History Main / FaceOnTheCover

-->--- Music/{{Madonna}}, "Vogue" from the album ''Music/ImBreathless''

** Aunt Jemima on Aunt Jemima breakfast foods.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder:{{Music}}]]
* Music/{{ACDC}}: The covers of ''High Voltage'', ''Powerage'', ''Who Made Who'' and ''Ballbreaker'' all feature Angus Young. ''Let There Be Rock'' shows the whole band on stage, but Angus has a spotlight on him while the others are largely in the dark.
* Music/AdamAndTheAnts and Music/AdamAnt: ''Music/KingsOfTheWildFrontier'', ''Music/PrinceCharming'', ''Music/FriendOrFoe'', ''Music/{{Strip}}'', ''Music/ViveLeRock'', ''Music/MannersAndPhysique'' feature a close-up of Adam's face.
* Music/{{Adele}}: ''Music/TwentyOne'' and ''25'' features a close-up of her face.
* Music/TheAlanParsonsProject: The band is seen on the cover of ''Music/{{I Robot}}'', but from a distance.
* Music/ToriAmos: ''Music/LittleEarthquakes'' shows Amos inside a claustrophobian's worst nightmare.
* Troy "Trombone" Andrews appears in CoolShades on the cover of ''Music/{{Backatown}}''.
* Music/AndrewWK has appeared on the covers of his first three albums. (Close-ups on the first two, waist up on the third.) Notably, he appears on his first album with a massive nosebleed due to having struck himself with a brick.
* Music/AphexTwin shows off his grinning face on ''...I Care Because You Do'',[[note]]Painted as a self-portrait.[[/note]] ''Music/RichardDJamesAlbum'', the ''Come to Daddy'' EP[[note]]Superimposed on the faces of several children, a reference to the TitleTrack's music video.[[/note]] and the "Windowlicker" single cover.[[note]]Superimposed on a woman's face, a reference to the music video.[[/note]]
* Music/TheBand: ''Music/TheBandAlbum'' shows the band.
* Music/TheBangles: The band is seen on the cover of ''Music/AllOverThePlace''.
* Music/SydBarrett: On ''Music/TheMadcapLaughs'' Barrett seen sitting on the floor of his apartment. He is seen in the far distance, with his hair covering his eyes.
* Music/BatForLashes: ''Music/FurAndGold'' features her next to a horse in evening light.
* Music/TheBeachBoys: They are featured on the album covers of ''Music/TheBeachBoysToday'', ''Music/SummerDaysAndSummerNights'', ''Music/BeachBoysParty'', ''Music/PetSounds'', ''Music/{{Friends}}'' and ''Music/TwentyTwenty''.
* Music/TheBeatles. The album covers of ''Music/PleasePleaseMe'', ''Music/WithTheBeatles'', ''Music/AHardDaysNight'', ''Music/BeatlesForSale'', ''Music/RubberSoul'' and ''Music/LetItBe'' just show pictures of the band members' faces in full close-up. On ''Music/{{Revolver|Beatles Album}}'' illustrations of their huge faces are shown in a field of smaller images.[[note]]''Revolver'' is, however, the first Beatles album to feature a group photograph in which the band [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic isn't looking at the camera]].[[/note]] On ''Music/{{Help}}!'' and ''Music/MagicalMysteryTour'' they are shown from a distance and in different clothing, but in an empty background that does not distract from the viewer watching at them. ''Music/AbbeyRoad'' shows them crossing a street, again from a distance, but they are clearly on the foreground.
* Music/{{Beyonce}}: On ''Music/DangerouslyInLove'', ''B'Day'', ''I Am... Sasha Fierce'', and ''4''. Subverted on ''Music/{{Lemonade|2016}}'', as it is a still frame from the music video for "Don't Hurt Yourself" and features Beyoncé wearing cornrows and a fur coat, leaning against a minivan and covering her face with her arm.
* Music/{{Bjork}}: On ''Music/{{Debut}}'', ''Music/{{Post}}'', ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'', ''Music/{{Vespertine}}'' and ''Music/{{Medulla}}'' her face and upper torso are shown. ''Volta'' is a more distant shot, with Bjork's face sticking out of a bizarre costume.
* Music/{{Blondie}}: On the cover of ''Music/ParallelLines'' the six band members are standing in front of a striped scrim.
* Music/BlueOysterCult: On ''Music/{{Spectres}}'' the band is seen sitting around a table.
* Music/BoardsOfCanada's ''Boc Maxima'' features members Mike and Marcus' faces.
* Music/DavidBowie: Appears on most of his album covers in close-up, most notably ''Music/{{David Bowie|1967}}'', ''Music/SpaceOddity'', ''Music/HunkyDory'', ''Music/AladdinSane'', ''Music/YoungAmericans'', ''[[Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum Low]]'', ''[[Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum "Heroes"]]'', and ''Music/{{Heathen}}''.
