Ongoing History of New Music: The Stories Behind Iconic Album Covers Part 2 Host: Alan Cross
Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Alan Cross continues his exploration into the hidden stories, artistic decisions, and cultural impacts behind some of the most iconic album covers, picking up from 1994 to the mid-2000s. The episode dives deep into the inspirations, artists, photography, and controversies surrounding covers from Oasis, Korn, The Cranberries, Rage Against the Machine, Godsmack, Blink-182, The Strokes, Audioslave, and The Killers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Origin of Album Cover Art

• [02:35] Alan recounts how album cover art began in 1938 with Alex Steinweiss, who created the first photographic album cover for Columbia Records. The iconic signage photo for Rodgers and Hart sold so well that the industry quickly followed suit.
• Transition from plain sleeves to a flourishing album art industry, which declined with the rise of CDs and digital streaming, but is now seeing a resurgence thanks to vinyl's comeback.

1. Oasis – Definitely Maybe (1994)

• [05:01] Cover shot by Michael Spencer Jones; design by Brian Cannon.
• Set in guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs' living room, crammed with personal band memorabilia and subtle references.
• Visual Symbolism:
  • Liam Gallagher lies on the floor in a ‘mummy pose,’ inspired by an Egyptology display, which also served to hide worn floorboards.
  • Props: Pink flamingo (Bonehead's), Epiphone Riviera guitar, portrait of Rodney Marsh (Manchester City), George Best (Man U) in the window, Burt Bacharach photo (Noel's favorite), and TV showing The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
  • The globe symbolizes world domination aspirations. The title font is Cannon's own handwriting.
  • Canon: “If you want to get really technical, Cannon drew inspiration from a 15th-century painting by Jan van Eyck called the Arnolfini Portrait because of its use of visual metaphors.” [07:44]
• Notable quote:
  "The room is a lot smaller than it appears. Spencer had to use a wide angle lens to get everybody in the shot." – Alan Cross [06:45]

2. Korn – Korn (1994)

• [10:13] The debut’s artwork: A little girl (Justine Ferrara) on a swing, a sinister adult shadow looming.
• The shadow caster is Dante Arreola (co-art director); Justine was paid $300 and didn't see the image until middle school, due to strong family disapproval.
• Back cover: Identical playground, but the girl has disappeared—a detail fueling the cover’s ominous reputation.
• “She was just 8 years old... Simply because it's so creepy and sinister.” – Alan Cross [11:10]

3. The Cranberries – Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? & No Need to Argue (1993 & 1994)

• [12:01] Recurring motif: a rented couch.
• Photos by Andy Earle, concept led by art director Cally. The same couch appears across debut, sophomore album, and a 2017 “Unplugged” cover (lost for years, popped up in a Supergrass video).
• "For the second album... hauled around Dublin. The cover shot was done in a white room specially constructed to get a stark look. Everyone is in suits because Blur had just recently posed for a photo the same way.” [13:02]

4. Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire (1996)

• [14:36] The ‘boy’ is an altered version of Crimebuster, a 1940s/50s comic hero, painted by Mel Ramos—an original for Ari Mezl, who was 11 in the painting.
• The "E" replaces Crimebuster's "C".
• Concept: Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech, re-appropriated.
• Zach de la Rocha: “If you look deeper, you’ll see that he’s actually very, very afraid.” [15:33]

5. Godsmack – Godsmack (1998)

• [18:04] The cover’s striking woman is Tony Tiller, from a 1994 Brooklyn shoot.
• Godsmack purchased the image after discovering it in a photographer’s book; Tony was unaware until release.
• Post-fame, Tony leads an off-grid lifestyle and runs a “reform school for rude kittens."
• Parental outrage over Wiccan references led to Walmart/Kmart bans and a censored reissue—with a familiar result: “the album sold even better.” [19:45]

