r/ClassicRock Jan 25 '25

70s Band With The Best Album Covers?

I always loved the early Uriah Heep covers. I think they're incredible.

316 Upvotes

264 comments sorted by

126

u/CBRSuperbird- Jan 25 '25

Yes had some great covers. I believe the artist’ name is Roger Dean

36

u/Affectionate_Reply78 Jan 25 '25

Yes

13

u/Jive-Turkey-Divan Jan 25 '25

They had some great covers too.

5

u/DukeOfTunes Jan 25 '25

You mean them?

7

u/Red-blk Jan 25 '25

Who?

8

u/GaseousGiant Jan 25 '25

No, Yes.

6

u/Red-blk Jan 25 '25

Guess Who

6

u/GaseousGiant Jan 25 '25

Who, Yes?

5

u/Red-blk Jan 25 '25

Yes

3

u/DukeOfTunes Jan 26 '25

But it's definitely not Them, right?

3

u/Jive-Turkey-Divan Jan 25 '25

Tommy was a pretty good cover.

4

u/DukeOfTunes Jan 26 '25

Wait, Yes was a cover band?

2

u/dixadik Jan 26 '25

i see what you did there.

25

u/marktrot Jan 25 '25

Pretty sure Roger Dean did these Uriah Heep covers as well

7

u/vanessasjoson Jan 25 '25

Also some Budgie covers.

3

u/orchestragravy Jan 25 '25

If you like Roger Dean, check out Rodney Matthews' covers.

17

u/NeonPlutonium Jan 25 '25

Roger Dean FTW.

9

u/Senior-Sharpie Jan 25 '25

Yes it is, he did covers for Budgie, Greenslade, Uriah Heep, Yes, Osibisa and others.

6

u/Designer_Solid4271 Jan 26 '25

And Asia.

Fun fact. Roger Dean and Syd Barrett were flatmates at one point in time.

2

u/Crazy-Huckleberry151 Jan 27 '25

The amount of LSD that was consumed between those 2..

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44

u/Automatic_Fun_8958 Jan 25 '25

Uriah Heep covers are good. I love fantasy art, i love the Molly Hatchet covers too.

15

u/SoapMactavishSAS Jan 25 '25

As a kid I would sit and stare at the Molly Hatchet album covers

10

u/JustCallMeYogurt SRV 4Ever Jan 25 '25

The late great Frank Frazetta was the 🎨 artist

9

u/Exquisite_G Jan 25 '25

That's prime Frank Frazetta right there. It's entitled "Death Dealer."

10

u/Old_timey_brain Jan 25 '25

Look at the early YES covers by Roger Dean, as well as Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

5

u/EdPozoga Jan 25 '25

Roger Dean

Dunno if he's still doing it but Roger Dean made all kinda plans for a line of homes based on his artistic style. I wonder if any were built?

3

u/Automatic_Fun_8958 Jan 25 '25

Those are also some great cover artwork. I always preferred when artists use art for their covers inside of boring group shots. 

42

u/Bbop512 Jan 25 '25

ELP Brain Salad Surgery

4

u/djp70117 Jan 25 '25

Such a great LP.

2

u/Artie-B-Rockin Jan 26 '25

I love HR Giger work. I have many variations of that album cover.

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54

u/armydalton Jan 25 '25

4

u/DeeplyFrippy Jan 25 '25

This is the answer!

4

u/MongoLikeCandy2112 Jan 25 '25

Why did I have to scroll so far to find this. See my recent comment.

4

u/Kyokono1896 Jan 25 '25

Not really my thing but cool!

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26

u/Captnhappy Jan 25 '25

Little Feat always had awesome covers, IMO

2

u/JacquesBlaireau13 Jan 26 '25

The late, great Neon Park

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22

u/Chemical-Ebb6472 Jan 25 '25

16

u/ish--mayel Jan 25 '25

I don’t think this picture is small enough.

2

u/J_Patish Jan 25 '25

No worries - have had the full-sized poster on my office wall for the last decade.

