Behind the Covers

iconic

95 cover stories in our archive

Behind the Covers' archive includes 95 album covers documented under the "iconic" design theme, spanning the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s. These covers sit within the hip-hop, pop, rock, r&b, soul, indie, alternative, punk, jazz, metal, funk, electronic, country, reggae, folk, blues tradition and feature work by Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Tate McRae, Taylor Swift and others. Each entry below includes the cover artwork, the designers and photographers behind it, and a short story about the visual choices that defined the release.

Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny — album cover art

Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny (2025)

Two white plastic chairs sit against a plantain tree backdrop in this deceptively simple cover that celebrates Puerto Rican identity. The ordinary objects transform into symbols of community, memory, and cultural resistance through Bad Bunny's artistic vision.

Label
Rimas Entertainment
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2020s
Read the full story →
GNX by Kendrick Lamar — album cover art

GNX by Kendrick Lamar (2024)

Photographed by Dave Free with lighting direction by Eduardo Silva, the stark black-and-white cover shows Kendrick posed with his 1987 Buick Grand National Experimental. The minimalist composition reflects pgLang's creative direction, connecting Lamar's birth year to automotive legacy.

Label
PGLang/Interscope Records
Photographer
Dave Free
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2020s
Read the full story →
Think Later by Tate McRae — album cover art

Think Later by Tate McRae (2023)

Tate McRae chose to pose with hockey knee pads painted with the album title as a tribute to her Calgary roots. The shoot was captured in October 2023, creating a striking visual of her standing over white goalie pads with blue lettering.

Label
RCA Records
Designer
Quincy Banks
Photographer
Conor Cunningham
Genre
Pop
Decade
2020s
Read the full story →
Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny — album cover art

Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny (2022)

A frowning one-eyed heart against a vibrant beach paradise became one of the most tattooed album covers in recent memory. Designer Adrian Hernandez turned Bad Bunny's pandemic sketch into a cultural touchstone — over 150 fans got the image inked the day after the album dropped.

Label
Rimas Entertainment
Designer
Adrian Hernandez (Ugly Primo)
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2020s
Read the full story →
Midnights by Taylor Swift — album cover art

Midnights by Taylor Swift (2022)

Taylor Swift's tenth album features ethereal blue-purple gradient portraits by photographer Beth Garrabrant, shot on film to capture the nocturnal aesthetic of Swift's sleepless nights concept album.

Label
Republic Records
Photographer
Beth Garrabrant
Genre
Pop
Decade
2020s
Read the full story →
To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar — album cover art

To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar (2015)

The confrontational cover shows a group of Black men from Compton celebrating on the White House lawn, with a dead judge at their feet — a multi-layered commentary on Black success, systemic racism, and the tension between triumph and self-destruction.

Label
Top Dawg / Aftermath / Interscope
Designer
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Photographer
Denis Rouvre
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2010s
Read the full story →
Run the Jewels 2 by Run the Jewels — album cover art

Run the Jewels 2 by Run the Jewels (2014)

The golden fist and gun logo that became hip-hop's most recognizable symbol was hand-drawn by underground comic artist Nick Gazin in his cramped Brooklyn apartment. What started as a quick sketch became an iconic emblem that fans tattoo on their bodies and spray-paint on walls worldwide.

Label
Mass Appeal Records
Designer
Nick Gazin
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2010s
Read the full story →
1989 by Taylor Swift — album cover art

1989 by Taylor Swift (2014)

A Polaroid-style portrait crops Swift's face below her eyes, creating mystery about the album's emotional content. The photography duo Lowfield shot over 400 Polaroid photographs for the project.

Label
Big Machine Records
Photographer
Sarah Barlow and Stephen Schofield (Lowfield)
Genre
Pop
Decade
2010s
Read the full story →
Yeezus by Kanye West — album cover art

Yeezus by Kanye West (2013)

Kanye West shocked the music world with a clear CD case sealed with red tape—no artwork at all. Virgil Abloh conceived it as an 'open casket' marking the death of physical music formats.

Label
Def Jam Recordings / Roc-A-Fella Records
Designer
Virgil Abloh
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2010s
Read the full story →
AM by Arctic Monkeys — album cover art

AM by Arctic Monkeys (2013)

The minimalist waveform design conceals 'AM' within its amplitude-modulated signal pattern. Designer Matthew Cooper created this iconic black-and-white artwork that perfectly matched the band's visual aesthetic for their hit 'Do I Wanna Know?' video.

