Miss seeing some of the coolest album covers ever made on your favorite blog? Me too! I’ve found some more fantastic album artwork that I just had to share. Without further ado, welcome back to the slightly extended encore of Album Art Gems.
1. Their Satanic Majesties Request – The Rolling Stones
Does this cover look familiar to you? It should if you’ve ever seen The Beatles album “Seargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club.” Wanting to keep up with the psychedelic trends in the 60s, The Rolling Stones hired Michael Cooper, the same photographer who shot the famous The Beatles album. The original vinyl cover was supposed to have a 3D effect, but due to costs, only about 500 were released with the lenticular printing.
2. 1999 – Prince
Nobody actually knows who designed Prince’s “1999,” but many think that the iconic artist did it himself. It features several hidden references to his earlier and future works, including his eyes from the “Controversy” cover and the name of his band, “The Revolution,” who performed with Prince for the first time in “1999,” written backward in the “I.”
3. Stars Are The Light – Moon Duo
This album cover embodies the dreamy psychedelia that Moon Duo is known for. The spacey feel of their music is clearly reflected in this piece, which looks as though it’s on an alien planet. It comes in four different color schemes (this just happens to be my favorite). The typography is EXQUISITE and I am drooling over the flowy patterns and bright colors.
4. The Crescent Ship – Bad Liquor Pond
There isn’t much information out there on this cover by Bad Liquor Pond, a Baltimore-based band that no longer exists. Nonetheless, the screenprinting collage effect is so eyecatching. I especially love the little demon cat up in the upper right corner.
5. The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
I don’t know how I forgot to include this cover in my original Album Art Gems blogs. Designed by Jive Records (now known as Zombart), it takes the cake for A Tribe Called Quest’s best album cover. The bright reds and green fluorescent paint on the figure are said to be an homage to traditional African art.
6. Royal Albert Hall May 2-3-5-6 2005 – Cream
This cover, based on one of Cream’s band portraits, was created for their live album, which was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005. The distinctive line and shadow art is a fantastic use of gestalt principles; notice how you can tell their hair textures apart just by some squiggles? Though designed in the 21st century, it emulates the classic rock style frequently used at the height of Cream’s fame in the 60s.
7. Moon River – Frank Ocean
Last but not least, I just had to include another Frank Ocean cover. His album art never ceases to amaze me. If you look closely you can see what looks like a human figure from the shoulders up in the top left corner. This figure is actually based on a scientific diagram that shows how ASMR travels from the brain to the body. The warm pink pattern also makes an “M,” standing for the song’s title. Pretty cool, huh?
I hope you enjoyed this little additional performance of Album Art Gems!
-DJ Butter
