In this day and age, it’s easy to disregard album covers since the way many of us acquire our music is digitally. However, album artwork is often times just as important as the music, as it’s the physical layer of creativity that encompasses the final package of music into a work of art. It’s easy to purchase music at the click of a button on iTunes, but when I really like an album, I purchase the physical album. I want to be able to hold their work of art in my hands because I feel as if that gives me a more personal relationship with their music. As old school as purchasing CDs may sound, it’s something that many people still do, and if you ask me I don’t see the digital age of music ever ending the production of the physical copies. Millions of albums have been produced throughout the years, and the Yahoo! Music Has put together their list of the most iconic album covers of all time. These album covers are all unique, creative, and shine in their own way. Take a look at the list and see if any of your favorites made the cut!
1) The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969). The famous scene in which The Beatles are walking on the Abby Road crosswalk, according to Yahoo!, is the most copied album covers in history.
2) Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973). Even if you aren’t a fan of the band, there’s a good chance you’ve seen this cover; the simple black background featuring a beam of light passing through a prism and coming out on the other side as a rainbow.
3) U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987). The world famous Irish band members are standing in the American desert for this cover, made to reflect certain themes presented in the album.
4) Nirvana – Nevermind (1991). Hard to believe this album is already twenty years old! The famous image of a baby in a swimming towards a dollar bill on the band’s first album will forever be an iconic image.
5) Queen – Queen II (1974). The image of the band’s faces is an artistic photograph by Mick Rock is one of the most iconic images for the Queen.
6) The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). Making the list for the second time, The Beatles eclectic and colorful album artwork for Sgt. Pepper proves once again how creative and innovative the band truly was.
7) Lady Gaga – Born This Way (2011). Even though she’s fairly new to the music scene in comparison to the others on this list, Lady Gaga is on the path to becoming a legend. Her album cover features her as half woman, half motorcycle. The standard edition is a close up of her head, all in black and white except for a shade of bright red lipstick.
8) Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982). The second album from the King of Pop continues to hold the record for the top selling album of all time. It will forever be an album that defies generations.
9) Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). The album that gave Lauryn Hill her solo debut, she achieved great success, as the album the broke the record for most sales by a female artist
10) David Bowie – Aladdin Sane (1973). It’s Impossible to have a top list of album covers without David Bowie, as he’s one of the most legendary and innovative artists of all time. The artwork for Aladdin San features him with the signature lightning bolt makeup against a white background.
By: Gina Stornetta
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/top-10-iconic-album-covers-1318546833-slideshow/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Ftop-10-iconic-album-covers-1318546833-slideshow%252F1-photo-1318540383.html
