10 Best Album Art Records Every Collection Needs
While the media has shifted from vinyl to cassettes, CDs, and back to vinyl again. The artwork designed to represent our favorite albums continues to be a vibrant and dynamic element of music. Iconic album art used in great records spans many decades of music history.
This post lists the most iconic album artwork in music history. Some of the art has gained more recognition and popularity than the record they symbolize. Furthermore, many album covers are being used to decorate poster designs across the world.
The best albums can, in many ways, be improved with the help of incredible artwork. Without further ado, get ready to check through the 10 best album art records every collection needs as listed here.
Elvis Presley – 1956
Until Elvis made his debut, performers had typically been expected to behave in a certain way and show restraint while performing on stage. However, the Mississippi entertainer, who later became known as the King, defied the norm, moving his hips.
William V took the dramatic art shot at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida. With its impetuous and colourful graphics, the design of this cover was later replicated by British Punk The Clash as a cover for the group’s album London Calling.
Never Mind The Bollocks by the Sex Pistols -1977
Although during the psychedelic era record covers commonly featured lavish, surreal, and intricate illustrations, the Punk uncovered everything to its unadorned essentials. This debut by Britain’s angriest and loudest artists created by Jamie Reid, was, without doubt, a statement of intent.
The album cover used obscenity lettering that was quite shocking to the audience at the time. The shocking effect was increased by the Sleeve’s lurid color palette that was based on stickers distributed by a political movement.
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division – 1979
While the album itself never made it to the Billboard charts, the fascinating cover art created by Peter Saville is featured on millions of posters and T-shirts across the globe.
Bernard Summer chose the image to be included in the album art design, who was the group’s lead guitarist. The cover art presented the visualization of radio waves produced by a pulsar.
Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys – 1986
Created by Steve Byram and showcased by World B. Omes, the cover art idea for this album was a private jet parody acted as the cover idea for this album. That was a symbol of bloated 70s rock music that could not be removed from the Beastie Boy’s antics.
Parklife by Blur – 1994 - BEST ALBUM ART RECORDS
The album cover features an image taken by Bob Thomas, a photographer. The fantastic design of this cover was sourced from the unlikely title of greyhound racing.
Original Pirate Material by The Streets – 2002
This debut record features an exciting image titled Towering Inferno, which was shot by a German photographer and artist Rut Blees Luxemburg in 1995. As part of a recent project that focused on city life at night, the artwork illustrates the drugs and sex; the artist gives a narrative throughout the record.
Fallen by Evanescence – 2003 - BEST ALBUM ART RECORDS
The records cover art features Amy Lee in a defiant bad girl pose. The artist stares right at you, provoking a feeling of shared experience and empathy. The blurry outlook of the image evokes feelings of isolation and helplessness, which for many fans, is an essential scene.
American Idiot by Green Day – 2004 - BEST ALBUM ART RECORDS
The design of this album’s artwork features a heart-shaped grenade in a bloody fist. Chris Bilheimer designed the artwork. While different elements inspired the art, rumor has it that the Chinese communist propaganda art inspired the album artwork.
Born to Die by Lana del Rey – 2012 - BEST ALBUM ART RECORDS
David Bowden designed the beautiful and epic cover art of this album. It has an influential design that combines a mournful image of the artist with a bold bespoke font based typography that adds a fantastic cinematic outlook to the design.
Lemonade by Beyoncé – 2016 - BEST ALBUM ART RECORDS
With the new music era where streaming has taken over record-store browsing, there is no doubt that the importance of record artwork has declined. However, for the prominent artists, the artwork still has a profound effect, and there are very few if any singers that have been bigger than Beyoncé in the 2010s. In the album’s artwork, Beyoncé stands next to a car, wearing cornrow braids and a fur coat, using her arm to hide her face.
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