Writing a band name on the front of an album is usually enough information for most music consumers to figure out who an album is by, but these artists took this a step further, by choosing cover art that actually represents the band name.

1. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin (1969)

I mentioned Led Zeppelin's debut album for my list of album covers that represent the title, but since it's a self-titled album, it works for this list too. Though the Hindenburg technically wasn't a "lead zeppelin," it was a zeppelin that sank and crashed as if it were made of lead.

2. Big Star - #1 Record (1972)

Not only is the title of Big Star's debut album #1 Record nowhere to be found on its cover, most of the band's name is absent as well. Instead, the cover is a photo of a neon star with the word "BIG" written inside of it.

3. Can - Ege Bamyasi (1972)

Krautrock bands aren't exactly known for their senses of humor, but for Can's fourth album Ege Bamyasi, the band decided to make fun of its own bizarre name by using a photograph of a can of okra as the cover.

4. The Locust - The Locust (1998)

Much like Led Zeppelin, powerviolence band The Locust also released a self-titled debut album with a cover that represents their name. The cover of 1998's The Locust looks like a poster to a '50s horror film, with a crowd of people fleeing in terror from a giant locust in the background.

5 & 6. Deerhunter - Turn It Up Faggot/Cryptograms (2005/2007)

The covers of the first two Deerhunter albums both feature images of deer, and though they're not exactly being hunted, the deer on the cover of 2007's Cryptograms is sitting in the middle of a swirling psychedelic circle, similar to how it would appear through the scope of a rifle.


7 & 8. Acid Witch - Witchtanic Hellucinations/Stoned (2008/2010)

Detroit stoner doom band Acid Witch is one of the most ridiculously cartoony metal bands in recent memory, which should be plainly obvious when looking at their grotesque (yet strangely beautiful) album covers, featuring images of a hideous psychedelic witch.


9, 10, 11. Car Seat Headrest - 1/2/Little Pieces of Paper with "No" Written On Them (2010)

Garage-rock wizard Will Toledo somehow managed to release five full-length albums under the name Car Seat Headrest during 2010 (he's released five more since then), three of which have very similar covers. The covers of his first two albums, appropriately titled 1 and 2, are photos of a car seat headrest with no text. The cover of the third album Little Pieces of Paper with "No" Written On Them, which was the fifth album he released that year, features a photo of another car seat headrest, but with the album's title written over it.

Join the Discussion