Label
Domino Recording Company
Designer
Matthew Cooper
Genre
Rock
Decade
2010s
Read the full story →
Born This Way by Lady Gaga — album cover art

Born This Way by Lady Gaga (2011)

Lady Gaga's polarizing motorcycle-fusion cover sparked immediate controversy with fans calling it a "cheap Photoshop job." Shot by Nick Knight with the Haus of Gaga team, the image merged Gaga's head and arms with a custom motorcycle called "Predator."

Label
Interscope Records
Photographer
Nick Knight
Genre
Pop
Decade
2010s
Read the full story →
Back to Black by Amy Winehouse — album cover art

Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (2006)

The black-and-white portrait captures Winehouse's towering beehive, winged eyeliner, and an expression balancing glamour with haunted vulnerability — a deliberate homage to 1960s girl group aesthetics that matched the album's retro soul sound.

Label
Island / Universal
Photographer
Mischa Richter
Genre
R&B, Soul, Pop
Decade
2000s
Read the full story →
Illinois by Sufjan Stevens — album cover art

Illinois by Sufjan Stevens (2005)

Artist Divya Srinivasan created the intricate illustrated cover depicting Illinois themes including Lincoln, Al Capone, the Sears Tower, and originally Superman—until copyright concerns led to multiple versions with balloons and eventually an empty sky.

Label
Asthmatic Kitty
Designer
Divya Srinivasan
Photographer
Denny Renshaw
Genre
Indie
Decade
2000s
Read the full story →
Demon Days by Gorillaz — album cover art

Demon Days by Gorillaz (2005)

Jamie Hewlett's iconic four-panel portrait of the virtual band's animated characters pays direct homage to The Beatles' Let It Be cover. The quartered black background displays side profiles of 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel in simple sans-serif typography.

Label
Parlophone
Designer
Jamie Hewlett
Genre
Alternative
Decade
2000s
Read the full story →
The Black Album by Jay-Z — album cover art

The Black Album by Jay-Z (2003)

The photograph hiding behind Jay-Z's iconic Black Album cover was actually taken two years earlier for The Blueprint, showing the rapper in a New York Jets jersey before being heavily edited into the ghostly, fading-to-black image that became one of hip-hop's most recognizable covers.

Label
Roc-A-Fella Records / Def Jam Recordings
Designer
Robert Sims
Photographer
Jonathan Mannion
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2000s
Read the full story →
A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay — album cover art

A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay (2002)

A fashion shoot gone legendary: Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø's experimental 3D scan of a model became Coldplay's iconic 2002 cover after Chris Martin spotted it in Dazed & Confused magazine.

Label
Parlophone
Designer
Sølve Sundsbø
Photographer
Sølve Sundsbø
Genre
Alternative, Rock
Decade
2000s
Read the full story →
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco — album cover art

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco (2002)

Sam Jones shot hundreds of photos of Chicago before Lawrence Azerrad found the perfect Marina City image. Azerrad removed neighboring buildings to focus on the twin towers, creating an iconic cover that fans now call the Wilco Towers.

Label
Nonesuch Records
Designer
Lawrence Azerrad
Photographer
Sam Jones
Genre
Alternative
Decade
2000s
Read the full story →
Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park — album cover art

Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park (2000)

Frank Maddocks collaborated with the band to create this iconic stencil-graffiti soldier with dragonfly wings, inspired by Banksy. Mike Shinoda drew the original soldier illustration, while Maddocks executed the stenciling and added the wings.

Label
Warner Bros. Records
Designer
Frank Maddocks
Genre
Rock
Decade
2000s
Read the full story →
Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers — album cover art

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)

A surreal dream vision of a swimming pool where water becomes sky, creating one of alternative rock's most memorable album covers through a groundbreaking digital collage.

Label
Warner Bros. Records
Designer
Lawrence Azerrad
Photographer
Sonya Koskoff
Genre
Alternative, Rock
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill — album cover art

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill (1998)

The warm, sepia-toned cover resembles a wood carving or desk etching, referencing Carter G. Woodson's 1933 book 'The Mis-Education of the Negro' — a deliberate statement about authenticity and substance in late-1990s pop and hip-hop.

Label
Ruffhouse / Columbia
Designer
Erwin Gorostiza
Genre
Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
The Colour and the Shape by Foo Fighters — album cover art

The Colour and the Shape by Foo Fighters (1997)

The minimalist 3D rendered cover resembles the Atomium structure from the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Dave Grohl joked the album cover almost featured a psychoanalyst's couch, reflecting the album's therapy session concept.

