Post Your Favorite Album/Single Cover!Music 

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So iconic. So perfect. London Calling which has been posted a couple times is also great.
 
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Ha! Massive thread bumping!

Aside from creating a new thread, I new this one was out there. But I'm not going to contribute completely on topic. I found a great list of amazing artwork in album covers.

While recording artists and bands are busy recording their albums, a separate effort is usually being made behind the scenes to plan for the launch, promotion and circulation of the new tracks. The creation of album cover art is an intergral part of this process.

Some album covers feature heavily edited and airbrushed vanity photos of the musicians or recording artists. Thankfully, others are much more creative and work to create a cover image that reflects the mood, attitude or feel of the music it promotes. The most striking designs are those that capture both a buyer’s attention and the essense of the music.

The CD cover art designs and concepts featured in this showcase present dramatic, quirky, unusual or unique artwork. This type of cover art can make a big difference when a little-known band releases an album. Captivating or iconic cover art can make a band instantly recognizable, which increases sales, which in turn boosts airplay and subsequently demand for the music. Mainstream marketing is rarely this attractive, and the wide variety of beautiful CD cover art makes browsing CDs an enjoyable experience that reaches far beyond the music.

It must be noted that a collection of this nature is never complete, and the value of art is very personal and subjective. While we may love the familiar cover art of some classic favourites because we love the bands and the music, a critical look at the cover art can often be a disappointment. For the purposes of this cross-section of remarkable and obscure cd cover art we have chosen to ignore the musical genius of the albums in favor of showcasing brilliant cover art.

Rush - Power Windows (1985)
Aside from the fact that most Rush covers prior to 1995 were all awesome.



Osaka Popstar - Rock’em O-Sock’em Live! (2008)
This gruesome cover is meant to be humorous, but may err on the side of bizarre. What look to be dollish little men have lost their heads, and perhaps some sales opportunities as well.



Neutral Milk Hotel - The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)
Vintage-looking and abstract, this beautiful coverart begs for an explaination.


Tool - Ænima (1996)
One of many brilliant cover art designs for Tool, this one is also a stunning optical illusion.



King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
The street-art feel of this cover art is both comical and slightly unsettling.



Electric Light Orchestra - Out Of The Blue (1977)
This ELO cover art is classic and unforgettable.



Jerry Goodman - Ariel (1986)
Who doesn’t love flying fish? This cover art is confusing without being annoying. Someone might pick up this CD just to try to figure out what is going on with the cover.



Daydreamer - Dialogue (2008)
Bold slpashes of gold and red are used on this cd cover, which features a clever typography image. Haunting eyes peek out from beyond a mass of golden words that serve as hair.



Nick Drake - Pink Moon (1992)
A little bit of everything was thrown into this odd but intriguing cover art.



Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog (2007)
Pop art is featured on thie cd cover. Bright colors and an abstract image are combined to create something visually stunning.



The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (2005)
This cover art photo is organized confusion that might make would-be listeners curious about the music.



I'll post some more when I get the chance.
 
Some very worthy selections there, Diego 👍 The Mars Volta cover is particularly cool, although my personal favourite of your selection is, of course, the Crimson cover!
 
Some very worthy selections there, Diego 👍 The Mars Volta cover is particularly cool, although my personal favourite of your selection is, of course, the Crimson cover!

Not surprised in the least, Chris. Though I have to say I prefer the covers of Discipline and the newer The Power to Believe, but only because Court has gotten too much coverage. Still, it's the original that counts.

Glad to see you noticed. :)

One of my favourite Kansas albums.

Pink Floyd : Wish You Were Here

wishyouwerehere.jpg

There was an alternative version to that album which had much more fire on the right side. The back of it also had a pool where the water seemed to be seeping out.
 
Pixies - Doolittle (1990)
With a name like Pixies, you might expect sweet, innocent looking cover art. This is not the case.



The Roots - Things Fall Apart
(1999)
This album was released with five different covers, each depicting a social disaster. The most striking of the five, seen here, shows African American teenagers being chased down a street in Brooklyn during the Civil Rights era.



Unkle - Never, Never Land (2003)
The hand-drawn art on this cover is stark, simple and unique.



Story of the Year - Page Avenue (2003)
The title and art on this cover work beautifully together.



The Mothers of Invention - Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1988)
The cover art of this cd colorfully mocks the title.



Circa Survive - Juturna (2005)
This moody cover art grabs attention and doesn’t let it go.



Matt Elliott - Howling Songs (2008)
This strange, scary and truly original cover captures attenton and perfectly reflect the music’s essence (experimental rock and folk).



Circa Survive - On Letting Go (2007)
Two years later, Circa Survive released a new album with this cover, which seems caught between a dream and a nightmare



Thom Yorke - The Eraser (2006)
This cover, with it’s simple black, white and red hand-drawn design, is captivating.



Black Light Burns - Cruel Melody (2007)
Taking a more classical route on this cover art, Black Light Burns manages to catch a browser’s eye.



KMFDM - Hau Ruck (2005)
Harsh, abrupt, and loud, this KMFDM cover art gets in your face.




The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
(1967)
Some say no collection of cover art is worth mentioning without this cover.



Rivermaya - Buhay (2008)
The art on this cd cover is a bit perplexing. The mostly monochromatic design comes to life with a pop of red and yellow. As the eye is drawn into the picture, the oddities become evident.

 
As Cities Burn - Hell or High Water (2008)
Both Hell and high water make their appearance in this album cover by As Cities Burn, and the heavy relief styling mated with macabre humor do well to quickly catch your eye.



Bring Me the Horizon - Count Your Blessings (2006)
Good photographic composition draws the viewer’s eye to the little girl immediately in this cover from Bring Me the Horizon, only to then take it on a tour all over the picture.



Deftones - Deftones (2003)
Relaxed and friendly typography tops this self-titled album’s cover art, while perfectly over-contrasted colors surround the skull in the center. This cover stands out anywhere.



Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998)
The idea of such a limited color scheme and so much white space may seem boring on paper, but the execution of this album’s cover art was flawless and the image has been burned to memory for millions of fans world-wide ever since.



Frank Zappa - Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch (1995)
This cover combines a silly title with a Swedish-looking font and an imaginatively simple drawing that, once we’ve read the title, really does look like a drowning witch and a ship’s keel.



Toad the Wet Sprocket - Coil (1997)
This album cover, while very full of activity, manages to pull off a gorgeous, monochromatic glow that draws the reader in from the start.



The Rippingtons - Modern Art (2009)
While the typography on this cd cover could be much better, the "cool cat" and his art seem to make up for it.



The Van Buren Regulars - 14 Minutes ’till 3 (2007)
Beautiful lighting and a good setting make the photograph in this cover art perfect for what it’s been used for. The title of the album serves as a seat to the band-name and the reader feels relaxed, as though peering over the railing and looking down the stairwell like a child might.



Norma Jean - O God the Aftermath (2005)
Like viral marketing, Norma Jean’s album is made to stop a browser in their tracks and force them to wonder what happened on the cover. Did somebody write on it? Is this a used cd? This kind of extended attention is exactly what album art should get.



Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (2009)
Warm and grungy, this cd cover art also captures a tinge of teenage angst.

 
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