Class of 2012 – Musical Acts Who Supported Great Album Art
Of course, without the patronage of musical acts and their record labels, there would be no great album cover art, but there were some acts that “got it” better than others and used their cover imagery to both help set the mood for the music packaged inside and build a deeper bond with their fans and potential fans.At times, a great album cover image could be a powerful enticement to shoppers browsing the racks at their favorite record store, whereas some fans of a band viewed them as “rewards” given to those who’d waited patiently for an act’s next release.
With the strong connection evident between the visual and aural arts, it only seems natural that musicians would find kindred spirits in the men and women tasked to produce the images for their recorded music.
Name of Musical Act/Examples of Recordings with Exemplary Album Cover Imagery
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, White Album, Revolver, Abbey Road
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars, Diamond Dogs, Alladin Sane, Pin Ups
Alice Cooper – Killer, School’s Out, Billion Dollar Babies, Welcome To My Nightmare
Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Nashville Skyline
Genesis – Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Duke
The Grateful Dead – Aoxomoxoa, Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty, Europe ’72, Terrapin Station
King Crimson – In The Court of The Crimson King, In The Wake of Poseidon, Lizard, Islands
Led Zeppelin – Houses of The Holy, Led Zeppelin I, II, III & IV, Physical Graffiti
The Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed, In Search of The Lost Chord, On The Threshold of a Dream, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Parliament-Funkadelic – Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain, American Eats Its Young, Mothership Connection
Pink Floyd – The Piper At The Gates of Dawn, Atom Heart Mother, The Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here
The Rolling Stones – Their Satanic Majesties Request, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street, Let It Bleed
Rush – Fly By Night, 2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres
Carly Simon – Anticipation, No Secrets, Playing Possum, Boys In The Trees
Supertramp – Crime of The Century, Crisis, What Crisis?, Even In The Quietest Moments, Breakfast In America
www.supertramp.com and www.rogerhodgson.com
The Who – Who’s Next, The Who Sell Out, Tommy, The Who By Numbers
Yes – Fragile, Close To The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer
Frank Zappa – We’re Only In It For The Money, Cruzin’ with Ruben & The Jets, Hot Rats, Weasels Ripped My Flesh