** His face can also be seen on ''Music/TheManWhoSoldTheWorld'', ''Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars'', ''Music/StationToStation'', ''Music/LetsDance'', ''Music/NeverLetMeDown'', the 1995 US release of ''Music/TheBuddhaOfSuburbia'' (as well as its 2007 reissue in all regions), and ''[[Music/HoursDavidBowieAlbum 'hours...']]'' but from a distance. The opposite situation occurs with ''Black Tie White Noise'' where Bowie's face takes up >90% of the cover space.
** Artistic depictions of Bowie are used in ''Music/DiamondDogs'', ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps'', ''Music/{{Tonight}}'', ''Music/{{Outside}}'', and ''Music/{{Reality}}''.
** The outright aversions are ''Tin Machine II'' (a photograph of a kouros replicated four times in a line), the original UK cover of ''Music/TheBuddhaOfSuburbia'' (which used an edited still from the miniseries it was released as a tie-in with), the original US cover of ''Music/TheManWhoSoldTheWorld'' (a cartoon cowboy walking past the psychiatric hospital where Bowie's half-brother was institutionalized) and ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'' (just the titular black star). Even then, most of these cases are mitigated to an extent; ''Tin Machine II'' and the UK release of ''Buddha'' both feature Bowie on the back cover, and the UK cover of ''TMWSTW'' and US/2007 covers of ''Buddha'', which '''do''' depict Bowie on the front, are considered the canonical ones. Thus, ''★'' holds the distinction of being the only Bowie album to not depict him on the front or back cover in any capacity in any version (though even then his image is still present in the interior gatefold on both CD and LP copies).
** ''Music/{{Earthling}}'' and ''Music/TheNextDay'' are subversions: the former has Bowie standing with his back to the camera, the latter reproducing the ''[[Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum "Heroes"]]'' cover but with a white square blocking out Bowie's face.
** Finally, ''Music/{{Lodger}}'' zigzags the trope-- while all versions feature a photograph of Bowie, LP copies depict Bowie's lower half on the front cover and his upper half on the back, cassette versions feature the photo in full, and CD copies vary between using the same cover as the LP version or altering it to put Bowie's upper half on the front.
* Music/GarthBrooks: Garth's face on the cover of ''Music/InTheLifeOfChrisGaines''. The album's reversible cover lets it be displayed as either a Garth Brooks album or a Chris Gaines album. Garth also did this for his debut album as well as ''No Fences'' and ''In Pieces''.
* Music/JamesBrown: Seen on the album cover of ''Music/StarTime''.
* Music/JeffBuckley. On the album cover of ''Music/{{Grace}}'' he appears in close-up. On ''Music/SketchesForMySweetheartTheDrunk'' a shot of used of him playing guitar.
* Music/KateBush is pictured on the front of all of her albums up to and including ''The Sensual World'' (though ''Never For Ever'' uses a painting rather than a photograph) but none after that, though if you look closely at the film strip pictured on the front of ''Director's Cut'', you can see that one of the negatives is the same image used on ''The Sensual World''.
* Most of Music/DavidByrne's solo (non-soundtrack) albums have had portraits or mugshots on the cover. Some of them (his self-titled album and ''Grown Backwards'') are completely straight examples. Others are variations on the idea. ''Rei Momo'' is a photo of a human heart, with Byrne's face visible through cut-out portions. ''Feelings'' has a plastic doll modeled after Byrne. ''Look into the Eyeball'' has two completely different Byrne mugshots interlaced. ''Love This Giant'' has Byrne and collaborator Music/StVincent posing in prosthetic chins.
* Music/CaptainBeefheart: The album cover of ''The Spotlight Kid'', ''Music/UnconditionallyGuaranteed'' and ''Music/IceCreamForCrow'' show him up striking a pose up until his torso. The covers of ''Music/SafeAsMilk'', ''Music/StrictlyPersonal'', ''Music/LickMyDecalsOffBaby'' and "Clear Spot" all show him and the band from a distance.
* Music/JohnnyCash:
** Appears in close-up on the album cover of ''Music/AtFolsomPrison'', shot from a lower angle.
** All six albums of his ''American'' series exhibit it in one way or another.
*** ''American Recordings'': A full-length picture of Cash, also shot from a low angle.
*** ''Unchained'': Cash seated against the wall of (presumably) a barn, with a guitar case next to him.
*** ''American III: Solitary Man'': A backstage shot of Cash, though he's in profile and his face is mostly obscured.
*** ''American IV: The Man Comes Around'': A profile shot of Cash in shadow.
*** ''American V: A Hundred Highways'': A picture of Cash in the studio, in shadow.
*** ''American VI: Ain't No Grave'': A childhood picture of Cash.
* Music/NickCave: ''Music/LetLoveIn''
* Music/RayCharles: Ray shown playing piano on the album cover of ''Music/ModernSoundsInCountryAndWesternMusic''.
* {{Music/Chicago}}: Mostly averted as the band's logo was the focus of most of their album covers, with three exceptions--''Chicago VI''(a small group photo is above the logo); ''Chicago's Greatest Hits''(the group is on a scaffold, painting the logo on the wall of a building); and ''Hot Streets''.
* Gilby Clarke: Shown playing guitar, shot from a distance on ''Music/PawnshopGuitars''.
* Music/TheClash: ''Music/{{Sandinista}}'' has a group shot of The Clash posing against a wall, shot from a distance, nevertheless. The cover of [[Music/TheClashAlbum their self-titled debut]] depicts only the trio of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon, as they were the only official members at the time - drummer Terry Chimes played on every track on the UK version of the album, but decided to leave the group before it was actually released; his replacement, Topper Headon, played on songs that were included on the US version, but wasn't with the group yet when the cover photo was taken. ''Music/LondonCalling'' depicts Paul Simonon about to [[RockersSmashGuitars smash his bass guitar]], but is technically an aversion because he's hunched over facing the floor and you can't actually see his face.
* Music/JoeCocker: Shown in the center of the image of ''Film/MadDogsAndEnglishmen'' and maybe a bit too close on the cover of ''Music/WithALittleHelpFromMyFriends''.
* Music/LeonardCohen: Featured in a black-and-white close-up on the cover of ''Music/SongsOfLeonardCohen'' and ''Music/SongsFromARoom''. ''Music/SongsOfLoveAndHate'' has one subtle variation: it shows Cohen smiling.
** ''I'm Your Man'' has a black and white photo of him in a pinstripe suit, t-shirt and dark sunglasses, eating a banana. Originally a candid behind the scenes photo, Leonard decided to use it as the album cover, because "at the times we think we're the coolest, what everyone else sees is a guy with his mouth full of banana".
* Music/OrnetteColeman is featured in the centre of the image of ''Music/TheShapeOfJazzToCome''.
* Music/PhilCollins is another musician who makes a habit of appearing on his album covers, usually in close-up. ''Music/FaceValue'' takes this to its most logical extreme in that his face ''is'' the cover, tying in with the idea of the album putting the listener inside his head. ''Dance Into the Light'' instead features a full-frontal picture of him dancing. ''Going Back'', his soul and Creator/{{Motown}} cover album, provides a unique variation: the cover is an old black-and-white photo of Collins at thirteen years old, while Collins himself was in his late fifties when the album was made.
* Music/JohnColtrane:
** ''Music/BlueTrain''
** ''Music/GiantSteps''
** ''Music/MyFavoriteThings''
** ''Music/ALoveSupreme''
* Music/AliceCooper: The full band (when they were a band) appear in a stage spotlight on ''Music/LoveItToDeath''.
* Music/ElvisCostello: ''Music/MyAimIsTrue'', ''Music/ThisYearsModel''.
* Music/{{Cream}}: The band shown in close-up, in a psychedelic cover.
* Music/CreedenceClearwaterRevival: The band is featured on the album cover of ''Music/WillyAndThePoorBoys'', playing in the street, shot from a far distance.
* Creator/BillCosby: His face can be seen on the cover of ''AudioPlay/IStartedOutAsAChild''.
* Music/BingCrosby: The album cover of ''Music/MerryChristmas'' just shows a picture of Bing with a Christmas hat, against a white background.
* Music/CultureClub: All four band members are featured on the cover of ''Music/ColourByNumbers'', with Boy George's face being prominently displayed on the right.
* Music/MilesDavis: The album covers of ''Birth Of The Cool'', ''Round About Midnight'', and ''Music/KindOfBlue''.
* Music/LanaDelRey: Pictured in close-up on the cover of ''Music/BornToDie''.
* Music/DeepPurple: The band is featured as a RushmoreRefacement on the album cover of ''Music/DeepPurpleInRock'', in a distorted image on ''[[Music/MachineHeadAlbum Machine Head]]'' and as candles on the cover of ''Burn''.
* Music/{{Devo}}: The band is featured on the album cover of ''Music/FreedomOfChoice''.
* Music/TheDoors: ''[[Music/TheDoorsAlbum The Doors]]'', ''Music/WaitingForTheSun'' and ''Music/LAWoman'' show a picture of the band. In the first example even with Jim Morrison's face in close-up and the other musicians behind him. On ''Music/StrangeDays'' it's a bit more subtle. The cover shows a group of circus performers, but on the window we can see a group photo of the band.
