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35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

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Album cover art is often considered to be one of the “extincted” fields in modern graphics design. In times when digital copies are cheaper and quicker to get, album covers have somehow lost their importance as less and less customers actually buy CDs and LPs in the stores. That’s a pity because album covers can be extremely expressive and convey the message of the album in a number of creative ways. This post attempts to prove exactly that.

Music and art go hand in hand. And the best way to get a potential buyers’ attention is with an eye catching album cover. We all know you can’t just judge a book by it’s cover but it doesn’t hurt to give a CD a spin based off a sexy piece of art.

Below we present 35 excellent examples of beautiful, creative and impressive album covers that will certainly inspire you to head down to the local record shop and start browsing through records and labels. We have tried to address various cover designs and present both CD covers and LP covers from 60s to 2000s, however some excellent album covers are definitely missing. Please let us know about them in the comments to the post!

This post was updated. Thank you for the comments!

[Offtopic: by the way, did you already get your copy of the brand new Smashing Book?]

Album Covers

The Mars Volta “Frances the Mute”

67 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Danger Doom – The Mouse and the Mask

64 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Michael Jackson: Dangerous by Mark Ryden

Michael Jackson Dangerous-f in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Devil’s Gun – Raising The Beast

43 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Smashing Pumpkins: Zeitgeist by Shepard Fairey

Zeitgeist in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Keane: Under The Iron Sea by Sanna Annukka

Keane Under The Iron Sun in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Kisschasy: United Paper People by Debaser

Kisschasycover in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Editors: The End Has a Start by Idris Khan

The End Has A Start in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue

63 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Ground Components: An Eye for a Brow, A Tooth for a Pick by Jonathan Zawada

Ground Control Eye Brow in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Arcade Fire: Funeral

56 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Kool & the Gang – Still Cool

13 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon 1973

3 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Gallows: In The Belly of a Shark by Dan Mumford

Gallows Belly Of Shark in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Muse – Origin of Symmetry (thanks, Paul)

57 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Linkin Park – Reanimation

62 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Lemon Jelly: Lost Horizons by Airside

Lemonjelly-losthorizons Sml in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Tool: 10,000 Days

59 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Circa Survive: On Letting Go

90 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

The Last Goodnight – Poison Kiss

49 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Pink Floyd – The Division Bell

27 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Thom Yorke: The Eraser by Stanley Donwood

Theeraser in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (thanks, yaara)

58 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Architecture in Helsinki: Places Like This by Will Sweeney

Aih Places Like These in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

The Chemical Brothers: Push the Button by Tappin Gofton

Chemical Bros Pushbutton in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Rolling Stones – Forty Licks

37 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Rafale: Rock It, Don’t Stop It by Akroe

Rafale Rockit Dont Stop It in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Dream Theater – Scenes from the memory (thanks, OverZero.it)

60 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction

30 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Relayer: Yes

8 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Coldplay – Viva La Vida

32 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

New Order – Power, Corruption and Lies
Designed by one of today’s most influential designers Peter Saville (thanks, Shaun)

91 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Soulwax – Nite Versions

61 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Pixies – Doolittle

15 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Deerhunter – Cryptograms

20 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Hot Chip – The Warning

34 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Muse – Absolution

35 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

The Police – Ghost In The Machine

44 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti

53 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

DJ Shadow – Endtroducing…

65 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Wow – Moby Grape

45 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Genji Siraisi: Censorsh!t by Razauno

Sleevage Censorshit in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Radiohead – Hail to the Thief

16 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

VHS Orbeta – Bring On The Comets

6 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Van Halen – 1984

40 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Fort-Minor – The Rising Tied Front

55 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

The Roots – Game Theory

12-2 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Led Zeppelin – Mothership

52 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Nick Drake – Pink Moon

36 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

The Cribs – Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever

22 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Elton John – Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy

93 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

XTC – Drums and Wires

17 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Queens Of The Stone Age: Era Vulgaris by Morning Breath Inc

Qotsa Cover Final in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Beck: The Information by Big Active and you
“The album was issued with a blank sleeve and booklet and one of four different sheets of stickers for fans to make their own album art. Beck explained to Wired magazine he wanted no two copies of the CD cover to be the same: “The artwork is going to be customizable. The idea is to provide something that calls for interactivity.” However, because the unique album art concept was seen as a gimmick to bolster retail sales, The Information was deemed ineligible to enter the UK Albums Chart.”

TheInformation in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Merzbow – Frog: Remixed and Revisited

66 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

Last Click

The World’s First Album Cover
Alex Steinwess, a then 23 years old designer, convinced Columbia’s suits to create the first true album cover. Until then, 78s were sold in generic sleeves. Please notice that there is the word “smash” on the cover.

