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Photographs as album covers

Alex Benjamin

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One thing that has disappeared in this digital music world of ours is the publication of great photographs as album covers. Sometimes its the photograph of the musician — there's some absolutely fantastic photography made for jazz album covers in the 50s and 60s — but also, and even more interestingly, photographs borrowed from great — or not so great — photographers.

I think it possible that many in my generation started appreciating photography and its evocative powers not through magazines of books but, somewhat unknowingly, through their record collection — I'm talking vinyl, or course.

For example, I've always loved this album jacket. As much as the music that's on the album (big Tom Waits fan here). But only recently have I learned who the photographer was, what his work was, where the photo actually came from.

Now I do have to work a bit to look at it as a photograph totally unrelated to the album cover. It's a great photo. But I already knew that.

Anders Petersen, "Lily & Rose, Café Lehmitz, Hamburg", 1970



Tom Waits, "Rain Dogs", 1985



Any others that come to mind ?
 
The photo of Patti Smith taken by Mapplethorpe

 
Besides the picture on the cover, vinyl albums included who wrote each of the songs, the lyrics (often), where produced and other great stuff. Even DVD's often had a slip-in paper with this information and a smaller version of the photo on the cover of the disk case. Now we only get 1's and 0's.
 
Scorpions "Lovedrive" comes to mind immediately.
Actually, many album covers by Hipgnosis.
 
Alex
I don’t know if any were used for album covers but my late friend Mario Algaze once worked for Rolling Stone and photographed many musicians. Check out Mario Algaze Musical Roots The Seventies.
Just a note… about twenty years ago I printed a limited edition of four of his images in platinum/palladium/gold. Twelve each plus an artist proof and printers proof. None of musicians.
 
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Thanks for this. I'll look it up.
 
There are a whole bunch by William Eggleston

 
Eggleston again

 
Two more by Eggleston

 
"Blinky and Tony Forever" (2009) by Deana Lawson on a 2016 Blood Orange cover.

 
Garry Winogrand on an Interpol cover ("Marauder")

 
I’m surprised that Friedlander hasn’t come up yet, but I suppose the day is young. This book is a veritable tome of such photography, and it’s wonderful:
 

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Mike Lopez said:
I’m surprised that Friedlander hasn’t come up yet, but I suppose the day is young. This book is a veritable tome of such photography, and it’s wonderful:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was getting there

Ornette, by Friedlander

 
Another great Friedlander

 
Todd Hido, cover for The Raveonettes' "Rarities/B-Sides"

 
OK, now this is totally new to me. I just now learn doing research for this thread that the photograph used for Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti was by Elliot Erwitt...

Had that album when I was in my teens...

 
U2's Boy (1980) and War (1983) albums - cover photo by Ian Finlay. The boy photographed grew up to be a photographer himself.
Anton Corbijn took the band photo.
 
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