“Contains the hit single, ‘Miss You!'”
A magic moment when the wrapping matched the content.
The Rolling Stones
Some Girls, 1978
I recently found myself flipping through used vinyl at a store near the Berkeley campus. It was like slipping back into my pre-teen years when I would become enraptured by the look of an album cover. My parents owned more than a few of them. However there was a leaning toward 8-Track Tapes in my childhood. As soon as I was old enough to scrape some money together I would purchase some of these albums. Often these long playing records promised more on their covers than was delivered. But sometimes the music would not only match — it would be even better than the cover revealed.
What follows are the covers that I recall most vividly from my childhood. There is no particular order and no thought of content. This is a visual list of Art Design / Photography interlaced with promotion and art. Many are iconic — others not so much.
Sexy, funky and fierce…
Betty Davis
Betty Davis, 1973
Go ahead, wander into the wonder of Village Ghetto Land…
Stevie Wonder
Songs in the Key of Life, 1976
The ultimate in cool…
The Who
Who’s Next, 1971
“Mama’s got a squeeze box she wears on her chest. And when Daddy comes home he never gets no rest.
‘Cause she’s playing all night…”
The Who
by numbers, 1975
Speaking of The Who…
TOMMY
Original Movie Soundtrack, 1975
The Holy Mother of the Soundtrack Album…
Saturday Night Fever
1977
Another soundtrack with which I was obsessed. And a really cool / iconic photography by Scavullo
Streisand / Kristofferson
A Star Is Born, 1976
Uh, oh! Is that Mick or Little Joe Dallesandro hiding behind the zipper?
The Rolling Stones
Sticky Fingers, 1971
“We’re gonna come around at twelve
with some Puerto Rican girls just dying’ to meet you…”
The Rolling Stones
Some Girls, 1978
How many were inspired to learn the guitar after hearing this album? The art design is excellent.
Led Zeppelin
IV, 1971
Amazing art direction / design and an album that continues to play throughout my life.
Led Zeppelin
Physical Graffiti, 1975
An artistic venture chronically five artists’ messy shared life became an essential album.
“Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions
I keep my visions to myself, it’s only me
Who wants to wrap around your dreams and have you any dreams you’d like to sell?”
Fleetwood Mac
Rumours, 1977
“Don’t say that you love me…”
Fleetwood Mac
TUSK, 1979
Glam!
Roxy Music
Roxy Music, 1972
A bit of a kick with your glam…
T. Rex
The Slider, 1972
The contents don’t quite match up, but this is an awesome cover!
Mott The Hopple
The Hopple, 1974
Going all ambient on our ass…
Brian Eno
Another Green World, 1975
Leon Russell
Will O’ The Wisp, 1975
Play that funky music white boy…
Wild Cherry
Wild Cherry, 1976
Welcome to NYC Punk…
The Ramones
The Ramones, 1976
NYC PUNK tries some tongue in cheek disco and goes mainstream…
Blondie
Parallel Lines, 1978
NYC PUNK goes top ten seeing no evil…
Television
Marquee Moon, 1977
Mapplethorpe captures the pristine moment of NYC PUNK gone deep within artistic rebellion…
Patti Smith
Horses, 1975
Iconic, controversial and defiantly erotic…
Patti Smith Group
Easter, 1978
“She’s got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine…”
Elton John
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973
Does it get any cooler?
David Bowie
Aladdin Sane, 1973
It might have only had one hit single, but who wouldn’t want to take Cher home in her disco armor?!?!
Cher
Take Me Home, 1979
Watch out! There’s a ghost hiding inside the gate fold!
Eagles
Hotel California, 1976
Make fun all you want, this is a cool album cover dedicated to the new age of 1970’s Disco.
Bee Gees
Main Course, 1975
So one could argue that 1970 was still the 1960’s, but this album both rocked and scared me! Featuring a cover that haunts…
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath, 1970
There might only be a couple of hits on each album, but Carly Simon gave some great record cover in the 1970’s.
Carly Simon
Boys In The Trees, 1978
Unexpected cool cover from Streisand. Great cover of Carole King’s “Where You Lead” and a deeply painful cover of John Lennon’s “Mother.” But Ed Thrasher’s photography is awesome.
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand, 1972
A folk singer goes in a whole new direction…
Joni Mitchell
Hejira, 1976
Pop and funky fashions!
ABBA
Greatest Hits, 1975
This band hypnotized me and most of my elementary school friends. Plus a power ballad!
KISS
Destroyer, 1976
I never really got into this album, but I loved the way it all looked!
Alice Cooper
From the Inside, 1978
One of those album covers that just sticks in your mind. …As do many of its songs.
Alice Cooper
Welcome To My Nightmare, 1975
This cover is either really bad or really good. I’m not really sure, but I will never forget it. And they did rock us.
Queen
News of the World, 1977
Awesome album cover!
Lou Reed
Coney Island Baby, 1976
Mom and Dad, meet Joe Strummer…
The Clash
The Clash, 1977
Yet another cool album cover from Strummer and friends…
The Clash
London Calling, 1979
Impossibly cool album cover. The contents would later accompany on more than a few trips. …so to speak.
Michael Oldfield
Tubular Bells, 1973
A fantastic photograph to accompany her most polished effort. It arrived after she died. Iconic and essential.
Janis Joplin
Pearl, 1971
Perfect.
Pink Floyd
Far Side of the Moon, 1973
Never has a discarded fashion shoot yielded such a classic album cover!
David Bowie
Pin Ups, 1973
Matty Stanfield, 6.8.16
Matty Stanfield 