Favorite Album Covers

[Tim From Wisconsin]

I'm not sure if a thread was started on this in the past, but I was watching part of a series on VH1 about the best album covers, and I'd like to know what the board members think!

Keeping the music aside, and skipping past the great Raspberries and Eric solo album covers - What are your favorites?

In no particular order, some of mine would be:

Queen / News Of The World

Babe Ruth / First Base

Pink Floyd / Animals

Kansas / Point Of Know Return

Boston / Boston

Kiss / Destroyer

Kiss / Alive!

Supertramp / Crime Of The Century

Angel / Angel

Nazareth / Hair Of The Dog

Iron Maiden / Killers

Van Halen / Van Halen

Meatloaf / Bat Out Of Hell

Blue Oyster Cult / Cultosaurus Erectus

Thin Lizzy / Jailbreak

Sweet / Give Us A Wink

I'm sure I'll think of others...

Tim

[raspberrywine]

Pet Sounds

Sgt. Pepper

Stickey Fingers

Side 3

Disraeli Gears

London Calling

Ziggy Stardust

Derek and the Doninoes-Layla

Who's Next

[Billy K.]

Black Sabbath/"Never Say Die"

Pink Floyd/"Piper at the Gates of Dawn"

Beach Boys/"Wild Honey"

Stones/"It's Only Rock and Roll", "Satanic Majesties Request"

Yes/Just about any Roger Dean-designed cover from the 70s, they're all good.

Bad Company/"Straight Shooter"

There are a few others I can't think of off the top of my head......but will come up with them later.......

[Paulie Mississippi]

Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien (Comic Book Geek in me!)

Jim Steinman - Bad For Good (Fallen Angel theme fits his music to a tee)

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (Tribute to late comrade)

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivor (original cover with flames, not re-issue after plane crash)

Bread - Guitar Man (Love the "sketch effect")

[James]

Rush, "Fly By Night"...very cool art

Woody Guthrie, "Dust Bowl Ballads"...rough times he was writing about

Carly Simon, "No Secrets"...sexy times 2

Warren Zevon, "The Wind"...poignant

[pierson]

Raspberries- Raspberries

Ray Charles- What'd I Say

Dramarama- Cinema Verite

Dwight Twilley Band- Sincerely

Roxy Music- Country Life

Beatles- Meet The Beatles

Who- Sing My Generation

Echo & The Bunnymen- Heaven Up Here

Simon & Garfunkel- Bookends

Byrds- Mr. Tambourine Man

Bob Dylan- Blonde On Blonde

Neil Young- On The Beach

John Lennon- Plastic Ono Band

Yoko Ono- Plastic Ono Band

Paul & Linda McCartney- Ram

George Harrison- All Things Must Pass

Mott The Hoople- The Hoople

T. Rex- The Slider

REM- Murmer

Alice Cooper- School's Out

New York Dolls- New York Dolls

Slade- Slayed?

Ramones- Ramones

Dictators- Bloodbrothers

The Jam- Sound Affects

20/20- 20/20

Nilsson- Pandemonium Shadowshow

Fotomaker- Fotomaker

Pilot- Morin Heights

[mellie]

When it comes to album covers, I've never seen any that come close to comparing creatively to the artistic statements on EVERY cover of Spyro Gyra. If I had to pick a favorite, I would choose The Deep End.

[Matthew C. Clark]

Back in 1991 or 1992, Rolling Stone magazine showed the best "Album Covers" of all time. It had the group Metallica on the cover though. I do have that magazine & I will post as soon as I find it somewhere in my closet. Matt

[Matthew C. Clark]

