Long form explorations of iconic and fascinating album covers. The full story, properly told.
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.
Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins - My wife introduced me to the Smashing Pumpkins. Before her I only knew the rat in a cage song.
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd - Two businessmen. One of them is on fire. And, did you know about the invisible man?
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.
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.
Renaissance by Beyoncé - A woman on a horse. A silver bodysuit. The whole thing glowing and otherworldly.
Klaus Voormann spent three weeks creating one of the most celebrated album covers in history. He was paid fifty pounds.
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie - He doesn't fill the frame. He's small, almost lost in the street.
Maggot Brain by Funkadelic - The cover disturbed me. The music surprised me.
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division - The iconic cover isn't abstract art. It's a signal from a dead star.
