Terry’s Top 7 Album Covers
#7
Herbie Hancock
Head Hunters
When I discovered Head Hunters (released in 1973), it was likely the mid-’80s. There at the start of my jazz listening journey, my buying habits were based mainly on what I’d heard on the local jazz station…or sometimes album art that was too unique to resist. Enter Head Hunters…
I’d already known of Herbie Hancock, but I didn’t become a diehard fan until “Rockit” in 1983. It wasn’t long before I ran across this electric album cover that showed a bunch of soul brothers fronted by a big, yellow voodoo man at the keyboard. They called themselves the Head Hunters…and based on that wild cover art, I had to hear what this music was about!
I was not disappointed. Starting with “Chameleon”—a jazz fusion classic whose main riff I’d heard times before—the whole album fused electric funk with a laidback, jazzy, tribal feel. Head Hunters was my introduction to ’70s jazz fusion…and very few records exemplify the style better. But if it weren’t for that voodoo-crazy album cover that made me pick up the CD, I would probably have a whole different outlook on the style of jazz that has influenced me the most!
#6
Björk
Post
Björk is an artist motivated by bucking norms and allowing herself to be and do whatever she feels in the moment. No boundaries.
Each Björk album has been more expressive and experimental than the last. Her previous album, Debut (1993), was just a hint at the artistic rebel to come. But it’s the slightly quirky Björk of the mid-90s—not the full-blown, avant-garde Björk who would emerge in the 2000s—I love most.
Post (1995), Björk’s second album, is a trippy, moody twist on ’90s, club-based electronica. The cover shows a Björk who’s entranced by the bold lights and colors of Piccadilly Circus—London’s version of Times Square. (Once she’d moved there from Iceland’s isolated arts scene, London’s vibrant music culture inspired Björk to explore new directions...several at once!)
Starting with the intimidating, industrial “Army of Me,” the songs morph between various modes, moods, and surprises. Does this music mimic the album cover—a powerful yet playful image of an artist building a reputation for fearless experimentation—or the other way around?
#5 Massive Attack Mezzanine
A mezzanine is an in-between space, somewhere between the interior floor of a building and its high ceiling. Sometimes it’s in the form of a balcony at a theater, a platform at the top of the steps, or the upper level of a loft. For our purposes, I equate it to a ledge. The day I brought home Mezzanine from the record store, I nearly fell over that ledge.
Massive Attack are the godfathers of brooding, claustrophobic trip-hop—and their fourth album, Mezzanine (1998) is the broodiest to that point. From the first moments of the foreboding song “Angel,” you know you’ve been dropped into one of those in-between spaces. It’s a liminal, transitional, amorphous space…and the album art contributes to this feeling of statelessness:
On the cover is a menacing close-up of a stag beetle. (You know, the big, black bug that looks like its jaws could crush metal.) Then you notice metal parts protruding, here and there, from the insect's body. Realizing you’re caught in the same space—teetering on the edge—you cautiously check your own skin for metal parts. Relieved, you turn your attention back to the music that’s causing this trippy experience. Don’t fall off the ledge!
#4
The Time
The Time
The Time (1981) was The Time’s debut album…and the coolest photo ever taken of a funk band. The standout tracks—“Cool,” “Get It Up,” and “The Stick”—perfectly embody the band’s silliness, sentimentality, and pure funk attitude.
But this six-member “band” was really just the work of a single genius. Save for Morris Day’s lead vocals and drums—and a handful of small assists from others—the playing, writing, and arranging on this record were all Prince. The dude had so much music in him that he needed to create an alter-ego group to get it all out! But this fact meant the men pictured on this album cover were just a stage band…a fact I’d discover only years after The Time had released. But the album cover did its job, totally selling the illusion.
I hold no ill will toward Prince for his deceit—after all, these guys were my absolute favorite funk band of the ’80s. But occasionally, the thought creeps in: What if Morris had chosen to take cash as payment for penning Prince’s song “Party Up,” instead of a new band and record deal? Then The Time—along with this classic album cover—might never have existed!
#3
Prince
1999
I was 12 when my uncle purchased and brought home an obscure-looking LP that featured funky, hand-drawn lettering on a deep-purple background. My curiosity got the best of me. Soon, songs like “D.M.S.R.,” “Lady Cab Driver,” “Free,” and “Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)” became personal anthems that made my preteen years feel a little less awkward.
