14 Album Covers Featuring Just The Lead Singer: The Cure, Black Sabbath And More

The lead singer of a rock band typically gets more attention than any other member, whether it's warranted or not. Many bands take advantage of this dynamic and release albums that feature just the lead singer on the cover, and no other member. Here are some album covers featuring just the lead singer.

1 & 2. The Stooges - Raw Power/Ready To Die (1973/2013)

Iggy Pop is far and away the most famous member of the Stooges, which is why two of their albums, Raw Power and Ready To Die, feature covers with just pop and no other member.

3. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Vol. 4 (1972)

Black Sabbath's cover art during the '70s could be pretty awful at times, but one of their most iconic from that era is the cover to Black Sabbath Vol. 4, which features a monochrome photograph of lead singer Ozzy Osbourne in concert.

4, 5, 6. Public Image Ltd. - First Issue/This Is What You Want...This Is What You Get/9 (1978/1984/1989)

As innovative and singular as Public Image Ltd. could be, they were usually thought of as John Lydon's other band (after the legendary Sex Pistols, of course), which is why his involvement was highlighted above any other member's. The covers of three PiL albums, First Issue, This is What You Want...This is What You Get, and 9, all featured close-ups of Lydon's face.

7, 8. The Cure - Disintegration/Bloodflowers (1989/2000)

Out of thirteen studio albums, just one Cure album features a photograph of the whole band on the cover: 1982's Pornography. Most others feature gothic or psychedelic artwork, with the exception of two: 1989's Disintegration and 2000's Bloodflowers, which feature photos of frontman Robert Smith.

9. Portishead - Dummy (1994)

The cover of Portishead's 1994 album Dummy is a still image from the short film To Kill A Dead Man, which Portishead both starred in and composed the music for. The particular still used for the Dummy cover, however, features just lead singer Beth Gibbons and not the band's other two members, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley.

10, 11, 12. Tennis - Cape Dory/Young & Old/Ritual in Repeat (2011/2012/2014)

Though Denver indie pop band Tennis formed as a duo (and has since become a trio), all three of the band's album covers feature photos of lead singer Alaina Moore, though their latest album Ritual in Repeat notably features a photo of Moore with her face obscured in white (or simply cut out).

13. T. Rex - Multiple Albums

Like the Cure, T. Rex was pretty much the solo project of guitarist and lead singer Marc Bolan, which is why eight of the band's albums featured covers with just Bolan and no other band member, though some of their early albums, including Unicorn and T. Rex, emphasized the band as a duo.

14. Marilyn Manson - Nearly Every Album

It's pretty reasonable to assume that Marilyn Manson is a solo artist, but it's actually the name of a band, whose lead singer confusingly adopted the same name. To further blur the lines between Marilyn Manson the person and Marilyn Manson the band, all of their album covers, with the exception of their debut Portrait of an American Family, include a photo of Manson with no other members of the band.

What are some other album covers with just the lead singer? Let us know down in the comments section!

Tags

Iggy Pop, The Stooges, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Public image ltd., The Sex Pistols, John lydon, Johnny rotten, The Cure, Portishead, T-Rex, Marilyn Manson, Robert Smith