Image via Complex Original
103
Put a pretty girl on the cover and your record will sell.
That was the conventional wisdom in the days when your folks were buying LPs by Jackie Gleason and The Three Suns. Back then, a guy like Herb Alpert seemed as big as the Beatles when he dropped the infamously suggestive Whipped Cream and Other Delights cover.
The industry has changed. The evolution of creativity, marketing, and, yes, sexuality has led to even more unbelievably sexy album covers. Jimi Hendrix's naked babe harem. The Slits wearing nothing but mud. Ashley Savage as an underboob goddess for Ween. Ice-T flaunting his main squeezes. Christina Aguilera being dirty and proud of it. All of the sexually charged work by pervy photographers and painters Vargas, Coop and Kacere.
These covers and more are included in our list of The 100 Sexiest Album Covers of All Time. Continue reading and remember the album sleeves so hot that they could melt your vinyl.
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101
Peaches, The Teaches of Peaches (2000)
Why It's Sexy: Pink hot pants and camel toe courtesy of the Canadian singer.
96
Warrant, Cherry Pie (1990)
Why It's Sexy: Thud. Thud. That's not the sound of the slice of pie hitting the floor; it's the sound of Warrant beating you over the head with innuendo.
94
UFO, Force It (1975)
Why It's Sexy: Who's up for some rough sex in the bathroom? This cover had to be altered for the U.S. release.
34
Ice-T, Power (1988)
Why It's Sexy: The girl in the slingshot is Darlene Ortiz, and yes, the Iceman was hitting that.
75
Santana, Abraxas (1969)
Why It's Sexy: This is a piece called "Annunciation," by artist Mati Klarwein, who had great ideas when it came to painting women.
89
Terry Callier, What Color is Love (1973)
Why It's Sexy: It's a nude woman lounging in your favorite easy chair burning a post-coital cigarette, as they used to do back then.
18
Dwarves, Come Clean (2000)
Why It's Sexy: Naked women bathing is hot. We'll just ignore the little guy. This is a follow-up to an earlier cover that featured the same people just as naked, but drenched in blood. Soap's better.
56
Martin Denny, Primitiva (1958)
Why It's Sexy: Like all great exotica covers, this one suggests that listening to watered down versions of island or jungle music is basically the same as doing it with island or jungle babes.
54
Marie McDonald, The Body Sings (1957)
Why It's Sexy: Marie was a Hollywood bombshell known as "The Body," and on this foray into music she doesn't want you to forget that.
81
Sid Phillips, Fascinating Rhythm (1971)
Why It's Sexy: Now here's a woman who looks like she knows her way around a clarinet.
58
Millie Jackson, E.S.P. (1983)
Why It's Sexy: What's that in Millie's crystal ball?
3
Belle & Sebastian, Tigermilk (1996)
Why It's Sexy: Suggests three fetishes you don't have: lactation, bestiality, and plushaphilia. At least you claim you don't these fetishes.
93
Toti's Tahitians, Little Brown Gal (2004)
Why It's Sexy: Looks like someone is about to get laid.
8
Cal Tjader, Demasiado Caliente (1960)
Why It's Sexy: Gosh, this Demasiado was so caliente she had to take her clothes off.
28
Grace Jones, Island Life (1985)
Why It's Sexy: Grace is naked, flexible, and infinitely cooler than you.
53
Mariah Carey, Butterfly (1997)
Why It's Sexy: This is when the diva went from cute to hot.
60
Nazareth, The Catch (1984)
Why It's Sexy: This is a crazy sort of ball game where one uses a mitt to snag a woman's ass. Proof that the Scots really don't understand baseball.
78
Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)
Why It's Sexy: That's Jane Birkin as a Lolita-esque temptress.
38
Jimmy Smith, Sit On It (1977)
Why It's Sexy: A musician wants a woman to sit on his instrument. What's wrong with that?
16
Deftones, Around the Fur (1997)
Why It's Sexy: This unsuspecting woman was just the cover model the Deftones were looking for.
30
Heavenly, Carpe Diem (2010)
Why It's Sexy: Animated lesbians.
