Note: I sort of typed this up fast, so I am sure the typos are many. I didn't think this would be this hard, but I drew a blank for quite awhile. I also wanted to stay away from putting 10 Beatles albums on there just because that wouldn't be much fun. I am still toiling away with the bad album cover list. I don't have time now to pop on the album covers, but I will try and do it sometime this weekend.
10. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Most people think of the Born in the U.S.A. cover with Bruce and the Flag behind him when they think of Springsteen album covers. I always like this one. I always thought this was the more striking cover with the white background and Bruce with his guitar. It just went with the whole theme of the album.
9. War - U2
I have this one on vinyl and it's very jarring to see a close of a young boys face with such angry eyes and a bloodied fat lip. This was when U2 was political without apologies and without trying to jade music fans. This could be one of the more important albums and covers from the 80s.
8. Nevermind - Nirvana
I can't help looking at this cover and wondering how they did that. So I looked it up and basically they just threw that baby in the water and shot a whole roll of film in about 30 seconds. I also found out that kid is like 17 now and has no shortage of pickup lines.
7. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band - The Beatles
You can look at this one forever and try and figure out who each face is. Or you can try to pick out all the Paul is Dead symbology. Or you can just get distracted by all the bright colors. There's a little bit of everything in this one. Most of all it captures the circus feel of the entire album.
6. Back in Black - AC/DC
I sort of had to choose between this and Metallica's Black Album for this one. It's bold when a band trys to just sell the album with a blank, black cover. It was never more appropriate though then when AC/DC released this album following the death of its lead singer. It didn't hurt that this ended up being probably their best album.
5. Get a Grip - Aerosmith
All I really have to say is cow utters. How many bands could get away with that? Maybe it's just funny to me because I grew up in the midwest, but come on cow utters.
4. Bat Out of Hell - Meatloaf
This one always catches my attention when going through my collection of CDs. I'll pull it out and just look at it even if I have no intention of listening to the album, which more often than not I don't. But it does capture the essence of rock 'n roll with the crazy looking guys driving his motorcycle off the cliff and into the pits of hell.
3. Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
It takes a lot of balls to put a male crotch on the front of your album and then have a very noticeable bulge in the front to boot. Even if you don't want to look, you almost compelled to do so. But it's sort of the sophomoric humor that has helped the Stones stay alive for 150 years now.
2. Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin
Well to some degree the Zeppelin was always a little weird and this cover sort of epitomizes that with all the nude 'childlike' creatures crawling over the beach and rocks. This is one of the covers that I think every body recognizes when they see it, even if they don't know the title of the album.
1. Abbey Road - The Beatles
I think this has morphed into the most iconic of the many images the Beatles put out there. It just sort sums up the fact that this was it for them. They're all dressed differently walking single file across the street. I've always imagined they hit the sidewalk and all went off in different directions. It's just very serene.
Showing posts with label Best Album Cover Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Album Cover Art. Show all posts
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Snakester's Top 10 Album Cover Art
Cover art has always been an essential part of music. It can set a tone for the album or turn you off to the music in an instant. Here are some of my favorites.
10. News To The World - Queen:
I remember getting his on vinyl from my uncle. Which would support the idea that cover art has a very different effect on the old vinyl LPs. They did alot more with the cover art them. The cover folded out I think and there is another picture of the robot reaching down into a globe structure full of screaming people. I guess it strikes me because of the remorseful look on the robot's face as he holds the dead/injured bodies. It is a very detailed drawing. Maybe it signifies technology gone wrong or how our own advancement can mistakenly be our undoing. Not sure, but I always liked looking at this one.
9. Vulgar Display of Power - Pantera:
I always loved the title of this album for Pantera and the cover art just adds to the meaning. Their music is like a punch to the face when you listen to it. This is by far their best album and I think the cover art sets the tone from the moment you look at it. I don't know whether it is or not, but I always thought it looked like Dimebag Darrell that was getting punched on the cover.
8. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd:
Perhaps one of the best albums ever made is very open to interpretation. The cover art follows suit with a simple display of how a prism refracts light into the colors of the rainbow. The cover only supports the fact that this album goes with The Wizard of Oz. Between the connection of the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow and the more visual connection of plain light (black & white) turning into the rainbow (color) as in the movie. Either way this image is perhaps even more iconic now that the band themselves.
7. Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine:
They used an iconic picture from the 60's of a Vietnamese monk setting himself on fire in protest of the group. That pretty much sets the tone for their own music. Protesting persecution of minority races ranging from blacks & hispanics to native americans. It is a startling image that grabs your attention and makes you think deeper about your own resolve. It made a lasting impression of me since I first saw it.
6. Tommy - The Who:
It is a cool image that took me a long time to figure out. I always found it interesting with the woven pattern and one side being a picture of a sky with some birds flying. I think I finally read somewhere that it represents the openness of the human mind and how easily things pass through. Once I understand that, it gave the cover an ever better representation for the theme of Tommy. Even before that, it was still an awesome image.
5. Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden:
I love almost all of Iron Maiden's cover art with their mascot Eddie. This is by far my favorite. The devil looking like he is controlling a small eddie that is dancing on the ashes of burning corpses only to have Eddie puppeterring the devil. This is classic metal and adds to the mystic of devil worship even though there is like nothing overly Satanic about their music. I can only imagine how great this would look in a large vinyl cover!
4. Nevermind - Nirvana:
A symbol for a generation. I always wondered why there wasn't more outrage at the picture of the naked baby in the pool. These days they would have liked to have an investigation into Cobain's child pornography habits. It represented the change in culture and how the obsession for money was starting younger and younger in people. The purity of a naked child versus the evil of corporate money. You could almost say that was the struggly of Cobain's life.
3. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin:
This is probably the balliest cover art concept in the history of music. The original LP had no distinguishing marks of a title or the name of the band. Even today when I look at the CD cover of just the picture of the old man, it sets a good tone for the sound of album. Alot of it seems to harken back to the old world. The foldout on the vinyl cover shows a complete imagine of the picture hanging on a partially destroyed wall with the city in the background. There is sort of an enviromentalist vibe to it and I think some of the symbols on the album even represent base elements like Earth & water.
2. Master of Puppets - Metallica:
And Justice For All, Kill 'em All, & Ride The Lightening could have all probably made this list, but this one maked the biggest statement. The crosses of the dead connected by puppet strings to these hands in the sky. A grim picture that could be a statement on war or religion. Eitherway the tone is dark and menacing setting the stage for one of the greatest albums ever.
1. Abbey Road - The Beatles:
There are lots of great Beatles cover art but this is my favorite imagine. To me it beats of the others because it is an actual photo that is completely full of symbolism, some of which we still probably don't understand. I remember this cover especially being one to examine closely for clues on the Paul Is Dead conspiracy. (John in white of a preacher, George in plain clothes of the undertaker & Paul shoeless just as people are buried & Ringo in a black suit as an attendee of the funeral) It is a pop culture icon in itself and I could never list all the different parodies and tributes I have seen.
Honorable Mention:
Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan: stylish & suggestive
Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen: Iconic
Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers: cool photoshop
Metal Health - Quiet Riot: a good metal image
Sticky Fingers - Rolling Stones: sex appeal in overdrive
The Beatles - The Beatles: took some guts & could probably disprove the point of this list
10. News To The World - Queen:
I remember getting his on vinyl from my uncle. Which would support the idea that cover art has a very different effect on the old vinyl LPs. They did alot more with the cover art them. The cover folded out I think and there is another picture of the robot reaching down into a globe structure full of screaming people. I guess it strikes me because of the remorseful look on the robot's face as he holds the dead/injured bodies. It is a very detailed drawing. Maybe it signifies technology gone wrong or how our own advancement can mistakenly be our undoing. Not sure, but I always liked looking at this one.
