The BEST Album covers/CDbox sets...of ALL Time ? (1 Viewer)

[MikeAW]

What do you feel are have been the BEST album covers and or CD box set presentations of ALL TIME...so far...to you ?

Pink Floyd and Yes, are the first to come to my mind, as presenting consistently high quality art work into the general concept and art work for their projects over the years.

There are, of course, other artists who have produced exceptional, eye catching graphics and gatefold presentation, too. Hawkwind UK releases and Brinsley Schwartz's unique releases, TRex's "Electric Warrior", the Small Faces' "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" tin box vinyl release, Chicago's austere early vinyl releases up to and including the special live, multi-lp boxset extravaganza.

In the CD area, the Bear Family label seems to put the most work into their reissues...with hard cover books and the rare archive photo and memoribilia montages. Hard to pick just one, as their releases ALWAYS show great care....David Bowie's Rykcodisc box set....the new Charley Patton box set with replica's of 78 RPM records.

What are your favorites ?

 

[MikeAW]

Interesting...do people really care what's on the Cover anymore, or just what music is in it ?

 

[Mike Broadman]

As Mike said, Yes has some fantastic album covers, specifically the ones designed by Roger Dean. Relayer has my favorite album cover of all time: classic Roger Dean painting style, but all white and silver and light brown, with a beautiful landscape and two horsemen- possibly riding to the Gates of Delirium?

Dean's cover paintings for Asia and other bands are pretty cool, too.

Weasels Ripped My Flesh by Frank Zappa is the funniest cover I've ever seen. A comic-book type cartoon guy's face shaving with an electric weasel and saying "Rzzzzz."

The Black Crowes' Amorica has that, erm, interesting crotch shot. I'm actually not 100% convinced that it's a chick- could the Crowes be playing a trick on us?

Dreamtheater's Images and Words cover is awesome- the creepy bedroom, the little girl, and the famous flaming heart logo.

Opeth's Still Life album art is a perfect compliment to the music. Featuring the standard Opeth gloomy forest imagery and some spirit type woman (Melinda?), the CD comes in a slipcase. It's also red, and for some reason I love red album covers.

Red album covers:

Opeth- Still Life

Rush- Hold Your Fire

King Crimson- Discipline

The limited edition gatefold CDs of King Crimson's albums are great, especially for the three albums they released in the 80s. Those album covers are just one bright color with a simple image in the middle, and it's really effective on the gatefolds. Discipline is all red with a Celtic-type knot, Beat is blue with a quarter-note symbol, and Three of a Perfect Pair is yellow with some inverted 'U' thing.

Columbia has done one hell of a job with their Miles Davis box sets. Metal cases, fancy slip cases, very extensive liner notes- they went all out. They're really designed for the scholarly avicianodo, so I don't have them, but they sure are pretty.

I like the way Rhino packages their Atlantic jazz stuff: gray cardboard-ish sleeves with the album cover shown through a window, which is part of the liner notes.

Master of Puppets has probably my favorite metal cover.

Genesis' old album covers are cool, with those odd little paintings.

Marillion had some great artwork. Not only is Misplaced Childhood one of my favorite albums musically, but it also has that creepy kid on the cover, painted perfectly.

As to whether people care about artwork and packaging, I think most people will say that it doesn't really matter, as long as the music sounds good. Artwork doesn't effect my listening choices. However, I like it when a band puts some effort into their presentation. It shows they care about their product.

 

[MikeAW]

Well said, Mike.

 

[Peter Mazur]

It is easy for me to pick my all time favorite cover. It would be "Nursery Cryme" by Genesis. There is just something cool about a woman playing croquet with chopped off heads.

Another favorite is King Crimson's "In The Court Of The Crimson King". I heard that the artist that painted that cover went mad, I can see why.

Iron Maiden has always had really good covers. My favorite would have to be "Somewhere In Time". You really need the album to appreciate the amount of detail in the painting, the cd is just too small.

I have always liked "Destroyer" by Kiss. It is good at showing their larger than life comic book personas.

In general I prefer painted covers, but there are some really good picture covers as well. "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd for example has a really interesting picture on the cover.

Some others I like are:

Oasis - Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants

Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel III

Def Leppard - Retro Active

Dream Theater - Awake

Kula Shaker - Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts

Asia - Astra

Many others...

 

[Tony Stirling]

I have to put in a word here for the 23Envelope covers of 4AD bands like Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil. It's really good stuff.

tony

 

[Ryan Spaight]

Fish's Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors is one of my favorites.
I also like most the newer Pink Floyd covers, especially Collection of Great Dance Songs.
Of course, the all-time best is probably the White Album.
Ryan

 

[JoshK]

Tool & Sigur Ros

 

[Mike Frezon]

Why did Carly Simon's "No Secrets" album (featuring You're So Vain) leap to my mind when I read this thread title?
Maybe because I was 13 when the album was released?

