This is a tough one. Some LP covers are designed so beautifully that it doesn’t even matter what’s on the record. Most though carry the weight of personal experience and love of the music that’s on the vinyl (or CD). It’s hard (for me, anyway) to appreciate the cover of say, Super Tramps’ Breakfast in America when the music inside is such utter bullshit. Or conversely, Nirvanas’ Nevermind - a great album, but I find the cover absolutely awful – iconic indeed, but to my eye poorly designed. So take this for what it is, opinion laced with a designers eye and a bit of snobbery. I know everyone will have an opinion – “where’s all the Led Zeppelin LP’s” (there is one on the list) and “why in the world would you include the first Killing Joke LP”. I also know the minute I post this I’ll remember 5 other LP that absolutely must be on the list. But for now this will have to do. All I can say is – My blog, my List.
1.The Beatles – ‘White’ Album
2. London Calling – The Clash 3. Velvet Underground
4. David Bowie – Alladin Sane 5. Cohn Coltrain – Blue Train
6. Devo – Are We Not Men? 7. Elvis Presley
8. Kraftwerk – The Man Machine 9. The Beatles – Revolver
10. New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies
11.The Rolling Stones – Exile on Mainstreet 12. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper
13. Talking Heads – Greatest Hits
14. Roxy Music – Country Life 15. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
16. The Smiths 17. T. Rex – The Slider
18. The Ramones 19. The Rolling Stones – Some Girls
20. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
21. Elvis Costello – Get Happy 22. The Notorious BIG – Ready to Die
23. Donald Byrd – A New Perspective 24. Wire – Pink Flag
25. David Bowie – The Next Day 26. David Bowie – Heroes
27. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks 28. The Beatles – Meet the ….
29. Elvis Costello – This Years Model 30. Led Zeppelin
31. Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard
32. Primal Scream – Screamidelica 33. Iggy Pop – The Idiot
34. Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin 35. The Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed
36. Spiritualized – Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space 37. Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure
38. James Brown – At the Apollo 39. Patti Smith – Horses
40. Pixies – Come On Pilgrim
41. The Residents – Eskimo 42. The New York Dolls
43. PIL – Metal Box 44. The Beatles – Rubber Soul
45. Ride – Nowhere 46. Kraftwerk – Trans Europe Express
47. Eric Dolphy – Out To Lunch 48. Eno – Here Come the Warm Jets
49. Johnny Thunders – Copy Cat 50. Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
51. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
52. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited 53. Frank Black – Teenager of the Year
54. Johnny Cash – American Music Vol. 1 55. Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
56. Freddie Hubbard - Hub-Tones 57. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
58. Deer Hunter – Halcyon Digest 59. Cornershop – When I Was Born for the 7th Time
60. David Bowie – Diamond Dogs
61.Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water 62. The Gun Club – Miami
63. Paul McCartney – McCartney 64. Talking Heads – Fear of Music
65. Beastie Boys – License to Ill 66. Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals
67. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin…. 68. Beck – Odelay
69. Joy Division – Closer 70. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
71. Funkadelic – Maggot Brain
72. Andrew W.K. 73. Iggy & the Stooges - Raw Power
74. Dexter Gordon – Gettin’ Around 75. Doom & Madlib – Madvillain
76. Peter Gabriel 77. Lou Reed – Transformer
78. Howlin’ Wolf – Real Folk Blues 79. The Specials
80. Television – Marquee Moon
81. David Bowie – Pinups 82. Serge Gainsbourg – Historie de Melody Nelson
83. Killing Joke 84. The Cramps – Bab Music for Bad People
85. The Louvin Brothers – Satan is Real 86. Frank Sinatra – In the Wee Small Hours
87. Pink Floyd – Animals 88. Nick Lowe – The Jesus of Cool
89. Various – The Best Musical Comedy Songs 90. Pizzicato 5 – Playboy, Playgirl
91. The Head and the Heart
92. Blur – Leisure 93. Sharon Jones – I learned the Hard Way
94. The Horrors – Strange House 95. The Damned – Damned
97. Ian Dury – New Boots and Panties 98. REM – Murmur
99. Belle & Sebastian – Tiger Milk 100. Pete Molinari – A Train Bound for Glory
