a light beam (and to simplify the design, the indigo color was deliberately removed from the spectrum). On the back, there is a prism that converges the spectrum (this does not happen in nature, but which cannot be done for the sake of greater effect!) In addition to the luxurious envelope, two posters were attached to the disc. One was printed with live pictures of the band, the other was a photo of the pyramids at Giza taken under a full moon. The Pink Floyd members insisted that the inclusion of posters in the design did not increase the price of the record.
Bob Marley's 1973 album Catch A Fire turned him and his band The Wailers into international stars. The envelope of the record also matched the name: the entire space of the cover was occupied by the image of a Zippo lighter. But that's not all. The top of the cardboard lighter flipped out like a real cigarette lighter, revealing the lighter itself. Of course, the production of such a cover was not cheap, because the two elements of the "lighter" had to be connected manually. Therefore, it was not possible to arrange the entire circulation of the disc in this way. Only the first 20 thousand copies were published in the lighter cover. Further reprints were packed in a regular envelope with a large portrait of Bob Marley smoking a huge joint.
Pink Floyd's tenth album is called Animals, that is, "Animals". The idea for the CD was designed by bassist Roger Waters. He drove past London's Battersea Power Station every day and suggested that she be featured on the cover. However, the building turned out to be small. The album was called Animals, so it was necessary to fit some animal into the envelope. An inflatable pig with a height of 10 meters was ordered. She was inflated with helium and launched into the sky above the station. Not the first time, but the right photo was taken. In one take, a pig flew to Kent and scared away a farmer's cows. The enraged farmer did not know he was involved in one of the most outstanding record covers in history!
Is there anything more punk than putting male genitals on an album cover? Nirvana did just that, though they were modeled on a child swimming in a pool. The controversial Nevermind album cover may be taken as an allegory for the pursuit of the almighty dollar, but in fact (according to Geffen Records art director Robert Fischer) it is just the result of Kurt Cobain's fascination with the documentary about the underwater birth. Every five years or so, the same boy (in 1991, four-month-old Spencer Elden) recreates the cover for posterity, and the Nevermind cover design has inspired countless parodies and tributes, including Homer Simpson.
For the cover of the seventh album, the heroes of Britpop Blur employed the mysterious (at the time) street artist Banksy, whose witty stencil works cover walls around the world from his native Bristol to Palestine and Los Angeles. For the Think Tank project, Banksy has painted a series of graffiti on the walls and doors of London that are slightly different from what the audience would normally expect from him. There are no provocative messages in these works, and their heroes are children and romantic couples. True, they all wear bulky diving helmets on their heads. True to his principles, Banksy did not take money for the work, but in 2007 the original cover was sold at auction for 75 thousand pounds.
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