Album Art Gallery Part 6: 1974
I've always loved album artworks. I see them as its own art form, separate (though sometimes related) to the music contained within them. So even if many album cover lists exist already in Sputnik, I wanted to start my own series showcasing the ones that caught my attention, wether it is because I think they are beautiful as works of art, interesting in concept or simply because I think they look "cool" regardless of a deeper value. This is part 6 and, as always, recs are welcomed |
| 1 |  | 10cc
Sheet Music
One of my favorites ever. The optical effect is genius |
| 2 |  | Area
Caution Radiation Area |
| 3 |  | Deep Purple
Stormbringer
My favorite Deep Purple artwork, very epic and captures pretty well the vibe of the title track |
| 4 |  | Gentle Giant
The Power and the Glory |
| 5 |  | Miles Davis
Big Fun |
| 6 |  | Steely Dan
Pretzel Logic |
| 7 |  | UFO
Phenomenon
One of Hipgnosis best. As always with them the composition is top tier and the way it manages to tell a story in such a simple image is a landmark of their style |
| 8 |  | Tangerine Dream
Phaedra |
| 9 |  | Arti e Mestieri
Tilt |
| 10 |  | Pharoah Sanders
Elevation
While Elevation shows great execution on complex artwork, Love in us All does the same but on a simple one |
| 11 |  | Pharoah Sanders
Love In Us All |
| 12 |  | Mountain
Twin Peaks |
| 13 |  | Pavlov's Dog
Pampered Menial
What a massive unit of a doggy that is |
| 14 |  | Kansas
Kansas |
| 15 |  | Eloy
Floating
This surrealist and alien looking picture with a great use of warm-cold palettes fits perfectly with Eloy's spacey atmosphere |
| 16 |  | Big Star
Radio City |
| 17 |  | Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson
Winter In America |
| 18 |  | Moose Loose
Elgen Er Los |
| 19 |  | Sui Generis
Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones
Each of these six images could work as instantly classic covers. Does that mean that using the six of them at the same time makes this one six times more of a classic cover? Maybe |
| 20 |  | Weather Report
Mysterious Traveller |
| 21 |  | Uno
Uno (1974)
...and decades before photoshop |
| 22 |  | King Crimson
Red
As I've said on other parts, I'm not a fan of band members pics used as album covers since they seem a pretty lazy approach most of the time, but the final outcome on this one's classic |
| 23 |  | Little Feat
Feats Don't Fail Me Now |
| 24 |  | Budgie
In for the Kill! |
| 25 |  | Gong
You
Colors, space, religious architecture. Certainly a celebration of Gong's cosmic style |
| 26 |  | Roxy Music
Country Life |
| 27 |  | Birth Control
Live |
| 28 |  | Yonin Bayashi
Ishoku-Sokuhatsu
One of the coolest ever. It is so surreal and manages to be stupidly silly yet pretty creepy at the same time. Needless to say that few artworks get embedded into your head as easily as this one |
| 29 |  | Yes
Relayer
Another Roger Dean classic |
| 30 |  | Robert Wyatt
Rock Bottom |
| 31 |  | Queen
Queen II
The same said about Red applies here. Truly a timeless image |
| 32 |  | Lou Reed
Rock 'n' Roll Animal |
| 33 |  | Blue Oyster Cult
Secret Treaties |
| 34 |  | Fela Kuti
Confusion
A mix of cubist anatomy with the vivid coloration of african art that depicts african social/racial issues is not something you see everyday |
| 35 |  | Camel
Mirage |
| 36 |  | Billy Cobham
Spectrum
Looks like Minecraft art |
| 37 |  | Harmonia
Musik von Harmonia
Random objects are, in my opinion, an easy way to create an iconic artwork that gets stuck into your head. Now, why cleaning fluid? Who knows, it looks cool |
| 38 |  | Funkadelic
Standing on the Verge of Getting It On |
| 39 |  | Invisible
Invisible
Beautiful one. I like the idea of twisting the stereotypical concept of a landscape in artwork by showing it from the reflection of a simple puddle. The black and white palette really adds to it imo |
| 40 |  | Neil Young
On the Beach |
| 41 |  | Robin Trower
Bridge of Sighs |
| 42 |  | Betty Davis
They Say I'm Different
Iconic pose that might be Betty Davis' most iconic picture |
| 43 |  | Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Not Fragile |
| 44 |  | Jackson Browne
Late for the Sky
Pretty simple composition and its basic black/blue palette produce a pretty effective result |
| 45 |  | Batsumi
Batsumi |
| 46 |  | Unicorn (UK)
Blue Pine Trees
Metal poles used to represent sunlight striking through the trees. Pretty creative |
| 47 |  | Triumvirat
Illusions On A Double Dimple |
| 48 |  | Pink Floyd
A Nice Pair
Just like with Sui Generis, each of these nine images could work as top tier artwork material |
| 49 |  | Stevie Wonder
Fulfillingness' First Finale |
| 50 |  | Hawkwind
Hall of the Mountain Grill
Love this one, the composition creates a great sensation of scale and is an excellent example of epic sci-fi artwork |
| 51 |  | Genesis
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Cool breaking of the 4th wall |
| 52 |  | Strawbs
Hero and Heroine |
| 53 |  | The Residents
Meet the Residents
Just like I said on a previous part when talking about We're Only in it for the Money, I find it truly remarkable when a parody styled artwork manages to have its own identity and becomes quintessential regardless of the original artwork. This is another great example of that |
| 54 |  | Satin Whale
Desert Places |
| 55 |  | Scorpions
Fly to the Rainbow
People hate this one. Indeed it is cheesy and weird, I don't know what the hell it is supposed to be but I really love it. It is silly but in a charming way and there's an aura of outworldy mystery surrounding it |
| 56 |  | Quella Vecchia Locanda
Il tempo della gioia |
| 57 |  | Judas Priest
Rocka Rolla
Pretty much the same that was said about Musik von Harmonia can be said about this one |
| 58 |  | Sparks
Kimono My House |
| 59 |  | Sparks
Propaganda
Reminds me a lot of Hipgnosis' style which makes it an instant classic for me. The clean composition is great |
| 60 |  | Hatfield And The North
Hatfield and the North
The perspective and poor lightning on the houses below give a pretty ominous feeling to the coming clouds filled with renaissance styled barbarism |
| 61 |  | Bad Company
Straight Shooter
The perspective/composition gives a pretty dynamic feeling which works very well |
| 62 |  | Mikel Laboa
Bat-Hiru |
| 63 |  | Henry Cow
Unrest
The second in a series of three classic... you guessed it! socks! |
| 64 |  | Kraftwerk
Autobahn
I like both cars and infrastructure so this checks many boxes, plus it really became an iconic one |
| 65 |  | Supertramp
Crime of the Century
Simple in execution but very interesting in concept. Crime of the Century's cover represents excellently Supertramp's ever present dark side that lies hidden under their happy and catchy sound |
| 66 |  | The Pretty Things
Silk Torpedo
Thanks sputnik |
| 67 |  | McCoy Tyner
Sama Layuca |
| 68 |  | Grateful Dead
From the Mars Hotel |
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