Label
Roswell Records/Capitol Records
Designer
George Mimnaugh, Jeffery Fey
Photographer
Josh Kessler
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
OK Computer by Radiohead — album cover art

OK Computer by Radiohead (1997)

Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke created the disorienting collage of blurred highway imagery and distorted text during the album's recording sessions — a visual representation of information overload and anxiety about technology that proved remarkably prescient.

Label
Parlophone / Capitol
Designer
Stanley Donwood & Thom Yorke
Genre
Rock, Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Crash by Dave Matthews Band — album cover art

Crash by Dave Matthews Band (1996)

Thane Kerner's abstract illustration for Dave Matthews Band's breakthrough sophomore album has become synonymous with the band's visual identity. The enigmatic cover features flowing organic forms in muted earth tones, complemented by C. Taylor Crothers' band photography.

Label
RCA Records
Designer
Thane Kerner
Photographer
C. Taylor Crothers
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette — album cover art

Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette (1995)

The dual-image cover combines Morissette crouched on a Malibu cliff with a close-up portrait, enhanced by vivid reds, blues, and greens alongside typewriter-style fonts to capture the album's raw emotional intensity.

Label
Maverick Records
Designer
Thomas Recchion
Photographer
John Patrick Salisbury
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Parklife by Blur — album cover art

Parklife by Blur (1994)

The iconic greyhound racing image came from a sports photo library, shot by Bob Thomas at Romford Stadium in 1988. Designer Rob O'Connor sourced it after Blur explored London's working-class culture through betting shop imagery.

Label
Food Records
Designer
Rob O'Connor
Photographer
Bob Thomas
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Ready to Die by The Notorious B.I.G. — album cover art

Ready to Die by The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

A simple photograph of an infant against a white background creates extraordinary tension with the album's title — the child represents the starting point of a harrowing autobiographical narrative tracking life from birth through street violence and depression.

Label
Bad Boy / Arista
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Illmatic by Nas — album cover art

Illmatic by Nas (1994)

A childhood photograph of seven-year-old Nas superimposed via double exposure over a nighttime shot of the Queensbridge Houses — the ghostly overlay captures the collision between childhood innocence and adult reality that defines the album.

Label
Columbia
Designer
Aimee Macauley
Photographer
Danny Clinch
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Dookie by Green Day — album cover art

Dookie by Green Day (1994)

East Bay artist Richie Bucher created this chaos-filled cartoon depicting dogs and monkeys flinging excrement from Berkeley rooftops, working only from the album title and his childhood associations with the word 'dookie.'

Label
Reprise Records
Designer
Richie Bucher
Photographer
Ken Schles
Genre
Punk
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Automatic for the People by R.E.M. — album cover art

Automatic for the People by R.E.M. (1992)

The cover features a monochrome photo of a star ornament from Miami's Sinbad Motel, shot by Michael Stipe himself. Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn provided additional band photos while art director Tom Recchion crafted the mysterious aesthetic.

Label
Warner Bros. Records
Designer
Tom Recchion
Photographer
Anton Corbijn
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest — album cover art

The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest (1991)

Strikingly minimal by hip-hop standards — a silhouetted figure against black with Pan-African red, green, and white text. The visual simplicity reflected the album's musical philosophy of rhythm, space, and groove that most successfully merged jazz and hip-hop.

Label
Jive
Designer
Zombart International
Genre
Hip-Hop, Jazz
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Metallica by Metallica — album cover art

Metallica by Metallica (1991)

The almost entirely black cover — with a barely visible coiled snake and logo in a slightly different shade of black — signaled the band was stripping everything back to essentials, mirroring their shift from complex thrash structures to simpler, massive arrangements.

Label
Elektra
Designer
Peter Menell
Genre
Metal, Rock
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Nevermind by Nirvana — album cover art

Nevermind by Nirvana (1991)

Kurt Cobain's concept of a baby swimming underwater chasing a dollar bill on a fishhook became one of the defining images of the 1990s — a commentary on how humans are conditioned from birth to chase money.

Label
DGC / Geffen
Designer
Robert Fisher
Photographer
Kirk Weddle
Genre
Rock, Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden — album cover art

Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden (1991)

The iconic cyclone-like design with a spark plug center was drawn by Big Chief guitarist Mark Dancey after a casual backstage invitation from Soundgarden members Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron in 1991.

Label
A&M Records
Designer
Mark Dancey
Photographer
Michael Lavine
Genre
Rock
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers — album cover art

Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)

Dutch tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher designed the tribal artwork while filmmaker Gus Van Sant shot the band portraits for this iconic alternative rock cover. The stylized tongues reaching toward a single rose merged body art culture with grunge aesthetics.

