"Different forms of art" Group assignment - Ralph

Ralph Perez.

Top 5 Album Cover Arts

The group assignment I was assigned was to create a blog about different forms of art. One of my favorite forms of art is music. But music isn't always just about the music. Sure, the sounds are certainly the most essential element, but you can't ignore the role of cover art in making a brilliant album. From the fold-out gatefolds of the vinyl era to pull-out liner notes in CD jewel cases to the small icon on a digital player, cover art has changed over the years, but it still defines how we look at a particular album. He are my top 5 favorite album covers of all time.

 5. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

After a handful of album covers featuring the Dropout Bear and a simple, Kaws-designed image for 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye West transitioned into high-concept art for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

4. Illmatic

The image of seven-year-old Nas superimposed over a Danny Clinch photo of the rapper’s native Queensbridge housing projects has been burned into many a hip-hop head’s memory.

3. Fear Of The Black Planet

A nod to the Afrofuturism of artists like Sun Ra, the artwork for Fear of a Black Planet was conceived by Chuck D, who imagined the titular black planet eclipsing earth. Appropriately, given the interplanetary concept, the group hired NASA illustrator B.E. Johnson to draw the final design.

2. The Dark Side Of The Moon

This simple art says so much. The light going through a prism and coming out as a rainbow was meant to convey the band's stage lighting and the album's lyrics. And, as evidenced by the number of t-shirts bearing this image today, the prism has become synonymous with Floyd itself.

1.Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Where to begin with this album cover? The image features the Beatles, in their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band military getups, standing in front of dozens of celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, Marlon Brando and Sonny Liston, as well as wax figures of themselves. While listeners try to discern the secret meaning of the high-minded music, they can also try to identify the 60-plus faces on the crowded cover.