Pink Floyd’s 1973 Dark Side Of The Moon album has been named the greatest cover of all time, in a recent poll of musicians and rock fans by MusicRadar.com. The iconic cover, depicting a ray of light split by a prism, polled at No1, with the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind in second place and The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper in third position.

The full Top 10 from the MusicRadar.com 50 Greatest Album Covers of All  Time Poll is as follows: 1. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon, 2. Nirvana – Nevermind, 3. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 4. The Clash – London Calling, 5. Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine, 6. Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast, 7. The Beatles – The White Album, 8. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures, 9. King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King, 10. Pink Floyd – Animals.

Will Groves, editor of MusicRadar.com, makes the observation: “It’s proof that one simple, enduring image is the winning formula when it comes to album artwork.” Whether simple or complex in design,  vinyl album covers were as important as the vinyl record inside, particularly in the 1970s when packaging became as important as product in the record industry. Artists and industry moguls had to ensure that an album cover was bright and vivid, to meet the expectations of the vinyl record buying public, who had access to colour television by the beginning of that decade. The record industry woke up to the fact that the packaging of vinyl records was a powerful marketing tool, and album covers became an art form and took on a life of their own!!

The whole vinyl record buying and playing experience was so much more than just about that 12″ black plastic disc. The cover of the album was just as important, which is almost certainly why the MusicRadar.com’s Top 10 is dominated by album covers from the 1960s and 1970s. How contemporary music lovers and consumers miss out on this cultural and aesthetic experience, with the “invisible” music download!!

When it comes to my favourite Top 10 Album Covers, I concur with MusicRadar.com’s Top 3 – 1. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon, 2. Nirvana – Nevermind, 3. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. However I differ on the other seven album covers – here are the remainder from my Top 10:

4. Meatloaf – Bat out of Hell, 5. Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run, 6. David Bowie – Diamond Dogs 7. Beatles – With the Beatles, 8. David Bowie – Young Americans 9. Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed 10. Beatles – Revolver

From my unrepresentative poll of one person, what is apparent is that Paul McCartney and the Beatles had a real appreciation and understanding that packaging was just as important as product. This also applies to David Bowie, with his art school background – his album covers for The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Heroes were close to my Top 10.

What are your favourite iconic album covers?

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If you would like to see the MusicRadar.com Top 50 Greatest Album Covers of of All Time Poll results in it’s entirety, click on…… www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/the-50-greatest-album-covers-of-all-time-444093