The multi-dimensional Icelandic artist touts one-of-a-kind vocals and a futuristic pop sound somehow fuses the industrial and organic worlds. There’s hardly a more provocative musician than Bjork. Likewise, you pick up something new just about every time you play the album. You notice something new every time you gaze at it. Wells and many more, not to mention some spiritual leaders at the request of George Harrison. It’s a magical audience comprised of Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, H.G. The Beatles are there, too, in far-out military-inspired costumes front and center. The cover shows an all-star cast of cutouts, stacked like an amphitheater audience. The eighth studio LP from the Beatles is a visual tapestry of sorts. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles By splitting up the two halves of the plane and just showing the seemingly-normal rear section on the cover, it speaks to everything from not judging a book by its cover to the reckless nature of early hip-hop. It shows the group’s 727 crashing into a hillside. The plane idea was spawned by the album’s producer, Rick Rubin. The 1986 and debut release from Beastie Boys remains a striking illustration that’s easy to stare at. There are even several versions of it out there courtesy of a battle with DC Comics, which didn’t like the inclusion of Superman in the original cover. The artwork by Divya Srinivasan is charming and playful, much like the record’s sound. Fit with an old-timey greeting suitable for an old marquee, it incorporates the oddities of the state, from mob bosses and superheroes to paranormal activity and serial killers. The Illinois album cover functions like an animated compendium. It can almost be interpreted as a visual take on Lou Reed’s departure from the band, something that happened just before the release of this album. It captures the hazy, druggy, cerebral essence billowing up from subcultures everywhere, especially New York at that particularly creative era. The seminal 1970 release from The Velvet Underground shows a ghostly haze emanating from a subway entrance. The band would go on to create albums of other color shades, keeping the theme alive. For most editions, the cover cuts the quartet off at the feet, making the band look almost manikin-like, perhaps a subtle statement on the soullessness of going big in the music business. It shows the band before a simple blue backdrop, devoid of any double-meanings or mystery. Weezer’s best album is an exercise in straightforward themes. Folks flocked to the wall after the artist’s death in 2003 to pay their respects and it’s believed the painting fended off gentrification until just recently, when a gastropub opted to remove it. But the image reveals more, as Smith has stated, like the endless pursuit of perfection that a figure eight represents, while overlooking the imperfections inherent to being human. Smith, king of vulnerable and hushed indie-rock, never felt quite comfortable in his glossy adopted home of LA. Here, singer-songwriter Elliott Smith is pictured before a mural in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The earthy color scheme and incredible typography make the whole thing look as though it was carved out of ancient stone. He’s positioned in a box, which suggests he’s both confined and in a confessional-like setting. It’s an uber-artistic way of showing perspective, something Wonder offered a lot of throughout the record, which deals with racism and evil, non-inclusive politics. Wonder is looking toward the heavens, with a beam stretching from his eyes (of added importance considering his blindness). Innervisions by Stevie WonderĬreated by Efram Wolff, the cover to Stevie Wonder’s sixteenth studio LP showcased the artist as a purebred visionary. The interior is equally cool, with the refracted rainbow streak of light morphing into heartbeats. Regardless, it’s a clean and eye-catching cover that draws you in. Others say it reflects the astrological elements of the band, or, more simply, a Pink Floyd light show. Some argue that it’s the age-old battle between good and evil, light and dark. With so many possible meanings, the cover begs to be gawked at. This may be the most recognizable album in music, thanks to its simple prismatic nature. If the brain-melting guitar work of Beck had a corresponding image, this would certainly be it. It shows the fast-fingered British guitarist in blue light, vaporizing from left to right. That’s the case with Jeff Beck’s brilliant Wired record, released in 1976. Sometimes, an album cover sums up the sound visually.
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