9. Vulgar Display of Power - Pantera:
I always loved the title of this album for Pantera and the cover art just adds to the meaning. Their music is like a punch to the face when you listen to it. This is by far their best album and I think the cover art sets the tone from the moment you look at it. I don't know whether it is or not, but I always thought it looked like Dimebag Darrell that was getting punched on the cover.8. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd:
Perhaps one of the best albums ever made is very open to interpretation. The cover art follows suit with a simple display of how a prism refracts light into the colors of the rainbow. The cover only supports the fact that this album goes with The Wizard of Oz. Between the connection of the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow and the more visual connection of plain light (black & white) turning into the rainbow (color) as in the movie. Either way this image is perhaps even more iconic now that the band themselves.7. Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine:
They used an iconic picture from the 60's of a Vietnamese monk setting himself on fire in protest of the group. That pretty much sets the tone for their own music. Protesting persecution of minority races ranging from blacks & hispanics to native americans. It is a startling image that grabs your attention and makes you think deeper about your own resolve. It made a lasting impression of me since I first saw it.6. Tommy - The Who:
It is a cool image that took me a long time to figure out. I always found it interesting with the woven pattern and one side being a picture of a sky with some birds flying. I think I finally read somewhere that it represents the openness of the human mind and how easily things pass through. Once I understand that, it gave the cover an ever better representation for the theme of Tommy. Even before that, it was still an awesome image.5. Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden:
I love almost all of Iron Maiden's cover art with their mascot Eddie. This is by far my favorite. The devil looking like he is controlling a small eddie that is dancing on the ashes of burning corpses only to have Eddie puppeterring the devil. This is classic metal and adds to the mystic of devil worship even though there is like nothing overly Satanic about their music. I can only imagine how great this would look in a large vinyl cover!
4. Nevermind - Nirvana:
A symbol for a generation. I always wondered why there wasn't more outrage at the picture of the naked baby in the pool. These days they would have liked to have an investigation into Cobain's child pornography habits. It represented the change in culture and how the obsession for money was starting younger and younger in people. The purity of a naked child versus the evil of corporate money. You could almost say that was the struggly of Cobain's life.3. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin:
This is probably the balliest cover art concept in the history of music. The original LP had no distinguishing marks of a title or the name of the band. Even today when I look at the CD cover of just the picture of the old man, it sets a good tone for the sound of album. Alot of it seems to harken back to the old world. The foldout on the vinyl cover shows a complete imagine of the picture hanging on a partially destroyed wall with the city in the background. There is sort of an enviromentalist vibe to it and I think some of the symbols on the album even represent base elements like Earth & water.2. Master of Puppets - Metallica:
And Justice For All, Kill 'em All, & Ride The Lightening could have all probably made this list, but this one maked the biggest statement. The crosses of the dead connected by puppet strings to these hands in the sky. A grim picture that could be a statement on war or religion. Eitherway the tone is dark and menacing setting the stage for one of the greatest albums ever.1. Abbey Road - The Beatles:
There are lots of great Beatles cover art but this is my favorite imagine. To me it beats of the others because it is an actual photo that is completely full of symbolism, some of which we still probably don't understand. I remember this cover especially being one to examine closely for clues on the Paul Is Dead conspiracy. (John in white of a preacher, George in plain clothes of the undertaker & Paul shoeless just as people are buried & Ringo in a black suit as an attendee of the funeral) It is a pop culture icon in itself and I could never list all the different parodies and tributes I have seen.Honorable Mention:
Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan: stylish & suggestive
Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen: Iconic
Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers: cool photoshop
Metal Health - Quiet Riot: a good metal image
Sticky Fingers - Rolling Stones: sex appeal in overdrive
The Beatles - The Beatles: took some guts & could probably disprove the point of this list
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