From the 1960s to the 2000s, These Classic Album Covers Reflect the Tenor of Their Times

With Hendrix, Stone Roses, Radiohead and more

These are five of my favorite records, representing each decade from the 1960s to the 2000s. The music is why I bought them, but the artwork is a huge part of why they’ve stayed with me. I can almost hear the tunes when I look at the sleeves. For me, you can’t separate one from the other. A great album cover doesn’t just package the music; it becomes part of it.

1960s: Jimi Hendrix – ‘Are You Experienced’

I bought this LP when I was about 14 from the local record shop near my school. Jimi sits front and center with Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding almost tucked underneath him. They’re all very late-‘60s in terms of styling—but your eye goes straight to Jimi. He is the boss and the other two are under his wing. The colors and distorted perspective perfectly suit the style of music production. It feels like you’re about to enter another world.

1970s: Public Image Ltd. – ‘First Issue’

I was a big Sex Pistols fan, so seeing Johnny Rotten reinvent himself as John Lydon was kind of a shock. The ripped clothes and chaos had gone. Instead, there was a smart suit, neat hair and a completely different persona. But underneath, he was still making the same point. Image is manufactured, so don’t believe everything you’re sold. I love how understated the sleeve is. Dennis Morris made it look more like a magazine than an album cover. Take a look inside too: It feels confident without shouting and somehow that’s even more subversive than the Pistols’ abrasive roar.

1980s: The Stone Roses – ‘The Stone Roses’

My older brother bought this when it first came out. At the time I had no idea the artwork had been painted by guitarist John Squire. Finding that out years later only made me love it more. The Jackson Pollock influence is obvious, but the cover has a personality all its own. The splashes of paint, the lemons, the gold type, the French tricolor. Every time I look at it I notice something new. I always thought the lettering might be a nod to “Fools Gold.” Whether it is or not, has become part of the story for me. It’s one of those sleeves that rewards you every time you pull it off the shelf.

1990s: Beck – ‘Odelay’

This is my heavyweight Bong Load pressing and I still think it’s one of the greatest album covers ever made. A shaggy sheepdog flying over a hurdle shouldn’t make any sense, but it somehow captures exactly what the record sounds like. Weird, playful and impossible to put in a box. The bold typography grounds the whole thing, but it’s the photograph that keeps pulling me back. It doesn’t explain the music. It just makes you want to hear it. That’s a lesson I think applies to all great creative work.

2000s: Radiohead – ‘In Rainbows Discbox’

The In Rainbows Discbox is one of those rare pieces of packaging that feels every bit as considered as the music itself. Inside are CDs, heavyweight vinyl, lyric books and artwork that unfolds like an artist’s portfolio. Stanley Donwood’s paintings feel organic and constantly changing, with colors that shimmer more like oil on water than bright rainbows. I love that Radiohead made something so tactile at exactly the moment everyone was talking about digital music and the band even offered the download for whatever people wanted to pay. They reminded us that physical objects still matter. Sometimes holding an album in your hands is every bit as important as listening to it.