* Music/BobDylan: Nearly all of his albums (''[[Music/BobDylanAlbum Bob Dylan]]'', ''Music/TheTimesTheyAreAChangin'', ''Music/Highway61Revisited'', ''Music/BlondeOnBlonde'', ''Music/NashvilleSkyline'', ''Music/BloodOnTheTracks'', ''Music/{{Desire}}'',...) show a picture of his face in close-up. On ''Music/BringingItAllBackHome'', ''Music/JohnWesleyHarding'', ''Music/TheBasementTapes'', ''Music/GoodAsIHaveBeenToYou'' and ''Music/TheFreewheelinBobDylan'' he is shot from a distance. A subversion is ''Music/SelfPortrait'', where Dylan's face is seen on the cover but in the form of a primitive and almost unrecognizable drawing.
* Music/{{Eminem}}:
** Shown on the cover from ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'', in the far distance.
** The cover art from the album ''Relapse'' features Eminem's face laid out in a mosaic of tablets, which shows us the drug addiction that Em struggled with.
** ''Music to Be Murdered By'' has two standard covers; the first one with the shovel is featured on the digital copies, and the other cover, with the gun and axe, which is a ShoutOut to Creator/AlfredHitchcock's album of the same name, is meant for physical copies. There’s a third version of the cover, with Marshall hiding the gun and axe, that appears exclusively on the physical albums sold on Eminem’s official website. A deluxe version of the album has the cover inspired by Hitchcock's film, ''Film/TheBirds''.
* Music/BrianEno: Shown twice on the cover of ''Music/HereComeTheWarmJets'', but from a distance and hidden in the background.
* Music/TheEraserheads: A group shot is shown on ''Music/{{Ultraelectromagneticpop}}''.
* Music/TheExplodingHearts: ''Music/GuitarRomantic'' shows a group shot.
* Music/FairportConvention enjoyed subverting this trope.
** On Music/WhatWeDidOnOurHolidays the band members are sketched in chalk on a blackboard.
** The cover of Music/{{Unhalfbricking}} shows a middle-aged couple standing outside their suburban home. Look closely and you can see the band members sitting on the lawn on the other side of the fence. The couple are in fact Sandy Denny's parents.
* ''Audioplay/StanFrebergPresentsTheUnitedStatesOfAmerica'' shows Creator/StanFreberg posing with a suitcase.
* Music/FleetwoodMac: Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks featured in the image on the album cover of ''Music/{{Rumours}}''.
* {{Music/Fugazi}}'s ''Margin Walker'' EP is their straightest example, with the front cover being a closeup of frontman Ian [=McKaye=]'s face with some shaving cream slathered on. Other albums that qualify as examples tend to use photos of live performances, or else put some artistic spin on it - for instance the cover of ''Red Medicine'' is a collage that includes a group photo of the band, but it's not immediately recognizable as such because the photo is oriented upside down and the members are standing up to their necks in the ocean.
* Music/TheFugees: On the album cover of ''Music/TheScore'' their [[FloatingHeadSyndrome floating faces]] are shown against a black background.
* Music/TheFugs: The band is seen performing on the cover of ''Music/TheFugsFirstAlbum'' and featured less recognizable due to a photo negative shot on ''Music/TheFugsSecondAlbum''.
* Each of Music/PeterGabriel's first seven studio albums features a photo of him on the cover in various forms. Gabriel particularly took a liking to the cover of his third album, commonly known as ''Music/{{Melt}}'', because it allowed him to depict his likeness in an ''un''flattering way for artistic effect, manipulating a Polaroid to make his face look like it was, well, melting. ''Scratch My Back'' and ''New Blood'' break the practice, instead using SEM images of blood cells.
* Music/MarvinGaye: The album cover of ''Music/WhatsGoingOn'' is a close-up of his face.
* Music/{{Gorillaz}}: All band members are depicted on ''[[Music/GorillazAlbum Gorillaz]]'' and ''Music/DemonDays''.
* Music/EllieGoulding: ''Music/{{Halcyon}}'' features a close-up of her face.
* Music/GrandMasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive: ''Music/TheMessage'' shows the band from a distance, but still on the foreground of an otherwise empty street.
* Music/TheGratefulDead: On the album cover of ''Music/AnthemOfTheSun'' the band members are seen in Psychedelica art.
* Music/AlGreen: His face is seen in close-up on the covers of ''Music/LetsStayTogether'' and ''Music/CallMe''.
* Music/GunsNRoses: The band is featured on a few photos in a gossip magazine format on the album cover of ''Music/GNRLies''.
* Music/ArloGuthrie: The album cover of ''Music/AlicesRestaurant'' shows him in close-up sitting at a table.
