Pop
There’s so much mystery about this cover that perhaps it’s better to start with what we do know. The image was taken by London-based Jake Walters, a commercial photographer with an impressive portfolio across fashion, celebrity and editorial portraiture.
This is the fifth in our series of five seminal album covers by female artists I’m pretty sure my Dad had a really big crush on Rickie Lee Jones. Her name resonates for me because he was a huge music fan and started buying CDs when the format was released. He bought all of hers [...]
This is the fourth in our series of five seminal album covers by female artists Parallel Lines, the third album by Blondie, was released in late 1978. By 1979, when they were finally huge in the States, the band felt the need to start a “Blondie is a Group” button campaign. Even for those discovering [...]
True Blue was released in 1986 and to this day remains the best-selling Madonna album. I remember my older sister buying it and listening to it constantly. Shortly afterwards she got into The Smiths and informed me that Madonna “was shit”. True Blue spawned a bundle of top-ten hits and boasted the pop star’s first [...]
As one of the biggest-selling music artists of all time, Michael Jackson helped to set the template for contemporary cover art. This is the cover of his first solo EP, as he made the fateful decision to pursue a career away from The Jackson 5. While the art direction and design have dated, what makes [...]
This record cover from 1981 is a homage to Manet’s Le déjeuner sur l’herbe (“The Lunch on the Grass”). The large scale oil on canvas painting by Edouard Manet was finished in 1863 and caused instant controversy, due to the scandalous combination of a naked women next to two fully dressed men. Their casual, relaxed [...]
For Bob Evans’ (aka Kevin Mitchell) third album, he took a decidedly different approach to the artwork. Goodnight, Bull Creek! alludes to his native suburb outside of Perth and his departure for new terrain. The artwork is a departure as well from his first two albums: Suburban Kid and Suburban Songbook.
If ever there was doubt about what was the inspiration behind the latest cover for “Yes” from the Pet Shop boys I think this quote covers it all. “When we had our first meeting about this album, Neil and Chris said that this was their most ‘pop’ album in a long time and the idea [...]
Live album artwork is a tough call… How does a designer create a striking and original concept when they’re usually provided with a stock-standard single (probably grey-scale or sepia) photograph of an artist on stage in front a legion of adoring fans? Here’s a predictable photo+brief. Go forth, unleash your genius! The Cat Empire’s first [...]
I am at two minds about this album cover. Part of me hates it, part of me likes it. No part of me loves it but every part thinks it’s interesting. It looks like nothing else on the shelf at HMV at at a time like this that is a good thing. The actual music [...]
