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.
Moving Pictures by Rush (1981)
Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian progressive rock band Rush. The album title is a pun, which inspired the cover as well. From the Wiki entry: "The cover was designed by Hugh Syme who estimated the artwork cost $9,500 to produce. Anthem Records refused to cover the entire bill, leaving the band to pay for the rest. It is a triple entendre; the front depicts movers who are carrying pictures. On the side, people are shown crying because the pictures passing by are emotionally "moving". Finally, the back cover has a film crew making a motion picture of the whole scene. It was photographed outside the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park, Toronto. The pictures that are being moved are the band's Starman logo featured on the reverse cover of 2112 (1976), one of the Dogs Playing Poker paintings entitled A Friend in Need, and a painting that shows Joan of Arc being burned at the stake.
Red Mecca by Cabaret Voltaire (1981)
Red Mecca is the third studio album by English post-punk band Cabaret Voltaire, generally seen as their best effort. The stunning abstract cover is credited to British designer Neville Brody.
Heaven Up Here by Echo And The Bunnymen (1981)
Heaven Up Here is the second album by the English New Wave band Echo And The Bunnymen. From the Wikipedia page: The original album's atmospheric cover art was designed by Martyn Atkins. The photograph used on the front and back cover of the album was taken by photographer Brian Griffin. The picture shows the band on a wet beach in the south Wales seaside town of Porthcawl; there are dark clouds in the sky and the sun is low on the horizon causing the band to be silhouetted. According to Griffin, they used buckets of fish offal to entice the gulls to fly into shot.
Nude by Camel (1981)
Nude is the eighth studio album released by the English progressive rock band Camel. The album is based on a true story of a Japanese soldier marooned on an island in World War II who doesn't know that the war is over. The somewhat surreal cover design is credited to Mayblin/Shaw/Munday.
Tin Drum by Japan (1981)
Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album by English new wave band Japan. As usual, front man David Sylvian was selected for the album cover, in a setting reflecting the general Asian influence on the album. The cover concept is by Sylvian himself, the photography is credited to Fin Costello.
Red Skies over Paradise by Fischer-Z (1981)
Red Skies over Paradise is the third studio album by British New Wave group Fischer-Z. The album featured many songs about politics and several references to the Cold War, the album title and cover in particular. The art work is credited to Philip Dunn.
Avalon by Roxy Music (1982)
Avalon is the eighth and final studio album by the English art rock band Roxy Music. From Wikipedia: "The artwork for the album was designed by Peter Saville.Although less visually obvious than it had been with past releases, Avalon continued the tradition for Roxy Music albums to feature images of women on the cover artwork. Bryan Ferry's girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Lucy Helmore appeared on the album cover wearing a medieval helmet with a falcon perched on her gloved hand, evoking King Arthur's last journey to the mysterious land of Avalon."
Night and Day by Joe Jackson (1982)
Night and Day is the fifth studio album by English New Wave musician Joe Jackson. The album pays tribute to the wit and style of Cole Porter (and indirectly to New York City). The art work for the cover is credited to Philip Burke.
The Dreaming by Kate Bush (1982)
The Dreaming is the fourth studio album by English art rock singer Kate Bush. It is often characterised as her most uncommercial and experimental release. From Wikipedia: "The album cover depicts a scene described in the lyrics to the song "Houdini". In the picture shown, Bush is acting as Harry Houdini's wife Bess, holding a key in her mouth, which she is about to pass on to him. The photograph is rendered in sepia, with just the gold key and Bush's eye make-up showing any colour. The man with her on the cover photograph was her bass player, engineer and then-partner Del Palmer." The photography is credited to Kindlight.
In Blau by Anyone's Daughter (1982)
In Blau is the fourth studio album by German progressive rock band Anyone's Daughter. The fairytale-like art work on the cover is by Eva Miller.
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Rio by Duran Duran (1982)
Rio is the second studio album by English New Wave band Duran Duran, a world wide success. From Wikipedia: "The iconic cover illustration is by Patrick Nagel, showing a striking woman in his trademark style—"elegant and sophisticated, alluring but cool, stark but sensual, mysterious, contradictory, and utterly contemporary"—the quintessential 1980s woman. The band, not the label, had creative control over their brand identity and worked with independent collaborators rather than the EMI label art department to create the distinctive visual style of Rio.
Eye In The Sky by Alan Parsons Project (1982)
Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.
