Record albums have long been a source of inspiration for the poet, songwriter and of course, the visual artist. Here is a compilation of some old school and retro favorites, along with some contemporary artwork. Today, music, poetry and the visual arts mesh as well as they ever have. The cover became an important part of the culture of music at the time. As a marketing tool and an expression of artistic intent, gatefold covers, (a folded double cover), and inserts, often with lyric sheets, made the album cover a desirable artifact in its own right.
Notable examples are The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band which had cut-out inserts, lyrics, a gatefold sleeve though a single album; and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon which had gatefold, lyrics, no title on the sleeve and poster inserts. The move to the small (less than 1/4 the size of a record) CD format lost that impact, though attempts have been made to create a more desirable packaging for the CD format, for example the re-issue of Sgt. Pepper, which had a cardboard box and booklet, or the use of oversized packaging.
The importance of cover design was such that some artists specialised or gained fame through their work, notably the design team Hipgnosis (through their work on Pink Floyd albums amongst others) and Roger Dean famous for his Yes and Greenslade covers.
A number of companies specialised in the manufacture of album covers. In the UK, for example, Garrod and Lofthouse were the leading company - the G & L mark was seen on the majority of albums at the time.
Al Stewart Year Of The Cat |
Boston Don't Look Back |
Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead Dylan and The Dead |
Manhattan Transfer Best Of |
Moody Blues Long Distance Voyager |
Styx Paradise Theater |
Artists Against Apartheid Sun City |
The Beatles A Collection of Oldies |
The Beatles Revolver |
The Beatles Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band |
Chick Corea The Leprechaun |
Bob Dylan Planet Waves |
Emerson, Lake & Palmer Best Of |
Earth Wind and Fire All 'n All |
Gerry Rafferty City To City |
The Grateful Dead Terrapin Station |
Iron Butterfly In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida |
Kansas Point of No Return |
Led Zeppelin IV |
Pointer Sisters That's A Plenty |
Rod Stewart Never A Dull Moment |
Stevie Wonder Hotter Than July |
Stevie Wonder Innervisions |
Santana Abraxas |
