Sometimes an image hits you, and you can’t get it out of your mind. Has that ever happened to you? You’re walking down the aisle at the thrift store, and you see an album cover on a far-off shelf. You wonder… What is that? Suddenly, the image has you.
Videos by American Songwriter
That’s just what we wanted to explore below. We wanted to highlight and dive into three of the most mysterious classic rock album covers of all time—three covers that bring you in with strange, even spooky imagery. Indeed, these are three of the most mysterious classic rock album covers ever.
‘John Wesley Harding’ by Bob Dylan (1967)
In the 1960s, people were looking for lots of signs, symbols, and imagery in album covers. From references to The Rolling Stones in The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to references to The Beatles in The Rolling Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request, it was everywhere. Even Bob Dylan wasn’t safe from the speculation. Some thought that if you turn his 1967 LP, John Wesley Harding, upside down, you can see The Fab Four in the tree bark of the tree. Sure! Whatever you say!
‘Aerial’ by Kate Bush (2005)
Are these red mountains in the distance on this early 2000s album from rocker Kate Bush? Actually, no. The red blotches on the album cover are actually the visual representation of a birdsong. A fan has actually figured out what that visual sound would sound like (see here). Some fans also say they see a woman’s face (Kate’s?) in the clouds, with her eyes underneath the biggest “sound mountain”. We can’t really see that one, but who knows!
‘Blackstar’ by David Bowie (2016)
What do those partial stars at the bottom of this album cover from David Bowie mean? Well, they spell out BOWIE, in their own way, as the iconic classic rock artist got his last name on the front of his final album, released in 2016, just days before he passed away. But more than that, if you put the album cover under ultraviolet light, new images appear. Similarly, if you leave the album sleeve in sunlight, a constellation appears that resembles a Bowie-esque star man. What a wild ride!
Photo by Alice Ochs/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.