Since 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 some even as a work of art. In whatever format the albums were released - vinyl, cassettes, CD or DVD - the picture on the cover became the main identification mark of old and new albums. Now it's hard to imagine the Velvet Underground without Andy Warhol's banana, and the Nirvana group without a child swimming underwater, reaching for a dollar.

In this post, top music cover designers talk about their work, favorite musicians, inspirations, and salable looks.

"When I started working at Columbia Records, I was really open to music. I already knew a lot about Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms, began to listen to jazz and folk music ... I felt, in terms of promotion and sales, that the portrait Mozart does not stimulate the interest of the consumer and he needs something abstract. So I tried to penetrate the essence of music, to understand how and when this or that composer lived..."

"The things that we do are realistic, not surreal. Everything we do, we do not on a computer. We build sculptures, do tricks, create situations - it's all real, 95% at least. Our the covers may or may not seem a little weird."

"I think that my obsession with the nuclear apocalypse, the Ebola virus epidemic, global cataclysms and the unique, exciting melody in the songs of Radiohead successfully influenced my work. I can no longer remember exactly when I started working with the group, since I Now I have children and their upbringing is corrupting my brain."

“I got a degree in mathematics, but by this time I was already interested in photography, so I decided to go into graphic arts ... I'm glad when I can combine several art directions at once in my work - illustration, design and photography."

"I've had the good fortune to work with most of the artists on the Domino label - Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, To Rococo Rot, Wild Beasts, Four Tet, Villagers, Max Tundra, Adem, Archie Bronson Outfit and many more. 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 coming 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 bands. It helps me turn off the part of the brain that analyzes and makes me think logically. It helps to make projects more naturally. So I felt very organically when I started working with musicians. I've always liked the design of albums. I think that through my creativity I can influence the perception of the album as a whole."

"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 made a cover for the Beastie Boys and saw it at the bus stop. To this day, situations like this always make me feel the most excited."

"Cover The album "Power, Corruption & Lies" most of all the covers I have created reflects my aesthetics and personality. It features a Victorian-era painting and a multicolored stripe. And my tastes and interests are somewhere in the middle between these two elements of the picture. When I think about this work, I think of my mother's drawing 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. It's a very personal job."

"Me and my friend Jim Jupp made music for a while, together and separately, and were obsessed with the same things - Arthur Machen and Howard Lovecraft space horror, Radiophonic Workshop, strange folklore and the occult... We decided to create our own a world where they could play with these concepts. Starting your own label was the only way."

"I had a small record label called Catsup Plate. I started making 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"
Black Dice bands. From that moment on, everything kind of turned around ... "

"I was often punished, and so I spent a lot of time in my room and listened to music. Gradually, I began to look at album covers and look at them from the point of view of art. I played with packaging, redrawing logos and hanging them on the walls. Eventually, I started making my own posters, t-shirts and cassettes... Later when I started studying design, I was amazed. I have never felt so comfortable, focused and confident as I did in a design class. It became my passion."

“My first musical memories: “Hey, what’s with that weird banana record? It was The Velvet Underground’s Warhol-drawn banana record 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 do not accept the usual order, experimenting, changing the rules and not bothering to read them first ... I have always been interested in Trevor Jackson (Trevor Jackson) and when I first saw his website, I realized that all these separate parts - video, design, record label and bands - lead to one person.It really changed my approach to work, preconceptions about design, work designer and how it "limited" my role in the process."

"Inspiration comes to us 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 happy when we receive wishes for a project from a band or a client, as it is difficult to have complete freedom and do everything, what we want. We love limits. Since our studio works in several areas, each project requires special inspiration and special actions. Knowing your audience is the key to creating the right product. "

"The secret of our success lies in the fact that our work is based on close cooperation with the clients and creative partners with whom we work."

Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton, Tappin Gofton

"There's usually always a collaborative element to cover art. But I like to realize that at the end of the day I'm visually representing someone's work. I want to know where that music comes from, since the musician or band has been recording an album in the studio for about a year. I I think it's important to be able to get into the head of who you're working with."

"We are Gorillaz and they are us. So everything we do or say comes from us for the most part. It was strange to see that people believed in these characters ... It works even if people know that they not real. You still believe in Duffy Duck or Homer Simpson. I think that shows the power of animation. I love animation and some of my favorite characters are animated. It's perfect!"

"I always knew in a certain way that I wanted to do album covers because I started making collages as a child. It was my dream and I thought it was the perfect combination between art and music, my other love... If only it wasn't for music, I don't think I would be a designer, album covers are what attracted me to this career."

