A lesson in the history of photography as viewed through the lens of Western popular music in the latter half of the 20th century

Welcome to the biggest project ever undertaken here at Art + Math. Hundreds of hours in the making, teams of researchers scouring the globe, no stone left unturned, employing complex algorithms and rigorous methodology1 all with a singular purpose: to unequivocally determine the best album cover photographs ever made.

There are several surprises herein, not the least of which being (for me anyway) how many world-famous photographers are represented. I shouldn’t be surprised, of course, given how intertwined visual art and popular music have long been.

For those of us who grew up in the age of vinyl, album art was often integral to the enjoyment of a record. The sheer size of an LP made it easy to appreciate compelling illustration, photography and design. And, as you’ll see here, bands and record labels clearly cared about visuals too. Much was lost in the shift to compact discs, even more in the transition to streaming. Which begs the question: will there be great album covers in the future? And if so, will anyone see them?

At least we will always have these 100 sublime examples, the absolutely unassailable best of the best.

Without further ado…

#100 – VAMPIRE WEEKEND – CONTRA

Who doesn’t love a Polaroid cover? Especially when that vintage snapshot perfectly encapsulates the 80s vibe of the music. This one also has a wild story. The long and the short of it being that the photographer licensed the image to the band but had forged the model’s signature on the release. She didn’t know she was the face of a popular record until her daughter brought it home. A good read!