Label
Warner Bros. Records
Designer
Henk Schiffmacher
Photographer
Gus Van Sant
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1990s
Read the full story →
Disintegration by The Cure — album cover art

Disintegration by The Cure (1989)

Created through layered Polaroid transparencies, projections and re-photographing, this ethereal cover features Robert Smith's face dissolving into swirling textures. The analog technique captured the album's themes of disintegration and emotional drift.

Label
Fiction Records
Designer
Andy Vella
Photographer
Andy Vella
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys — album cover art

Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys (1989)

The iconic panoramic street corner shot was captured by Jeremy Shatan but credited to Nathanial Hornblower, Adam Yauch's pseudonym. The fictional Paul's Boutique sign was hung over Lee's Sportswear for the shoot.

Label
Capitol Records
Photographer
Jeremy Shatan
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
The Joshua Tree by U2 — album cover art

The Joshua Tree by U2 (1987)

Photographed at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, this iconic black-and-white cover emerged from a December 1986 desert road trip. Designer Steve Averill framed the band cinematically against the stark landscape, while the actual Joshua tree photos ended up on the back cover.

Label
Island Records
Designer
Steve Averill
Photographer
Anton Corbijn
Genre
Rock
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses — album cover art

Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses (1987)

The iconic cross-and-skulls cover wasn't the original artwork - that was a controversial robot rape painting by Robert Williams. When retailers refused to stock it, Geffen moved Williams' art inside and used Billy White Jr.'s tattoo design instead.

Label
Geffen Records
Designer
Michael Hodgson
Genre
Rock
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen — album cover art

Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen (1984)

Annie Leibovitz shot Springsteen from behind facing an American flag — jeans, white t-shirt, red cap in pocket matching the flag's colors. The deliberate ambiguity mirrors the title track: a protest song widely misread as a patriotic anthem.

Label
Columbia
Photographer
Annie Leibovitz
Genre
Rock
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Purple Rain by Prince — album cover art

Purple Rain by Prince (1984)

Prince on a custom purple motorcycle, bathed in purple light and smoke, wearing a sequined jacket — the image that cemented purple as his personal brand. After his death in 2016, Pantone created a custom shade called 'Love Symbol #2' in his honor.

Label
Warner Bros.
Photographer
Ed Thrasher
Genre
Pop, Rock, Funk
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Shout at the Devil by Mötley Crüe — album cover art

Shout at the Devil by Mötley Crüe (1983)

A stark black pentagram on matte cover sparked Christian outrage and landed Motley Crue on ABC News. Photographer Barry Levine conceived the controversial design that defined 1980s metal rebellion.

Label
Elektra Records
Photographer
Barry Levine
Genre
Metal
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Thriller by Michael Jackson — album cover art

Thriller by Michael Jackson (1982)

The iconic cover features Jackson in a white suit borrowed from photographer Dick Zimmerman himself during the July 22, 1982 shoot. A baby tiger cub was brought in to help the camera-shy star relax, though the animal appears only in the gatefold version.

Label
Epic Records
Photographer
Dick Zimmerman
Genre
Pop
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne — album cover art

Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne (1980)

Ozzy's solo debut cover features the Prince of Darkness clutching crosses in a dramatic studio portrait that launched his post-Sabbath reinvention. Shot by Fin Costello at Metropolitan Wharf in London's Wapping district, the theatrical imagery perfectly captured the album's dark comic book aesthetic.

Label
Jet Records
Designer
Steve Joule
Photographer
Fin Costello
Genre
Metal
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
Remain in Light by Talking Heads — album cover art

Remain in Light by Talking Heads (1980)

Tibor Kalman's design obscures the band members' faces with red-tinted blocks, reflecting the album's themes of dissolving individual identity — influenced by Afrobeat, Brian Eno's theories, and West African polyrhythmic music.

Label
Sire
Designer
Tibor Kalman / M&Co
Genre
Rock, Electronic
Decade
1980s
Read the full story →
London Calling by The Clash — album cover art

London Calling by The Clash (1979)

Pennie Smith captured bassist Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass on stage — a slightly out-of-focus shot she didn't want used, but the band declared it the only possible cover. The typography deliberately mimics Elvis Presley's debut album.

Label
CBS
Designer
Ray Lowry
Photographer
Pennie Smith
Genre
Rock, Punk
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division — album cover art

Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division (1979)

Peter Saville placed a data visualization of radio pulses from the first pulsar ever discovered on the cover with no text — no band name, no album title, no label logo — creating one of the most widely reproduced images in popular culture.