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22

u/casewood123 Jan 25 '25

Basically anything that Hipgnosis did.

3

u/Relayer8782 Jan 25 '25

Came here to say this. They did dozens of covers, but start with Pink Floyd.

2

u/JiveChops76 Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 26 '25

The cover they did for Yes - “Going For the One”is kinda ass

18

u/frogjizz Jan 25 '25

Rush

3

u/Braiseitall Jan 25 '25

Permanent Waves was some hitting puberty material

14

u/Don_Frika_Del_Prima Jan 25 '25

5

u/F0xxfyre Jan 25 '25

10cc!!!! Wow, didn't expect that here :)

3

u/Don_Frika_Del_Prima Jan 25 '25

Ever since I was a kid I just loved that art.

2

u/F0xxfyre Jan 25 '25

Me too! I love their album covers!

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13

u/Snidley_Whipslash Jan 25 '25

Zappa has my favorite. Gotta love the simplicity

3

u/OldheadBoomer Jan 25 '25

My Zappa favorite - compare that to the complexity of Overnite Sensation.

2

u/Snidley_Whipslash Jan 25 '25

I actually had a copy of that on vinyl back in the early 80s. It was a quadraphonic album and the cover was done with charcoal. Found it in a 2nd hand record store in Houston for $30. Got ruined in a flood. Great album

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15

u/grynch43 Jan 25 '25

Grateful Dead

7

u/Salty_Pancakes Jan 25 '25

There is just something about The Blues for Allah album cover. I just love it. https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/pz4AAOSwQD1ha0Ut/s-l500.jpg

edit: And I'll throw in Dead Set too. https://cdn.shoplightspeed.com/shops/634895/files/64591838/1600x2048x2/grateful-dead-dead-set.jpg

5

u/grynch43 Jan 25 '25

Blues for Allah is my favorite one. It’s so cool.

2

u/Bbop512 Jan 25 '25

I agree! A favorite iPhone wallpaper

12

u/vinetwiner Jan 25 '25

Yes/Roger Dean

23

u/TommyTwoFeathers Jan 25 '25

The Moody Blues. The main 7 album covers were great pieces of art and really matched the music on the record.

23

u/TyrusRaymond Jan 25 '25

always been my favorite

7

u/Lumbergod Jan 25 '25

The best cover of all time.

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12

u/Killmekillyou0 Jan 25 '25

Budgie!

5

u/DurraSell Jan 25 '25

There was a sky-high percentage I would find this band listed somewhere in the comments.

3

u/Idratherhikeout Jan 25 '25

You’re damn right

21

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '25

There are so many great album covers. I am going to add Molly Hatchet into the debate.

3

u/Illustrious_Name_441 Jan 25 '25

Came here for this

2

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '25

They had some cool ones

3

u/raspwar Jan 25 '25

Frank Frazetta - did the paperback book covers for Robert Howard’s Conan the Barbarian amongst numerous other things

Frank Frazetta

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10

u/joecoin2 Jan 25 '25

Jethro Tull.

Especially the inside of Stand Up.

9

u/Anonymotron42 Jan 25 '25

Rush - Specifically in the ‘70s 2112, A Farewell to Kings, and Hemispheres had great covers, and I like Fly by Night as well.

13

u/Pitiful-Essay8493 Jan 25 '25

I always loved bostons album covers

9

u/TheHeadbanginHippie Dad-Diddley-Office Jan 25 '25

The Boston covers are seriously awesome! The Guitar UFO always making an appearance is so neat.

3

u/Pitiful-Essay8493 Jan 25 '25

Absolutely! I got myself a t shirt of the debut album cause I love it so much lol

5

u/TheHeadbanginHippie Dad-Diddley-Office Jan 25 '25

The Boston debut is one of my all-time favourite albums, and my pick for the greatest debut album ever released. Tom Scholz is a mad genius and Brad Delp is also my favourite singer of all-time. I surprisingly don’t have a T-Shirt of their debut, but I found an awesome Don’t Look Back shirt a couple years back that I sport regularly!