"I must have 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 into a surreal world. There is no definite plot, but several small stories flowing into one to another. I want the viewer to notice new details in this chain of illustrations."

"Me and the members of Hot Chip have always been attracted to 'mystical objects'... For One Life Stand, we experimented with classic sculptures and bright cables to transport or tire them. There is a reference to Giorgio de Chirico here. ) and Hipgnosis. I think the picture exceeded 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 the members of a particular group, then we have a working relationship rather than an informal one. If we drink beer together, this Doesn't mean we don't work!

"Usually musicians find me on their own, which has always been a big 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 silence and peace contribute to fruitful work and the adoption of final decisions. "

"Because Michel worked for a music magazine, it was only natural that we got into the music business doing covers for bands and musicians you've never heard of...until there were bands like Air and Daft Punk , the French music scene was dead.From that moment on, the so-called "French touch" helped young French graphic designers to start working in this direction."

Michel Amzalag and Matthias Augustyniak, M/M (Paris)

"If you want to promote your band or music through graphic design, then think about what makes your music different from others and how you can give a musical idea a visual form. Don't let yourself be trapped by technology! Focus on the idea."

"Since I was a child, I have been obsessed with drawing. I drew 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 still wondering what and how it can be done in this way"

The musicians were lucky that it was this person who created the covers for their albums. They are chic. The name of Storm Thorgerson is known to every music lover. How did it happen that without the work of this photographer, designer and artist it is impossible to imagine musical culture second half of the 20th century? It's just that he actually re-invented how records can be designed 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 his covers for the legendary Pink Floyd team, with whose members he was 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 forever entered the culture. Storm Thorgerson would have turned 70 on February 28. We chose best work this brilliant man, which can be viewed endlessly. Pink Floyd, "Tree Of Half Life" album, 1997 "I like to mess with reality, distort reality. Some of my works are puzzling with the question - is it real or not?
Pink Floyd, Delicate Sound of Thunder album, 1988.
Pink Floyd, Division Bell - Stone Heads album, 1994.
Pink Floyd, album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", 1987. Storm Thorgerson created his whimsical 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 was piling up hundreds of beds on the shore, instead of just multiplying a single one on the monitor, he just shrugged and replied: "Because I'm allowed to do this."
Cranberries, Wake Up and Smell The Coffee album, 2001.
Cranberries, Bury the Hatchet album, 1999.
Muse, Absolution album, 2003.
Pink Floyd Beach Catalogue, 2009. Pink Floyd, album "Dark Side of the Moon", 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, album "Deadline", 2012.
Biffy Clyro, album "Opposites", 2013.
Biffy Clyro, album "Only Revolutions", 2009.
Thornley, Tiny Pictures album, 2009. Pendulum, single "The Island", 2010.
Deepest Blue, Waves album, 2004.
Led Zeppelin album "Houses of the Holy", 1973.
10cc, album "Look Hear?", 1980.
Disco Biscuits, Planet Anthem album, 2010.
Pink Floyd 30th Anniversary Poster, 2004.

The Rolling Stones. "Sticky Fingers"

The cover of "Sticky Fingers" gained notoriety as soon as it appeared on the shelves. This is due to its controversial design, to which Andy Warhol himself had a hand. The cover shows a man's torso and what's below wearing very tight jeans. They emphasize the impressive features of the structure of the male body, which, apparently, is very happy to see the woman he loves. On the back side of this cover appeared the famous Rollings logo - lips with a protruding tongue.

The peculiarity of the cover was that there was a real zipper on the fly. Anyone could unbutton it and find panties there. The musicians liked the idea so much that they were willing to take on additional production costs. But the fact is that lightning scratched the record, which made it impossible to listen to some records. As a result, the record began to be released with a cover where the zipper was already unzipped so that this part could not damage other records on the counter. In Spain, the cover was replaced and placed on it severed fingers in a jar. This was done not because of censorship, but to reduce the cost of production.

The Beatles. Abbey Road

The legendary cover, where it became the reason for the emergence of mystical theories. Allegedly, the Beatles lined up in a funeral procession - because Paul McCartney, as the supporters of this theory believed, actually died and was replaced by a double. McCartney on the cover walks barefoot like a dead man, still out of step with the other musicians: Lennon in a white suit in the image of Christ, Ringo in dark clothes is an undertaker, and Harrison is a gravedigger. The shooting took ten minutes, and rumors about the cover are still circulating. The details of the picture were meticulously sorted out - even the number on the car that got into the frame stands for 28IF - "if McCartney was alive, he would have hit 28 then." However, Paul took off his shoes because it was terribly hot outside. The musician himself has repeatedly been ironic about such theories.

