SOME ICONIC ALBUM COVERS

 

The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)

Even if you’ve never seen the cover, you know the image: It is the most copied album cover in recording history. The famed Abbey Road crosswalk is a pilgrimage many Beatles fans make, and the music, including the song “Come Together,” was voted best Beatles album by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane (1973)

The sixth album of the rock star was released back in 1973. A pun on “A Lad Insane,” Brian Duffy’s cover art, with Bowie featured in makeup and a lightning bolt drawn across his face, promotes the alter ego of the artist, Ziggy Stardust.

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

The lavish cover art introduced an album widely regarded as one of the most important of all time. Notable songs include “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “When I’m Sixty-Four.”

U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

The Irish rock band chose America as the record theme. The cover art, meant to evoke a desert in the Southwest, also reflected the musical threads of the album.

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (2011)

The second of the pop diva’s albums, the special edition album cover featured a close-up of the artist’s head from the standard edition. The single “Born This Way” became the fastest selling song in iTunes history.

Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

The searing orange of the cover announced the solo debut of hip-hop artist Lauryn Hill in 1998. The album went platinum, and broke a record for most sales by a female artist.

Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

The band’s first album took alternative rock mainstream with its single "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The album cover, a baby swimming toward a dollar bill on a fish hook, was the brainchild of the band’s frontman, Kurt Cobain.

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

Recorded in 1973, this album continues to be re-discovered with every generation of listeners. The simple design of the cover features a beam of light that turns into a rainbow through a prism, representing the band's stage lighting and the album’s themes.

Queen - Queen II (1974)

The art for the rock group’s second album may be more famous than the album itself. The cover photograph by Mick Rock was re-used by the band, notably for the video of the song "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

The second album for the King of Pop was also the top-selling album of all time. Seven of the nine songs on the album were released as singles – all became mega hits, including “Wanna Be Startin' Somethin," "Thriller," "Beat It,"and "Billie Jean" . The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984.