1 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

1-2 in 35 Beautiful Music Album Covers

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Ashley Ringrose is better known as Mr Truffle and editor of Sleevage a music design blog. He occasionally plays with Mr Potatoheads and dresses up in costumes. He is also a founding member of Soap Creative an Australian based digital agency.

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    1. 251
      Emily
      March 24th, 2009 12:05 pm

      I liked the end has a a start. The cover shows alot of motion. I adore the michanical look to the structure inside the wooshing motion, It is a very cool peice. =)

    2. 252
      Dwayne Michael Carter III
      March 24th, 2009 12:09 pm

      i think the “Nightmare” album cover by Lil’ Wayne should be apart of these album covers, it would make this page more unique

    3. 253
      WADE#3
      March 24th, 2009 12:14 pm

      i like all of these but it shouldve included SOAD’s debut album by the same name

    4. 254
      Big NO
      March 25th, 2009 11:48 am

      they were very cool and interesting to look at.

    5. 255
      Rudeeeee
      March 25th, 2009 11:48 am

      The album covers are TITE! i like The Mars Volta album cover!

    6. 256
      Nightmare N!cholas
      March 26th, 2009 11:38 am

      There are a lot of great works and some of my favorite albums of all time are on this list. I don’t like the song that well, but I love the album cover for Gallows: in the belly of a shark. The song is decent but the album cover is amazing.

    7. 257
      LOOPY LIZARD PANTS!
      March 26th, 2009 11:53 am

      LED ZEPPLIN SUCKS!! PINK FLOYD ROCKS! SO DOES THE REST OF THE BANDDSSS! MUSIC IS LIFE. PEACE OUT!!

    8. 258
      chuckbutler
      May 15th, 2009 6:57 pm

      I enjoyed looking through your list, but I think KISS “Destroyer” is a serious oversight.

    9. 259
      SonyaLynn
      May 21st, 2009 11:59 pm

      Some criminally-overlooked covers…

      Porcupine Tree, “Fear of a Blank Planet”
      Levitation, “Need For Not”
      Andy Prieboy, “…upon my wicked son” and “Sins of My Fathers”
      King Crimson, “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” and “Discipline”
      Jethro Tull, “Thick As a Brick”
      Pure Reason Revolution, “The Dark Third”
      Barkmarket, “Vegas Throat”
      ELP, “Brain Salad Surgery” (HR Giger, for crying out loud!)
      Eloy, “Colours”
      The Mars Volta, “Deloused In the Comatorium”
      Mike Oldfield, “Tubular Bells”
      Primus, “Frizzle Fry”
      VAST, “Visual Audio Sensory Theater”
      Devo, “Q: Are We Not Men?”

    10. 260
      Sean-Alan
      May 29th, 2009 5:01 am

      Lykke Li is defiantly missing, i love her album cover it’s very victorian inspired.

    11. 261
      Fabiano Melo-Natal Brazil
      August 7th, 2009 12:11 pm

      Friends, I love the major of cover you have posted herr,but for me the one of the most beautiful album cover is Nirvana Nevermind.

      B.r

    12. 262
      Fabiano Melo-Natal Brazil
      August 7th, 2009 12:13 pm

      Friends, I love the major of covers you have posted here,but for me the one of the most beautiful album cover is Nirvana Nevermind.

    13. 263
      luiz
      September 13th, 2009 9:30 am

      only one from New Order? it is clearly the band with the best covers ever, perhaps the list should have at least the Technique one
      but good list anyway

    14. 264
      steve
      October 6th, 2009 11:35 am

      Would liked to have seen Blue Note represented but your list gets mega points for the inclusion of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s, Lift Your Skinny Fists…

      Thanks for the cool article.

    15. 265
      TayMan
      October 27th, 2009 7:05 pm

      Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What about Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips!!

    16. 266
      Anne
      December 6th, 2009 12:54 pm

      Absolutely wicked… Love the creative, clever and talented artwork.
      One to add… please?
      Powderfinger’s 1st? album cover… it won the Aria for Best Album Cover Art.

    17. 267
      Labbai
      December 31st, 2009 3:13 am

      Dunno if anyone ever posted this suggestion, but Rod Stewart’s Foot Loose & Fancy Free has the most beautiful cover art ever. Not to talk about the booklet inside. So there. I’m talking about vinyl LP cover arts. Ok? No cd’s…

    18. 268
      Labbai
      December 31st, 2009 3:20 am

      Dunno if anyone ever posted this suggestion, but Rod Stewart’s Foot Loose & Fancy Free has the most beautiful cover art ever. Not to talk about the booklet inside. So there.

    19. 269
      stevejobs
      January 20th, 2010 1:53 pm

      love those covers! should’ve had dookie by green day though


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