Why Try Harder
You've Come a Long Way, Baby by Fatboy Slim - The man on the cover has been famous for over twenty-five years. He still doesn't know it.
Category
Deep Dive
Long form explorations of iconic and fascinating album covers. The full story, properly told.
Stories
The Dog Book
Odelay by Beck - A stranger's old dog photo, a girlfriend's tip, and a cover chosen in a last-minute scramble to beat a deadline.
Worst By Design
Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water by Limp Bizkit - The most hated album cover of 2000 wasn't a mistake. It was all part of the plan.
A Poem On A Napkin
Wheels of Fire by Cream - My parents had this album. It sat in the collection looking too strange to touch. I left it alone for years. Here's what I found when I finally looked properly.
Almost Looks Like It Means Something
OK Computer by Radiohead - A road. Some blurred figures. White space. Here's what it all means and the hotel window it was photographed from.
Da Inner Sound, Y'all
3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul - I came to this album backwards. Through De La Soul Is Dead, back to the beginning. I didn't know any of the songs. And then I pressed play. Here's the story behind the cover that changed hip hop.
The Dream She Gave Me
Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins - My wife introduced me to the Smashing Pumpkins. Before her I only knew the rat in a cage song.
Absence
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd - Two businessmen. One of them is on fire. And, did you know about the invisible man?
The Lawn They Built
To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar - I heard King Kunta on Triple J and bought the album for the music. I never really looked at the cover. I should have.
I See Us
Horses by Patti Smith - A Salvation Army shirt. A Frank Sinatra gesture. Twelve photographs. One afternoon in a New York apartment. And one important album cover.
The Disco Ball Horse
Renaissance by Beyoncé - A woman on a horse. A silver bodysuit. The whole thing glowing and otherworldly.
Fifty Pounds
Klaus Voormann spent three weeks creating one of the most celebrated album covers in history. He was paid fifty pounds.