Album Covers - Does it matter?

In the good old days of vinyl, and when I was too young to know better, I used to stick album sleeves all over my bedroom wall. I would keep the records in their inner sleeves and put them in protective plastic covers.

I did this for my entire Rush collection - up to and including Grace Under Pressure. I loved the artwork on their albums (favourites were 'Caress of Steel' 'Farewell to Kings' and 'Hemispheres'

A good album cover completes the package, proves that the artist cares about all aspects of presentation, and adds to the enigma of rock history  

Would Yes ever have had the same amount of popularity without Roger Dean?

A cover can make me look at cd and take a quick lisning, but if i don't like it, then i don't buy cause of the cover.

The cover gives the music that representation our imagination can also give it to the music. As any musicologist would say, music generates images, sometimes the album covers represents what the artist wants to transmit. Of course, some covers can be deceiving in that category, or sometimes the cover is just awful and the music is great (i.e: Anekdoten- From Within'). Some of the covers i like the most:

Faithful Breath- Fading Beauty

Opeth- Damnation

Eloy- Planets

Porcupine Tree- Lightbulb sun

White Willow- Sacrament

Death Machine- s/t

Symphony X- V

Jethro Tull- Minstrel In the Gallery

Pulsar- Halloween

Great album covers were intoxicating.

As I read through this thread, I was going to comment when I got to the end.  But bassguy beat me to it.

Ultimately, "you can't judge a CD by its cover."  I have never bought an album solely on its cover, nor would I ever even think of doing so.  Not even if a well-known artist (e.g., Roger Dean) was the artist.  Because there are simply no guarantees where covers are concerned.

I certainly agree that a good cover can "add" to the enjoyment of an album.  And like others, I mourn the passing of the 12" cover, sleeve and, especially, readable lyrics (in a font large enough to see without a microscope).  In this regard, although I understand and respect (in most, but not all, cases) that CDs sound better than LPs (and last longer, for the most part), I can't help but think we have lost something special with the end of truly great cover art (in 12"), and all that went with it.

Peace.

Marcelo wrote: Easy Livin wrote: I've certainly bought albums on the strength of the cover on a number of occasions. A Roger Dean for example will always be a recommendation to me     Even Asia albums?

Especially Asia albums! I'm proud to say I love their music, whether or not it's "prog".

Easy Livin wrote: I've certainly bought albums on the strength of the cover on a number of occasions. A Roger Dean for example will always be a recommendation to me

Even Asia albums?

I think it's a shame some artists don't put too much effort in their covers. Ok, the music is of course more important, but the cover is what might attract the attention of the ignorant visitor of the recordshop in the first place. It's a kind of teaser. It makes you wonder what kind of music such artwork will contain. And therefore help the artist.

So, it is important for me. However, if my of my fav bands put out a record with an atrocious cover, I will probably buy it anyway (Mahavishnu's 'Trident Sessions' indeed). And ANY reason to collect vinyl is valuable by me.

Hello,

"When I was young and had time to listen to music carefully, the cover - and inside photos and lyrics - were an integral part of the experience"

For me it was the same, i used to examinate the details of the covers, the inside

info.

PF /Wish you were here impressed me a lot with its cover which evokes for me

the painter"Magritte"