Aerosmith. "Done With Mirrors"

The Aerosmith team approached the cover design with the ingenuity due to rockers. All text on it was written backwards, except for technical information. This is how the musicians played with the name of the record - it was possible to understand what was written on the cover only if the listener leaned it against the mirror. The text was located in the slots through which the photograph looked through. It depicts an illusionist bending a fork with his gaze.

The disc itself, according to the musicians, carried an allegorical meaning, namely, the rejection of illusions. Joe Perry met with the fans one day and they said they liked the record a lot. To which Perry called it "complete crap", although it was on the recording of this album that he triumphantly returned to the team.

It was during that period that the members of the Aerosmith group took turns getting into hospitals, which is why the album turned out to be commercially unsuccessful. However, when the record was re-released, all the inscriptions were simply printed, and the fans were outraged - so its design lost its originality.

Fleetwood Mac. Rumors

The album cover was created by Stevie Nicks' longtime friend Herbert Worthington, who often photographed the band. It depicts Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks in person. The guys are dressed as the characters of Welsh mythology: all because at one time Stevie Nicks came across a book about the history of mythology, and not least because of this, the legendary composition “ Rhiannon» It is noteworthy that Fleetwood has two balls suspended between his legs. Mick once stole chains for them from the toilets of those clubs in which he once performed.

The release received platinum status in the UK - and 11 times in a row. Behind the scenes of this album is a real soap opera, and the record, as soon as it was released, was overgrown with rumors. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were in a terrible relationship, John McVie's wife ran away with a lighter, and Fleetwood himself quarreled with his wife Jenny - he was then having an affair with Stevie Nicks. Jenny Boyd was the sister of the famous Patti Boyd, who, in turn, was Harrison's wife and then married his best friend, Eric Clapton. To endure all this, of course, Fleetwood needed to have a couple of steel, not wooden balls - otherwise the crazy seventies could not be survived.

Oasis. "What's the Story Morning Glory"

The cover was filmed in London's Berwick Street, a street famous for its shops selling music lovers' coveted items - rare CDs and records. The two men walking in the frame are the band's art director and the DJ. Liam and Noel Gallagher were supposed to be on the cover, but on the eve of the shooting, the brothers once again quarreled - as you understand, with such faces, the cover would scare buyers.
Berwick Street is very busy at any time - the team had to get up for shooting at five in the morning, and the photographer was very afraid that he would have to disperse both cars and crowds of people, but everything worked out. The guys walked back and forth towards each other for two hours, trying to get great shots, although in the end one of the first photos turned out to be on the cover.

For a long time, photographer Brian Canon was out of work until he ran into Noel Gallagher backstage at the event. Canon came in brand new sneakers, which he brought from Italy - there were none in London. Noel saw these shoes and asked: “Where the hell did you get these shoes?” This is how the photographer met the musicians and then got his contract with Oasis

Nirvana. "Nevermind"

The iconic album cover literally shocked the public at the time of its release: a naked baby swimming in the pool for a dollar became the subject of discussion on both sides of the ocean. As a result, the record was sold with a sticker that hid the nakedness of the child - Cobain said that he was ready to make only such a compromise.

The idea of ​​the baby in the pool came to Grol and Cobain when they were just remembering the movie about the water birth. In 2016, Elder Spencer, that is the name of the child, repeated the same photo session, but already being in underwear at the request of the photographer.

queen. Miracle

The members of the Queen group on the cover of the record "Miracle" seem to have merged their faces together - during the release of the album, it became known that Freddie Mercury was seriously ill. Fans assumed that the cover was mounted in this way on purpose - in order to hide Mercury's thinness.

For the group, this cover is a symbol of unity in the face of great trouble: this is how the team supported its leader. And, by the way, the authorship on the cover was designated Queen and the proceeds were divided equally among all members of the group. And the name itself actually reflected a miracle - Mercury, for health reasons, was able to record an album, although the doctors recommended that he go to the hospital.

The cover was one of the first examples of photomontage - four portraits of musicians, whose faces merge, were made using the overlay technique. For this album, a total of more than 30 songs were written - and this fruitfulness is easy to explain: the band members did not go on tours before, but were engaged in solo work. The musicians gained strength and inspiration and created a truly wonderful plastic, the cover and content of which became the legend of rock.

