VIII- Single Works

Certain particularly successful album covers are isolated (or limited) works by artists who, for one reason or another, did not persevere in this art form. For example, the illustration of ELP’s "Tarkus" should have ensured English painter William Neal a brilliant career. However, after his realization of ELP’s "Pictures At An Exhibition" (and a few other, lesser-known album covers for both the Island label and blues and reggae groups), Neal developed a more ‘traditional’ style, specializing in dreamy landscapes and seascapes.

One of the more disturbing album covers of 70s progressive rock is that of the first KING CRIMSON album, "In The Court of the Crimson King." The cover depicts a "schizoid man" of the 21st century, painted by English artist Barry Godber in 1969. Godber died in February 1970 at the age of 24, so we will never know whether this was a singular masterstroke, or whether he might have gone on to create more amazing images.


Lastly, one cannot forget the singular work requested by Keith Emerson in 1973 of Swiss painter H.R. Giger for the cover of ELP’s ‘Brain Salad Surgery’ (a rather suggestive English expression). The cover (which, for the vinyl album, opened outward from the middle like double doors to reveal a cryogenic box) is cold, metal, extraterrestrial, futuristic, and masterly - like all the work of the brilliant visionary who, a few years later, would design the biomechanical creature for director Ridley Scott’s film, "Alien." Giger did do a few other album covers, including one for MAGMA ("Attahk", 1978), but none of them can compete with the extraordinary image created for ELP.

[ Barry Godber ] [ William Neal ] [ H. R. Giger ]