21
Fatboy Slim, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2000)
Why It's Sexy: Hail crotch, the light of the world, your all-powerful glare is blinding. Now let's dance.
50
Madonna, Hard Candy (2008)
Why It's Sexy: Madonna was nearly 50 when this album came out, and the message here seems to be, "come on, you know you would."
62
Ohio Players, Angel (1977)
Why It's Sexy: Every time a bell rings, an Angel gets her nipples. Got a bell?
45
Lil' Kim, Notorious K.I.M. (2000)
Why It's Sexy: Lil' Kim: Not afraid to pull her pants down to show you her tattoo.
57
Martin Denny, Quiet Village (1959)
Why It's Sexy: This white pseudo-islander likes to do it in the hut.
47
Liz Phair, Liz Phair (2003)
Why It's Sexy: A decade after breaking out on the scene, she's not too old to hump a guitar.
90
Tina Louise, Her Portrait in Hi-Fi (1957)
Why It's Sexy: What's this? The actress who played Ginger on Gilligan's Island has fallen into the underbrush. She looks helpless, perhaps even scared. What will you do, big hero man?
17
Divinyls, Divinyls (1990)
Why It's Sexy: That's singer Chrissy Amphlett wearing the fish netting; album includes "I Touch Myself."
7
Buckcherry, Buckcherry (1999)
Why It's Sexy: The cover subject is naked, except for some paint.
84
Steel Panther, Balls Out (2011)
Why It's Sexy: She had the balls to do it. She's that thorough.
48
Lords of Acid, Voodoo U (1994)
Why It's Sexy: Nobody paints naked devil-women lesbians better than Coop. Nobody.
69
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mother's Milk (1989)
Why It's Sexy: Anthony Kiedis seems to be saying, "Wow, I've never seen boobs this nice."
6
Blink-182, Enema of the State (1999)
Why It's Sexy: That's porn star Janine Lindemulder dressed as a sexy/scary nurse.
20
Eric Clapton, E.C. Was Here (1975)
Why It's Sexy: Keep practicing those chords and someday you'll get to write your name on a naked girl's back.
13
Christina Aguilera, Stripped (2002)
Why It's Sexy: This is Xtina telling the world how dirrrty she is.
24
George Shearing Quintet, Mood Latino (1961)
Why It's Sexy: Alternate title: Fiesta del Naked Senoritas.
64
Paul Mauriat, Blooming Hits (1968)
Why It's Sexy: Paint a few flowers on a nude French lady—et voila! She technically isn't nude anymore.
2
Barooga Bandit, Come Softly (1979)
Why It's Sexy: It's a tight shot of a shapely woman's butt hanging out of the high-cut jean shorts that would later be known as Daisy Dukes.
19
Enoch Light, Spaced Out (2001)
Why It's Sexy: This compilation proved the enduring charm of space girls in bikinis. How hipsters continue to listen to Moog is still a mystery though.
42
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
Why It's Sexy: That's Kanye in the picture, in flagrante with an armless angel. He said he wanted a cover that would be banned by record stores, and he got his wish.
65
Pixies, Surfer Rosa (1998)
Why It's Sexy: The Pixies passed off tits as art.
76
Scorpions, Lovedrive (1979)
Why It's Sexy: Germans choose the darnedest places to store their ABC gum. Fortunately, on the back cover she is fully topless, so all's well that ends well.
73
Sade, Love Deluxe (1992)
Why It's Sexy: She looks every bit the goddess she has the reputation of being.
33
Hinder, Extreme Behavior (2005)
Why It's Sexy: If you started a band to get hot chicks, this is the cover you would come up with.
35
Ice-T, Gangsta Rap (2006)
Why It's Sexy: The lady, Ice-T's wife, Coco.
74
Samantha Fox, I Wanna Have Some Fun (1988)
Why It's Sexy: A little context: Samantha Fox was one of Britain's most beloved topless newspaper models before applying her lungs to a musical career.
27
Goldfrapp, Supernature (2006)
Why It's Sexy: Supernature? Supernaked.
49
Louis XIV, The Best Little Secrets Are Kept (2005)
Why It's Sexy: Having run out of paper, Lords of Acid write their setlists on naked women.