6. Blink-182 – Enema of the State (1999)

• [19:54] Iconic “sexy nurse” portrayed by porn star Janine Lindemulder (band unaware of her profession).
• The nurse’s visual—a glove—was sparked during the shoot: “...he thought that the visual and its implications was pretty funny. The band agreed, and… it inspired them to change the title to Enema of the State." [21:33]
• Cover underwent multiple revisions (red cross logo dispute, alternate versions for Malaysia).
• Janine’s post-cover life includes kindergarten teaching, adult film returns, jail time for tax evasion, and high-profile relationships.
• “Somewhere on her résumé is a sex tape with Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil.” [22:54]

7. The Strokes – Is This It (2001)

• [23:45] Two cover versions:
  • North America: Bubble chamber photograph showing subatomic particles— adopted late after band discovered it.
  • Rest of World: Sensual photo of a woman’s hip and gloved hand (photographer Colin Lane’s then-girlfriend).
• “No idea who the woman in that photo is…” Lane has never revealed her identity. [25:05]
• The absent question mark is a deliberate stylistic choice.

8. Audioslave – Audioslave (2002)

• [26:27] Designed by Storm Thorgerson, legendary designer behind Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etc.
• The cover: Golden flame sculpture in volcanic Lanzarote with a lone “pilgrim.”
• Thorgerson’s intent: “The music of Audioslave struck us as brooding and sultry, carrying a sense of threat, as if about to burst asunder or erupt in fury, much like a volcano.” [27:02]
• No digital trickery: a real sculpture on a real location.
• Alternate cover with nudity was considered but discarded for the US market.

9. The Killers – Sam’s Town (2006)

• [28:51] Title references Las Vegas’ Sam’s Town casino, visible from bassist Mark Stoermer’s childhood bedroom.
• Shot by Anton Corbijn, who rejected the band’s “chic gypsy” ideas for a vision of faded glory: a beat-up trailer, a bighorn sheep (Nevada's state animal, taxidermied from a museum), and model Felice LaZae.
• "She is a model and singer named Felice LaZae… a perfect representation of the whole faded glory thing." [29:40]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Oasis cover:
  "The mirror that we see came from Brian Cannon's apartment. And that blurry spinning thing is a blow up globe... to signal that the band was bound for world domination." – Alan Cross [07:10]

• On Corn’s cover model’s reaction:
  “Little Justine wasn't shown the picture until she was in the eighth grade and simply because it's so creepy and sinister.” – Alan Cross [11:10]

• On the recurring Cranberries couch:
  "The couch disappeared from the Cranberries world until 2017... Where it had been in the intervening years, no one really knows." – Alan Cross [13:22]

• On Rage’s re-appropriation:
  “Given Rage’s politics, they meant for it to apply to the United States.” – Alan Cross [15:13]

• On Godsmack's Tony Tiller:
  “Now I live in the woods. I’m bald, usually barefoot and into a variety of stuff… I have a reform school for rude kittens.” – Alan Cross, reading Tiller’s words [18:55]

• On Blink-182’s nurse:
  “They were just looking for somebody to play a sexy nurse.” – Alan Cross [20:37]

• On Storm Thorgerson’s process:
  “What I love about covers like this is that there’s no Photoshop, there’s no AI. This is a posed photograph in a real location.” – Alan Cross [27:24]

• On The Killers’ artistic direction:
  “When presented with the project, he overruled the band’s desire for something they described as a chic gypsy look. Instead, he came up with the idea of something that expressed tired and faded glory.” – Alan Cross [29:13]

Closing & Engagement

• Alan invites listeners to suggest future album covers for deconstruction at alanlancross.ca and to connect via social media and his music news site, ajournalofmusicalthings.com.
• Teases future episodes: “There are so many iconic album covers out there, we’ll have to revisit this subject in the future.” [30:47]

For those who haven’t listened:
This episode is an entertaining and deeply-researched deep-dive into the myths, legends, and unexpected details behind rock and alternative album covers that continue to fascinate fans. Alan Cross’ storytelling style is authoritative, playful, and full of little-known gems—making this the perfect episode for music nerds and casual listeners alike.