* Music/WoodyGuthrie: A close-up picture of him is shown on the cover of ''Music/DustBowlBallads''.
* Music/GeorgeHarrison: The album cover of ''Music/AllThingsMustPass'' shows him from a distance, sitting on a chair in a grassy field.
* Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa: Both pictured on the cover of ''Music/LiveInAmsterdam2014''.
* Music/PJHarvey: Her album ''Music/{{Dry}}'' takes this very literally, showing her lips in close-up. All her albums after that (''Music/RidOfMe'', ''Music/StoriesFromTheCityStoriesFromTheSea'', ''Music/IsThisDesire'', ''Music/UhHuhHer'', ''Music/WhiteChalk'', ''Music/LetEnglandShake'') are more straight forward poses.
* Music/{{Heart|Band}}: Their debut LP, ''Dreamboat Annie'', featured Ann and Nancy Wilson sitting back-to-back, apparently topless (the picture was cropped apparently for modesty reasons, but other unreleased photos from the same shoot revealed they were wearing towel wraps). This backfired on them when an unscrupulous record company deliberately circulated false rumours that the sisters were not only bi-curious, they had experimented with ''each other''. Contracts were severed shortly afterwards by the furious and humiliated sisters, and the first single for their new label was ''Barracuda'', a scathing TakeThat at Mushroom Records.
* Music/JimiHendrix: ''Music/AreYouExperienced'', ''Music/AxisBoldAsLove'' and ''Music/BandOfGypsys''. The American version of ''Music/ElectricLadyland'' showed his face too.
* Music/HollywoodUndead has three albums where they’re shown in their masks on the cover.
** Swan Songs
** American Tragedy
** Day of the Dead
* Music/LaurynHill: Her face is featured in the center of ''Music/TheMiseducationOfLaurynHill''.
* Music/{{Hole}}'s ''Music/LiveThroughThis'': Music/CourtneyLove holding a bouquet, in close-up.
* Music/BillieHoliday: She appears in close-up on the cover of ''Music/LadyInSatin''.
* Music/HowToDestroyAngels: The cover for their debut single "A Drowning" is a transparent photo of Mariqueen Mandiig over a mountain range.
* Music/{{Iron Butterfly|Band}}: ''Music/InAGaddaDaVida'': The band performing during a concert.
* Music/IronMaiden: Subverted by this band, as they usually use their mascot Eddie the Head on their album covers, instead of themselves.
* Music/MichaelJackson: All of Jackson's albums do this, except for ''Music/{{Dangerous}}'', where just his eyes are featured.
* Music/EltonJohn: ''Music/GoodbyeYellowBrickRoad'' features Elton standing full frontal, even with his name on the back of his sweater.
* Music/RobertJohnson: One of two only existing photographs of the singer is shown on ''Music/RobertJohnsonTheCompleteRecordings''.
* Music/JanisJoplin: ''Music/CheapThrills'' features Janis and the band, shown as cartoon characters in comic strip panel format.
* Music/JeffersonAirplane: The band is shown on the covers of ''Music/JeffersonAirplaneTakesOff'', ''Music/SurrealisticPillow'' and ''Music/CrownOfCreation''.
* Music/CaroleKing: She is shown on the cover of ''Music/{{Tapestry}}'', full-length, sitting on a window seat in half shadow, barefoot and casually dressed in sweater and jeans, clutching a piece of her own tapestry work and upstaged by a large tabby cat. Very domestic and far from glamorous.
* Music/TheKinks: The four band members are pictured in round frames on ''Music/SomethingElseByTheKinks''. ''Music/TheKinksAreTheVillageGreenPreservationSociety'' has a group portrait in concentric circles of light. ''Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround'' has a variant wherein a quarter of each musician's face makes up a composite face in a Creator/LeonardoDavinci style grid.
* Music/{{Kiss}}: The band does this with most of their covers, especially ''Music/{{Destroyer}}'', ''Music/{{Dynasty}}'' and ''Music/CreaturesOfTheNight''.
* Music/{{Kraftwerk}}. The album covers of ''Music/TransEuropeExpress'' and ''Music/TheManMachine'' shows the band members in close-up. On ''Music/ComputerWorld'' they appear in a smaller image as [[FloatingHeadSyndrome floating heads]] on a computer screen.
* Music/{{Ladytron}}: The band members appear on the cover of ''Light & Magic'', with Helen and Mira on the front. All four are drawn on the cover of ''Witching Hour''.
* Music/BettyeLavette: She is shown in the center of the image of ''Music/InterpretationsTheBritishRockSongbook''.
* Music/LedZeppelin: The album cover of ''Music/LedZeppelinII'' shows the band members in a photo montage.
