An album with famous cover art
When you hear “albums famous for their cover art,” which jackets come to mind?
There are all sorts: the photo of a baby swimming underwater, the banana illustration, the shot of the band walking across a crosswalk, and more.
In this article, we’ll introduce a roundup of classic albums with jackets you’ve probably seen somewhere.
You might even find works where you haven’t heard the songs but the cover design looks familiar.
Let’s dive right in!
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Albums with famous cover artwork (11–20)
Rage Against the MachineRage Against The Machine
Let’s assert that in the history of rock albums, there are very few jacket images as shocking as this one.
This is the self-titled debut album that Rage Against the Machine—who stormed onto the scene under a name so intense it practically seethes with “rage against the machine”—released in 1992.
With Zack de la Rocha’s charismatic, politically charged rap-shouting and fierce agitation; Tom Morello—whose background includes working as a politician’s aide—bringing intelligence and wildly inventive guitar playing that profoundly influenced later artists; and the ironclad rhythm section of Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, who generate burly grooves with total command of dynamics, this quartet forged a mixture/alternative rock sound so consummate it stunned countless listeners.
Despite its extreme content, it became an explosive worldwide hit and a towering masterpiece.
The album jacket, whose impact fully matches the music within, features the famous photograph taken by American journalist Malcolm Browne of Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức’s 1963 self-immolation in front of the U.S.
Embassy—a protest against repression by the regime.
From that alone, one can grasp what kind of ideology Rage Against the Machine hold and the stance they take in their activities as a band.
Blood Sugar Sex MagikRed Hot Chili Peppers
Known affectionately in Japan as “Recchiri,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers are a world-famous rock band still going strong in the 2020s.
Even newcomers to Western music have probably heard their name at least once.
From funky, genre-blending tracks driven by highly advanced—borderline insane—technique to ballads distinguished by beautifully melancholic melodies, they boast a wide musical range and have sold over 80 million records worldwide.
Among their catalog, their early releases in particular often featured striking jacket art that matched the wild personalities of the members.
The band’s fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik—highlighted in this article—is a masterpiece packed with classics that later became their signature songs, including “Give It Away” and “Under the Bridge.” While it certainly retains the early band’s provocative edge, it also reveals a more serious side and a broader artistic vision.
Its album cover, too, is known as one of the great designs that inspired numerous parodies.
It’s a fan favorite, and many people can be seen wearing apparel featuring this artwork.
The design is said to have been created by Dutch tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher (aka Hanky Panky), and the original photo of the four band members by film director Gus Van Sant still exists.
GooSonic youth
Even if you don’t know this album cover by name, you’ve probably seen homages to it in countless designs, especially in apparel.
Sonic Youth—pioneers of alternative rock and the reigning champions of New York’s indie scene with a cutting-edge style unconstrained by conventional music theory—made their surprising major-label debut in 1990 with the landmark masterpiece Goo, whose album cover continues to be cherished as one of the most iconic in rock history.
The mere fact that such a literally “alternative” sound debuted on a major label was groundbreaking in itself, and it’s no exaggeration to say the album served as a kind of stepping stone for Nirvana’s classic Nevermind, released the following year, which detonated the alternative rock and grunge boom.
The design that graces this historic classic’s cover was created by Raymond Pettibon—the younger brother of Greg Ginn, founder of the legendary hardcore band Black Flag—and its monochrome, rough-hewn illustration of a man and woman paired with English text catches the eye with its cool, stylish flair.
That said, the source material behind the design traces back to a gruesome incident in the UK, and once you understand that context and read the English text, you may well find a chill running down your spine.
Sticky FingersThe Rolling Stones
That jacket with the close-up of jeans and a YKK zipper—positively reeking of rock ’n’ roll—looks cool every time you see it! It’s the Rolling Stones’ 1971 masterpiece, Sticky Fingers.
The world’s oldest still-active rock band has carried on without ever breaking up from their 1962 formation through the 2020s, despite countless troubles, and continues to reign as a full-fledged, current force on the scene.
This was also the first album to feature new member Mick Taylor, created after the tragic death of original member Brian Jones, and it’s a landmark packed with classics that remain live staples today.
As one of the band’s signature works, it hit number one on both the UK and US charts.
The album jacket is as much a classic as the record itself.
In the vinyl era it had a real working zipper attached, and several CD reissue versions faithfully recreated the same gimmick.
The mastermind was pop art icon Andy Warhol, though the actual design work was done by Craig Braun, who’s also credited on various Carpenters releases.
As an aside, the design was banned in Spain at the time, and the album was released there with a completely different cover.
Many might feel that alternate cover is actually more problematic—so if you’re curious, go check it out!
WeezerWeezer
With lyrics that candidly lay bare their uncool selves, irresistibly catchy, tear-jerking melodies, and a style that fuses alternative rock and post-grunge noisy guitars, Weezer shocked the scene and became a rock band with a huge following here in Japan as well.
Many musicians have been influenced by them, and Weezer themselves are known for their affinity for Japan—most famously releasing their second album, Pinkerton, with Japan-inspired cover art.
In particular, vocalist and guitarist Rivers Cuomo, the band’s principal songwriter, married a Japanese woman and has even teamed up with another Japan-loving musician to release songs in Japanese.
Their 1994 debut album, Weezer—which went on to sell over three million copies—has come to be known as “The Blue Album” (simply called “Ao-ban,” or “the blue disc,” in Japan), especially since the band has released several other self-titled records over the years.
Beyond the brilliance of its content, the cover—featuring four unassuming, decidedly non–rock-star-looking members standing awkwardly—can be seen as an epoch-making image born at the tail end of the grunge boom that had swept away flashy ’80s metal.
As an aside, there’s also a version of the cover that shows the full bodies of the members, so if you’re hunting for this album on vinyl, keep an eye out!
Definitely MaybeOasis
The artwork for Oasis—a band led by the Gallagher brothers, Liam, a charismatic vocalist, and Noel, a genius songwriter, and arguably the strongest rock band to come out of the UK in the 1990s—is, contrary to their wild image, remarkably British and stylish, whether for albums or EPs.
The album cover for their legendary debut, Definitely Maybe—an iconic piece in British rock history—features a photo shot in the living room of early member and guitarist Bonehead’s house, and it’s impossibly cool and slick.
The cover, which exudes the vibe of the band lazily spending a quiet afternoon, includes photos of the great composer Burt Bacharach and Rodney Marsh, known as a Manchester City player; an Epiphone guitar in the back of the room; and on the TV, the young Clint Eastwood classic For a Few Dollars More—details that convey their tastes.
There are also touches of brilliance like a spinning globe and casually placed glasses, which evoke various images.
By the way, Liam’s reclining pose has a specific meaning too, so if you’re curious, it’s fun to look it up.
In conclusion
We’ve introduced a selection of classic albums renowned for their iconic cover art.
Even if you haven’t heard the songs, I’m sure many of these jackets are familiar to you.
The albums featured here aren’t famous merely for the stories behind their covers or their design sense; they’ve endured as classics because of the appeal of the music itself.
Just like in the days when people bought records for their covers, if you find an album jacket you like, be sure to give the actual tracks a listen.