Ever bought an album just because the cover was cool?
Strawbs’ 1977 album, “Deadlines,” shows a man floating upside down in a phone booth filled with water in the middle of the desert. Too cool not to buy, although the music isn’t all that memorable.
These days, downloads are the rule, so the good-cover/meh-music paradox is not really an issue. But with vinyl making something of a comeback, perhaps the 12-by-12-inch sleeve will become relevant again, too.
It’s doubtful that anyone could tally up the number of teenagers and college-age students from 1970 to 1990 who decorated the walls of their bedrooms or dorm rooms with album covers.
Shawn RyanThe 1970s had some of the best and most iconic covers, which makes sense; it had some of the best and most iconic bands. The ’80s were no slouches when it came to bands and LP covers, though. The ’90s had its share, although CDs had taken over by then and the roughly 6-inch by 5-inch case didn’t provide the same artistic canvas as an LP.