--- title: 35 of the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Album Covers of All Time description: A new book conveys, in a single volume, the mind-bending variety that has defined the rock and roll album cover through the years. canonical: https://time.com/3579185/35-of-the-greatest-rock-n-roll-album-covers-of-all-time/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-02T21:05:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:07:05.636Z og:title: 35 of the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Album Covers of All Time og:description: A new book conveys, in a single volume, the mind-bending variety that has defined the rock and roll album cover through the years. og:url: https://time.com/3579185/35-of-the-greatest-rock-n-roll-album-covers-of-all-time/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2b09d4655e3f066/6987685fe53aba0b244d5dfe/141113-rock-covers-clash-london-calling-new.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Clash, London Calling og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 35 of the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Album Covers of All Time twitter:description: A new book conveys, in a single volume, the mind-bending variety that has defined the rock and roll album cover through the years. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2b09d4655e3f066/6987685fe53aba0b244d5dfe/141113-rock-covers-clash-london-calling-new.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 35 of the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Album Covers of All Time by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Nov 2, 2014 9:05 PM UTC  The Clash; London Calling; 1979; CBS; design -- Ray Lowry; photo -- Pennie Smith The Clash; London Calling; 1979; CBS; design -- Ray Lowry; photo -- Pennie SmithCourtesy of TASCHEN by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Nov 2, 2014 9:05 PM UTC At the very outset of their colossal and very cool new book, [_Rock Covers_](https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Covers-Jon-Kirby/dp/383654525X/?tag=timecom-20) (TASCHEN), authors Robbie Busch and Jonathan Kirby acknowledge that there might well be “better or differently focused collections” of rock covers out there in the world. Theirs, after all, is just one of myriad ways to celebrate the singular experience of encountering — for the first time, or the thousandth — a memorable album cover. “Is it _the_ book on rock covers?” they ask in the introduction, and then answer their own question with another: “Could there ever be such a volume?” The obvious answer? Of course there couldn’t. But in this 550-page opus, the reader is treated to more than 750 covers that, taken together, comprise as inclusive a selection of great, influential, bizarre, unsettling and, quite often, downright eye-popping rock and roll album covers that any fan is ever likely to find in one place. “We knew we would never satisfy everybody,” Busch (who owns around 50,000 albums and more than 10,000 45s) told LIFE.com, when discussing the process for choosing covers for the book. “So we didn’t _try_ to satisfy everybody.” Instead, he and Kirby and the book’s editor, Julius Wiedemann, tried to convey, in a single volume, the enormous energy and variety that bands, photographers, artists and designers have brought to the rock cover through the years. Here, then, is the cartoon-like exuberance of KISS’ _Destroyer_. The cool romance of Robert Mapplethorpe’s cover photo for Patti Smith’s _Horses_. The power and anger of _London Calling_ and _Bad Brains_. The monkey-centric weirdness of _Doolittle_. The hint (or promise) of debauchery on the cover of _Pearl_. Zeppelin’s unforgettable first album cover, and the clever, semi-surreal echo of that classic in David Juniper’s design for _Led Zeppelin II_. The black-and-white artistry of _Revolver_ and, less than a year later, the hypnotic, color-saturated chutzpah of _Sgt. Pepper’s_. Here’s Elvis Presley’s sex appeal. Gene Vincent’s anarchic rockabilly. The proto-punk attitude of 19-year-old Van Morrison and his mates in Them. And let’s not forget New Hampshire’s immortal Wiggin sisters, who performed as the Shaggs, released one album — modestly titled [_Philosophy of the World_](https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-World-SHAGGS/dp/B01I583AK0/?tag=timecom-20) — and to this day are celebrated and derided in equal measure by musicians and music fans, alike. Their album cover is included here not because the Shaggs are in the same league as the Stones, T. Rex, Ike & Tina or the Replacements, but because the cover and the Shaggs’ music is so decidedly, defiantly amateurish. (Robbie Busch characterizes that cover as “a perfect naive artifact.”) In the end, here’s the thing about the Shaggs — and about all the other acts and all the other covers represented in this gallery: it’s only rock and roll, but we like it. --- [**_Buy here_**_: Rock Covers_](https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Covers-Jon-Kirby/dp/383654525X/?tag=timecom-20) (authors Robbie Busch and Jonathan Kirby; editor Julius Wiedemann), hardcover, 11.5 x 11.5 in., 552 pp. ---  Elvis Presley; Elvis Presley; 1956; RCA Victor; photo -- William V. "Red" Robertson Courtesy of TASCHEN  Lou Reed; Transformer; 1972; RCA Victor; design -- Ernst Thormahlen; photo -- Mick Rock Courtesy of TASCHEN  Nirvana; Nevermind; 1991; DGC; art director -- Robert Fisher; photo -- Kirk Weddle (cover), Kurdt Kobain (money