Brain teaser: Can you match these ’70s album covers?
Before streaming made music invisible, the cover was part of the experience. Something you held, stared at while the needle dropped, and kept like a trophy. Read each clue, guess the album, then click next to reveal the answer.
Album No. 1
A cloaked woman in the mist before an old stone building. Dark, grainy, unsettling. February 1970.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
Widely credited as the first true heavy metal album, photographed at Mapledurham Watermill. Tracks: Black Sabbath, N.I.B., The Wizard.
Album No. 2
A woman in jeans and a comfy sweater sits barefoot by a window, dim sunlight falling across her. A cat rests nearby at her feet. 1971.
Tapestry – Carole King
Jim McCrary’s Laurel Canyon photo gave the blueprint for a generation of singer-songwriters. 15 weeks at number one. Tracks: I Feel the Earth Move, You’ve Got a Friend.
Album No. 3
An American flag where blue has become black and stars have become suns. November 1971.
There’s a Riot Goin’ On – Sly and the Family Stone
Sly Stone’s redesigned flag was a deliberate political act. Topped the Billboard Pop and Soul charts. Track: Family Affair.
Album No. 4
A weathered wall frames a painting of an old man carrying sticks. November 1971.
Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin
LoveToKnow noted it reflected the band’s folk-inspired shift. Jimmy Page found the painting in a Reading shop. Tracks: Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog.
Album No. 5
A man in a denim rocker outfit stands on a rain-soaked London backstreet, glancing back under a sign reading “K. West.” The image has a cartoonish quality. June 1972.
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie
Shot on Heddon Street, the visual contrast of an alien figure against a real street became iconic. Tracks: Starman, Suffragette City.
Album No. 6
White light enters a prism and scatters into a rainbow. Black background. March 1973.
The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Designed by Hipgnosis, light through prism spent 741 weeks on the Billboard charts. Tracks: Money, Time, The Great Gig in the Sky.
Album No. 7
A man in white pants and red high heels takes his first step onto a park path leading into a sunset. October 1973.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
Ian Beck’s painting breaks free from John’s earlier somber sleeves. Tracks: Bennie and the Jets, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.
Album No. 8
A man on a California beach, back to the camera. A Cadillac tailfin juts from the sand. A headline reads “Senator Buckley Calls for Nixon to Resign.” July 1974.
On the Beach – Neil Young
Art directed by Gary Burden. Young called it his most depressing record. Tracks: Walk On, Revolution Blues.
Album No. 9
A platinum-haired woman stands unsmiling in a white dress, hands on hips, while five grinning bandmates in black suits flank her. September 1978.
Parallel Lines – Blondie
Photographed by Edo Bertoglio, chosen by manager Peter Leeds over the band’s objections. Tracks: Heart of Glass, One Way or Another.
Album No. 10
A bearded man with silver hair stares directly at the camera in a simple, close-up portrait. No props, no scenery. Just the face. November 1978.
The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
Recorded in Nashville with Larry Butler. Won the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Track: The Gambler.
Wrap up
A great cover doesn’t just sell the record; it becomes the record. Whether you named all ten or only a handful, you were looking at the decade’s most enduring visual art.
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Related:
- Quiz: Can you guess the 1971 song from just one lyric?
- Can you guess the 1975 song from just one lyric?
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