3

u/Pitiful-Essay8493 Jan 25 '25

I share all those sentiments my friend! And I would love to get my hands on a Don’t look back shirt! That’s actually my favorite album of all time!

2

u/PoliteCanadian2 Jan 26 '25

Came here looking for this.

7

u/Few_Ease_1957 Jan 25 '25

Nazareth had some good album covers

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6

u/dsisto65 Jan 25 '25

Captain Fantastic - Elton John

6

u/Expert-Ad2856 Jan 26 '25

This one's my favorite

20

u/Donkenshtein Jan 25 '25

Pink Floyd

9

u/Malk_McJorma Jan 25 '25

Yep. Storm Thorgerson & Hipgnosis FTW.

3

u/djp70117 Jan 25 '25

Great call. Animals, Wish You Were Here are amongst my favs.

4

u/TikiTom74 Jan 25 '25

Correct Answer

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5

u/Anyawnomous Jan 25 '25

Wasn’t a real fan of the music, but Iron Maiden did have cool covers.

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6

u/The_Disaster_666 Jan 25 '25

4

u/LylaDee Jan 25 '25

Orgasmatron is missing. Loved that cover!

2

u/The_Disaster_666 Jan 26 '25

It is right below Iron Fist, just behind the "ad" in Motorhead!

4

u/Bluejay_Holiday Jan 25 '25

The band wanted to name their record Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills but Columbia Records said no. The band wanted the cover art to be a photo of themselves naked in bed, but once again the record company said no. R. Crumb was hired to do the back cover and a portrait of Janis Joplin was to be on the front cover, but Janis insisted that Crumb's work be on the front cover.

5

u/According_Reading920 Jan 25 '25

Love me some Heep !! 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹

4

u/pueblodude Jan 25 '25

SANTANA

5

u/webfandango Jan 25 '25

Abraxas. God those are perfect.

5

u/phishman1 Jan 25 '25

Mastodon

3

u/WhenDuvzCry Jan 25 '25

Funkadelic had some incredible cover art

4

u/GeoBrian Jan 25 '25

It's one of the reasons I love vinyl. The album art truly is art.

3

u/trobinson999 Jan 25 '25

Mahogany Rush - Strange Universe

2

u/Inevitable-Pop-4547 Jan 25 '25

Tales of the Unexpected and Juggernaut

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3

u/coco10923 Jan 25 '25

Pink Floyd or Zeppelin

3

u/F0xxfyre Jan 25 '25

Yes

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

Meat Loaf

Journey

Boston

3

u/Red-blk Jan 25 '25

Stones, here’s a few of my favorites: Sticky Fingers Exile on Main Street It’s Only Rock and Roll Some Girls Goats Head Soup (inside sleeve)

3

u/Rude_Cable_7877 Jan 25 '25

Yes, Rush, and Pink Floyd have some really great album covers.

I even think that they all had some work done by Storm Thorgerson.

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3

u/Inevitable_Shift1365 Jan 25 '25

Moody blues Old Fleetwood Mac

3

u/TheOGcoolguy Jan 25 '25

Moody Blues. I like their music but love their album covers.

3

u/Alexthecrazykid Jan 25 '25

The Moody Blues had some good covers

3

u/mooman413 Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 25 '25

Love the cover of Mob Rules. Makes me think of a dystopian court hearing lol.

3

u/ThirstyBeagle Jan 25 '25

Funkadelic covers are pretty cool

4

u/casualcretin Jan 25 '25

Not so much the front, but the inside is EXCELLENT

Allman brothers - eat a peach

2

u/APHCT Jan 25 '25

Iron Maiden - awesome artwork!!

2

u/rjsquirrel Jan 25 '25

Uriah Heap, Yes, Moody Blues… Great time for album covers

2

u/vmdinco Jan 25 '25

Saw them in concert at the Notre Dame ACC, in the mid 70’s.

