THE PLANET ROCK VAULT
Greatest Ever Album Artwork
In the age of the download when digital music is in danger of making albums and record collections obsolete, it’s important to remember that part of the joy of owning music is down to the complete package – the music AND the artwork that houses it.
In the age of the download when digital music is in danger of making albums and record collections obsolete, it’s important to remember that part of the joy of owning music is down to the complete package – the music AND the artwork that houses it.
On Easter Monday 2009 we celebrated the greatest album art of all time with a countdown, as voted for by you.
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon triumphed in the poll, with a massive 10% of the total votes reaffirming its status as a simple but beautiful work of art that transcends the music that it contained as a simple container for the vinyl/CD to become an icon for an entire period and style of music.
The range of styles of album covers in the poll went from detailed artistic masterpieces (Magnum, Marillion, Iron Maiden) to iconic simplicity (AC/DC’s Back In Black, Yes’s Close To The Edge). All of them conjure up a memory and a sound – and that is what great artwork does.
We compiled your votes, we played the Top 40 on air on Easter Monday and the Top 75 is listed below for you to peruse.
We've also put together a splendid Artwork Gallery containing the Top 40 so that you can see them in all of their glory:
1 Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
2 King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King
3 Rainbow - Rainbow Rising
4 Yes - Fragile
5 Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
6 Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
7 Marillion - script For A Jesters Tear
8 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
9 Led Zeppelin - IV (Symbols)
10 Meat Loaf - Bat of of Hell
11 Beatles - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
12 Magnum - On A Storytellers Night
13 ELP - Brain Salad Surgery
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14 Deep Purple - In Rock
15 Led Zeppelin - III
16 Iron Maiden - Powerslave
17 Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy
18 Yes - Close to the Edge
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19 Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction
20 Cream - Disraeli Gears
21 Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
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22 Nirvana - Nevermind
23 Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
24 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
25 Wishbone Ash - Argus
26 Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick
27 AC/DC - Back In Black
28 Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
29 Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time
30 Uriah Heep - Demons & Wizards
31 Iron Maiden - Killers
32 Who - Who's Next
33 Jethro Tull - Aqualung
34 Scorpions - Love Drive
35 Pink Floyd - Animals
36 Queen - News of the World
37 AC/DC - If You want Blood (You've Got It)
39 Def Leppard - Hysteria
40 Metallica - Black Album
41 Hawkwind - Space Ritual
42 Yes - Tales From A Topographic Ocean
43 Hawkwind - In Search of Space
44 Metallica - Master of Puppets
45 Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
46 Rush - 2112
47 Iron Maiden - Live After Death
48 Yes - Relayer
49 Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
50 Yes - Yessongs
51 Thin Lizzy - Live And Dangerous
52 Hawkwind - Warrior on the Edge of Time
53 Motorhead - Overkill
54 David Bowie - The Rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
55 Who - Quadrophenia
56 Deep Purple - Stormbringer
57 Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny
58 Alice Cooper - Schools Out
59 Clash - London Calling
60 Genesis - Foxtrot
61 Marillion - Fugazi
62 Uriah Heep - Magician's Birthday
63 Fish - 13th Star
64 Asia - Asia
65 Journey - Escape
66 Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell
67 Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
68 Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
69 Pink Floyd - The Wall
70 David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
71 Kiss - Destroyer
72 Rush - Hemispheres
73 Motorhead - Motorhead
74 Manowar - Hail to England
75 Dio - Holy Diver
