Recommendations of the Editorial team
The best album cover of all time (83): Taylor Swift – “Folklore”
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 (83): Taylor Swift – “Folklore”
Taylor Swift has withdrawn from her own songs on her eighth album: “I caught that I not only write my own stories. But also about or from the perspective of people I never met. Whom I knew or from whom I wished I would not have met her,” she wrote when publishing “folklore” in 2020.
The striking, monochrome cover-a departure from the candy-colored lover front and the first collaboration between Swift and photographer Beth Garrabrant-is similar in the wide world. The singer dressed in a coat works tiny in the middle of foggy trees and moss -covered terrain and looks up with a thoughtful facial expression.