ROMENA VASANTH
ICONIC ALBUM COVERS:
THE BEATLES - ABBEY ROAD:
“Abbey Road is the 11th studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969 by Apple Records. The recording sessions for the album were the last in which all four Beatles participated. Abbey Road is a rock album that incorporates genres such as blues, pop and progressive rock”
- Wikipedia
Originally, they planned to take a private plane over to the foothills of Mount Everest to shoot the cover photograph. But as they became increasingly eager to finish the album Paul McCartney suggested they just go outside, take the photo there and name the album after the street.
In December 2010, the crossing was given grade II listed status for its “cultural and historical importance”
Establishing long shot where audineces have a clear view of both the setting and the artists.
The cover is vibrant and the location itself has now become iconic as it was recognised as a place where the Beatles recorded many of their songs for many years. This image caught the attention of many people as it was taken during the day with everything in the shot being a natural shot of everyday life in that place.
An iconic pose of all four band members crossing the road to which the album is named after.
DAVID BOWIE - ALADDIN SANE:
Aladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973. The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album he wrote and released as a bona fide rock star.
NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray called the album "oddly unsatisfying, considerably less than the sum of the parts", while Bowie encyclopedist Nicholas Pegg describes it as "one of the most urgent, compelling and essential" of his release.
The Rolling Stone review by Ben Gerson pronounced it "less manic than The Man Who Sold The World, and less intimate than Hunky Dory, with none of its attacks of self-doubt." It was one of six Bowie entries in Rolling Stones list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and ranked No. 77 on Pitchfork Media's list of the top 100 albums of the 1970s.
This cover shows the artist, David Bowie composed in the middle and thus becomes the most dominant feature of the cover. The red lightning bolt across his face has become on of his works most iconic symbol along with the red dyed hair, which is both bold and striking , which qould interest audiences.
His style is cosidered a unique art which represants his music he made in the 1970's/80's which was considered unusal for that time.
The name of the artists is composed at the top right of the page and the name of the album is placed on the bottom of the cover, on top of David Bowies's body.
The name of the album is a pun on "A Lad Insane". An early variation was "Love Aladdin Vein", which David Bowie dropped partly because of its drug connotations.
‘Aladdin Sane’ had entered the UK charts at No.1 to propel Bowie from outsider to legend.
‘Aladdin Sane’ bridged the gap between ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and ‘Diamond Dogs’. With advanced orders of over 100,000 the album finally clarified Bowie’s position as an established rock ‘n’ roll star.
BLUR - THE BEST OF:
Blur: The Best Of is a greatest hits compilation album by English Britpop band Blur, first released in late 2000 and is the final Blur album by Food Records.
The album, which has had enduring sales, hit number 3 in the band's native UK in the autumn of 2000, while denting the US charts at number 186. The cover is by artist Julian Opie. The painting of this Blur album can be found at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. The album's cover bears some similarity to that of Queen's 1982 Hot Space.