Featured image: Mick Haupt via Pexels

American Recordings – Johnny Cash (1994)

The first in his iconic series of American albums, this Johnny Cash cover by Andy Earl epitomises the ‘Man in Black’. Cash stands boldly, draped in dark robes, accompanied by his guitar and dogs. Surrounded by a field of wheat, the cover harks back to the quintessential country Cash of the 60s and is a captivating, haunting image. This album cover would become symbolic of Cash’s return to popularity, after his diminishing career of the 70s and 80s.

Pink Moon – Nick Drake (1972)

The Michael Trevithick artwork used for Nick Drake’s final album, Pink Moon, is beautiful yet bittersweet. The Dali-esque cover perfectly suits the name of the album and titular track with its soft colours and abstract features. However, it was Drake’s declining health and demeanour which prompted the absence of himself on the cover, which had been done with his previous albums. The cover’s significance is amplified with this context, with the beauty of the artwork hiding Drake’s diminishing entity. He died only two years later.

All Things Must Pass – George Harrison (1970)

Harrison’s pièce de résistance of his solo career, All Things Must Pass can be considered one of the greatest albums of all time. The picture of Harrison sitting in the garden of his home at Friar Park, accompanied by garden gnomes, encapsulates the spiritual folk-rock sound of the record. Photographer Barry Feinstein believed the gnomes represented Harrison’s former band, the Beatles. It captures Harrion’s essence perfectly, and has earned its place as one of the most iconic covers of all time.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – David Bowie (1972)

Ziggy Stardust marks David Bowie’s first step into the mainstream, bursting onto the glam-rock scene with a bang. The artwork for this timeless album defined the look and feel of Bowie’s new persona and the otherworldly feel it embodies. Originally shot in monochrome, it was retouched in post to add the painterly colour into the shot, altering Bowie’s appearance in the process. The juxtaposition of the vibrant Bowie, within the dark, brooding suburbia appropriately portrays Bowie to be an ‘alien’ within the environment. 

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008)

Fleet Foxes’ debut self-titled album embodies folk at its finest and the cover, painted by Pieter Bruegel the elder in the 16th century, truly encapsulates the feel of this album. It conveys some of the bucolic themes that lead singer Robin Pecknold wanted. It’s a literal piece of art, something that has been marvelled at for centuries. Its accompaniment alongside the Fleet Foxes gave the piece a fresh audience, a new platform to be enjoyed and perceived by fans of the band.

The Colour and the Shape – Foo Fighters (1997)

The simplicity of the Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape cover appropriately accompanies the title of this album. The singular blue tone background, with the interconnected molecules, makes for a simple but memorable image, fitting for the band’s break into the mainstream. This album, and its cover art, will always be a symbol of the band’s success, with some of their most notable hits emerging from this staple of the post-grunge era.

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