(CNN) When Columbia Records introduced the first LPs in 1948, they didn't just change how we listen to music. They also changed how we see it by popularizing illustrated album covers. In "Art Record Covers," a new book from Taschen, art historian Francesco Spampinato shows just how far the practice has developed, highlighting 500 album covers designed by renowned visual artists, from Peter Blake's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" cover in 1967 to Jeff Koons' bold collage for Lady Gaga's 2013 album, "Art Pop." The album cover specifically offers artists a mode to communicate directly with a wide audience, sidestepping gatekeepers like critics, museums and curators, and removing the barriers of price and access.

Source: CNN April 27, 2017 10:07 UTC