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! 

lalitk

Showing 4 responses by devinplombier

@larsman 

Peter Christopherson. I misspoke, he didn't co-found TG but joined later. He was instrumental in the founding of Coil though. Both were exceptional bands.

 

Definitely. I bought Here Come The Warm Jets solely on the basis of its cover. I was 13 or 14 at the time. It’s still one of my favorite albums.

In my view, LP art was a true art form. It represented a significant part of a record's appeal and emotional value. It's sad that we've lost that when music was stripped down to software and we switched to streaming.

@bikefi10 

Agree on hipgnosis' work.

One of the principals at hipgnosis went on to co-found Throbbing Gristle and played with Coil and Psychic TV