2. music
  3. 194800-9095

Does cover art of an album or recording influences your purchase?

For me, album or recording cover art definitely influences physical media purchases, where the physical object is part of the experience.

Cover art may never be as powerful as the music itself, but it carries its own quiet weight. It represents love, life, death, and the essence of a particular time in a musician’s journey. It captures what the music feels, without needing a single note.

Many are works of art and have become as famous as the music they stand for—Andy Warhol's covers, for example, including the banana he designed for The Velvet Underground. And there are many more! 

On flip side, If you’re buying based purely on artist or recommendation, cover art may not matter. But for exploration, vinyl hunting, or curating a vibe, it remains quite influential.

I’d love to hear what album covers have etched themselves into your memory or even convinced you to listen before you knew the artist. 

Thank you! 

lalitk
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,806 posts
 

Never. But if i remember well i was very fascinated by a Sun Ra cover album when i was young (15) and completely uninterested by jazz anyway... But the image of these "extraterrestrials" looking black  people makes me curious about the music i could not afford for many reasons anyway at this time....

30 years later i begun to discover Sun Ra genius.... 

 

Oups! Never say never...cool

I just remember i bought  Moondog genius  double  Columbia album  when i had 20 because of the Viking fascinating portrait of this street composer...

He is in my favorite creator list since....

 

larsman's avatar
larsman
2,472 posts
 

Absolutely - that's a big reason why I prefer vinyl to CD's or streaming. I'm a photographer and I can appreciate what I consider to be great album artwork. I may not buy something based on the art, but it will certainly bring it to my attention more to check it out. 

jasonbourne71's avatar
jasonbourne71
1,459 posts
 

Cream’s Disraeli Gears and Wheels Of Fire LP’s had psychedelic art work that was eye-catching! Underground comic artist Rick Griffin did the WOF cover. I bought both albums in 1967-68 as a teen in high school.

stuartk
3,518 posts
 

@jasonbourne7

I believe cover art for both Wheels of Fire and Disraeli Gears was done by Martin Sharp. 

Rick Griffin's album covers here: 

http://www.myraltis.co.uk/rickgriffin/galleries_sleeves.htm

lalitk's avatar
lalitk OP
5,801 posts
 

One of my all time  favorites, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A…. that iconic image of denim, a ball cap, and the flag. At first glance, it looks patriotic. But paired with the music, it reveals something deeper: working-class struggle, pride, pain, and the complexity of American identity. The art doesn’t explain the songs but it certainly amplified them here. This album still holds the same meaning it did 40 years ago, maybe even more.

The cover and the songs are locked in time, yet speak clearly to the present.

More to discover