Album covers are an art form in themselves. A great album cover should complement the music it contains, capture the artist's style and vision, and become instantly recognizable over time. Some album covers have reached true icon status, becoming just as famous as the albums and artists they represent. Here are some of the most iconic and memorable album covers of all time.

The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The cover art for the 1967 Beatles album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is immediately recognisable. Designed by British pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, the cover features The Beatles dressed in brightly coloured military-style outfits, set in front of a collage of famous faces from history. These ranged from iconic figures like Marilyn Monroe and Bob Dylan to images of the Beatles themselves.

The cover encapsulated the experimental and psychedelic nature of the music, while the contrast in art styles from the photorealistic Beatles to the cut-out collage of historical figures created an eye-catching pop art aesthetic. It showed how album art could be used creatively and made Sgt Pepper an immediately recognisable classic.

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

The 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd has one of the most distinctive album covers in rock music. Designed by Storm Thorgerson, the cover features a simple but subtle prism design refracting a beam of light into a full colour spectrum across a black background. This minimalist design perfectly reflects the progressive rock masterpiece it holds inside, which consists of a series of meticulously crafted musical movements flowing into one another.

The iconic cover has become one of the best-known images of the band and continues to be recognised globally, representing Pink Floyd's conceptual themes of meaning and madness through its innovative use of colour, shape and contrast.

Nirvana - Nevermind

The debut album from grunge pioneers Nirvana exploded in 1991, ushering alternative rock into the mainstream led by their breakout single "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The instantly iconic album cover shows a naked baby swimming underwater, seemingly unaware of the dollar bill on a fishhook just out of his reach. This shocking image of innocence juxtaposed with greed and exploitation perfectly captured the spirit of Gen X disaffected youth and the contradictions of capitalism that Nirvana railed against in their music.

The underwater photography creates an unsettling effect, drawing the viewer into the unknown depths. It remains one of the most memorable and controversial covers in rock history.

The Clash - London Calling

This iconic cover captures the spirit of legendary punk band The Clash and their groundbreaking album. Released in 1979 as a double album, London Calling saw the band expand into a more experimental sound while staying true to their raw punk energy and political lyrics. The black and white cover photo shows singer Joe Strummer smashing his bass guitar on stage, set against bright red and green lettering proclaiming “The Clash” and “London Calling”.

This DIY design reflected the band’s roots while hinting at their more sophisticated sound. The image of Strummer mid-performance encapsulated the intense and rebellious attitude for which The Clash became known. More than just album art, it’s a definitive rock ‘n roll image.

The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks

British punk pioneers The Sex Pistols chose an intentionally controversial cover for their 1977 debut studio album. Designed by Jamie Reid, the cover shows the title set in ransom-note style lettering with vivid pink and yellow colours on a black background. Below is an image of Queen Elizabeth II with blackened eyes and mouth, defaced with the words “She ain't no human being”. This irreverent design caused huge controversy in the UK, perfectly echoing the anarchic spirit of the Pistols.

Record stores refused to carry it and some areas even banned it from public display. While vulgar to some, the cover was seen by many as a bold political statement against the establishment, capturing punk culture’s energy and outrage.

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane 

Many of David Bowie’s 1970s album covers could make this list, but the lightning bolt makeup on 1973’s Aladdin Sane remains his most striking and iconic design. It shows a monochrome close up of Bowie’s face with vivid red and blue makeup applied in a zigzag lightning bolt across his features. This imaginative look was conceived by Bowie himself to represent the dichotomy between the sanity of Aladdin and the insanity of the Sane - a tension explored in the music itself. The avant-garde pop art design collaborated with Bowie’s glam rock sound and Ziggy Stardust persona to make a truly definitive rock image that even casual listeners recognize instantly.

Are there any more album covers you would add to this list?