100 Best Album Covers (Paperback)

~ (Author), Aubrey Powell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The immediate question that arises with a book entitled 100 Best Album Covers is, of course, "Says who?" Wisely, authors Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell have anticipated such widespread suspicion. In their thorough and amusing introduction, the two former cover designers (of Hipgnosis) go on at length about potentially qualifying factors (innovation, humor, bizarreness, minimalism, audacity) and possible reasons for nonselection (popularity, dull illustration, ugly technique, emotional offensiveness). But, they concede, what it really comes down to is a matter of taste--with a bit of nostalgia thrown into the mix.

In the end, the mysterious (and eternally debatable) selection formula matters not. The history, inspiration, and technical design details provided for each of the 100 covers that made the cut serve as reason enough for their inclusion. Did you know that Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy cover was inspired by Arthur C. Clarke's novel, Childhood's End?? Or that the burning man on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here was actually on fire (and in a bit of danger)? Or that an original idea for Supertramp's Breakfast in America was to depict cereal and milk rolling through the Grand Canyon? Tasty tidbits like these, along with quotes from designers, photographers, and the musicians themselves, make this a must-have volume for music fans--yes, even if your personal top 100 covers would constitute an entirely different collection. --Brangien Davis

Product Description

From the psychedelia of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's to the quirky social commentary of Nirvana's Nevermind, some of the most memorable, groundbreaking images of the last five decades have graced the covers of rock albums. DK's 100 Best Album Covers presents the cream of the cover crop, chosen by legendary designer Storm Thorgerson (the creator of celebrated sleeves for Pink Floyd, among other artists) and presented in DK's brilliant lexicographic style. No other album cover compilation comes close to 100 Best Album Covers in showing -- and telling -- the "stories behind the sleeves." The ideal gift for music lovers of all ages.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078944951X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789449511
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #732,965 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars graphic design & rock-n-roll!, December 30, 1999

By A Customer

...Had reservations initially paging through this survey of album covers - mainly because I was not familiar with a lot of the music of early rock-n-roll (I'm more of an `electronic music' kind of guy). But after perusing through this extremely detailed and interesting book, I was totally impressed (and sold).

The reasons are simple - `100 Best Album Covers' is indeed very representative of all types of musics (including electronic!) from many eras and all types of graphic styles. The authors (experts and very experienced) approached the subject matter from not only a historical perspective (lots of really cool facts!) but from a graphic design perspective. If your interested in music and/or graphic design, this book is for you.......

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hastily thrown together, March 26, 2001

By	KaguyaHime (Fomalhaut) - See all my reviews

At least half of the featured album covers were familiar to me, and the book did contain interesting and informative snippets of information. However I was a bit dismayed that some album covers were overlooked, memorable covers by such popular bands as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Meatloaf, ELO, Boston, Blue Oyster Cult, and Iron Maiden (for their frightening Eddie character that graced so many of their albums).

As an art book, this book is a joke. I have many coffee-table and art books, and "100 Best Album Covers" is the only one I have that centers some featured graphics in the CENTER of the book. By that, I mean that a picture is centered in a two page spread, which runs the spine of the book right down the middle of the picture. All of the other art books I have put a graphic on one page so that you can see it (unless it's oversized). The pictures here aren't oversized and would easily fit on one page. It's hard to appreciate even a nifty album cover when you can only see the outer edges of it clearly. Far too many of the album covers are centered on the spine this way. The emphasis in this book is on the commentary it seems, and not so much the picture. Emerson Lake & Palmer's "Brain Salad Surgery" (an impressive work by the famous artist Giger) isn't quite as breathtaking when you have to pry and bend the book open and crack the spine to see it.

The publishers should revise this book and reissue it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Keep Going Back For More, January 12, 2002

By	TOL (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

I have owned this book for several years and I finally decided to write a review on it now. Why did I wait so long? Well, this is not the kind of book that you'll likely pick up right away and read all the way through. In fact, I constantly find myself going back to this book whenever I'm bored. It's fun, even after many years, to flip to an album cover and read all of the interesting details on the concept, artist, design, and history. The book is laid out in such a fashion that each time you look at a represented cover, you discover new details and gain a new perspective.

As to the question of whether or not these are truly the best 100 album covers of all time, I really can't say. In fact, in that regard I think the title is misleading because it forces the reader into thinking this is some type of a ranking or countdown. In fact, it is nothing of the sort. This is simply a really cool collection of 100 great album covers and their history. And, in that respect, this book really delivers.

Buy it today. I promise you, it will never get dull.