The Rolling Stone magazine (Issue 617: November 14th, 1991) when it put out "The 100 Greatest Album Covers Of All Time". 1. The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967) 2. The Sex Pistols "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols" (1977) 3. The Beatles (White Album) (1968) 4. The Rolling Stones "Sticky Fingers" (1971) 5. The Rolling Stones "Exile On Main Street" (1972) 6. The Eagles "Hotel California" (1976) 7. Blind Faith (Naked Woman With Plane) (1969) 8. The Grateful Dead "Aoxomoxoa" (1969) 9. Big Brother and the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin) "Cheap Thrills" (1968) 10. The Velvet Underground "The Velvet Underground And Nico" (1967) 11. Joni Mitchell "Hejira" (1976) 12. Ry Cooder "Into The Purple Valley" (1972) 13. Santana "Abraxas" (1970) 14. The Cars "Candy-O" (1979) 15. Yes "Relayer" (1974) 16. New Order "Power, Corruption And Lies" (1983) 17. Debbie Harry "Kookoo" (1981) 18. Little Feat "Sailin' Shoes" (1972) 19. Jane's Addiction "Nothing's Shocking" (1988) 20. Carly Simon "Playing Possum" (1975) 21. The Small Faces "Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake" (1968) 22. Joe Jackson "Look Sharp!" (1979) 23. Bruce Springsteen "Born To Run" (1975) 24. It's A Beautiful Day (1969) 25. The Beastie Boys "Licensed To Ill" (1986) 26. Patti Smith "Horses" (1975) 27. The Plastic Ono Band "Live Peace In Toronto: 1969" (1970) 28. Bow Wow Wow "See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah! City All Over, Go Ape Crazy" (1981) 29. The Doors "Strange Days" (1967) 30. The Mothers Of Invention "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" (1970) 31. The Faces "Ooh La La" (1973) 32. The Who "Tommy" (1969) 33. Supertramp "Breakfast In America" (1979) 34. Grace Jones "Slave To The Rhythm" (1985) 35. Pink Floyd "The Dark Side Of The Moon" (1973) 36. Led Zeppelin (Debut) (1969) 37. T. Rex "The Slider" (1972) 38. Peter Gabriel (Melt) (1980) 39. The Clash "London Calling" (1979) 40. Elvis Presley (1956) 41. Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" (1975) 42. U2 "War" (1983) 43. Talking Heads "Fear Of Music" (1979) 44. The Wailers "Catch A Fire" (1973) 45. Public Image Ltd. "Metal Box" (1979) 46. Roxy Music "Country Life" (1974) 47. Bob Dylan "Bringing It All Back Home" (1965) 48. David Bowie "Aladdin Sane" (1973) 49. Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band "Doc At The Radar Station" (1980) & 50. Led Zeppelin "Houses Of The Holy" (1973). Others were The Jimi Hendrix Experience "Electric Ladyland" (Naked cover) (U.K.) (1968) Jerry Garcia Band "Cats Under The Stars" (1978) Grateful Dead "American Beauty" (1970) The Beatles "With The Beatles" (U.K.) (1963) Toto "Turn Back" (1981) The Ramones (Debut) (1976) Stevie Wonder "Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants" (1979) Emerson, Lake and Palmer "Brain Salad Surgery" (1973) Elvis Presley "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong" (1956) The Smiths (Debut) (1984) Sonic Youth "Daydream Nation" (1988) X "Los Angeles" (1980) King Crimson "In The Court Of The Crimson King" (1969) Graham Parker and the Rumour "The Parkerilla" (1978) Tom Waits "Franks Wild Years" (1987) Sly and the Family Stone "There's A Riot Goin' On" (American Flag) (1971) Isaac Hayes "Hot Buttered Soul" (1969) Bob Dylan "Self-Portrait" (1970) David Bowie "Diamond Dogs" (1974) Iggy Pop "The Idiot" (1977) Madonna "True Blue" (1986) Funkadelic "Cosmic Slop" (1973) Van Halen "1984" Miles Davis "Bitches Brew" (1970) Led Zeppelin "Physical Graffiti" (1975) Depeche Mode "A Broken Flame" (1982) Prince "Sign O' The Times" (1987) Traffic "The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys" (1971) Bruce Springsteen "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J." (1973) R.E.M. "Document" (1987) Steve Miller Band "The Joker" (1973) Funkadelic "Hardcore Jollies" (1976) Ohio Players "Honey" (1975) Pink Floyd "Atom Heart Mother" (1970) Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" (1977) Cream "Disraeli Gears" (1967) Boz Scaggs "Middle Man" (1980) Rod Stewart "Never A Dull Moment" (1972) Dead Kennedys "Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables" (1980) The Allman Brothers Band "Eat A Peach" (1972) Alice Cooper "Welcome To My Nightmare" (1975) Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention "We're Only In It For The Money" (1967) Miles Davis "Tutu" (1986) Madness "One Step Beyond..." (1979) The Rolling Stones "Some Girls" (1978) U2 "The Joshua Tree" (1987) Elvis Costello "Trust" (1981) Steve Winwood "Arc Of A Diver" (1981) Midnight Oil "Diesel And Dust" (1987) & The Who "Who's Next" (1971). Matt

[TOMMY TUNES]

The Top Ten that I can think of off hand are:

Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols / Sex Pistols

Go Girl Crazy / The Dictators

Side 3 / Raspberries

Born To Run / Bruce Springsteen

Manifesto / Roxy Music

Sticky Fingers / Rolling Stones

Horses / Patti Smith

Greetings From Asbury Park / Bruce Springsteen

New York Dolls / New York Dolls

Metal Box / Public Image Limited

[ira]

I know almost nothing about Frank Zappa-but his album cover-"Weasels Rip (Tear?) My Flesh"-I think of it even today-when I'm shaving.-Ira.

