Behind the Covers
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Issue №1 — Est. 2025An independent encyclopedia of album cover artResearched · Fact-checked · Corrected
Latest CoverBTC-492

Look Sharp!

Joe Jackson · 1979

Cover: Michael Ross

Brian Griffin photographed Joe Jackson's new white shoes almost as an afterthought during a day of portraits. A shaft of sunlight on London's South Bank turned the five-minute shot into Look Sharp!'s famous cover—and Jackson reportedly hated that his face had disappeared from his own debut sleeve.

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Look Sharp! by Joe Jackson — album cover artBTC-492
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
460+Album cover stories researched
Artists, designers & photographers covered
780+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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Hot Rats by Frank Zappa — album cover artBTC-491
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa · 1969
Cover: Cal Schenkel
Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks — album cover artBTC-495
Muswell Hillbillies
The Kinks · 1971
Photo: Rod Shone
The Who Sell Out by The Who — album cover artBTC-497
The Who Sell Out
The Who · 1967
Cover: David King and Roger Law
Movement by New Order — album cover artBTC-499
Movement
New Order · 1981
Cover: Peter Saville and Grafica Industria
THRASHER by Brandon Flowers — album cover artBTC-490
THRASHER
Brandon Flowers · 2026
Cover: Warren Fu
In Search of the Lost Chord by The Moody Blues — album cover artBTC-486
In Search of the Lost Chord
The Moody Blues · 1968
Cover: Philip Travers
Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies — album cover artBTC-487
Odessey and Oracle
The Zombies · 1968
Cover: Terry Quirk
School's Out by Alice Cooper — album cover artBTC-485
School's Out
Alice Cooper · 1972
Cover: Craig Braun
Aoxomoxoa by Grateful Dead — album cover artBTC-484
Aoxomoxoa
Grateful Dead · 1969
Cover: Rick Griffin
Double Nickels on the Dime by Minutemen — album cover artBTC-483
Double Nickels on the Dime
Minutemen · 1984
Cover: Minutemen / Raymond Pettibon
The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk — album cover artBTC-481
The Man-Machine
Kraftwerk · 1978
Cover: Karl Klefisch
Computer World by Kraftwerk — album cover artBTC-482
Computer World
Kraftwerk · 1981
Cover: Emil Schult

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

Researched stories Google is already testing near page one — refreshed from Search Console.

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Rumours by Fleetwood Mac — album cover artBTC-009
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac · 1977
? by XXXTentacion — album cover artBTC-382
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XXXTentacion · 2018
No Love Deep Web by Death Grips — album cover artBTC-408
No Love Deep Web
Death Grips · 2012
Is This It by The Strokes — album cover artBTC-169
Is This It
The Strokes · 2001
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
Surfer Rosa by Pixies — album cover artBTC-296
Surfer Rosa
Pixies · 1988
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis — album cover artBTC-340
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
Oasis · 1995
Yeezus by Kanye West — album cover artBTC-060
Yeezus
Kanye West · 2013

From the Deep Archive

Eight researched stories worth another look — refreshed weekly.

All cover stories →
Goo by Sonic Youth — album cover artBTC-020
Goo
Sonic Youth · 1990
Hot Rats by Frank Zappa — album cover artBTC-491
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa · 1969
Their Satanic Majesties Request by The Rolling Stones — album cover artBTC-212
Their Satanic Majesties Request
The Rolling Stones · 1967
Vitalogy by Pearl Jam — album cover artBTC-147
Vitalogy
Pearl Jam · 1994
We're Only in It for the Money by The Mothers of Invention — album cover artBTC-322
We're Only in It for the Money
The Mothers of Invention · 1968
White Blood Cells by The White Stripes — album cover artBTC-045
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes · 2001
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush — album cover artBTC-123
Hounds of Love
Kate Bush · 1985
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy — album cover artBTC-129
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Public Enemy · 1988

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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