Eagles. Hotel California

The idea for the legendary album cover was Don Henley's, he had two photographers rise 60 feet off the ground onto a special platform. The picture shows the famous Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, but even those who have been there do not recognize it. And all because Henley set the task of photographers - to take pictures that reflect the atmosphere of decline and lost glory. As a result, the hotel in the picture turned out to be even sinister. Photographers sat for several hours, waiting for the right frame - more precisely, the moment when the sun went down below the horizon.

The concept was created by British art director John Kosh, who came up with the cover art for The Beatles' Abbey Road. It is curious that after the release of the record, Kosh received a warning from the hotel management, to which his lawyer noted that the booking of rooms in the hotel had increased significantly, and there were no questions.

Blur. park life

The Blur album cover features two hounds, while the alternative version there was supposed to be a fruit stand on Portobello Road. A storefront was also offered as a cover illustration. Damon Albarn admitted in an interview that the record could have been called "London" - this is the idea of ​​​​Food Records label owner David Balfe, and therefore fruits could have flaunted on the cover. Albarn was adamant - said that this was Balfe's last idea, after which they, as you understand, said goodbye.

In general, the guys decided everything in their own way, and “Parklife” reached the top charts in exactly the clothes in which the listeners know him. The record is included in the list under the title "1001 albums to listen to before you die." It's funny that Albarn himself is not on the cover - and after all, the British edition of the Independent called him "the most handsome young man on the pop scene", which, however, only offended the future Gorillaz mastermind.

Pink Floyd. "Delicate Sound of Thunder"

By the time this album was recorded, the team's mastermind, Roger Waters, had already left it. Moreover, he successfully toured already with his solo album. Pink Floyd was not so successful - recording a live album did not work out the first time, but in the end the record was embodied in vinyl and put on a psychedelic cover.

It depicts two men, one of whom is standing on a hill in the distance, surrounded by a flock of birds, and the other has turned his back - and his entire suit is covered with light bulbs. The cover was created by maestro Storm Torgerson. A flock of birds that flap their wings represent sound, and the light bulbs on the suit are a symbol of light. Thorgerson embodied the two components of the Pink Floyd concerts in this image. Duality is the signature style of the artist.

Delicate Sound of Thunder was destined to be a pioneering album. This disc was the first rock record that was played in space - it was taken with them by Soviet cosmonauts to the Soyuz TM-7. Firma Melodiya released this record, and it became the first officially released Pink Floyd record in the USSR.

Guns N' Roses. "Appetite for Distruction"

The Guns N' Roses debut album was widely known not only for its hit-rich content, but also because its first printings had a very scandalous cover. She repelled an attack by an evil skeleton on a girl who was lying unconscious on the sidewalk, and at that time a multi-armed toothy creature attacked the offender of a beautiful lady. The picture of retribution as an illustration of the cover really looks very controversial - there is nothing surprising in the fact that it caused a great resonance in its time.

The author of the idea was the underground artist Robert Williams - he explained the choice of plot by the fact that such art was intended only for connoisseurs and connoisseurs. The picture itself appeared before the album - Axl Rose really liked it, and he asked the artist for permission to use it as a cover. He wanted to take its name - "Appetite for Distruction". Axl Rose arrived at the artist's house, got out of the car, and at first he even thought that a girl had come to visit him - then the leader of the Guns had a gorgeous head of hair. Williams tried to convince the musician that the cover would be banned, but Axl insisted.

The artist got his share of world fame, and the musicians got their share of the label, and they put a cross on the cover with four Guns skulls - according to rumors, Axl even has the exact same tattoo.

The dinosaurs of the music scene realized that for good sales they need to somehow design their vinyl records ... As time went on, more and more attention began to be paid to this matter, they had to create something new with an eye to the already created works, until everyone came to the conclusion that only a masterpiece can surpass the former work. So the industry approached the golden era of design, when you could hope for success only if you release best covers music albums. Internet music magazines definitely have an addiction to creating all sorts of tops about everything in the world. We will join them, because the theme of colorful design is really worth talking about. Moreover, such charts excite young hearts so much... Don't be embarrassed by the fact that the cover of only one modern album got into the top, this is not proof that music is no longer a cake, explanations of this phenomenon will be given in the first reviewed album. The screensaver has changed, since Google adsense is still a minor, and it cannot see naked aunts, suffering to look at the old screensaver - here.

10. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (07)

Gone are the days when albums in monochrome colors attracted attention while on store shelves, gone are the days when a shocking or unusual picture made you go, clutching a new record in your palms, to the cashier, and the most interesting thing is that the times have passed when music stores were at least for us how much is needed. And at this moment you start to think: why is this all? Why create beautiful covers, an absolute rudiment of the digital world, few of us scrolling through iTunes / Google Play in search of something new, opt for a pretty cover. But, however, something still makes you complete the musical image with a beautiful, attractive design - a kind of iceberg tip that allows you to guess what is hidden under the water... music and lyrics, but not interpreting it directly "on the forehead", as is often the case.

9. Carly Simon - Playing Possum ("75")

It's hard to say that this album blew up the radio stations in its time, it's even harder to try to distinguish it musically from Carly's other works. In principle, all six of her early albums are equally good, so to speak, for a fan of pop music of the 70s. In any case, this is much better than what gets into the run of today's radio. But unlike the music, which is quite outdated today, the cover has gone into the collections of amateur photographers (photonists, if you are so used to it), becoming one of the standards of art photography there. I'm not very good at the English slang for aesthetes, and I couldn't find a discussion of this album in the Russian segment, so I'll tell you how I feel myself. Carly's pose on the album cover is ambiguous in many ways, she is on her knees, but at the same time, the expression on her face, the clenched fist and the incompleteness of the pose denies any submissiveness. The entire need for the erotic frivolity of the picture (and some stores refused to accept the album after the release) is emphasized by the edge of the backdrop, the photographer could not help but see that unplanned objects were getting into the lens, which means that his getting into the frame here is intentional. Although pornographic images have previously appeared on the covers of albums (groups consisting only of men), this was the first time that a singer-author acted as an erotic image. And what happened next, we all know - Madonna happened four years later. Consciously or not, but the album (including lyrics) reflected the emerging and decriminalization process at that time of the BDSM culture.

8. Patti Smith - Horses ("75")

If you are a fan of modern punk rock, then you are in for an unpleasant surprise: this style was not founded by the clowns Green Day, The Offspring and Blink-182, but Iggy Pop, The Velvet Underground and Patti Smith. The cover of the debut album of the latter will be discussed. “I don’t know how to play, but I really want to” - the motto of punk rockers, originally put into it in the seventies by those who knew how to play, was transferred to the cover: “I don’t know how to make cool artwork, and I don’t have any ideas, but I really want you to like it." As a result, the cover was able to capture the sincerity of the classic punk musician, without unnecessary embellishment, without strained pathos, without elaborate clothes.

7. Pixies - Surfer Rosa (88)

Whatever your opinion on late 80s early 90s indie rock in general, and the Pixies in particular, one thing is hard to disagree with: Surfer Rosa is one of the most important works of surrealism in the world. modern history. I would really like to talk more about the music itself - yes, there is something to talk about, unlike the music of Nirvana, with all its futile attempts to copy the sound of this group, but this is outside the scope of this top. As you know, one of the most simple ways to achieve a surreal picture is to mix a lot of chaotic images, achieve their harmonious arrangement, and voila, you are now an artist! In fact, everything turns out to be somewhat more complicated, and no matter how much you try to become an upstart surrealist, you will never succeed, because history knows only one exception, when a mediocre poseur and artisan with a complete lack of imagination became a genius among pretentious connoisseurs and spiritually rich dev. Yes, yes, I'm talking about you, Monsieur Salvador Dali. But let's go back to the cover: the symbolic image of hair in the form of edges of torn wallpaper, elements of the stage, music, religion, a retouched highlight, a Spanish skirt, a slightly oversized lembri that perfectly emphasizes the bare chest (erotica, where without it?) - a perfect image.

6.Rainbow - Rising (76)

It's hard to find a cover for any other band that accurately depicts the content: a crimson sunset, a storm, the group's symbol, rocky cliffs, in the tops of which Gothic elements of architecture are guessed, and of course a fist that decisively grabbed a rainbow. And if you have never listened to this album, and you see its cover now for the first time (they meet by clothes, as they say), then you will be amazed at how perfectly the music matches the design.

5. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ("67")

I cannot find an explanation for the amazing appeal of this cover, the impression always depends on the mood: this cover can appear in all its phantasmagoria and absurdity, sometimes it can give the impression of a strange funeral, or it can even seem like a picture of a slice of time. It's a pity that Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, etc. didn't get on the cover... well, you know who I mean. With them, the cover would become even more versatile. This work is an excellent example of when a group, tired of the frivolity of their perception, moves towards even more frivolity, and inverting public opinion, achieves a thoughtful, important and thoughtful attitude. After all, just growing beards a la Karl Marx and Leo Tolstoy, and talking about eternal topics, would be too unbeaten.

4. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin" Bob Dylan ("63)

This cover just envelops with its warmth, what is there to beat around the bush - almost all of Bob Dylan's songs are warm, close, very close in a family way. Wherever Dilanov's record is played, the imagination immediately draws a classic two-story America, the attractive South, a little Redneck central states. It's a little funny that on the cover of the album "... on his own", Bob is still not alone. What's even funnier is that Bob Dylan is featured on the previous album, which came in at number five.

3. Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door (79)

One could say that it was a revolution in design, but as you know, a revolution is when something changes, and everything else is so, assassination attempts ... Therefore, let's call this case a wonderful precedent, which, unfortunately, no one dared to repeat afterward (as far as I I know no one else has tried this, if not, correct me). Seven songs, six covers, five-year-old son, four band members, three weeks of work, two words "Dear John...", one central figure depicted from different angles. Pastel, cigar wrapper paper, sepia. Even if we imagine that there is no music on the album, only by indirect facts can we get a huge story, we know who this man is, why he came to the absinthe bar, why he gets drunk, and we can even guess which of the three women he is late at night from there will leave.

2. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (73)

Whichever Pink Floyd album you choose, there will be many who disagree. In the inadequacy of some fans, we could see last year, when the material, previously unknown to the general public, was released, recorded together with Division Bell. The only good news is that the majority of aggressive fans are still children, for the sake of the excessive importance of their opinion, putting in the column the year of birth one thousand nine hundred and forty-eight. Personally, I think that "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" is the best cover in the band's history. Once again, I would like to draw your attention - this is not about music, but only about the design! Endless hospital beds, brain fog, a deserted beach - it's a very oppressive picture, and it's not hard to imagine Gilmour's feelings at that moment. Again, reminding that we are only talking about pictures, "The Wall" looks like the most boring cover, although many looking back at the musical masterpiece would choose it in this top. As a compromise - let "Dark Side of the Moon" take the second place, this is the choice of the majority in many polls, although I do not like it - there is an optical error in the image, one color is missing in the decomposition, and in general, the cover is not direct has nothing to do with the title and lyrics (how many more hidden messages the fans have to find!). However, the ability to create an endless design by gluing the cover with a second drawing is really amazing.

1. The Beatles - Abbey Road ("69")

Just look at all these people! In any weather and season, with any density of car traffic, regardless of weekends, fans of this group non-stop make their own versions of this fantastic cover, and only night can interrupt this process, but even then not always - I several times I went at night, and watched those who wanted to be photographed by the light of a flash. Oh poor drivers! Apart from everything famous photo attractions, the cover also gave life to several interesting stories, the American Paul Cole, aimlessly wandering down the street, and the owner of a Volkswagen parked on the left, the numbers of which were stolen until the car was sold at auction, and the white markings on the road, several times carefully removed by fans for personal collections and sale, received their share of popularity on the auction.

The world of music covers is whimsical and intricate. You can type a whole hundred interesting and significant things. But when writing this material, I decided to be guided solely by my own opinion. Yes, it's subjective, but honest. I selected only those covers that impressed me at the time.

To be honest, I hesitated for several minutes when choosing the title shot. There were fluctuations betweenThe Beatles" And "Pink Floyd". At the same time, each of these groups has several albums with beautiful artwork. I decided to limit myself and choose only one cover from one artist. In the end, I decided thatanimals» at «Pink Floyddeserves to be put first. A huge inflatable pig against the background of a gloomy building is strong. By the way, the pig was later used at concerts and flew away several times. And the building of the power plant eventually became a kind of landmark. The album was released in 1977.

In general, everything is clear about the title shot, and the cover below is “The Beatles» « Sgt. Pepper ͗ s Lonely Hearts Club Band". Record of 1967.

WITH "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! I liked it, although it was difficult in places. 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

That's amusing. If the covers "The Beatles" or "Pink Floyd"I'm well oriented, then"The rolling Stonessomehow passed me by. I listened to several albums from them for informational purposes, but this whole thing did not fall on my soul. And yet, the cover of this disc is firmly embedded in 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» specific group. I have never met a person who would strongly love the work of these guys. Yeah, I'm not a fan either. But here is one cover stuck in my memory. This is the album coverAoxomoxoa". There's more interesting point what with reverse side decoration you can find a little girl named Courtney Harrison. She is only 5 years old. 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 knowledge of their hits. I've never been a fan of this band, but the cover of their second CD "Queen IIFor some reason I remember. Perhaps because I often saw this image on T-shirts. A record with this cover was released in 1974.