Label
Factory Records
Designer
Peter Saville
Genre
Rock, Alternative
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — album cover art

Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1979)

The striking cover photograph by Glen Christensen captures Tom Petty with an enigmatic intensity that mirrors the album's defiant spirit. Art directed by Tommy Steele and designed by Stan Evenson, the image perfectly embodies the breakthrough record that took the Heartbreakers from critical darlings to mainstream stars.

Label
Backstreet Records / MCA Records
Designer
Stan Evenson
Photographer
Glen Christensen
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen — album cover art

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen (1978)

Frank Stefanko's stark portrait of Springsteen in his Haddonfield bedroom captures the album's raw, desperate mood. Shot against flowery wallpaper in winter 1978, the image strips away celebrity artifice to reveal the working-class character at the heart of the songs.

Label
Columbia Records
Designer
Andrea Klein
Photographer
Frank Stefanko
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac — album cover art

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac (1977)

The theatrical cover photo of Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks — him holding a crystal ball, her in flowing chiffon — masks the emotional chaos behind the scenes, where every romantic relationship in the band was simultaneously falling apart.

Label
Warner Bros.
Photographer
Herbert Worthington III
Genre
Rock, Pop
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
2112 by Rush — album cover art

2112 by Rush (1976)

Canadian prog artist Hugh Syme created Rush's iconic Starman logo for this breakthrough album, using his friend Bobby King as the nude model. The gatefold includes an awkward band photo shoot in white clothing.

Label
Mercury Records
Designer
Hugh Syme
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Boston by Boston — album cover art

Boston by Boston (1976)

Paula Scher designed this iconic cover featuring guitar-shaped spaceships fleeing an exploding planet. Illustrator Roger Huyssen drew the spaceships while Gerard Huerta created the lettering. Despite becoming one of rock's most recognizable covers, Scher considers it mediocre work.

Label
Epic Records
Designer
Paula Scher
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Night Moves by Bob Seger — album cover art

Night Moves by Bob Seger (1976)

The iconic portrait of Seger on the Night Moves cover was shot by Bay City native Tom Bert, who previously photographed Neil Diamond and would later win a Grammy for his Silver Bullet Band inner sleeve photography on Against the Wind.

Label
Capitol Records
Photographer
Tom Bert
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Ramones by Ramones — album cover art

Ramones by Ramones (1976)

The iconic debut cover shows four leather-clad punks against a brick wall in New York's East Village, shot by Punk magazine photographer Roberta Bayley for just $125. Originally taken for a magazine feature, the image became punk's visual blueprint after Sire Records rejected a Beatles-inspired concept shoot.

Label
Sire Records
Designer
Toni Wadler
Photographer
Roberta Bayley
Genre
Punk
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Red Headed Stranger by Willie Nelson — album cover art

Red Headed Stranger by Willie Nelson (1975)

Monica White designed Willie Nelson's outlaw transformation into visual reality. The stark portrait and wanted poster-style imagery helped launch the entire outlaw country movement alongside the album's sparse, revolutionary sound.

Label
Columbia Records
Designer
Monica White
Photographer
David Gahr, Don Hunstein
Genre
Country
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John — album cover art

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John (1975)

Alan Aldridge's airbrush masterpiece drew inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. Created with Harry Willock, the psychedelic artwork surrounds Elton John with mythical creatures in vivid detail.

Label
DJM Records (UK) / MCA Records (US)
Designer
Alan Aldridge
Photographer
Terry O'Neill
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Horses by Patti Smith — album cover art

Horses by Patti Smith (1975)

Robert Mapplethorpe's photograph of Smith — jacket over shoulder, no makeup, androgynous confidence — demolished gendered expectations for female musicians. It has been called the greatest rock and roll portrait ever taken.

Label
Arista
Photographer
Robert Mapplethorpe
Genre
Rock, Punk
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Piano Man by Billy Joel — album cover art

Piano Man by Billy Joel (1973)

The haunting cover of Piano Man features what many assumed were manipulated photographs but are actually photorealistic acrylic paintings by Bill Imhoff, one of Columbia Records' go-to album artists. The front and back cover paintings were originally gifted to Joel's manager before eventually being sold.

Label
Columbia Records
Designer
Beverly Parker
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Aladdin Sane by David Bowie — album cover art

Aladdin Sane by David Bowie (1973)

Brian Duffy's photograph of Bowie with Pierre LaRoche's red and blue lightning bolt painted across his face became the single most recognizable image associated with David Bowie — a visual icon of fractured identity and glam rock.

