The Stories Behind 10 Iconic Album Covers

Serial killers, lewd jokes, and more bizarre stories from the world of album art

What makes great album cover art—or rather, who? These memorable record covers were born from close collaboration, or plucked by the musician's discerning eye from a visual artist's body of work, or created through some combination of the two.

We've rounded up ten covers—some of the most iconic and a few somewhat obscure—made by famous artists and photographers, along with some quick liner notes about how they came to be. What do flowers have to do with Power, Corruption & Lies? Peel slowly to see.

This post also appears on Flavorpill, an Atlantic partner site.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/the-stories-behind-10-iconic-album-covers/256463/