A Lost Art

In an age where most of the music we buy is digital, a beautiful means of artistic expression is being lost: CD cover art. One of my most favorite things to do after hitting the local music store to buy a few albums was to go home and pour through the album sleeve. Most of the time I was just hoping that it had some lyrics in it, but bands tended to give weird shout outs (thanks Aunt Bessie for the cookies!) as well. Just before popping the CD in my walkman I would turn to the beginning of the book and study the cover art. Some were plain, or just showed the band, but many looked like an artist took a lot of time and listened to the whole album, and turned that wonderful music into a tangible work of art. In honor of some of those artists, I want to share some of my favorite album cover art over the years:




Coldplay "Viva La Vida"

Depicting an 1830 painting by Eugene Delacroix entitled "Liberty Leading the People" this album's cover speaks to the revolutionary nature of not only the songs in it but the band's new direction. It depicts a woman holding a french flag in an apparent rally cry with eager soldiers ready at the wing and fallen soldiers at her feet. With lyrics like "When the futures are protected by a carnival of idiots it's unsure, you better lie low" Chris Martin and his band mates are subtly showing their disdain for current governments. Every time I look at this album cover I get something new out of it. If only all album covers could have this many layers!







Boston's "Boston"

Now, Boston has some awesome album covers, or maybe I just like creepy cool spaceships. I almost picked their "Greatest Hits" album, but I think this one nudges that one out by a hair. I have no other reason other then it looks like only someone who has a true talent in art could design that!












Dave Matthews Band's "Under the Table and Dreaming"

For years, don't ask me how I got this wrong, I thought this was a picture of the underside of a table, thinking it went along with the album title. But, in all actuality it is a dizzying picture of a carnival ride from the ground. Such a great action shot. People pass by and are captured in a moment, some forever blurred in movement. The introspective and larger then life nature of the album cover matches well with the songs on the album, which themselves are a bit of a ride. Going from the lullaby "Satellite" to to the two-stepping "Ants Marching" to the grab-your-friends-and-sing-along "What Would You Say?" Dave and the boys certainly take us for a spin on a musical journey with the album!






Stone Temple Pilots "Core"

I think, looking over some of the albums I picked, that I tend to pick out the colorful, hand drawn or just plain weird album covers. This one falls into two of those categories. First of all I feel like I am looking at this image through a rear view mirror, with the way it is more rounded along the edges. The overall color gives it a creepy foreboding feel, and the gnarly tree only adds to that. Then there is some crazy haired lady coming at me with some sort of round thing in her hands. Almost like she is chasing me as I drive away from her crazy ass. It's mysterious, and I like it!








Korn's "Follow the Leader"

Standing alone this album cover is sweet. A group of latchkey kids playing hopscotch on a cliff, moments before a little girl supposedly falls to her death. The attention to detail and use of color here is amazing. However, if you have seen the video for "Freak on a Leash", you gain a much better perspective on this art. It depicts a cop chasing these kids who may or may not have accidentally shot the little girl. The revolutionary video follows the bullet (animated at first) through an entire city of smashed vases and near hits (not animated). Blending the two, then incorporating it all in an album cover make "Follow the Leader" an awesome example of cover art.









Nirvana's "In Utero"

Not much to say about this, except such a raw and emotionally exposed album cover for such a revealing musical compilation. It was the band's last studio album, so it is fitting that it shows an angel baring literally everything inside her, palms up showing that she is hiding nothing.













The Offspring's "Smash"

This album was revolutionary when it came out. In the early 90s we were still stuck in the lingering hair bands, and some of the new rap that was coming out. Along with Green Day and Rancid, The Offspring helped bring punk rock to the mainstream. It was energetic, in your face, and not ready to take no for an answer. It gave a voice to my generation. This album cover to me captures the spirit of that time. Not mainstream by any means, a little funky, and unapologetic. Plus I seem to have a thing for bones and guts!








The Red Hot Chili Pepper's "One Hot Minute"

Admittedly not one of their best albums music wise (though "My Friends" and "Aeroplane" still rock my socks) this is actually one of my favorite albums covers. It seems so cheeky, like it is paying homage to old timey music bars. Plus, I have already said that I love hand drawn art work, and this looks like something you would see on a poster in the 1950's in a malt shop advertising a band that is playing that night. I love it.






Seether's "Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces"

I am in love with this cover art and this album title. So many meanings in that title! But that is another blog altogether. Once again I find myself drawn to a picture with a skeleton in it. Here we have a cute, almost anime looking girl in a gown, and she is exposing her ribcage. Looking at it, it's actually kind of griesome and ugly. However, for some strange reason I am drawn to this picture and can't stop looking at it.









The Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness"

Something about this cover art jives so well with the songs on this album. Songs like "Tonight Tonight" make you feel as if you are on a celestial journey at night as you pop in each of the CDs in this album. So the woman coming out of a star looking dazed is how I feel after the 2 hour album is over! I even like the font on the front. Not to mention whoever drew this did a great job, I love the overall feeling of muted colors, it gives it a Renaissance feel.








That's all I can think of for now. Anyone else got some they want to share?




*images from target.com, information from band websites and wikipedia.com*