 

[MikeAW]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm Natalie Merchant's "Motherland", or whatever it's called...the new one with the prominent display of her breasts....Wonder why.

 

[Eric Alderson]

The Misfits box set! Comes with a color booklet, the 4 CD's, and a "Fiend Club" pin all in a lined miniature coffin.

 

[James RD]

Two that immediately come to mind:

The Who - "The Who Sell Out"

Roxy Music - "Country Life"

Actually all of Roxy Musics covers are appealing.

 

[Bob Turnbull]

I love Roger Dean's covers as well with Relayer being a particular favourite. The two covers he did for the band Osibisa are also gorgeous; very bright and colourful and lots of flying elephants...
Miles Davis' Agharta is another favourite. Beautiful detail wrapped by lush red.
Husker Du's Warehouse: Songs And Stories has all the colours of the rainbow in one of the most vibrant covers I've seen.
A personal fave is Rush's Moving Pictures because of the wordplay...The scene consists of men moving a number of pictures which in turn causes a woman to be "moved" by them (to tears) while a camera crew films the whole thing to create a "moving picture".
Hawkwind's Space Ritual unfolded into a huge picture as well didn't it? I only have that on CD, but I've heard the vinyl copy is an amazing folded up package.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". Two businessmen shaking hands, one bursting into flames as he's "burned" by the deal.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that the art of the album cover died with the advent of the Compact Disc in the 80s. :frowning: Some of my favorites include:
Joe Jackson: Night and Day
Steely Dan: Gaucho
DEVO: Q: Are We Not Men A: We Are DEVO
DEVO: Duty Now For The Future
DEVO: Oh, No! It's DEVO!
DEVO: Freedom of Choice
Paul McCartney & Wings: Band On The Run
The Who: Who's Next
The Cars
Bruce Cockburn: Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws
Wesley Willis: Greatest Hits (seroiusly - and I have it on LP, too)
Tubeway Army Featuring Gary Numan
Peter Gabriel: self titled "melting face" cover
The Stranglers: "IV" (US release - in UK, it's a single)
Kate Bush: Hounds of Love
Doobie Brothers: whatever album has the unfinished highway on it - can't remember the name.
The Beatles: Rubber Soul
Rage Against The Machine
Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill
Adrian Belew: Lone Rhino
Talking Heads: Fear Of Music (original embossed LP)
Saigon Kick: Devil in the Details

 

[StevenW]

Tool - Aenima

 

[MikeAW]

Phillip, I can see your point...and with gimmicks like special 3D inserts, outside slip covers....all the way BACK to the mini-lp digipak, and the gatefold concept where appropriate, it seems to have come full circle.

Some of those multi CD mini-lp digipak sets are a real pain to get the CD's out of, without just grabbing the CD out of sheer frustration! The most horrific of these were the latest Charlie Parker, and I believe another jazz CD set...wherein, the paper weight used was so textured, whole thing just kind of disintegrated, only after a few times of retrieving the CDs out of the pack! It turned out to be a MESS!!!!

The plain digipacks...unless you get an insert to put the CD in...are deadly if you don't carry or store them upright..they just roll or fall onto the floor. DEADLY !!!!

Jewel cases are another story ! MFSL for all of their care that they put into the recording transfer...and the extra cost...had those holders inside, that if you didn't get it just right...the CDs would literally pop out as soon as you opened the holder!!! I would have like to have been at that office meeting when they came up with THAT Dumb Idea !!!

The death of the LP-size CD box set and the advent of the tall digipack for multi-CD sets, seems to signal that the companies were straining to get back to the LP format where they could sell their product again.

Just be verrrrrrrry careful in putting those CDs back in!!!

 

[Tim Hoover]

Bauhaus "Crackle" - I'll be honest, I just dig the time-lapse sparks.
Massive Attack "Mezzanine" - What the hell? A giant beetle? Proving once again that trip-hop and etymology go hand in hand
Screaming Trees "Dust" - great gargoyle painting
U2 "Acthung Baby" - some stunning photography of some goofy things. Here's U2 in drag looking incredibly serious!
Led Zeppelin "Houses of the Holy" - weird naked albino children climbing rocks? Oddly enough, it suits the music perfectly.

 

[Philip Hamm]

MikeAW, Man, I HATE those "Shape CD" packs that MFSL and DCC seemed intent on using. Every CD I own that came in one of those packages has a regular jewel case now. Those things are the absolute worst!

 

[MikeAW]

Phil, I agree...it's always a chore to put the CD's back in...especially of course, depending on your current state of...ahem, sobriety.