James Stafford

Fishbone were already underground L.A. legends when they recorded their third album, but their funk-metal masterpiece proved far more influential than successful.

Like musical notes, the individual elements on the cover of Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 opus are relatively meaningless on their own – but together, they tell a beautiful story.

While MP3s and Napster already existed at the turn of the 21st century, Apple radically revolutionized the way we consume music in 2001 with iTunes.

"Full of poetry and cynicism." That's how album cover legends Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis fame describe Nirvana's 'Nevermind' sleeve.