How important is it to you?

Has the album cover artwork ever strengthened or weakened an album for you?

How would you feel if album covers were a flat white with the name of the band and album and a plain text?

if you feel like posting examples how artwork is used effectively or ineffectively, then go for it, but I wonder how soon we are flooded with dear Roger.

I personally would be content if there wasn't any album cover artwork.  It suggests something to the listener before you even get a chance to listen to it.  Shouldn't the music paint the image?  Is it possible that mp3s are the solution to this problem?  Especially if you are downloading from a site that doesn't not show the artwork of the album that you are downloading.  Personally, that doesnt work for me.  It is important for me to hold the album and play it on the cd player or turntable.  Something about the act of playing it is important at times, but that has nothing to do with the artwork.  Have a flat white album cover would be like painting at a museum hung on a white wall.  White is meant to suggest nothing, so therefore the artwork is all you see and all that can affect you.

I don't know, right now I am on this kick that I could do without the artwork.  At the same time though, maybe it is the artists choice to use an image to help the listener hear the music in a way that they intended it to be heard.  Then again, so often the album covers dont have much to do with anything, but there are times you can tell the album cover was designed specifically for that album. 

Okay, so this is basically what I just convinced myself, good artwork or no artwork at all

Aaron

I think that the cover is very important part of the album. It sets a stage for the music, and/or the meaning (concept) of the album. I think that the cover is just as much part of the album as the lyrics or music. It just adds that something.

If covers came out just white with nothing on them, you would thing confused alot. Everything would so bland and boring. That would be bad.

So i guess i'm saying: cover art = very important.

And yes are going to get alot of Roger.

For QUANTITY of artwork, Glastonbury Fayre wins hands down!

But there's also something about it all - the paraphanalia that gives you a tantalising taste of Glastonbury festival, 1971 - including the Make-your-own pyramid kit, and the sleeve that folds out into a giant double-sided poster.

Wegmuller's Tarot comes in a close 2nd - with a full deck of Tarot cards. Talk about drawing you in to the full experience...

Album artwork is extremely important. Artwork seems to have taken a turn for the worse

I blame the 80's.

Paradox wrote: Album artwork is extremely important. Artwork seems to have taken a turn for the worse I blame the 80's.

Depends what you're looking at.  The likes of Storm Thorgerson seem to be getting better with each piece of artwork they do.  Just check out TMV - Frances the Mute and yourcodenameis:milo.  2 great examples of a genius at work.  Also, a new band called gloryscene, the artwork is amazing.  taken from a painting by a guy called alex waller.  I'm sure you'll appreciate that one. 

there's still something inherently wonderful about the 70s covers though.

spectral wrote: Paradox wrote: Album artwork is extremely important. Artwork seems to have taken a turn for the worse I blame the 80's. Depends what you're looking at.  The likes of Storm Thorgerson seem to be getting better with each piece of artwork they do.  Just check out TMV - Frances the Mute and yourcodenameis:milo.  2 great examples of a genius at work.  Also, a new band called gloryscene, the artwork is amazing.  taken from a painting by a guy called alex waller.  I'm sure you'll appreciate that one.  there's still something inherently wonderful about the 70s covers though.

I took a look at the artwork you suggested. Frances The Mute...Bagism? I couldn't find any artwork for Gloryscene, their website is just confusing!

Cover Artwork is Essential, some examples:

Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick (The Newspaper Foldout - most ingenius cover ever!)

Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (in which the cover contains Peter's explanation of the story)

Other Times, the cover adds so much to the mood of the album.

Genesis, Wind & Wuthering

VdGG Still Life

Rush A Farewell to Kings

Peter Gabriel Plays Live

When You Have good cover artwork I really think it enhances the experience, since I think it really is an ingrained part of the whole album.

Aaron wrote: How would you feel if album covers were a flat white with the name of the band and album and a plain text?

I think that would generally be pretty dull. Yes, the music is the most important thing where an album is concerned, but artwork- or just interesting design- are also important. But they should always be suited to the bands style and the albums mood. So, the classic and much overused example: Roger Dean and Yes. Like many others, I reckon Roger Deans fantasy landscapes and bizzare architecture match up with the majority of Yes music perfectly. I'm not so fond of the non Roger Dean Yes album covers- for example Going for the one. But then again, the guy who did that album cover (sorry but I don't remember his name) did lots of Pink Floyd covers, and they match Pink Floyd brilliantly. Similarly, whilst those few covers for Pink Floyd by Roger Dean (eg Dragons Garden I think) are good as paintings, but I don't think they really work as Floyd covers.

Of course, some albums are uniform in colour, I'm sure I saw one with an all white cover with the band name in black just like you said, somewhere. That could potentially be an extremely effective cover for a bleak or pure sounding album!

Yes, I agree with that totally. On the other hand, I said i don't like the non Dean Yes covers- but that doesn't make me like Going for the one any less. I think that a good, suitable work of art definitely adds something to an album as a whole, although it isn't an absolute necessity

I'd says album cover that are representative to the music are okay. I hate covers where you see a joke, a stupid drawing, or the worse, the bands members.