14 Iconic Albums Covers

How did these images end up on the album covers of your favourite ever albums? They're images you've seen a thousand times. But what do they mean?   

Photo taken by Mischa Richter

1. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black 

As Amy had been partying all night at a friend's wedding, she arrived four hours late to this photo shoot. Photographer Mischa Richter took this shot in a black room, with blackboard paint on the cabinets, at his home in Kenal Rise in the early evening. It was Ritcher's last encounter with Amy.   

Photo taken by Pennie Smith

 2. The Clash – London Calling 

The blurry live shot was added with Elvis Presley's distinctive pink and green lettering despite Pennie Smith's objections. At Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the remaining parts of the shattered bass can be viewed.   

Photo taken by Edo Bertoglio

3. Blondie – Parallel Lines 

In response to this classic Sleeve, Peter Leeds was fired from the band's management. As it turns out, he chose the image, which Debbie Harry rejected - "I don't think it's a great design, personally," she said - without telling the band, which was hoping to show them with monochrome stripes fading in and out. Shep Gordon replaced Leeds. 

Photo taken by Don Hunstein

     4. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan 

The 1963 photo shows Dylan strolling along Jonas Street, New York City with Suze Rotolo, the girl he was dating at the time. It inspired countless young men to hunch their shoulders, stare distantly, and let the girl do the clinging. But Dylan was simply chilly on the cover. 

Photo taken by Matthias Clamer

  5. The Killers – Hot Fuss 

Their 2004 debut featured buildings located at a Chinese construction factory, despite the band's well-documented Vegas roots. 'Construction material development' is written in Chinese characters above each building.   

Photo taken by Robert Ellis, also known as Bob Ellis

   6. AC/DC - Back In Black 

In honour of former AC/DC singer Bon Scott, who died the same year from a drunken accident, the 1983 album's cover was designed as a plain, stark black design. 

Photo taken by William V. 'Red' Robertson

   7. Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley 

This photograph - taken in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 1955 - was believed to be taken by Popsie Randolph for 47 years. William V "Red" Robertson took the shot in August 2002, according to Elvis expert Joseph A. Tunzi. Since Tom Waits to Chumbawamba echoed this cover style, the style has been embraced by many artists.   

Photo taken by Mason Maxwell

  8. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon 

The prism gatefold sleeve wasn't well received by Floyd's label, which found it too minimalistic. '...Dark Side' became their most successful album. According to Hipgnosis, the prism celebrates their famous light show, which inspired the design.   

Illustrator by Ian Beck

  9. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 

As the illustrator for Jonathan Kelly's 'Wait Till They Change The Background', Ian Beck was chosen to design the sleeve. As soon as they saw it, Elton's Rocket Records Company wanted to use the same picture. Beck asked Leslie McKinley Howell, who is taller than Elton, to pose for framing shots, so Elton looks so long-legged.  

Photo taken by John Carder Bush

  10. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love 

Seeing Kate reclining seductively on the cover, you immediately feel the creep factor when you find out it was a photo taken by her brother.

Photo taken by Michael Spencer Jones

   11. Oasis – Definitely Maybe 

This is perhaps the most iconic of all the sleeves (an exact replica of the room was recently made for an exhibition). Bonehead's living room was used as the setting for Definitely Maybe's artwork, featuring many cultural references. Displayed is a poster of Burt Bacharach titled The Bad and the Ugly. 

Photo taken by Ernest Farmer

   12. Led Zeppelin – IV 

Led Zeppelin decided to release an untitled fourth album as a rebuttal to critics who attributed their first three successes to hype. On the cover, rather than words, there is a painting by Robert Plant found on an antiques ship in Reading. Each band member's name is depicted on the record itself by a symbol or rune.

Photo taken by Jennifer Youngblood

   13. Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters  

During Grohl's early marriage, his then-wife Jennifer Youngblood photographed the cover image of a vintage Buck Rogers Disintegrator Pistol. Although the rock band's name was inspired by the word 'foo fighter', the image did cause controversy due to the way Kurt Cobain died ('foo fighter' was the name of a UFO from WWII). 

Photo taken by Roberta Bayley

   14. The Ramones – Ramones 

They initially wanted a cover like ‘Meet the Beatles!’ on their self-titled album, The band, however, decided to ditch their disastrous shoot, which cartoonist John Holmstrom described as "pulling teeth", to keep things simple, a brick wall provided the perfect backdrop for the band, expertly captured by Roberta Bayley. 

Image Credits: Photographs used by Bing Creative Commons License

Discover more about it at:

Barker, E. (2015). 50 Iconic Indie Album Covers: The Fascinating Stories Behind The Sleeves | NME. [online] NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. Available at: https://www.nme.com/photos/50-iconic-indie-album-covers-the-fascinating-stories-behind-the-sleeves-1429676 [Accessed 11 Mar. 2024].