* Creator/ChristopherLee: Seated and crowned as a king on the album cover of ''Music/{{Charlemagne}}''.
* Music/JohnLennon: Lennon and Music/YokoOno are seen on their first three albums: ''Music/UnfinishedMusicNo1TwoVirgins'' (fully frontal nude), ''Music/UnfinishedMusicNo2LifeWithTheLions'' (Yoko in bed, John sitting on the floor) and ''Music/WeddingAlbum'' (inside a small picture in the middle of the album cover, photographed on the steps of a building in wedding outfit). The album cover of ''Music/{{Imagine}}'' shows Lennon's face in close-up.
* Music/LittleRichard: ''Music/HeresLittleRichard''.
* Music/{{Love}}: The painted portrait on the cover of ''Music/ForeverChanges''.
* Music/{{Madness}}: The band can be seen central in the image of the covers of ''Music/OneStepBeyond'', ''Music/{{Absolutely}}'' and ''Music/TheRiseAndFall''.
* Music/{{Madonna}}: Madonna has done this always, usually in close-up, with only ''Music/LikeAPrayer'' showing just a picture of her hand adjusting her belt.
* Music/MarilynManson: Manson did this on all his album covers from ''Music/SmellsLikeChildren'' on.
* Music/BobMarley: His face is shown on all of his album covers, except for ''Music/{{Survival}}''.
* Music/PaulMcCartney: He can be seen on the album cover of ''Music/{{RAM}}''.
* Music/{{MC5}}: The band are seen on the cover of ''Music/KickOutTheJams'' in a collage, but apart from the lead singer not very recognizable.
* Music/DonMcLean: The singer is featured on the album cover of ''Music/AmericanPie'', but his hand is seen in a more extreme close-up than his face, which is shown in the background.
* Music/FreddieMercury and Montserrat Caballé appear both together on the cover of their collaborative project ''Music/{{Barcelona}}''.
* Music/JoniMitchell: The album cover of ''Blue'' is a close-up of her face. She appears in a wintry backdrop on the cover of ''Music/{{Hejira}}'' with a road projected on her coat.
* Music/MeatPuppets usually have vocalist Curt Kirkwood's paintings or drawings as cover art rather than photos - the only exception is ''Too High To Die'', where the photo of Curt on the front is over-exposed, tinted pink, and with text deliberately covering part of his face.
* Music/{{Moby}}: He is seen jumping on the cover of ''Music/{{Play}}''.
* Music/TheloniousMonk is featured in a MirrorSelf image on the cover of ''Music/BrilliantCorners''.
* Music/AlanisMorissette: Her face is shown in close-up on the cover of ''Music/JaggedLittlePill''.
* Music/{{Motorhead}}: The album cover of ''Music/AceOfSpades'' shows the band posing as cowboys.
* Franchise/TheMuppets: The Muppets all appear on the cover ''Music/MuppetBeachParty'' and Kermit alone on ''Music/KermitUnpigged''.
* Music/NewOrder: Normally known for obscure and minimalist sleeve art, they only ever used this trope once, on ''Low Life''. It turned out to be one of their most highly-regarded album covers, probably second only to its immediate predecessor ''Power, Corruption and Lies''.
* Music/NineInchNails: The cover for the "Head Like a Hole" maxi single is an inverted black and white closeup of Trent Reznor's face, obscured somewhat by the song's lyrics placed over it.
* Music/{{Nirvana}}: Subverted by the album cover of ''Music/{{Bleach|Album}}'', which shows the band members performing, but their faces can't be seen because their long hair covers them up.
* Music/KlausNomi: Featured on the covers of his two albums ''[[Music/KlausNomiAlbum Klaus Nomi]]'' and ''Music/SimpleMan''.
* Music/TheNotoriousBIG: Pictured eerily next to a hearse on ''Music/LifeAfterDeath'', an album released after he was being murdered.
* Music/{{NWA}}: ''Music/StraightOuttaCompton'' shows the band in a HuddleShot, looking down on the viewer.
* Music/BabatundeOlatunji: Shown in close-up on cover of ''Music/DrumsOfPassion''.
* Music/DollyParton: ''Music/CoatOfManyColors'' shows a painting of her as a child.
* Music/PinkFloyd: The album cover of ''Music/ThePiperAtTheGatesOfDawn'' shows the band as seen through the eyes of a diamond, while ''Music/{{Ummagumma}}'' shows the band in a DrosteImage. Usually, they subvert this trope in favor of a Creator/{{Hipgnosis}}-designed picture on the cover.
* Music/ThePolice: ''Music/OutlandosDAmour'' and ''Music/{{Synchronicity}}'' show the band on the album cover.
* Music/IggyPop: ''Music/TheIdiot'' and ''Music/LustForLife'' both have Iggy on the album cover.
