100 BEST ALBUM COVERS: #1. Concludes with this post. A new countdown begins soon.

Caffe` Latte` presents…

THE 100 BEST

ALBUM COVERS

1

SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

THE BEATLES

(1967)

Albums primarily just housed hit singles until the release of The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. This LP gave greater importance to the album. By 1967, The Beatles had established a unique place in rock music's pantheon. The planet's biggest group had transformed the sound, attitude and rules of popular music. While 'Sgt. Pepper' was not the first concept album, it was by far the first to attract a high level of prominence.

Any new Beatles music was an event. The cover of 'Sgt. Pepper' announced that the band's latest release was special. It was daring, artistic and intriguing. 

Agreeing on the famous figures to include took some negotiating. Surprisingly, some refused The Beatles permission to include them on the legendary album cover. Mae West had originally declined, stating that she would never find herself in a 'lonely hearts club'. The Fab Four wrote her a personal letter which convinced her to allow her image to be used. Some figures, incuding Jesus and Adolf Hitler, were culled to avoid controversy.

Peter Blake and Jann Haworth created the collage concept. Wax figures from Madame Tussauds were used. Michael Cooper was the photographer for the cover.

This was a large scale project for one of the most important albums ever released. 'Sgt. Pepper' deserves its place at #1 among the best covers of all time. 

Below are some honourable mentions, including 2 covers that would definitely have made the Top 100 had they not been banned or replaced with a safer image: