The best album covers are such because they are essential to the meaning and imagery an album is meant to communicate. It is no coincidence that the fates of artists, photographers, and musicians have often intertwined, resulting in graphic masterpieces that illustrated an album and became flags for generations and musical genres.
With the advent of digital, which has revolutionized the music industry, buying a CD or vinyl to admire its album cover art and flip through the booklet with lyrics has become a rare gesture, just a mere reflection of a nostalgic past. But the art of album covers has been recovered: they continue to be an extraordinary tool, along with videos, for representing the imagery of a musician or group.
Recently, the nostalgia effect combined with a growing desire to touch objects with one’s own hands has led to a resurgence of paper books, and vinyl records and with them a resurgence of the art of album covers. Just in 2022, 43.5 million LPs were sold in the U.S., up more than 48-fold compared to 2006 when the vinyl comeback began. And since only 50 percent of vinyl buyers actually have a record player, LPs appear to have become a bit of collectors’ item for fans, who listen to music digitally but still want to own a physical object.
What makes an iconic album cover?
Over the years, we have been blessed with countless great album covers spanning all genres and musical eras. But some have stood the test of time and have grown to become iconic images, often almost more famous and memorable than the artists themselves. Others instead have changed over time; first notorious images criticized by the press, now admired for their artistic bravery and influence they’ve had.
Selecting a list of the best album covers of all time is almost an impossible feat. It’s like going to the Louvre in Paris or the MoMA in New York and trying to objectively rank the art pieces exhibited. So no, attempting this impossible feat, this list will not be ranked and will not…
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