You Can't Necessarily Judge These 10 Great Albums by Their Covers

Los Lobos, The Cure, Little Feat and more

I have always liked prowling through record stores or friends’ collections looking for something that I’ve never seen or heard before. Here, I’ve tried to highlight some of the covers that jumped out at me over the years, and hopefully come up with a few that haven’t been touched on previously in these features.

Some of my earliest memories of music include sitting in front of my parents’ extensive vinyl collection, trying to make the connections between the cover art and the music. It was like a game, trying to guess what the songs might sound like before I put the record on. I relished the instances where I was completely surprised by the disconnect between the two, sometimes even more than when the combination was harmonious.

Rare Earth

Rare Earth In Concert (1971)

An image of an olive green knapsack, maybe of military origin, fills the whole cover, front and back. I now realize this was deeply evocative of the Vietnam era and spoke to the prevalence of it in our nation’s youth culture. At the time, I couldn’t tell what a backpack had to do with psychedelic jazz rock and R&B, but I have always really admired the simplicity of this design.

The Tragically Hip

Fully Completely (1992)

Colorful, sexy, and energetic, this collage of photocopied images by Lieve Prins was my introduction to The Hip and remains one of my favorites. Created over a weekend in a London studio by the artist, this one sets the bar for how visually descriptive a rock album cover can be.

Uncle Tupelo

Anodyne (1993)

This spoke directly to the guitar nerd in me. Totally understated muted colors, great vintage guitars and amps in a studio awaiting their players. The photo is from Cedar Creek Recording Studio in Austin where the album was recorded.

The Cure

The Top (1984)

Colorful and enigmatic, there’s an almost Celtic feel to the typeface and symbol. I love the contrast between the bright, bleeding colors and the gold overlay of the lettering; plus, the shading lends a feeling of movement.

The Jayhawks

Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995)

Aside from the obvious visual pun of the band as birds, I always liked the strange green tint and the treehouse vibe. It’s not exactly high art, but it also isn’t just a straightforward band portrait.

The Flying Burrito Brothers 

The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)

Just a beautiful portrait of a bunch of young men totally obsessed with the trappings of traditional country music. More Nudie suits in one place were hard to come by in the rock world at the time, and the Day-Glo logo tells you immediately that there is something else going on besides the C&W music you heard on your grandparents’ porch. The women leaning languidly in a doorway gave a wink and nod to the “sin” in the title.

Los Lobos 

La Pistola y El Corazón (1988)

This George Yepes cover has an interesting history, having been gifted to Madonna and then destroyed in a fire. This is the perfect example of a cover that describes the music. I can’t imagine an image that more exactly evokes the Latin folk vibe on the grooves within.

Little Feat 

Waiting for Columbus (1978)

A surrealist piece by Neon Park, this cover incorporates an imagined figure and a landscape meant to evoke the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. The inside gatefold has great pics of the band.

Pixies 

Surfer Rosa (1988)

Welsh photographer and frequent Pixies collaborator Simon Larbalestier staged this photo shoot in a pub across the street from the group’s record label offices. The black-and-white study shows a topless woman in a flounced skirt, evocative of a saloon girl or cancan dancer. The framing and design practically ooze seediness and decay.

The Rolling Stones 

Some Girls(1978)

Initially drawn to the bright colors and unique die-cut design, I quickly became a fan after placing it on the turntable. The cover was a collaboration between illustrator Hubert Kretzschmar and designer Peter Corriston. Several versions were released owing to conflicts over the use of unlicensed celebrity and commercial images.