David Bowie 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, embarrassment came out. Due to the fact that David was depicted as a human dog with visible genitals, the album did not want to be distributed. As a result, the back of the record was retouched. And the original cover can cost more than a thousand dollars sometime.

"The Mamas and the papas"And their album 1966 of the year"If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears"initially had beautiful cover. In my opinion of course. Some citizens were embarrassed by the toilet bowl. As a result, the album was released without him.

Elton John is, of course, a dubious rock musician for many, but my conscience does not allow me not to mention the brilliant artwork of his 1975 album. "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt cowboy"Fantastically done. Those who held this record in their hands will understand what I am talking about. And definitely appreciate it. There you can look at the spread for a long time, although the album is not double.

On June 3, 1970, the album "deep Purple in Rock". Since I don't write about the contents of the albums, but only look at the covers, I will omit the details of what effect he had on the world of music. But the cover is great too. The group has other interesting albums, but I decided to stop at this one. In my humble opinion, it is one of the most recognizable in terms of design, not only for a single group, but in general in the history of music.

Wu "Led Zeppelin" rich story. Including in terms of covers. Honestly, I was torn between three options. It was the same withThe Beatles» and with «Pink Floyd". There were people who knew how to competently approach the design of albums. Yes, and the sameThe rolling Stones» In addition to the album mentioned above, there were several other noteworthy designs. But since I have driven myself into the framework, I will remain in them.

The band's debut and self-titled album was released in 1969. The design used a real photo of the crash of the Hindenburg airship.

I love the groupThe Doors". But here's what's interesting. The musicians of the group appear on absolutely all album covers, with the exception of the 1967 disc “Strange days».

Jim later commented on the design as follows: "At least it's better than our filthy faces." Why faces appeared on the rest of the covers is a mystery. By the way, the photo is not a collage, but a staged frame 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 very humanizes these creatures.

Well. Let's go through my favorite punks. Well, or rather, their predecessors. "The Stooges» with the album «Fun housewere clearly ahead of their time. In 1970, few people needed such music. But it's not about the music, but about the design. In my opinion it is very successful. Iggy is captured in such a clear image. Either he is swimming somewhere, or he is destroying something.

Along with Iggy at the same time, there was another great band that played somewhere between rock and roll and what would later become punk rock. The debut album of the group "MC5" called "Kick Out The Jams' came out in 1969. Naturally, it did not become commercially successful. But the cover is interesting. Some crazy kaleidoscope of faces. With the release of the album, there was a scandal due to foul language, but today, of course, this is all ridiculously perceived. Over the past half century, the world of music has changed a lot.

In my opinion, one of the simplest and at the same time memorable covers was by the protégé of Andy Warhol. Debut album under the sign "The Velvet underground and Nico", released in 1967, outwardly recognizable and catchy. Interestingly, in the first editions, the banana was pasted on the envelope, and under it one could find another banana, but already peeled and pink.

« Ramones» are considered one of the main groups of punk rock. And I never liked them. For some reason they didn't come. But the album coverRocket to Russia» 1977 I consider worthy of attention. A simple shot, but very recognizable.

And here is my favorite punk cover. Just And known. "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols."1977 Today it is already a classic. Just like pins, tousled hair, ripped jeans and British flags have become classics. All this was beforesex Pistols”, but it was they who popularized all this charitable deed.

Joy Division with the albumunknown Pleasures» 1979, one of my main shocks at the time. True, I did not hold the plate in my hands. I had an audio cassette copied from a record. I wonder if that's what she really looked like. The famous drawing, and it is really famous - people still do such tattoos to themselves, is an illustration from an astronomical encyclopedia. This is a graph of hundreds of radio pulses from the first discovered pulsar. Before his discovery, it was believed that these impulses could come from intelligent beings. It turned out not. Space is much smarter than people.

It's actually a very symbolic cover. Interestingly, this is the only album that was released during the life of Ian Curtis. In 1980, he hanged himself, and the second album was released after his death. Well, 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 cut a bunch of other albums, collections, and still don’t understand what. I like the cover of the 1987 collection. And this whole thing is calledGive Me Convenience or Give Me Death". It is not just a collection of some of the best things. It's more of a compilation of previously unreleased tracks. Connoisseurs generally know. Well, here we are interested in the cover.

