Credit:

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/50-coolest-album-covers

The Beatles- Abbey RoadProbably the most well know CD front cover the world has ever

seen; even though it is from the year 1969, at the age of 12 I would have been able to tell you the name of the band and where it was taken; and I’m not even a massive fan of The Beatles. That may be down to the fact that they are such a ‘British’ band that they are known due to the cultural impacts in recent years. The designer of this illustrious CD cover was Iain MacMillan. To sum this photo up simply? An utterly iconic image, with the Fab Four

themselves at their coolest.My opinion: I think this album cover sums up the Beatles perfectly; and says a lot about them as artists. This is because the cover is simply them walking across a road- yet it is one of the well know pictures in musical history; showing that their talents were vocals rather than flashy hair styles, well groomed, fashionable bands of today.

Nirvana- NevermindThis iconic image of an innocent baby swimming towards a

dollar bill on a fishhook is one of the most instantly recognisable in musical history, and was the front cover of the

album which helped Nirvana to establish themselves. The designer; Robert Fisher was helped by none other than the

lead singer himself Kurt Cobain, after he reportedly conceived the idea after watching a TV program on water

births. Nobody knows the true meaning of the album cover as it was never revealed; and seemingly never will be.

My opinion:This is also another CD cover which I could have recognised at the age of 12, showing the high profile it has. I am not to sure about the meaning of it, unlike most people- maybe it is showing that Cobain had a desire for money from a young age; who knows? Another useless fact I have is that there is a Simpsons remake of it, that may be a reason why it is so well recognised.

Oasis- Definitely maybeDesigned by Brian Cannon The cover for ’Definitely Maybe’ was an instant classic with various pieces of

symbolism artfully placed in shot and the new five coolest guys on the planet poised to take over for the next decade-almost taking the limelight that The Beatles once had. This

was the fastest selling debut album up until 2006, selling 86,000 units in the first week alone, a record broken by the

Arctic Monkeys. This was the first of lots of similar CD covers by Oasis.My opinion:

As a Manchester United fan myself, I like the symbolism within the album cover by guitarist, Bonehead. There is a small photograph of Manchester United legend George Best in the window, a defiant reminder that not every member of Oasis is a Manchester City fan. I like this album cover because the symbolism used, and not just the one above is very clever, showing the brains it took to create it.

The evolution of Oasis CD covers

1994-Definitely

Maybe

1995-What’s

the story morning

glory

1996-…There

and then

1997-Be Here

Now

2002-Heathen Chemistr

y

2005-Don’t

believe the truth

From these CD covers it can be seen that they were a big fan of the pastel/oil type of sketched sort of album covers, using them for great symbolism and show some

scenes of reality within them. For example ‘What’s the story morning glory’ features a man plainly walking down the street but has their trademark sign on,

and even without that you would have been able to recognise their distinct imagery within the cover- this may have been the style that set the apart.

AC/DC- Back in BlackAC/DC's first album following the death of lead singer Bon Scott had a cover that was appropriately sparse, dark and

powerful. A simple outline of the band's iconic logo together with the title in plain typography, it perfectly complemented

the music itself: simple, heavy, no-nonsense, and brutally effective. The designer Bob Defrin had a simple job, but it is

still an incredibly well know cover, in which Bon Scott himself would appreciate- simple and not eye catching; it focuses

more on the music.My opinion:I think this cover is very powerful and respectful of the death of Bon Scott; nothing flashy, it just emphasis the musical talent that is left, and the talent that has gone. It is not eye catching but is still a very well known CD cover, that says a lot about them as artists- simple but out there.