Striking Album Covers

[eintein]

There's something very satisfying about buying a beautifully packaged album which looks as good as it sounds. Album cover art can be an incredibly inspiring field of graphic design, so share some of your favourite (or most hated) covers and let others be inspired.

It'd probably be safe to assume (in a community of designers) that most of your digital music collections are stringently curated galleries of perfectly categorized music... and that you put some degree of pride into doing so.

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/296/shadowsofthesun.jpg

This cover for the band Ulver just connects so strongly to the music, it's bold but still grounds itself strongly amongst other post-rock, experimental albums.

How about for you guys, which covers do you consider the most 'striking' ? (not necessarily your favourite)

[sausage]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k0QMvM_eyus/TN0mOVb1DTI/AAAAAAAAB78/fxE4qI8wuoc/s1600/Rainbow%2BRising.jpg


Bought this on a whim when I was 13 years old because the cover looked cool and have been a massive Blackmore fan ever since.

[mittens]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3563/3301016420_8e7580ebb4_o.jpg

shit album, though

[mittens]

this is why real men keep quiet, it doesnt exist if you can hide it

[mittens]

http://herzblutteufel.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/brandnewthedevilandgodareraginginsi1.jpg

[Sir Faggot Dibs]

I like A Matter of Life and Death:

http://213.215.107.200/fotoalbumy/274/710/f_274710864_b2c993df780b4f12e88395ef63106b7c.jpg

[eintein]

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2765/cover2517162632009.jpg

I thought this was rather cool too

[GB slayer]

A lot of Mastodon work by Paul Romano. For example Crack The Skye:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Cracktheskye.jpg
And Baroness, done by John Baizley, the guitarist and singer:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Baroness_-_Blue_Record.jpg
Pretty much I like all the psychedelic stuff with high art quality.

[Vindik8or]

All covers done by Roger Dean and Frank Frazetta.

[Jeremy's Dick]

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/931/20080119212512thecoupco.jpg

[lex luger]

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p319/lex3191/512347262_ba056c99b7_z.jpg

[Dick Car Derby]

Deal with it.

http://www.andrewkelsall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/8a-prodigy-fat-of-the-land-album-art.jpg

[Spudzilla]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/SpeedFighter/Stuff/court-crimson-king1.jpg

[Spudzilla]

No surprises there

[phantomdiorama]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oE5bklnX1_E/TJ04JDw7XoI/AAAAAAAACr8/OTIgN-nPFPw/s1600/tom+waits+-+21.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pV4H971PFdw/R1RtrUDmvRI/AAAAAAAAAK8/1sfcxhECTCo/s1600-R/milla.jpg

[Ricky Anders]

The Smiths album covers are great, as they all pretty much look like they're posters taken from Morissey's walls.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/archive/3/37/20090414155721!Smiths_-_Strangeways_here_we_come.jpg

[Vindik8or]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pV4H971PFdw/R1RtrUDmvRI/AAAAAAAAAK8/1sfcxhECTCo/s1600-R/milla.jpg

I'd paint a picture of me doing her.

[Ricky Anders]

But you couldn't, or, if you could, it would be very awkward to paint.

[Vindik8or]

What is your point?

[phantomdiorama]

The Smiths album covers are great, as they all pretty much look like they're posters taken from Morissey's walls.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/archive/3/37/20090414155721!Smiths_-_Strangeways_here_we_come.jpg

http://www.musicko.com/wp-content/uploads/the-smiths-cover.png

[Spudzilla]

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd163/Phishphan845/PinkFloyd-AtomHeartMotherSuite.jpg

[eintein]

Yay Chalky's back!

[Dick Car Derby]

http://harryallen.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/poohman.jpg

[Dick Car Derby]

http://img1.ifilmpro.com/blog//1/3/8/7/1387323/200809/1220561699488.jpg

[Dick Car Derby]

http://img3.ifilmpro.com/blog//1/3/8/7/1387323/200809/1220561751543.jpg

[Sir Faggot Dibs]

http://www.pinxoweb.com/artistas/portadas/wish%20you%20were%20here-pink%20floyd.jpg

[Spudzilla]

http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/archives/Genesis-Nursery_Cryme-Front.jpg

[BM2]

http://i.imgur.com/iKiyT.jpg

[eintein]

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/9025/sloughfegapeup600x600.jpg

[Spudzilla]

http://www.crabsodyinblue.com/dookie.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qTvnX_kfJMM/SgwL7NMWhTI/AAAAAAAAB60/L-dzxO0bubM/s400/black_sabbath_1970_self_titled.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WqM_GP5BFA/TM8BDOsNP_I/AAAAAAAAACI/CXsyzLfm6PQ/s1600/led-zeppelin-houses-of-the-holy.jpg

[eintein]

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/5521/cover4638513112009.jpg

[Spudzilla]

http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/e/electric-light-orchestra/album-eldorado.jpg