Label
RCA
Photographer
Brian Duffy
Genre
Rock, Pop
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John — album cover art

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John (1973)

Ian Beck's watercolor artwork depicting Elton John stepping through a poster into the yellow brick road became one of rock's most iconic covers. The triptych design featured individual illustrations for each song and was inspired by 1930s Hollywood glamour and Art Deco aesthetics.

Label
DJM Records
Designer
David Larkham
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings — album cover art

Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings (1973)

An accidental yellow-tinted photograph of prison convicts caught in a spotlight became one of rock's most iconic covers. Shot at a Georgian estate, it features Wings and celebrities including Christopher Lee, Michael Parkinson, and James Coburn as escaped prisoners.

Label
Apple Records
Designer
Storm Thorgerson
Photographer
Clive Arrowsmith
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd — album cover art

The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (1973)

The design firm Hipgnosis created one of the most recognizable images in music history: a prism dispersing white light into a spectrum of color. The band wanted something simple, clinical, and precise — a stark contrast to the psychedelic art dominating progressive rock.

Label
Harvest / Capitol
Designer
Storm Thorgerson & Aubrey Powell / Hipgnosis
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
The Slider by T. Rex — album cover art

The Slider by T. Rex (1972)

Marc Bolan's iconic top-hatted portrait sparked one of rock's greatest photo credit controversies. The grainy black-and-white image became accidentally legendary when an eager darkroom technician mishandled the developing chemicals.

Label
EMI / Reprise
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
The Harder They Come by Jimmy Cliff — album cover art

The Harder They Come by Jimmy Cliff (1972)

The iconic album cover for this reggae soundtrack featured artwork by John Bryant and sleeve design by London's CCS Associates. Bryant's vibrant illustration depicts Jimmy Cliff with dual pistols, using hand-drawn typography rendered in Bottleneck typeface with colorful gradients.

Label
Island Records
Designer
CCS Associates
Photographer
John Bryant
Genre
Reggae
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie — album cover art

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie (1972)

Shot on a rainy London night outside K. West furriers shop, this iconic image almost never happened - the original concept was completely different. Photographer Brian Ward captured Bowie in his full Ziggy regalia under moody street lighting, creating one of rock's most atmospheric covers.

Label
RCA Records
Designer
Terry Pastor
Photographer
Brian Ward
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
American Pie by Don McLean — album cover art

American Pie by Don McLean (1971)

The iconic cover features McLean's thumb painted in red, white and blue against an American flag backdrop. Photographer George S. Whiteman created this patriotic image that became as memorable as the album's epic title track.

Label
United Artists Records
Designer
George S. Whiteman
Photographer
George S. Whiteman
Genre
Folk
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn — album cover art

Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn (1971)

The landmark 1971 album that made Loretta Lynn a country icon features her signature autobiographical title track. Record World praised the "pretty cover, pretty singing, pretty girl" while Billboard called it a "great package" with distinctive country flavor.

Label
Decca Records
Genre
Country
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Blue by Joni Mitchell — album cover art

Blue by Joni Mitchell (1971)

The close-up of Mitchell's face bathed in monochromatic blue transforms a portrait into an emotional statement — her sadness and longing literally coloring everything. She described making the album as feeling 'like a cellophane wrapper on a cigarette pack.'

Label
Reprise
Photographer
Tim Considine
Genre
Folk, Pop
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones — album cover art

Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones (1971)

Andy Warhol's close-up of a man's crotch in tight jeans featured a real functioning zipper on the original LP — when unzipped, it revealed white underwear. The album also debuted the iconic tongue-and-lips logo by John Pasche.

Label
Rolling Stones Records
Designer
Andy Warhol
Photographer
Billy Name
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin — album cover art

Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin (1971)

The officially untitled album features no band name, no title, and no catalogue number — just a mysterious painting of an old man carrying sticks. Each band member chose a personal symbol instead of using names, most famously Jimmy Page's unexplained 'ZoSo.'

Label
Atlantic
Designer
Graphreaks
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
American Beauty by Grateful Dead — album cover art

American Beauty by Grateful Dead (1970)

The iconic American Beauty cover features a rose surrounded by ambigram lettering that also reads 'American Reality.' Created by the legendary Kelley/Mouse Studios duo, it ranked 63rd on Rolling Stone's best album covers list.