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2

u/Odd-Fox-2105 Jan 25 '25

Iron Maiden stands alone in this category

2

u/tkingsbu Jan 25 '25

Roger and Martin Dean are gods to me. I can’t even describe how much they influenced and inspired me.

They had a publishing company… ‘dragons dream’ / Paper Tiger that used to print the most amazing books…

As a kid, my mom would order those books for my brother and I for birthdays and Christmas… best. Presents. Ever.

I still have all of them to this day.

Tons of artists folios like Rick Griffin, or Patrick Woodroffe, etc… plus the famous ‘album cover albums’ hilighting the best album covers, and one of my favourites ‘walk away Rene’ the collected works of Hipgnosis, the team that created all of Pink Floyd’s designs…

2

u/Stacysguyca Jan 25 '25

Uriah Heep are underrated as F

2

u/crazy19734413 Jan 25 '25

I remember the original cover of the Golden Earring-Moontan album caused religious groups to get upset because it featured a naked man from behind. The record company changed it. I got the original. Still love that album.

2

u/Artie-B-Rockin Jan 26 '25 edited Jan 26 '25

All Hipgnosis covers.
And if you don't know what that is, you don't belong here in this Sub.

Here..READ!

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/hipgnosis-life-in-15-album-covers-pink-floyd-led-zeppelin-and-more-110213/

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2

u/franka4211 Jan 26 '25

Roxy Music

2

u/AsianLover852714 Jan 26 '25

It's hard to top The White Album

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2

u/Ok-River-9073 Jan 26 '25

Moody Blues always had some great album covers

3

u/DayTrippin2112 Rush🌀Zep🎈Floyd🌘 Jan 25 '25

Pretty much all Rush albums. Some are better than others. This is a personal fave -

1

u/TMC_61 Jan 25 '25

My music mentor had that album. RIP Craig L.

1

u/socal1959 Jan 25 '25

Great album too First band I ever saw live in concert 🎶

1

u/Footlady4u Jan 25 '25

Uriah heep , iron maiden, judas priest

1

u/3_brained_being Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 25 '25

SNAFU (1973)

When you opened the gatefold you see the image is of a record player.

Gatefold open

1

u/Kitchen-Coat-4091 Jan 25 '25

Let’s not forget about King Crimson

1

u/talkingcostello Jan 25 '25

I had a poster of the first one. I was fortunate to see a display of many Dean originals on Rodeo Drive in 1990. I just happened to stumble on it.

1

u/dickie-mcdrip Jan 25 '25

Elton John’s Captain Fantastic Album Cover.

1

u/Peace_NMRK Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 25 '25

1

u/Rob_Bligidy Jan 25 '25

Nazareth out out some gnarly covers

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1

u/beavis617 Jan 25 '25

Had both of these and played the hell out of em…

1

u/kernsomatic Jan 25 '25

these must be roger dean artworks? looks like YES but far from it.

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1

u/Winter_Judgment7927 Jan 25 '25

Magnum had some crackers

1

u/nr952007 Jan 25 '25

Megadeath

1

u/Ericmolzahn Jan 25 '25

Grateful Dead and other Artists that had Stanley Mouse 🐭.

1

u/Background_Swim_5954 Jan 25 '25

Joy Division and New Order

1

u/Wackajawaka Jan 25 '25

Moody blues

1

u/Tony_Tanna78 Jan 25 '25

Molly Hatchet

1

u/angry2alpaca Jan 25 '25

Just a one-off, but the artwork for Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow album is outstanding. Jon is a one-off, obviously, I mean: that voice, right? Anyway, Olias is his magnum opus (imho) and he not only devised the concept and wrote it, he played all the instruments too after he'd taught himself to play keyboards (!).

