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Album covers aren’t just packaging—they’re visual statements that define an era. From surreal paintings to bold photography, these iconic artworks are as legendary as the music they represent.
 

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
A prism dispersing light—simple yet profound. Inspired by a physics textbook and album art pioneer Alex Steinweiss, this cover reflects Pink Floyd’s stage lighting, lyrical depth, and desire for a bold design.
 

 

The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
Andy Warhol’s banana print turned album cover art into pop culture. Early versions invited listeners to “Peel slowly and see,” revealing a risqué surprise—now a collector’s dream.
 

 

Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
A mysterious old man carrying sticks? This antique shop find became rock history. Once thought to be a painting, research suggests it's an 1892 hand-colored photograph.
 

 

Duran Duran – Rio (1982)
A striking woman, a bold smile—Patrick Nagel’s stylish painting gave Rio its iconic 80s aesthetic, discovered in the pages of Playboy by the band’s co-manager.
 


Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night (1987)
An homage to Henri Rousseau, this jungle-themed artwork by Brett-Livingstone Strong originally hung in Lindsey Buckingham’s home before becoming an album cover.
 

 

Coldplay – Viva la Vida (2008)
Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People with a rebellious twist—Coldplay scrawled “VIVA LA VIDA” across it in white paint, merging history with modern rock.
 

 

Guns N' Roses – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
A piece of Raphael’s The School of Athens, reimagined by Mark Kostabi, set in bold yellow and red. Its counterpart, Use Your Illusion II, mirrored the design in blue and purple.
 

 

David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust (1972)
A moody, neon-lit street scene. Shot in monochrome and recolored by Terry Pastor, this cover captures the essence of Bowie’s legendary alter ego.
 

 

Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)
The oldest artwork on this list—an Ethiopian depiction of St. George from the 15th century, once exhibited at the Peabody Essex Museum.
 

 

Blur – Think Tank (2003)
Blur got Banksy before Banksy was mainstream. The graffiti artist’s stencil design added an underground edge to their seventh studio album.
 

 

*Bonus Track*
Prince – The Rainbow Children (2001)
A tribute to female musicians, this cover features Cbabi Bayoc’s The Reine Keis Quintet, still hanging at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios.
 

 

From classic paintings to avant-garde photography, these covers are more than just art—they’re pieces of music history 👩‍🎨

 

Which one is your favourite? 🎨 🎶

Amazing article ​@Nina Nebo 😁

Let’s celebrate this amazing Art Day! 

 

For me, this always will be the Top 😁

Amazing music and such a piece of art 😎

 

What about you, amigos?

Share your favourite piece of art/album cover with us! 😎

​@Nina Nebo  ​@awesomemac ​@FriskyProdigy ​@GropplerZorn ​@Noam Asulin ​@Superschlumpf 😁

 

Amazing article ​@Nina Nebo 😁

Let’s celebrate this amazing Art Day! 

 

Thank you ​@Alfredo.Deezer 😊

Don’t judge the book by its cover, but I agree, an album with a great cover, with or without a story, is very important.

Well….which albumcover comes to mind the first?

I really like Rodney Matthews. He’s been the cover artist for many hardrock bands. Asia, Magnum, Rolling Stones.

From Wikipedia:
 

Rodney Matthews (born 6 July 1945) is a British illustrator and conceptual designer of fantasy and science-fiction.

Career

>edit]

Trained at the West of England College of Art, Matthews worked in advertising for Plastic Dog Graphics before turning freelance in 1970, initially under the name Skyline Studios."1]"2]

Matthews has painted over 140 subjects for record album covers, for many rock and progressive rock bands.u3] More than 90 of his pictures have been published worldwide, selling in poster format, 4] as well as many international editions of calendars, jigsaw puzzles, postcards, notecards, snowboards and T-shirts. His originals have been exhibited throughout the UK and Europe. He has been a regular exhibitor at the Chris Beetles Gallery,w5] in London's West End, where he met English comedian, actor, writer and producer John Cleese,l6] an avid collector of his work.

 

1996:

1992:

 

And his most recent album art, 2025:

 

 

Black Sabbath (2009 Remastered Version) by Black Sabbath

 

Photographer and graphic designer Keith MacMillan set up a shoot at a 15th-century watermill near from London.  He hired 19-year-old model Louisa Livingstone to appear as an ominous, witchy-looking woman in a black cloak. With smoke machine they got effect, captured on aerochrome film and rest is history .

 

Black Sabbath (2009 Remastered Version)

 

 

Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) (Live) by Grateful Dead

 

 

The Cover Uncovered: How the Grateful Dead created the artwork for ‘Skull & Roses’

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-grateful-dead-created-artwork-skull-roses/

 

 

 

 

 

Some Girls by The Rolling Stones

 

Some Girls

 

 

The Rolling Stones – Some Girls album art

 

https://fontsinuse.com/uses/53377/the-rolling-stones-some-girls-album-art-1

 

 

 

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Deluxe Edition)

by The Smashing Pumpkins

 

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Deluxe Edition)

 

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Remastered)

by The Smashing Pumpkins

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Remastered)

 

The dreamy cover image of The Smashing Pumpkins' landmark 1995 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the work of illustrator John Craig. 
Melancholy is beyond sad: as a noun or an adjective, it's a word for the gloomiest of spirits. Being melancholy means that you're overcome in sorrow, wrapped up in sorrowful thoughts.

 

 

 

 

Moving Pictures (2011 Remaster) by Rush

 

The album cover is a monument to triple entendre. Movers are physically moving pictures, people are crying because the pictures passing by are emotionally “moving,” and the back cover depicts a film crew making a “moving picture” of the whole scene.

 

 

https://www.rush.com/albums/moving-pictures/

 

 

RELAYER THE GATES OF DELIRIUM

 

 

 

Relayer (Deluxe Edition)  by Yes

 

 

https://www.rogerdean.com/product-page/relayer-the-gates-of-delirium

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