* Music/{{Portishead}}: Lead singer Beth Williams is featured prominently on the album cover of ''Music/{{Dummy}}'', shown from a distance, but nevertheless in the center of the image.
* Music/ElvisPresley: Also does this a lot, for instance with ''Music/ElvisPresleyTheAlbum'', ''Music/ElvisNBCTVSpecial'', ''Music/FromElvisInMemphis'', ''Music/HavingFunWithElvisOnStage'' and ''Music/TheSunSessions''.
* Music/{{Prince}} appears on almost all of his albums, including ''[[Music/PrinceAlbum Prince]]'' and ''Music/{{Purple Rain|Album}}''.
* Music/PublicEnemy: Done on ''Music/ItTakesANationOfMillionsToHoldUsBack'', where Chuck D. and Flavor Flav are seen in a jail cell in close-up.
* Music/{{Queen}}: The band is featured on the album cover ''Music/TheMiracle'' in a very special illustration of this trope: their faces are composed into one face.
* Music/BonnieRaitt: She is portrayed on the cover of ''Music/GiveItUp'' (1972).
* Joey Ramone: He is seen sitting on his sofa on the cover of ''Music/DontWorryAboutMe''.
* Music/TheRamones: Done on ''Music/{{Ramones}}'' and ''Music/RocketToRussia'', where the band can be seen posing against a wall. On ''Music/EndOfTheCentury'' we just see another group shot, but from a closer view.
* Music/LouReed: He is shown in close-up and full frontal on the album cover of ''Music/{{Transformer}}'' and ''Music/MetalMachineMusic''. He is also shown on the album cover of ''Music/{{Berlin}}'', though less clearly visible and in a smaller image.
* Music/TheResidents: appear, albeit masked as always, on the cover of ''Music/{{Eskimo}}'' and ''Music/TheCommercialAlbum''. ''Music/TheCommercialAlbum'' shows the band upside down.
** ''The Big Bubble'' has four men posing on the cover, and at the time it was rumored to depict The Residents unmasked for the first time. It was really four hired models, but the cover art still fits the trope conceptually - the album was supposed to represent the career of a FakeBand within their ConceptAlbum series "The Mole Trilogy" who were also called The Big Bubble, and the cover models were supposed to be portraying said band. In fact, the original LP had the image depicting The Big Bubble off-center and sitting over a backdrop with semi-transparent images of the Residents in their usual eyeball mask guises subtly superimposed, thus hinting at it being sort of an [[ShowWithinAShow album within an album]].
* Music/MartyRobbins: ''Music/GunfighterBalladsAndTrailSongs'' has him dressed up in cowboy pose, pulling to draw.
* Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}: ''Music/TheRollingStones1964'', ''Music/TheRollingStonesNo2'', ''Music/OutOfOurHeads'', ''Music/AftermathAlbum'', ''Music/TheirSatanicMajestiesRequest'', ''Music/BetweenTheButtons'', ''Music/GoatsHeadSoup'', ''Music/ItsOnlyRockNRoll'', ''Music/BlackAndBlue'', ''Music/DirtyWork'', ... The cover of ''Music/{{Undercover}}'' is a subversion, as the band is shown twice, but very small and in the form of a sticker. The cover of ''Music/SomeGirls'' is also a subversion, as the band wasn't originally intended to be portrayed on it. Originally they showed photos of famous celebrity actresses and models, done without asking permission. Some sued and as a result the cover was quickly changed by having band members' faces in place of some of the women's faces.
* Music/{{Roxette}}: The band is shown back to back on the cover of ''Music/{{Joyride}}''.
* Music/RunDMC: Two band members seen on the album covers of ''Music/RunDMCAlbum'', ''Music/KingOfRock'' and ''Music/RaisingHell''.
** This is due to contractual issues. For some reason, Run and DMC were contracted to Premier Records, but Jam Master Jay was under contract to Def Jam (the label most rap groups of that time period were on). Because of that, Jay could not be pictured on the front cover, but was usually shown on the back covers and other photos of the group.
* Music/{{Santana}}: Carlos Santana's face is seen in Egyptian style on the cover of ''Music/{{Shaman}}''.
* Music/JoeSatriani: Satriani has been featured on the covers of nearly all of his albums, with the notable exception of ''Surfing With The Alien'', which features the ComicBook/SilverSurfer instead.
* Music/{{Savatage}}: ''Music/StreetsARockOpera'' shows a picture of the band members.
* Music/SchoollyD: Drew himself on the album covers of ''[[Music/SchoollyDAlbum Schoolly D]]'' and ''Music/SaturdayNightTheAlbum''.
* Music/GilScottHeron: ''Music/TheRevolutionWillNotBeTelevised'' shows him on the cover, hands behind his head.