92
Toni Braxton, Libra (2005)
Why It's Sexy: Toni's wearing booty shorts and asking us to look at her navel.
91
Tom Waits, Small Change (1976)
Why It's Sexy: He's standing just a few feet away from a stripper (rumored to be Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson), yet too strung out on his own gin-soaked misery to appreciate her properly.
95
Ventures, Hawaii Five-0 (1969)
Why It's Sexy: It's an island maiden reclining in the grass. Do you need a written invitation?
55
Maroon 5, Hands All Over (2010)
Why It's Sexy: 19-year-old Rosie Hardy, who shot and posed for the cover.
51
Madonna, Like a Prayer (1989)
Why It's Sexy: Madonna played the naughty Catholic girl so well in the '80s that all she needed to do was show midriff in the vicinity of the word "prayer" and you'd start racking up the Hail Marys and Our Fathers.
87
Sweet Apple, Love & Desperation (2010)
Why It's Sexy: An homage to Roxy Music's Country Life cover, which appears elsewhere in this list.
5
Black Crowes, Amorica (1994)
Why It's Sexy: The photograph is from a 1976 issue of Hustler and shows visible pubes.
41
Julie London, Julie (1957)
Why It's Sexy: In the easy-listening era, a lot of homely male musicians put cheesecake on their covers to sell records. Julie London didn't need such cheap gimmicks.
52
Mariah Carey, Rainbow (1999)
Why It's Sexy: Mariah wishes you'd stop focusing on her vocal range and take her seriously as a sex object. At least, that's what it feels like she's saying.
68
Ratt, Invasion of Your Privacy (1985)
Why It's Sexy: The title suggests you're just a voyeur, getting your jollies looking at Playboy Playmate Marianne Gravatte in her underwear. And that's pretty much right.
80
Shania Twain, Up! (2002)
Why It's Sexy: Rise and shine! Shania looks happy to take care of your morning glory.
82
Slaughter, Stick It to Ya (1990)
Why It's Sexy: The girl on the wheel is Laurie Carr, Playboy's Miss December 1986.
100
ZO2, Ain't It Beautiful (2007)
Why It's Sexy: She's flashing her Coppertone tan and checking out her own caboose. Looks good from here.
23
Geldof, Sex Age and Death (2001)
Why It's Sexy: This album might be 2/3 age and death, but the sex is well-represented, too.
102
Janet Jackson, janet. (1993)
Why It's Sexy: Ok, it's a simple face shot, but everyone knows it's cropped from the famous 1993 Rolling Stone picture in which she was topless with a man's hands cupping her breasts.
15
Claudia Wheeler, The Price is Right (1962)
Why It's Sexy: This naked girl loves balloons! Also, sings (extremely suggestive songs).
32
Herbie Mann, Brazil Once Again (1978)
Why It's Sexy: Brazil: the land where women in bikinis emerge from the rainforest seeking sex.
59
Nashville Pussy, Let Them Eat Pussy (1998)
Why It's Sexy: The word "pussy" doesn't always mean vagina, you know. But it most certainly does in this case.
25
Gil Ventura, Sax Club Nr 16 (1977)
Why It's Sexy: Rather than make a cheap pun on "sax," they went with nude boobs.
83
Slits, Cut (1979)
Why It's Sexy: It takes guts to slather your nude body in mud for an album cover.
10
Carly Simon, Playing Possum (1975)
Why It's Sexy: The album may be called Playing Possum, but in a lacy lingerie number and knee-high boots, Carly is playing fox.
43
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream (2010)
Why It's Sexy: If you died and went to heaven, Katy Perry would be there naked and not singing.
67
Queens of the Stone Age, Queens of the Stone Age (1998)
Why It's Sexy: Underboob, wet panties, and a pearl necklace.
77
Sebastien Tellier, Sexuality (2008)
Why It's Sexy: Who wants to go for a horseback ride up Hooter Ridge?
85
Strokes, Is This It (2001)
Why It's Sexy: A woman is resting a black-leather-gloved hand on her remarkable nude alabaster ass. Freaky stuff is about to happen, if it hasn't already.
