10 Of Our Favorite ‘1960s Rock Album Covers

Classic Rock Album Covers

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There are just too many great classic rock album covers to choose from if we were to create a top 10 list of all time. So, in this new series, we’re going to do it decade by decade. Even decade by decade, it’s still difficult to pick only 10. Nonetheless, that’s how we do our lists here—we try to stick to 10, with few exceptions. The 1960s was definitely the decade in which album art truly became an art form in itself. It started to take shape a little in the 1950s, but rock and roll was still evolving during that decade, and the majority of the biggest hits were singles. It was in the 1960s that record companies began understanding the importance of marketing bands with exceptional artwork that would, hopefully, complement the music inside. Some of the most famous covers in classic rock history were released in the 1960s. Here are 10 of our favorites.

# 10 – Hot Rats – Frank Zappa

We open our “10 Best Classic Rock Album Covers of the 1960s” article with Frank Zappa’s second solo album, Hot Rats. This one just creeps in as it was released at the end of the decade in October 1969. This wonderful gatefold album featured photography by Andy Mattison on the cover. The eerie-looking woman crawling out of what appears to be a mysterious structure is Christine Frka of a band called The GTOs. I don’t know how many people knew that, but I guess it makes the cover slightly less creepy when you realize she’s a musician.

As far as the music goes, this album is a masterpiece. It opens with one of Zappa’s finest instrumentals, “Peaches en Regalia,” followed by the cool track “Willie the Pimp.” It remains one of our favorite Frank Zappa albums.

# 9 – Strange Days – The Doors

Strange Days was The Doors’ second studio album, released on September 25, 1967. The album cover featured what many people interpret as either circus performers or street performers. The photograph was taken in New York City, near East 36th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. The photo was shot by Joel Brodsky, a renowned photographer with over 400 album cover credits in his impressive resume.

While this cover might not appear on most lists of the best album covers of the 1960s, there’s something undeniably special about it. It perfectly captures the essence of The Doors’ music. The imagery of different types of people on the streets of New York City—smiling, performing, and living life unlike most—is, in many ways, symbolic of Jim Morrison’s stories and lyrics. This cover was a perfect visual complement to the music within.

# 8 – Hip Hug-Her – Booker T. & the M.G.’s

Booker T. & the M.G.’s had a very fashionable cover for their fifth studio album, Hip Hug-Her, which has always been one of our favorite album covers of the 1960s. The band, featuring Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., and Booker T. Jones, was essentially the house band for Stax Records and played on hundreds of hit singles throughout the decade. Of course, they had their own hits, with the big one being “Green Onions.” This very cool album, Hip Hug-Her, was released in June 1967.

# 7 – If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears – The Mama’s And The Papa’s

Imagine an album cover being pulled from the shelves because it was deemed indecent—because of a toilet bowl on the cover. I’m not talking about an overflowing toilet bowl or anything gross or horrible; it’s just a toilet bowl in a bathroom, which happens to be next to a bathtub in which the four members of The Mamas & the Papas fit perfectly.

Of course, this is probably not everyone’s idea of one of the best album covers of the 1960s, but we think it’s a pretty good one. With our own twisted sense of humor and an original eye for art, we consider this one of the best. How could you not love those poses of them in the bathtub and the way they’re all situated? And just dig those boots, man!

# 6 – Ummagumma – Pink Floyd

While Pink Floyd’s Ummagumma may not be as popular as other Floyd albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, or Animals, its album cover definitely ranks among the most interesting covers the band ever released. At first glance, it may not seem that fascinating, but a deeper look reveals its intriguing details, particularly in the mirror. There have probably been millions of rock fans who have stared at that album cover for hours while totally immersed in the music from the album.

# 5 – From Elvis in Memphis – Elvis Presley

Whether you were a fan of Elvis Presley’s music in the ’50s, ’60s, or ’70s, there’s no denying that the 1969 From Elvis in Memphis album featured one of the best covers Elvis ever released. At first glance, one might think it was a live album, but it was actually a studio recording. However, it’s the lighting, the coloring, and the presentation of the name “Elvis” in big yellow letters, along with the background of what many assumed was an “Elvis Army,” that showcased the power The King had in the 1960s, cementing his place as probably the biggest solo artist of all time.

# 4 – Between the Buttons – The Rolling Stones

Most album cover articles that discuss the best—or supposedly the best—classic rock covers usually highlight Let It Bleed or Beggars Banquet when it comes to The Rolling Stones. However, after giving it some thought and examining all these covers, Between the Buttons stands out for many reasons. First and foremost, it features The Rolling Stones up front in a dreamy, almost picturesque presentation. Supposedly, the album was meant to present the band early in the morning after working all night in the studio. To us, it showcases the bond between the musicians—a group that always carried a rebellious spirit.

This cover features the original band lineup, with Brian Jones standing somewhat centrally and Charlie Watts proudly in the forefront, capturing much of the band’s personality. The way Mick Jagger stands out, while Keith Richards seems to blur into the surroundings, creates a very intriguing and memorable album cover.

# 3 – Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin II is one of the most celebrated rock albums of all time. Because of the music’s popularity and the significance that their second album played in their eventual coronation as rock gods, the album cover has often been overlooked or not talked about much. Yet, it is simply brilliant. The artwork was designed by David Juniper, who had known Jimmy Page from an art college in Surrey. Juniper took a World War I photograph and replaced a few of the flyers’ heads with photographs of the band members.

Some might think that this was disrespectful, and maybe it was—depending on how you look at it. Others could argue that it was a way of paying tribute to the fighters of World War I. Regardless, this was done long before computers made such edits easy, and it was executed very well. The combination of the colors on the front cover and the cool Zeppelin logo made for a standout album cover. Anyone who has been a rock fan over the past fifty or sixty years would instantly recognize it. Of course, that’s one of the hallmarks of a great album cover—its instant recognizability.

# 2 – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

While there have been many covers on this list that most people probably would not have picked as part of a list of the 10 best covers of the 1960s, these next two would definitely be on just about every other list. The biggest challenge here was deciding which one would be placed at number one and, of course, which one would be placed at number two. We wish we could tie them, but where’s the fun in that? So, the runner-up is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It’s probably one of the most famous album covers ever created and one of the most copied. It was designed by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth.

While we could dedicate an entire article to discussing this album cover, we’ll try to keep it simple. If you’ve never counted, the cover collage features 57 photographs. Additionally, nine wax figures were placed on the set. All of this had to be done by hand. All four Beatles were consulted beforehand, and they were asked which artists should be included on the cover. Some were rejected, but many were included. It was one of the most expensive album covers ever made, and every penny was worth it because it became one of the most inspirational albums ever released, changing the music business in countless ways.

Read More: Top 10 Beatles Albums

# 1 -Abbey Road – The Beatles

Can you think of any other album cover in the history of not just rock and roll but music in general that was photographed in a spot where people would gather non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for over 50 years, trying to replicate the same exact cover? The Abbey Road album cover became more than just a record cover—it became a cultural event that continues every minute of the day. If you ever get the chance to travel to Abbey Road, you’ll understand this even more. I took my son to this very spot in 2018, and it was incredibly surreal. I think we walked across Abbey Road about 20 times. It’s like sitting on a couch and then jumping into the TV set.

Of course, the album cover was heavily scrutinized when it first came out, with people looking for clues about the “Paul is dead” conspiracy and other theories, but that has long been forgotten. What remains is a cover that we believe even overshadows Sgt. Pepper’s. It’s amazing how such a simple concept could become one of the most famous photographs in human history.

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