Thinking about some of the iconic album covers over the decades.
I’ll kick off with this one from the 70s
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For me the Atomic Mr Basie my first l.p. And I still have it
Led Zeppelin IV.
Buildings are in Birmingham and there’s an Oxfam poster which Page wanted to include to highlight the famine problems in the world. The old man represents nature and the buildings are apparently supposed to denote the degradation of inner cities. Page considered himself an early eco-warrior.
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One of my favourites was Mystery To Me.
I was always in awe of the incredible Santana Lotus album too.
Oh, I almost forgot Disraeli Gears.
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The Cream album was very topically and typically psychedelic for the time. Santana was very much in his meditation period I suppose.
I’ve got a copy of the Stone’s Some Girls, bought on the day of its release with the original sleeve that was quickly withdrawn following a threatened law suit by Lucille Ball. Not as valuable as I hoped!
Was similarly very disappointed to discover that my supposedly rare early John Cooper Clarke EP on Rabid Records is worth bugger all - I used to know him and got the impression it’d only sold about ten copies. Liar!
Likewise my US pressed transparent 45 of Laurie Anderson’s Let x = x and my equally rare transparent US LP of Capt Beefhart’s Clear Spot. Images not provided for obvios reasons
Good job I chose university pensions rather trying to anticipate vinyl rarity!
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These are some of my favourites 
I have the top and bottom ones, bought in the 70s. 21st Century SM isa classic track. AHM isn’t one of the PFs best imo. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Hawkwind album.
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Here’s my Christmas present from my OH. It’s an original sealed demo copy never played . The fish head is the vinyl. I have the track as my ringtone.
Brilliant cover art, pity about the music……
I can’t think of any Yes album I liked, I have a Greatest Hits album which is okay ish, but….
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ELP
Brain salad surgery
YES
Tales from a topographic ocean
Showing my age here
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Aren’t we all😉
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Close to the edge is probably my favourite, but the cover isn’t that inspiring 
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Would agree with you there Mark
All the Yes covers done by Roger Dean I think. Sure he must have done other similar covers for other bands.
I have no idea what the music was like, but this cover has always made me smile as I know some of the folk featured.
(1969) Principal Edwards Magic Theatre
I remember a reviewer criticising “endless pointless soloing”, with which I agree. Never liked that band.
Sometime between 2012 - 2016 my vinyl collection went AWOL *. As someone who grew up listening to and buying the records, from ‘Jailhouse Rock’ to Johnny Winter in mid-70’s before moving on to jazz, there were some valuable 12"ers in there.
The Naked Ladies edition of Electric Ladyland. The now [probably] criminal Blind Faith. The 1 1/2 album [one side of a double album was blank] Second Winter by Johnny Winter
An album cover I found highly enigmatic at the time and still do is ‘Nefertiti’ by Miles Davis
It’s shot at such an unsual angle but it expresses Miles so well. The music is equally enigmatic. I’m still ‘discovering’ it after 45 years.
- Four 12" album covers that I really regret disappearing along with all the others are the four recorded on Island Records by two friends of mine who went by the name of Jade Warrior.
Apart from the sentimental value of the 12" vinyls [I have all four on CD, with far better audio reproduction] I put four Japanese woodblock prints by Utamara in one of the album sleeves. I bought the prints from ‘the ex-wife’ when she divorced my friend. This sort of thing
I just hope that whoever ended up with that album recognised what those prints were.
As John and Tony were interested and influenced by Japanese music and the ikuyo-e tradition of art, the album covers were all themed by it. The album ‘Waves’ had to feature Hokusai’s ‘The Wave’, of course
Oh! All right then … it’s is not my favourite album cover although I did shoot the picture. It was a bitterly cold night. The poor girl was a degree or two from hypothermia. It has had loads of post-production.
It being 1986 and the peak of punk, the next one I did featured a young punk we picked up in the King’s Road, lying on a bed, lurid white and sweaty, having died of an overdose. One to forget, and I have.
Just recalled what I think is the most powerful album cover image ever. ‘Tutu’ [Miles Davis]
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