Behind the Covers
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Issue №1 — Est. 2025An independent encyclopedia of album cover artResearched · Fact-checked · Corrected
Latest CoverBTC-465

Music Has the Right to Children

Boards of Canada · 1998

Cover: Boards of Canada

Boards of Canada's Music Has the Right to Children uses a faded family photograph with every face erased into a pale blur. The image was adapted from a real family photo taken at Banff Springs in Alberta, Canada, then transformed by the duo into the perfect visual companion to an album built from childhood memory, educational-media nostalgia and unease.

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Music Has the Right to Children by Boards of Canada — album cover artBTC-465
A Researched Editorial Archive

The story, design, and photography behind the world's most iconic album covers.

We credit the people behind the artwork, examine the myths instead of repeating them, and correct the record when we get something wrong — checked against interviews, monographs, liner notes, and the design press.

About the archiveEditorial policySources & method
Album cover stories researched
440+Album cover stories researched
Artists, designers & photographers covered
720+Artists, designers & photographers covered
Independent sources reviewed per story
2+Independent sources reviewed per story
Researched, fact-checked & updated
WeeklyResearched, fact-checked & updated

Latest Album Cover Stories

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Emergency & I by The Dismemberment Plan — album cover artBTC-462
Emergency & I
The Dismemberment Plan · 1999
Cover: Travis Morrison
Exile on Main St. by The Rolling Stones — album cover artBTC-461
Exile on Main St.
The Rolling Stones · 1972
Cover: John Van Hamersveld / Norman Seeff
The Dreaming by Kate Bush — album cover artBTC-456
The Dreaming
Kate Bush · 1982
Cover: Kate Bush
Visions by Grimes — album cover artBTC-460
Visions
Grimes · 2012
Cover: Claire Boucher
B'Day by Beyoncé — album cover artBTC-454
B'Day
Beyoncé · 2006
Cover: Fuko Chubachi
Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins — album cover artBTC-455
Heaven or Las Vegas
Cocteau Twins · 1990
Cover: Paul West
Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath — album cover artBTC-458
Heaven and Hell
Black Sabbath · 1980
Cover: Lynn Curlee
Come On Over by Shania Twain — album cover artBTC-457
Come On Over
Shania Twain · 1997
Cover: March Tenth Inc.
The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe — album cover artBTC-459
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe · 2010
Cover: Chad Weatherford, Chuck Lightning
A Trick of the Tail by Genesis — album cover artBTC-453
A Trick of the Tail
Genesis · 1976
Cover: Hipgnosis / Colin Elgie
If You Want Blood You've Got It by AC/DC — album cover artBTC-452
If You Want Blood You've Got It
AC/DC · 1978
Cover: Bob Defrin
The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers — album cover artBTC-451
The Holy Bible
Manic Street Preachers · 1994
Cover: Richey Edwards

Reader Favorites

The stories our readers return to most
Yeezus by Kanye West — album cover artBTC-060
Yeezus
Kanye West · 2013
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac — album cover artBTC-009
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac · 1977
The Money Store by Death Grips — album cover artBTC-203
The Money Store
Death Grips · 2012
Surfer Rosa by Pixies — album cover artBTC-296
Surfer Rosa
Pixies · 1988
American Pie by Don McLean — album cover artBTC-267
American Pie
Don McLean · 1971
Crash by Dave Matthews Band — album cover artBTC-227
Crash
Dave Matthews Band · 1996
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins by John Lennon & Yoko Ono — album cover artBTC-400
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins
John Lennon & Yoko Ono · 1968
Tommy by The Who — album cover artBTC-294
Tommy
The Who · 1969
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Today's Music & Cover Games

Play the full daily lineup in one place: Close Up, Guess the Year, The Thread song-connection game, and the Daily Cover Quiz. Your completion state follows you through the slate.

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Cover Stories Drawing Search Interest

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Rumours by Fleetwood Mac — album cover artBTC-009
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac · 1977
Yeezus by Kanye West — album cover artBTC-060
Yeezus
Kanye West · 2013
Surfer Rosa by Pixies — album cover artBTC-296
Surfer Rosa
Pixies · 1988
The Money Store by Death Grips — album cover artBTC-203
The Money Store
Death Grips · 2012
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins by John Lennon & Yoko Ono — album cover artBTC-400
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins
John Lennon & Yoko Ono · 1968
The Fat of the Land by The Prodigy — album cover artBTC-153
The Fat of the Land
The Prodigy · 1997
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket by blink-182 — album cover artBTC-435
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
blink-182 · 2001
Power, Corruption & Lies by New Order — album cover artBTC-121
Power, Corruption & Lies
New Order · 1983

From the Deep Archive

Eight researched stories worth another look — refreshed weekly.

All cover stories →
"Awaken, My Love!" by Childish Gambino — album cover artBTC-205
"Awaken, My Love!"
Childish Gambino · 2016
2112 by Rush — album cover artBTC-231
2112
Rush · 1976
White Blood Cells by The White Stripes — album cover artBTC-045
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes · 2001
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd — album cover artBTC-053
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd · 1975
3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul — album cover artBTC-037
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul · 1989
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane — album cover artBTC-312
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane · 1965
A Seat at the Table by Solange — album cover artBTC-046
A Seat at the Table
Solange · 2016
Abraxas by Santana — album cover artBTC-313
Abraxas
Santana · 1970

Explore the Archive

More than articles — the whole catalog, mapped, connected, and playable.

01
Cover ConnectionsAn interactive graph of every artist, designer, photographer and label — spot how the pieces connect.Explore →
02
Today's GamesFour daily album-cover games in one lineup — play Close Up, Guess the Year, The Thread, and the Daily Cover Quiz.Explore →
03
Cover Locations MapThe real streets, studios and corners where famous cover shots were made — on an interactive world map.Explore →
04
Covers by ColorEvery cover's palette, extracted and indexed — find albums by the color they lean.Explore →
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