Label
Warner Bros. Records
Designer
Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley
Photographer
George Conger
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival — album cover art

Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970)

A candid band photo taken by Bob Fogerty shows CCR in an off-duty moment, complete with a handwritten 3RD GENERATION sign - a cheeky response to critic Ralph Gleason's dismissive review. The uncool, lumberjack aesthetic perfectly captured their working-class appeal.

Label
Fantasy Records
Photographer
Bob Fogerty
Genre
Rock
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Bitches Brew by Miles Davis — album cover art

Bitches Brew by Miles Davis (1970)

Mati Klarwein's Afro-psychedelic painting depicts two Black faces in profile surrounded by swirling organic forms — flowers, waves, fire, and cosmic phenomena — a visual match for the album that essentially invented jazz fusion.

Label
Columbia
Genre
Jazz
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Paranoid by Black Sabbath — album cover art

Paranoid by Black Sabbath (1970)

Keith Macmillan's War Pigs concept became iconic mismatch when label changed album title to Paranoid last-minute. Roger Brown posed as the fluorescent warrior in Black Park for heavy metal's most confusing cover.

Label
Vertigo Records
Designer
Keith Macmillan
Photographer
Keith Macmillan
Genre
Metal
Decade
1970s
Read the full story →
Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin — album cover art

Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin (1969)

George Hardie transformed Sam Shere's iconic 1937 Hindenburg disaster photograph into a haunting stipple illustration using a technical pen, creating one of rock's most powerful visual statements for just £60.

Label
Atlantic Records
Designer
George Hardie
Photographer
Sam Shere
Genre
Rock
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Abbey Road by The Beatles — album cover art

Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969)

The most famous pedestrian crossing in history was captured in just six shots during a 10-minute photo session. Photographer Iain Macmillan stood on a stepladder in the middle of London traffic while a policeman held back cars, creating an image that would spawn conspiracy theories and pilgrimages for decades.

Label
Apple Records
Photographer
Iain Macmillan
Genre
Rock
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Our Mother the Mountain by Townes Van Zandt — album cover art

Our Mother the Mountain by Townes Van Zandt (1969)

Milton Glaser's arresting cover design paired striking typography with Allen Vogel's intense portrait of Van Zandt. Glaser explained his goal was provoking people's interest to ask 'What the hell is that?'

Label
Poppy Records
Designer
Milton Glaser
Photographer
Allen Vogel
Genre
Folk
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash — album cover art

At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash (1968)

The stark close-up of Cash's intense gaze captured the raw authenticity of his legendary prison performance. Jim Marshall was the only official photographer present at the historic January 13, 1968 concert.

Label
Columbia Records
Designer
Howard Fritzson
Photographer
Jim Marshall
Genre
Country
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones — album cover art

Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones (1968)

The Rolling Stones' return to their blues roots sparked a six-month delay when both UK and US record labels rejected Barry Feinstein's original toilet cover art, forcing a controversial compromise.

Label
Decca Records
Designer
Tom Wilkes
Photographer
Michael Joseph
Genre
Rock
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience — album cover art

Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Karl Ferris pioneered the use of infrared film for album art, creating an otherworldly image where the band appears in unnatural purple, orange, and green hues through a fisheye lens — as if Hendrix had literally arrived from another dimension.

Label
Track / Reprise
Photographer
Karl Ferris
Genre
Rock
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground — album cover art

The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground (1967)

Andy Warhol's simple screen-printed banana on a white background became one of the first interactive album covers — the original pressing featured a peelable sticker revealing a flesh-pink banana underneath.

Label
Verve
Designer
Andy Warhol
Genre
Rock
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles — album cover art

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

The concept was born from Paul McCartney's idea that the Beatles would become an entirely fictional band. The cover depicts the band in colorful satin military uniforms standing in front of a crowd of life-size cardboard cutouts of famous figures.

Label
Parlophone / Capitol
Designer
Peter Blake & Jann Haworth
Photographer
Michael Cooper
Genre
Rock, Pop
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin — album cover art

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin (1967)

Jerry Schatzberg's powerful portrait of Aretha Franklin, shot on February 16, 1967, captures the emergence of the Queen of Soul. The intimate photo shoot in New York crystallized her newfound artistic freedom.

Label
Atlantic Records
Designer
Loring Eutemey
Photographer
Jerry Schatzberg
Genre
Soul
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Revolver by The Beatles — album cover art

Revolver by The Beatles (1966)

Klaus Voormann's revolutionary black-and-white collage combines pen-and-ink drawings with photographs, using the Beatles' flowing hair to create a psychedelic masterpiece that won the first Grammy Award for rock album artwork in 1967.