[Duck Dodgers]

http://img.noiset.com/images/album/the-unicorns-who-will-cut-our-hair-when-we-re-gone-cover-art-54822.jpeg

http://sowellremembered.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/odelay.jpg

http://dkpresents.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/massive_attack_mezzanine_l.gif?w=300&h=300

http://blog.scriptedfailures.com/gallery/1/The-Flaming-Lips-At-War-with-the-Mystics.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1_RCgCn5LX0/R8Io30WK9UI/AAAAAAAAABw/-quBdJRNtT4/s400/evangelicals_theeveningdescends_300.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AMbkLXORexo/S4hXwpA2piI/AAAAAAAACZg/4_VZ2WPVaRs/s320/Chad_VanGaalen_Infiniheart.jpg

[Duck Dodgers]

http://lugar.in/musica/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Battles-Mirrored.jpg

[keflex]

infiniheart's is good

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vY8I5HvOvk8/TIgF1Lsh_BI/AAAAAAAANwU/UmNvbR6m9vg/s400/17724L%5B1%5D.jpg

striking as fuck

http://www.obatik.com/assets/Images/Music/d/dinosaur-farm.jpg

dudes are high as

[Gobias Industries]

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/2509-the-dirty-south.jpg

[Spudzilla]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zgs5nmDeSv4/SwNc31VZyUI/AAAAAAAAH5M/Yh-w6IWGOLg/s1600/Discipline.jpg

[Lazlow]

http://imgur.com/RT3JH.jpg

[Spudzilla]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qqvbTlPznJk/SZH1nrnmkRI/AAAAAAAAEFw/tD0WNztnvEc/s400/Cheer+Up+-+blogger.jpg

[Readman]

http://elsitiodeltopo.com.ar/bed_time.jpg

[sausage]

honestly, is it that hard to link a fucking picture properly?

[Duck Dodgers]

http://www.obatik.com/assets/Images/Music/d/dinosaur-farm.jpg

dudes are high as

I was going to link this but then I got caught between that and Green Mind and You're Living All Over Me...then forgot about them totally.

[What a jerk]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/92/Deerhunter-Microcastle.jpg/220px-Deerhunter-Microcastle.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2011/08/balam.jpg

[eintein]

btw I did steal the op from another forum, I would never write a post that gay

[eintein]

intentionally

[What a jerk]

http://wfmu.org/Playlists/Diane/images/fugazi.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/909-the-ascension.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://991.com/newGallery/The-Jesus-Lizard-Down-485337.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/113/305216899_9b69b23bf0.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://www.weirdforest.com/assets/image/distro/maudlin-part2.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://www.cokemachineglow.com/images/9231.jpg

[eintein]

http://i.imgur.com/Gj8oB.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OI6F8eWbwoc/TSggEeu0coI/AAAAAAAAA_I/IP-mEkBU4XM/s1600/nick-drake-bryter-layter-333180.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VzUSulyxBZI/SoqUhsQfWII/AAAAAAAAA-o/sDC_VkPlxoA/s400/Pavement+Wowee+Zowee.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://i2.listal.com/image/2557163/600full-remain-in-light-cover.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://cdn2.pitchfork.com/news/43023/d8690481.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://xemul.ru/cov/soundlooks/animals.jpg

[What a jerk]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k9QEA7F7lc4/TcIuZfhbEWI/AAAAAAAAAK0/MHF2EOdwdYE/s1600/Ride+Fall+EP+cover.jpeg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://imgur.com/RT3JH.jpg

lazlowfied the thread

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://www.cokemachineglow.com/images/9231.jpg

that's awesome, what is that?

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://moole.ru/uploads/posts/2011-02/1298648025_front.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://i.imgur.com/IS09Q.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://i.imgur.com/K4yiG.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://i.imgur.com/M1vdl.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://i.imgur.com/5Nri4.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

totally count

[What a jerk]

that's awesome, what is that?

Seek Magic by Memory Tapes

kinda average album imo

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yoz61hrnIHw/TwSBFjl161I/AAAAAAAAJBI/f1sd__MVxTE/s1600/KAYO%2BDOT%2B-%2BGamma%2BKnife%2B%25282012%2529%2B%255B%255BM.G. %255D%255D.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vyXeriaArNU/TNYXYHB-_5I/AAAAAAAAAFE/h9-ckLN6CLI/s1600/Sing+To+God.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://cdn.hmvdigital.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/002/505/0000250590_500.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://ring.cdandlp.com/actionrock/photo_grande/114297077.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://goble.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/petergabriel2.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kr5iXhaPGn0/TFB9Tx0ng0I/AAAAAAAADxw/yRAPYHkZLdk/s1600/Bitches+Brew.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

not really an album cover but

http://images.coveralia.com/audio/a/Arctic_Monkeys-Whatever_People_Say_I_Am,_That_s_What_I_m_Not-CD.jpg

[Silver]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4kbBtb1KHKQ/S7oaM9hZdHI/AAAAAAAAA9s/2elngeLYYPg/s1600/aphex+twin+i+care+because+you+do.jpg

[dIsTaCtIoN]

reminds me of fearofthesky

[dIsTaCtIoN]

less fat though

[Silver]

heh.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_URean9xuFd0/TQCglcGXxYI/AAAAAAAABCw/FjHCuqc63zI/s1600/folder.jpg

[Silver]

reminds me of fearofthesky

Good to see that I wasn't the only one who saw it, its been creeping me out since i've been listening to some Aphex Twin lately.