[CubbiefanMike]

Tonight Your Mine - Eric Carmen

Peter Gabriel - 2nd album (tearing through the album)

Blonde albums... dont know the names but always liked to look at them.

[raspberrywine]

Ira, what was the Zappa album where the cover was a parody of Sgt. Pepper? Do you recall that one?

[julesberry]

I believe that's 200 Motels.

Frank Zappa - another musical genius.

[raspberrywine]

I really dig a chick that knows her music. I see youre from Wisconsin, why dont we get together talk about our favorite cheeses and compare most disappointing Packers losses. What do you say?

[Early Wynn]

Cheap Trick - 1st Album

Cheap Trick - In Color

Spinal Tap - (1st Album)

Beatles - White Album

[julesberry]

Raspberrywine,

Could we talk ice hockey instead? And share a nice bottle of Carmenere with that cheese? It's a lovely red wine. Named quite appropriately I'd say.

[Mitch]

No rhyme or reason. Just covers that appeal to me on some level.

Raspberries-

Side 3

Starting Over

The Beatles-Abbey Road

Alice Cooper-

Easy Action

Pretties For You

Killer

School's Out

Welcome To My Nightmare

Be Bop Deluxe-Axe Victim

Michael Bruce-Rock Rolls On

Queen-News Of The World

Ohio Players-Honey

Left End-Spoiled Rotten

Foghat-Fool For The City

Billy Preston-Everybody Loves Some Kind Of Music

Blue Oyster Cult-

Club Ninja

Some Enchanted Evening

Uriah Heep-

Look At Yourself

Demons & Wizards

Kansas-Point Of No Return

Great White-Hooked

Ian Hunter-You're Never Alone With A scizophrentic

The Godz-

Nothing Is Sacred

Mongolians

Rick Derringer-If I Wasn't So Romantic I'd Shoot You

The Doors-Morrison Hotel

Boston-Boston

Billion Dollar Babies-Battle Axe

Michael Quatro Jam Band-Look Deeply Into The Mirror

Ted Nugent-If You Can't Lick'em-Lick'em

Steppenwolf-Rest In Peace

38 Special-Wild Eyed Southern Boys

Cream-Goodbye

Blue Ash-Front Page News

Black Oak Arkansas-X Rated

Glass Harp-

Glass Harp

It Makes Me Glad

Grand Funk Railroad-

On Time

Phoenix

Starz-Starz(Love the logo)

Angel

[Billy K.]

Mitch, is that Left End album the one with "Loser" on it....never have seen the album but when I was a college DJ, I used to play the single that we had.

And a few more on great covers:

R.E.O. -"If You Can't Tune a Piano....."

Chicago-#6...(has raised bank note style printing)

Rolling Stones- "Hot Rocks"

Tower of Power- "Back to Oakland"

Badfinger- "Badfinger"(gets you in the mood to ride horses, doesn't it)

Wildfire-"Flamethrower"(obscure band, probably some famous names involved).

Klaatu- "Klaatu"

[Mitch]

It's the same one Billy. They had two regional hits with Loser & Bad Talkin' Lady. They actually opened for the Raspberries when I saw them back in '74 in Youngstown. They were local heroes in Y-town, but they sounded more like Alice Cooper than the Raspberries, so it was another one of those odd pairings.

[Matthew C. Clark]

I can't believe that Rolling Stone magazine forgot about those Rush covers of "A Farewell To Kings", "Hemishpheres" & "Permanent Waves"!! Matt

[Guest]

Bowie diamond dogs

Queen News of the World

Elton Yellow Brick

king Crimson Krimson King

Mick Ronson Slaughter on 10th Ave

Pat Travers Putting it straight

Savoy Brown Looking In

Bowie Aladdin Sane

Zappa Overnight Sensation

[Tim From Wisconsin]

One that I always thought was cool, but a little creepy is "They Only Come Out At Night" by The Edgar Winter Group. I actually brought out that album to play about a month ago - I forgot that he had both Ronnie Montrose and Rick Derringer play guitar on that album!

Tim

[Matthew C. Clark]

I hated Edgar's "lips" on "They Only Come Out At Night" cover! Matt

[Mitch]

Billy.........I scanned the CD cover of Left End's Spoiled Rotten as well as three of their 45's, one of which is "Loser". Just look under the file "Left End".

http://photos.yahoo.com/guttercat18