My daughter who does not collect Vinyl asked for an original Beatles Sgt. Pepper album because it was a marketing first. I was able to find an early edition mono copy for her. It was discussed in her marketing class at FSU. A couple notables for me are the Stones -Some Girls and Skynard’s Street Survivors as both were removed and replaced for different reasons. I’ve always appreciated the 60’s and early 70’s psychedelic art, The Vargas Car’s covers and the interactive ones like Zepp’s - In Through the Out Door. I was fortunate enough some years back to see the Summer of Love anniversary exhibit at the museum in SF’s Golden Gate Park. They had a huge black light poster room and all the equipment and the masters that produced the posters from that era. Cheers , Mike B.
Does cover art of an album or recording influences your purchase?
For me, album or recording cover art definitely influences physical media purchases, where the physical object is part of the experience.
Cover art may never be as powerful as the music itself, but it carries its own quiet weight. It represents love, life, death, and the essence of a particular time in a musician’s journey. It captures what the music feels, without needing a single note.
Many are works of art and have become as famous as the music they stand for—Andy Warhol's covers, for example, including the banana he designed for The Velvet Underground. And there are many more!
On flip side, If you’re buying based purely on artist or recommendation, cover art may not matter. But for exploration, vinyl hunting, or curating a vibe, it remains quite influential.
I’d love to hear what album covers have etched themselves into your memory or even convinced you to listen before you knew the artist.
Thank you!