Over 6 million songs in the iTunes Music Store. God knows how many albums that translates to, but we must be insane to try and pick 20 albums worth considering for their combination of music and artwork, right?
As long as we’ve got that straight on the front-end, then.
Herewith, a collection of 20 albums available on iTunes, loosely organized by release date (in reverse order) and presented with the thought they might make good additions to the much-ballyhooed iTunes LP upgrade hyped at Apple’s It’s Only Rock and Roll event in September.
No doubt readers may quibble with some (perhaps all!) of our selections; no doubt you’ll have suggestions of your own. Do let us know abut it in comments. All album links open in iTunes.
20. The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Out
In 1959 there was no combination that said “hip” like surrealist art and experimental jazz. The pairing of Joan Miró’s art and the music of pianist Dave Brubeck’s quartet made Time Out one of the “must have” records of the day.
19. Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass – Whipped Cream and Other Delights
In 1965, American popular culture was getting ready to embrace naked women — or at least the idea of naked women — on a public scale that could hardly have been imagined just a few years prior. The cover of Alpert’s seminal release went a long way toward breaking down that barrier and became one of the most popular album covers of the era.
