Recommendations of the Editorial team
The best album cover of all time (94): Slayer – “Reign in Blood”
The album is undoubtedly the best invention of the last century. But the music is not the whole story. The album cover has been a cultural obsession for as long as there are albums. Since the 12-inch vinyl plates came onto the market in cardboard covers in the 1950s, musicians and fans have been fascinated by the art that can be seen on the cover. When the Beatles revolutionized the game with the cover of “Sgt. Pepper” in 1967, it became a way to give a visual statement about it. Where the music comes from and why it is important. But the art of the album cover continues to develop.
That’s why we celebrate this art. The 100 best album cover ever. From Biggie to Beyoncé to Bad Bunny. Nirvana to NAS to Neil Young. Sza to Sabbath to the sex Pistols. We have rap, country, jazz, prog, metal, reggae, flamenco, funk, gothic, hippie psychedelia and hardcore punk. But all of these albums have a unique look that fits their sound. The most unforgettable cover become part of the music. How many Pink Floyd fans broke their heads when the prism was on the cover of “Dark Side of the Moon” after they rolled up their smoky products?
What makes an album cover a classic?
What makes an album cover a classic? Sometimes it is a portrait of the artist. Think of the Beatles when crossing the street. Or to Carole King in Laurel Canyon with her cat. Others opt for iconic, half abstract pictures. Like Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis or My Bloody Valentine. Some artists show where they come from. Like Rem who represent the south with Kudzu. Or Ol ‘Dirty Bastard, who welcomes the Brooklyn Zoo with his food brand card.
Many of these cover come from legendary photographers, designers and artists. Like Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, Storm Thorgerson, Raymond Pettibon and Peter Saville. Some have a cosmic symbolism that the fans have to decipher. Others rely on Starpower. But they are all classic pictures that have become an important part of music history. And they all show why the love of the world will not end.
The best album cover of all time (94): Slayer – “Reign in Blood”
How do you illustrate a text like “Raining Blood From A Lacerated Sky/Bleeding Its Horror, Creating My Structure/Now, I Shall Reign in Blood”?
The best album cover of all time (94): Slayer – “Reign in Blood”
Slayer producer and label boss Rick Rubin turned to the political caricaturist Larry Carroll, who tapped his inner Hieronymus Bosch to create a mixed representation of hell with a goat-like deity, beheaded heads and murderous black angels. “If I remember properly, liked it [Slayer] The cover that I had made for Reign in Blood at first, ”Carroll told“ Revolver ”in 2010.
“But then someone from his mother’s band showed it, and they thought it was gross. So they knew that they were on the right path. As a result, Carroll created similar hell landscapes for the albums” South of Heaven “,” Seasons in the Abyss “and” Christ Illusion of Slayer. And created some of the creepiest cover in music history.