1999 (released in 1982) was the first album that totally transformed me…and not just the music. Months after playing the record whenever my uncle was away, I remained transfixed by the crude, suggestive shapes on the cover. So much so that it felt like stealing glances at a forbidden object. I was afraid to stare too long…doing so might corrupt my brain!
Uncle Ray had no clue that a random act of music consumption—stopping on the way home to pick up that new Prince record—would change his young nephew’s life. And I couldn't have known how 1999’s mesmerizing cover would draw me into the sexy, liberating world of Prince forever…
#2
Stevie Wonder
Hotter Than July
Can an album’s visual presentation and its music combine to create a listening experience greater than the sum of its parts? This one does!
Hotter Than July (1980) is a prime example of why Stevie Wonder’s music holds such a high place in my collection. I have fond memories of a 10-year-old me listening to this entire LP, front to back, with my sister…as we sang the lyrics to “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” and “Did I Hear You Say You Love Me,” to the tops of our lungs!
But we bonded over more than just the music. The interior of the album sleeve was a bright yellow listing of the song lyrics, and we poured over every word…as if studying for a test. (If I were to dig up that old album today, I’m sure I’d find a thousand little fingerprints all over it!)
HTJ was always one of the highlights of visiting our dad’s house, and those parts of the experience made this record more than a mere collection of songs. The package itself became a treasured keepsake. So much so that I recently purchased the vinyl LP of HTJ…even though I’ve owned the CD for years. I didn’t buy it to listen to, but to proudly display it as a nostalgic reminder of those great days of childhood!
#1
Earth, Wind & Fire
The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. I
Maurice White, the visionary founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, took a great interest in ancient Egyptian culture. It’s why many of the group's album covers proudly feature majestic art of the Great Pyramids, pharaohs, hieroglyphs, and other symbolic imagery from ancient Egypt and Africa. It wasn’t just to show that black people come from royalty—but also to fuse this ancient symbolism with progressive concepts of the future. (Also known as Afrofuturism.)
EWF’s identity even relies on elements of astrology and mythology…ideals that weren’t just window dressing. They were important to the group’s music—reflected in their uplifting messages and funk-filled, afro-centric grooves. The imagery became just as impactful as the music—both working together to promote Maurice’s belief in a higher purpose.
Of all the EWF album covers that convey these ideals, my favorite has always been The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. I (1978). More than any of the thousands of album covers in my collection, this art is the strongest, most symbolic representation of a band that was all about positivity, sincerity, and spirituality—not only in their music, but in all the ways a band expresses itself and spreads its message.
Great Art…Now Where’s the Music?
C’mon, you know there’s no way I’d fondly reminisce about these classic albums—rubbing this greatness all in your face—then not provide a playlist of the music that inspired this iconic artwork. I got it “covered”!
Most readers, I’m sure, are familiar with the music from these albums…at least on some level. But in case not—or if you’d just like to go back down Memory Lane with me—check out the Spotify playlist linked here. Enjoy!
Resource Notes
Although this article is meant to be a casual read, it is peppered with factual and biographical information. And since a big component of writing is research, I often feel the need to “cite my sources.” (Wikipedia, Google, online articles, YouTube videos, documentaries, audiobooks, physical books, etc.)
Aside from that, mentioning the various resources that have helped in putting together an essay often provides great material for the curious reader to further research on their own. It’s all about sharing and passing on the wealth of knowledge.
Aside from the covers, liner notes, and inserts of the albums in my personal collection, I also referenced the resources below to provide or verify factual/biographical info…
Earth, Wind & Fire
YouTube:
Earth Wind & Fire - A Tribute to the Greatness | Pop Fix | Professor of Rock
The Greatest Filler Song of All Time | Earth Wind & Fire (Digging the Greats)
The above documentary is available for DVD purchase from Amazon.com. But since I couldn’t wait for it to arrive, I found the documentary on YouTube—for some annoying reason, broken up into 21 parts—and watched it there. Very much worth the inconvenience! (Eagle Rock Entertainment, 2001)
Wikipedia:
Audiobook:
My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire, (Maurice White, 2016)