photo) Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Beatles; Revolver; 1966; Parlophone; art -- Klaus Voormann; design -- Klaus Voormann; photo -- Robert Whitaker Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Beatles; Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; 1967; Parlophone; art director -- Robert Fraser; design -- Mc Productions and Apple staged by Peter Blake, Jann Haworth; photo -- Michael Cooper Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Sex Pistols; Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols; 1977; Virgin; art director -- Malcolm Mclaren; design -- Jamie Reid Courtesy of TASCHEN  Janis Joplin & the Full Tilt Boogie Band; Pearl; 1971; Columbia; cover design -- Camouflage Productions: Barry Feinstein, Tom Wilkes; photo -- Barry Feinstein, Tom Wilkes Courtesy of TASCHEN  T. Rex; Electric Warrior; 1971; Reprise; design -- June Child (concept), Hipgnosis; photo -- Spud Murphy Courtesy of TASCHEN  New Order; Power, Corruption & Lies; 1983; Factory; art -- Henri Fantin-Latour; design -- Peter Saville Courtesy of TASCHEN  Them; Here Comes The Night; 1965; Parrot Records Courtesy of TASCHEN  Primal Scream; Screamadelica; 1991; Creation; art -- Paul Cannell; design -- ES(P) Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Shaggs; Philosophy of the World; 1969; Third World Recordings Courtesy of TASCHEN  Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps; Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps; 1957; Capitol Courtesy of TASCHEN  Patti Smith; Horses; 1975; Arista; design -- Bob Heimall; photo -- Robert Mapplethorpe Courtesy of TASCHEN  King Crimson; In the Court of the Crimson King; 1969; Island Records; art by Barry Godber Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Clash; London Calling; 1979; CBS; design -- Ray Lowry; photo -- Pennie Smith Courtesy of TASCHEN  Led Zeppelin; Led Zeppelin; 1969; Atlantic; design -- George Hardie Courtesy of TASCHEN  Led Zeppelin; Led Zeppelin II; 1969; Atlantic; art -- David Juniper; design -- David Juniper Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Surfaris; The Surfaris Play; 1963; Decca Courtesy of TASCHEN  Bruce Springsteen; Nebraska; 1982; Columbia; art director -- Andrea Klein; photo -- David Michael Kennedy Courtesy of TASCHEN  Sonic Youth; Sister; 1987; SST Records Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Rolling Stones; Exile on Main St.; 1972; Rolling Stones Records; design -- John Van Hamersveld; photo -- Robert Frank Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Rolling Stones; Some Girls; 1978; Rolling Stones Records; art -- Hubert Kretzschmar; design -- Peter Corriston Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Replacements; Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out The Trash; 1981; Twin/Tone; design -- Bruce C. Allen; photo -- Greg Helgeson Courtesy of TASCHEN  Pixies; Doolittle; 1989; 4AD; design -- Vaughan Oliver/ V23; photo -- Simon Larbalestier Courtesy of TASCHEN  David Bowie; Hunky Dory; 1971; RCA; art director -- George Underwood; art -- Terry Pastor; photo -- Brian Ward Courtesy of TASCHEN  Blondie; Blondie; 1976; Private Stock; design -- David Perl; photo -- Shig Ikeida Courtesy of TASCHEN  Kiss; Destroyer; 1976; Casablanca; art -- Ken Kelly Courtesy of TASCHEN  Elvis Costello; My Aim is True; 1977; Stiff; art director -- Barney Bubbles, Jake Riviera; photo -- Keith Morris Courtesy of TASCHEN  Cream; Disraeli Gears; 1967; Reaction; art -- Martin Sharp; photo -- Robert Whitaker, Jim Marshall (additional photography) Courtesy of TASCHEN  Bad Brains; Bad Brains; 1982; Roir; art -- Mir, Jay Jones, Donnell Gibson; photo -- Laura Levine Courtesy of TASCHEN  Ike & Tina Turner; Dynamite!; 1963; Sue Records Courtesy of TASCHEN  AC/DC; For Those About to Rock (We Salute You); 1981; Atlantic Courtesy of TASCHEN  Big Brother & the Holding Company; Cheap Thrills; 1968; Columbia; art -- Robert Crumb Courtesy of TASCHEN  The Mothers of Invention; We’re Only in it for the Money; 1968; Verve; ad -- Cal Schenkel; photo -- Jerry Schatzberg Courtesy of TASCHEN ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3579185/35-of-the-greatest-rock-n-roll-album-covers-of-all-time/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3579185/35-of-the-greatest-rock-n-roll-album-covers-of-all-time/"},"headline":"35 of the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Album Covers of All Time","datePublished":"2014-11-02T21:05:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:07:05.636Z","description":"A new book conveys, in one volume, the mind-bending creativity and energy that defined rock album covers through the years.","url":"https://time.com/3579185/35-of-the-greatest-rock-n-roll-album-covers-of-all-time/","keywords":["Music","photography","Beatles","Album"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2b09d4655e3f066/6987685fe53aba0b244d5dfe/141113-rock-covers-clash-london-calling-new.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ben Cosgrove","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2b09d4655e3f066/6987685fe53aba0b244d5dfe/141113-rock-covers-clash-london-calling-new.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Clash, London Calling","caption":"The Clash; London Calling; 1979; CBS; design -- Ray Lowry; photo -- Pennie Smith","creditText":"Courtesy of TASCHEN","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3579185/35-of-the-greatest-rock-n-roll-album-covers-of-all-time/","name":"35 of the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Album Covers of All Time"}}]}] ```