Over the past 5-6 decades, album covers have become more and more
artistic, to the point where the best of them deserve a place in this
blog. They featured prominently in the past, and of course they will be
present in the new set-up. I have gone for a grouping per years of
release (covering 2-3 years per post). I will try not to include the
most famous album covers (like Sergeant Pepper, Dark Side of the Moon,
Nevermind), but focus on more obscure but very good examples. Also the
aim is no duplication of acts within one post. These posts are meant to
be illustrative only, not necessarily my personal top twelve for the
time period. The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.
Eve by The Alan Parsons Project (1979)
Eve is the fourth studio album by British art rock band The Alan Parsons Project. The album's focus is on the strength and characteristics of women, and the problems they face in the world of men. The gatefold cover art for Eve by Hipgnosis features three women wearing veils (two on the front, one on the reverse), with their faces partially in shadow. The shadows and veils partially conceal disfiguring scars and sores (the lesions were not real, however.
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division (1979)
Unknown Pleasures is the debut studio album by English rock band Joy Division. It has since received sustained critical acclaim as an influential post-punk album, and has been named as one of the best albums of all time by several publications. The cover has become an icon in itself. Peter Saville designed the cover of the album. One of the band memebrs chose the image, which is based on an image of radio waves from pulsar CP 1919, from The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy. Saville reversed the image from black-on-white to white-on-black, against the band's stated preference for the original. He was convinced that it was just "sexier in black", since it represented a signal from space.
Quiet Life by Japan (1979)
Quiet Life is the third studio album by English new wave band Japan. The album was a transition from the glam rock-influenced style of previous albums to a synth-pop style. The cover focuses (as usual for this band) on lead singer David Sylvian, in a typical androgynous style, with good choice of fonts and colours. The cover concept and photography is by Fri Costelo.
One Step Beyond... by Madness (1979)
One Step Beyond . . . is the debut album by the British ska-pop group Madness. The album cover has become representative for the group, recurring on merchandise and compilation albums. It is based on a photograph by Cameron McVey.
Look Sharp! by Joe Jackson (1979)
Look Sharp! is the debut album by English musician and singer-songwriter Joe Jackson. The cover ranked number 22 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers of all time. The photo used on the album's cover was shot by Brian Griffin. Upon arriving at the shooting location, Griffin noticed a shaft of light landing on the ground and asked Jackson to stand there: the whole process took no more than five minutes. According to Griffin, Jackson hated the record sleeve as it did not include his face, and vowed never to work with Griffin again.
In Through The Outdoor by Led Zeppelin (1979)
In Through the Out Door is the eighth and final studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. There were six different covers featuring a different pair of photos (one on each side). The pictures all depicted the same scene in a bar (in which a man burns a Dear John letter), and each photo was taken from the separate point of view of someone who appeared in the other photos. The photo session in a London studio was meant to look like a re-creation of the Old Absinthe House, in New Orleans. The album artwork was designed by Hipgnosis' Storm Thorgerson.
Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel (1980)
Rather confusingly, English rock star Peter Gabriel named his first four solo albums simply "Peter Gabriel", not even attaching a number. This is his third in that series, which received the nickname "Melt" because of the cover image. The photo was taken with a Polaroid SX-70 instant camera. The sleeve's designer Storm Thorgerson said: "Peter himself joined with us at Hipgnosis in disfiguring himself by manipulating Polaroids as they 'developed' ... Peter impressed us greatly with his ability to appear in an unflattering way, preferring the theatrical or artistic to the cosmetic."
Remain in Light by Talking Heads (1980)
Remain in Light is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, and is generally seen as the highlight of their discography. The cover (conceived by band member Tina Weymouth and computer expert Scott Fisher was originally planned to be the back cover (and vice versa), but in the end it was decided to use the computer-distorted portraits of the four band members for the front.
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) by David Bowie (1980)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), also known simply as Scary Monsters, is the 14th studio album by English musician David Bowie. It continues Bowie's tradition of special covers for special albums. The cover artwork of Scary Monsters is a large-scale collage by artist Edward Bell featuring Bowie in the Pierrot costume worn in the "Ashes to Ashes" music video, along with photographs taken by photographer Brian Duffy. Duffy was reportedly upset by the final artwork, as he felt the cartoon demeaned his photographs.
Boy by U2 (1980)
Boy is the debut studio album by Irish rock band U2. Thematically, the album's lyrics reflect on adolescence, innocence, and the passage into adulthood, themes represented on its cover artwork through the photo of a young boy's face. The photographer, Hugo McGuiness, and the sleeve designer, Steve Averill, went on to work on several more U2 album covers. For the American release and other international distributors, the album's cover image was changed due to Island Records' fears that it could be perceived as pedophilic....
British Steel by Judas Priest (1980)
British Steel is the sixth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. Not my favourite music, but the cover is excellent. It was designed by Rosław Szaybo based on photography by R. Elsdale and R. Ellis.
Signing Off by UB40 (1980)
Signing Off is the debut album by British reggae band UB40, their best album in my opinion. The front and back covers of the album are a replica of the yellow British UB40 unemployment benefit attendance card from which the band took their name, emphatically stamped with the words SIGNING OFF in capital letters. It was a statement by the band of leaving behind the world of unemployment and of their arrival on the music scene. The artwork was created by brothers Geoffrey and David Tristram.
Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.