« The Exploited» great group. I am not kidding. Of course, it's boring to listen to them for a long time, but if you look at old videos, you can see what serious energy is rushing from these guys. As for me, this is one of the most important bands of punk rock. Again, it was they who brought into fashion the Iroquois and all sorts of skulls with them. They have a lot of good and iconic covers for me. But I decided to opt for the artwork of the 1983 album "Let’ s start a War". Perhaps he laid the foundation for all these skeletons and Iroquois. For punk culture, this is an undeniable milestone.

From punk rock at hand to much more heavy music. Although it is debatable which is harder. But it's not about the music. It's about the 1986 cover of the group "Metallica». « Master of Puppets” itself is a milestone in the history of music and, of course, its design also occupies a worthy place there.

« U2 as a band has never attracted me, but they definitely have one notable cover. Perhaps for many, the design of the 1991 album "Achtung Baby” will seem boring, but personally I 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 "Randomly".

« Depeche mode"and the album"violator” released in 1990 has a strict design. Cover design by Anton Corbijn. He also partially designed the previous disc "U2".

Group album "Nirvana» « Nevermindhit the shelves in 1991 and 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 on the cover today is an artist. And his name is Spencer Alden. By the way, this is not the only cover with his image. Already in the noughties, a solo album of one of the participants "skinny Puppy».

Album's cover "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness» 1995 may not be the most catchy in the history of rock music, but for me personally it is definitely important. This is a good album. And the design used a beautiful picture. Group album "The Smashing Pumpkins» double. Today this is a rarity.

The band's self-titled debut release "Rage Against The machinewas released in 1992. The design uses a real photograph of the self-immolation of a Buddhist monk. The picture, of course, was known in itself long before the release of the album. 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 disregard the lyrics, then he does not play anything so stunning. Well, that is how? I like his first albums. They are interesting. But if Manson had not had a tendency to outrageous, 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 with him. The only exception is the albumMechanical animals' released in 1998. By the way, only the face is from Manson on the cover. The chest during the installation was taken from one woman, and the hips from another. For real breasts, this is P Orij.

The group "KoIn"I really like the 1998 album"Follow the leader". Not only content, but also design. Perhaps because this animation is also in the clips of the team.

Having almost written the material, I remembered another interesting cover. For me, Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album artwork is one of the personifications of the USA. "Born in the U. S. A." I think it's very recognizable.

By the way, I read with surprise that even this cover was associated with a scandal. Someone thought that Bruce was urinating on the American flag. But in the end, this matter was sort of hushed up, and it was with this design that the disc was released.

I will finish the selection with the cover of the group "Lynyrd Skynyrd". Album "street Survivorswas released in 1977. At first glance, there is nothing of the kind in this cover. But three days after the release of the album, the group went on tour and crashed in a plane crash. In addition to the 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 tongues of flame. For some reason, this story really impressed me.

Now, actually, a small afterword about the covers that were not included and the moral foundations. Wu "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 selection "Virgin killer» groups «Scorpions". In general, I was very surprised that these guys did such a cover in 1976.

Wu "The Jimi Hendrix experience»was a fun idea with the cover «electric Ladyland". Naked beautiful aunts. 19 pieces. But of course, this design was not censored.

It had a good designThe Black Crowes» on the album «Amorica". But I decided to refrain from publishing.

In principle, for nudity, you can safely make a separate selection. Nicely done coverpixies" on "Surfer Rosa". Yes and the sameRoxy Musicdid not shy away from this approach.

Well, separately, I will also note the group "Pantera» with the album «Far beyond driven". Who needs those without me know what is depicted there. And, of course, remember the bootleg "Dawn of the Black Hearts» commands «Mayhem". The cover is dark.

In principle, other heavy groups also used corpses, dismembered bodies, bloodstains and other beauties in the design, but this will not penetrate me. Well I worked as an orderly at one time and saw enough of something. In the case of "Mayhem»It is interesting that the photograph of the corpse of the band's vocalist after the suicide was used in the design. For this activity, he used a shotgun. You understand that I will not insert such a photo here for ethical reasons.

I was surprised by the lack of exciting covers from such bands as “Rammstein» « NIN" And "Tool". These guys have enough good clips, but none of the covers sunk into my soul. Which is strange.

Well, that's all. Thank you for attention. I hope it was interesting. And of course it's interesting to know your opinion about the covers. foreign groups. Just a request! No need to insert any corpses from the covers into my comments. I already wrote that you won’t impress me with this, but I’ll repeat it again just in case. Also, do not show explicit pornography. More interested in something beautiful and unusual. Even if it's pop. It's all for the sim.