70
Roger Waters, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (1984)
Why It's Sexy: Makes you want to go for a drive on the off chance a nude woman will flag you down for a ride.
22
Funkadelic, Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow (1970)
Why It's Sexy: If the late '60s were about free love, this was an encouraging sign: free ass.
98
White Zombie, Supersexy Swingin' Sounds (1996)
Why It's Sexy: Even in the mid-90s, this band knew the appeal of retro babes.
44
Leon Ware, Musical Massage (1976)
Why It's Sexy: Better than brolic dudes rubbing you down anyday.
4
Beyonce, Dangerously in Love (2003)
Why It's Sexy: Beyonce is wearing a top made of diamond necklaces in an era that many consider to be her prime.
12
Charlie Byrd, Hollywood Byrd (1967)
Why It's Sexy: Sometimes when you're editing a film, a nude woman will wrap herself in celluloid and just roll around lke that. This happens all the time.
26
Gods of the Radio, Narrowcasting (2005)
Why It's Sexy: Almost-naked angel? Hey, it works for Victoria's Secret.
29
Great White, Hooked (1991)
Why It's Sexy: Like many Great White covers, this one casts women as fish to be caught and consumed. Remember that scene in Spinal Tap when the group didn't know the difference between "sexist" and "sexy"? Life imitates art.
36
Jennifer Lopez, On the 6 (1999)
Why It's Sexy: It's J.Lo at the top of her game wearing clothing that is two sizes too small for her. Win.
11
Cars, Candy-O (1979)
Why It's Sexy: She's shot by Antonio Vargas, whose images appeared in Playboy and Esquire for decades.
40
Jorge Santana, Jorge Santana (1978)
Why It's Sexy: This cover is by John Kacere, a photorealist painter who paints nothing but women's unmentionables. Now there's a guy who's figured it all out.
31
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965)
Why It's Sexy: If you went through puberty in the '60s and your old man didn't have a stash of Playboys, you were okay if he had Whipped Cream. Today, the music sounds very dated; the cover model (Dolores Erickson) remains eternally desirable.
1
2 Live Crew, As Nasty as they Wanna Be (1989)
Why It's Sexy: How raunchy is this rap record? Eight butt cheeks raunchy.
66
Pulp, This Is Hardcore (1988)
Why It's Sexy: You can't help but think of porn whenever you see this cover.
99
Wild Cherry, Wild Cherry (1976)
Why It's Sexy: Oh, there's nothing suggestive about this.
79
Shakira, Oral Fixation, vol. 2 (2005)
Why It's Sexy: The hottest portrayal of Eve in the Garden of Eden we can imagine.
86
Sugar Ray, Lemonade and Brownies (1995)
Why It's Sexy: There's a nude woman on all fours with her eyes closed and her face buried in a bearskin rug. That about sums it up.
9
Cameo, Cardiac Arrest (1977)
Why It's Sexy: You'd be smiling too if you were sandwiched between gigantic breasts.
88
Ted Nugent, If you can't Lick 'em... Lick 'em (1988)
Why It's Sexy: The clever wordplay of the title gets visual.
61
O'Donel Levy, Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (1973)
Why It's Sexy: Here O'Donel demonstrates how he funkily grabs ass.
72
Roxy Music, Country Life (1974)
Why It's Sexy: It's the sexiest cover by a band known for making sexy covers. This is raw, 1970s sexuality.
63
Ohio Players, Honey (1974)
Why It's Sexy: That's Playboy's Miss October 1974 Ester Cordet dribbling honey into her mouth.
97
Ween, Chocolate & Cheese (1994)
Why It's Sexy: That fierce underboob belongs to model Ashley Savage.
39
Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Gettin Down With... (1978)
Why It's Sexy: You might want to wipe that down when she's done with it.
37
Jimi Hendrix, Electric Ladyland (1968)
Why It's Sexy: You get the feeling he really wanted to call it "Naked Ladyland" but the label wouldn't let him.
71
Rollins Band, Nice (2001)
Why It's Sexy: You know how the polite version of that saying goes: "Disregard females, acquire currency." Lucky for us, this cover makes no such edits, and brings the best of both worlds.