Label
Parlophone
Designer
Klaus Voormann
Photographer
Robert Freeman
Genre
Rock
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys — album cover art

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966)

The iconic photo of The Beach Boys feeding goats at San Diego Zoo was shot by Capitol Records staff photographer George Jerman. The band's visit on February 10 or 13, 1966, was reportedly so chaotic that zoo officials banned them for life.

Label
Capitol Records
Photographer
George Jerman
Genre
Rock
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan — album cover art

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan (1963)

Don Hunstein's photograph of a 21-year-old Dylan walking arm-in-arm with girlfriend Suze Rotolo down a snowy Greenwich Village street defined the visual template for singer-songwriter culture: intimate, urban, unpretentious, romantic.

Label
Columbia
Photographer
Don Hunstein
Genre
Folk
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
King of the Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson — album cover art

King of the Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson (1961)

Released in 1961 without any known photos of Johnson, Columbia commissioned artist Burt Goldblatt to paint a faceless musician in field clothes. The overhead view painting became an iconic blues cover that influenced a generation of rock musicians.

Label
Columbia Records
Designer
Burt Goldblatt
Genre
Blues
Decade
1960s
Read the full story →
Satan Is Real by The Louvin Brothers — album cover art

Satan Is Real by The Louvin Brothers (1959)

One of the most infamous album covers ever created, featuring a 12-foot plywood Satan cutout designed by Ira Louvin and burning kerosene-soaked tires in a rock quarry. The brothers nearly got burned during the photo shoot when kerosene-soaked rocks exploded.

Label
Capitol Records
Designer
Ira Louvin
Photographer
William R. Eastabrook
Genre
Country
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet — album cover art

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)

S. Neil Fujita's abstract painting for Time Out broke jazz album cover conventions, replacing typical band photos with bold modernist art that visually mirrored the experimental odd-time signatures within.

Label
Columbia Records
Designer
S. Neil Fujita
Genre
Jazz
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
Blue Train by John Coltrane — album cover art

Blue Train by John Coltrane (1958)

Francis Wolff's pensive photograph of Coltrane, cropped and designed by Reid Miles, became one of jazz's most iconic album covers. The minimalist Blue Note aesthetic perfectly matched the introspective masterpiece within.

Label
Blue Note Records
Designer
Reid Miles
Photographer
Francis Wolff
Genre
Jazz
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley — album cover art

Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley (1958)

Chess Records assembled this debut album from Bo Diddley's early singles, capturing the foundational Bo Diddley beat. The cover shows Diddley holding his Gretsch G6131T Jet guitar in a striking portrait by photographer Chuck Stewart.

Label
Chess Records
Photographer
Chuck Stewart
Genre
Rock
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
After School Session by Chuck Berry — album cover art

After School Session by Chuck Berry (1957)

Chuck Berry's debut album features a striking cover image taken from his performance in the 1956 film Rock, Rock, Rock! The still shot shows Berry with his guitar slung in front of him, capturing the raw energy of early rock and roll.

Label
Chess Records
Genre
Rock
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
Here's Little Richard by Little Richard — album cover art

Here's Little Richard by Little Richard (1957)

The debut album's cover features a striking black-and-white close-up photograph of Little Richard against a bright yellow background. Billboard praised the "striking" cover art upon its 1957 release, helping establish the visual identity of rock and roll's most flamboyant pioneer.

Label
Specialty Records
Designer
Thadd Roark and Paul Hartley
Photographer
Globe
Genre
Rock
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! by Johnny Cash — album cover art

Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! by Johnny Cash (1957)

The groundbreaking debut album from Johnny Cash marked the first LP ever released on Sam Phillips' legendary Sun Records label, featuring classic tracks like 'I Walk the Line' and 'Folsom Prison Blues' with an iconic cover design that helped establish the visual identity of rock and roll's birthplace.

Label
Sun Records
Genre
Country
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley — album cover art

Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley (1956)

Elvis Presley's debut album features a groundbreaking cover photo taken by William V. "Red" Robertson at a Tampa armory in 1955. The bold pink and green typography over the dynamic black-and-white performance shot created rock's first iconic album cover.

Label
RCA Victor
Photographer
William V. "Red" Robertson
Genre
Rock
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →
In the Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra — album cover art

In the Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra (1955)

Alex Steinweiss created this iconic painted cover depicting Sinatra alone under street lamps on a deserted night-time street, perfectly matching the album's melancholy mood of lost love and loneliness.

Label
Capitol Records
Designer
Alex Steinweiss
Genre
Jazz
Decade
1950s
Read the full story →

Related design themes