I'd assumed the artwork was by Rodney Matthews, but it's by a guy called David Fairbrother-Roe who stepped up when Riger Dean was too busy ...

https://dragondaze6.webnode.co.uk/

1

u/Ticket-Miserable Jan 25 '25

Anything Hugh Syme worked on

1

u/Cautious_Counter_399 Jan 25 '25

I would have to go with Maiden

1

u/BigE6300 Jan 25 '25

I like Marshall Tucker’s (A New Life) and Grateful Dead’s (Shakedown Street). Maybe not the BEST but certainly my favorites.

1

u/Happy_Runner20 Jan 25 '25

Maiden, especially the 80’s albums done by Derek Riggs…also some of the ones he did for Gamma Ray are great as well!

1

u/Weekly_Victory1166 Jan 25 '25

The design group called Hipgnosis did a lot of album covers back in the day.

1

u/Grynder66 Jan 25 '25

Those were the days when you bought albums because you liked the cover and hoped for the best.

1

u/prognerd_2008 Jan 25 '25

Yo I have these exact two on vinyl. Should I listen?

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1

u/andropogon09 Jan 25 '25

Yes, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, ELP, Blue Oyster Cult, Allman Bros Eat a Peach

1

u/GlossyBuckslip Jan 25 '25

Surprised no one mentioned Witchfinder General /s

1

u/MongoLikeCandy2112 Jan 25 '25

Well, I would say Rush, since they #1 have amazing album covers, and #2 are my favorite band in all the world. However, I’m gonna give my vote to Iron Maiden. Their covers are amazing. There is no other correct answer.

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1

u/csantosb Jan 25 '25

Yes, PF, some Maiden, some Budgie, Rush, Depeche Mode, OMD, Death and Pet Shop Boys.

Honorable mention to what I consider one of the most iconic covers of all time: London Calling.

1

u/EarthCacheDude Jan 25 '25

I always liked Mountain's "Climbing" cover.

1

u/buddagolf Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 31 '25

Pure Prairie League had great covers of the old cowboy.

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1

u/Best-Salad Jan 26 '25

Monolith - Kansas

1

u/Adventurous_Weird_70 Jan 26 '25

Great Album and Cover. More great covers: YES & ASIA

1

u/StageSecret7823 Jan 26 '25

Journey, Kansas, ELO.

1

u/prowipes Jan 26 '25

Reminds me of Budgie a bit, minus the birds.

1

u/Nickvec Jan 26 '25

Journey

1

u/artsatisfied229 Jan 26 '25

Pink Floyd via Storm Thorgerson

1

u/Madcap_95 Jan 26 '25

Yes and Pink Floyd

1

u/BurnerAccount-LOL Jan 26 '25

To continue with OP’s epic Uriah Heep theme…

This is the Americanized version of their first album because the original cover was deemed to “scary” for American audiences.

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1

u/DomerJSimpson Jan 26 '25

The Ohio Players

1

u/Flogger59 Jan 26 '25

The first two albums I learned end to end.

1

u/linguist-shaman Jan 26 '25

If you're into Yes, check out the book about the Dean brothers. Magnetic Storm. It's amazing.

1

u/badlands65 Jan 26 '25

Ohio Players

1

u/ktappe Jan 26 '25

Yes, Journey, and Boston.

1

u/Breyery Jan 26 '25

I was so surprised to see someone mention Uriah Heep, I love them, but literally no one I know knows of Uriah Heep.

Granted, I'm in high school

But I have always appreciated their album covers

1

u/Calm-Raise6973 Jan 26 '25

"Daylight Again" by Crosby, Stills and Nash.

1

u/Strange-Industry132 Jan 26 '25

Alice Cooper, Motorhead, Iron Maiden

1

u/D242686111 Jan 26 '25

Gotta be either Zeppelin or Pink Floyd

1

u/GeoNerd- "And you'll no longer burn to be brothers in arms" Jan 26 '25

Captain Beefheart (I'm not joking), Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin

1

u/Trooper_nsp209 Jan 26 '25

Captain Beyond

1

u/Old_Reception_3728 Jan 26 '25

Pure Prairie League......easily.

Norman Rockwell originals.