* Series/SesameStreet: Big Bird, Elmo and Cookie Monster are seen on the cover of ''Music/SesameStreetPlatinumAllTimeFavorites''.
* Music/TupacShakur: Pictured on the cover of ''[[Music/TupacalypseNow 2PacalypseNow]]''.
* {{Music/Sia}} on her albums ''Healing is Difficult,'' ''Colour the Small One,'' and ''Some People Have Real Problems,'' which caused older fans some puzzlement when she decided to become TheFaceless in public in 2014.
* Music/SimonAndGarfunkel: The band are shown in full frontal close-up on the album cover of ''Music/BridgeOverTroubledWater'', walking behind each other.
* Music/FrankSinatra: Sinatra does this on all of his albums: ''Music/SongsForYoungLovers'', ''Music/SongsForSwinginLovers'', ''Music/InTheWeeSmallHours'' and ''Music/MyWay''.
* Music/SlickRick: ''Music/TheGreatAdventuresOfSlickRick'' features him on the cover.
* Music/{{Slint}}: ''Music/{{Spiderland}}'' features the band on the cover in a creepier version of this trope.
* Music/JimmySmith: Shown in front of a a store on the cover of ''Music/HomeCookin''.
* Music/PattiSmith: Shown full frontal until her waistline on the album cover of ''Music/{{Horses}}''. She also seen in the center of the images on ''Music/RadioEthiopia'', ''Music/{{Easter}}'' and ''Music/{{Wave}}''.
* Music/ReginaSpektor: On the cover of ''Music/SovietKitsch'' she is seen taking a drink from a bottle.
* {{Music/Squarepusher}}'s albums ''Go Plastic'', ''Ultravisitor'' and ''Damongen Furies'' feature only his face, while ''Ufabulum'' features him masked.
** Shobaleader One's debut ''d'Demonstrator'' features one unknown member of the band masked, while the live album ''Elektrac'' features the entire band masked up.
* Music/TheStooges: All three albums, ''Music/{{The Stooges|Album}}, Music/{{Fun House|Album}}'' and ''Music/RawPower'', have the band and/or Iggy Pop on the album cover.
* Music/DonnaSummer: Featured in close-up on ''Music/IRememberYesterday'' and ''Music/BadGirls''.
* Music/SunRa: He can be seen on the cover of ''Film/SpaceIsThePlace''.
* Music/TalkingHeads did a few variations on this. ''Music/MoreSongsAboutBuildingsAndFood'' was a montage of small photos of specific body parts (a hand, one eye, a mouth, etc.) arranged to form a portrait of the whole band. ''Music/RemainInLight'' had head shots of each band member, but with their faces obscured by digital blotches of red ink. (Allegedly, they also considered a cover with producer Brian Eno's face pasted over each of theirs.) And ''Film/StopMakingSense'' (both the film and the soundtrack album) was a picture of David Byrne in the iconic big, white suit--but with his head out of frame.
* Music/TearsForFears:
** The iconic album cover of ''Music/SongsFromTheBigChair'' is a black-and-white portrait of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.
** Orzabal and Smith stand side by side on the artwork for ''Music/TheSeedsOfLove''.
** Orzabal stands alone on the ''Elemental'' cover.
* Music/{{Television}}: ''Music/MarqueeMoon'' and ''Adventure'' both feature photo portraits of the band. For ''Marquee Moon'', the photo is a xerox with colors skewed, giving it a surreal air.
* Music/PeterTosh: On ''Music/LegalizeIt'' Tosh is shown smoking a hash pipe in a field of cannabis plants.
* Music/{{U2}}: A group shot of the band is seen on ''Music/TheJoshuaTree''.
* Music/SarahVaughan: Her face can be seen on the covers of ''Music/SarahVaughanWithCliffordBrown'', ''Music/AfterHours'' and ''Music/LiveInJapan''.
* Music/TheVelvetUnderground: On ''Music/{{The Velvet Underground|Album}}'' the band members are featured on the album cover.
* Music/SidVicious: His sneering face is seen on the cover of ''Music/SidSings''.
* ''With Love And Squalor'' by We Are Scientists is a subversion: the band members are lined up on the cover... but they're all holding cats in front of their faces.
* Music/TomWaits: Waits is often pictured on all of his albums, though sometimes with subversions like ''Music/BoneMachine'', where his face is almost unrecognizable.
* Music/MuddyWaters: On the cover of ''[[Music/TheAnthology19471972 The Anthology 1947-1972]]'' a shot of Muddy posing with his guitar is used.
* Wet Wet Wet do this on many of their albums, but their CoverAlbum ''Cloak & Dagger'' is particularly interesting for two reasons: firstly, the album is officially credited to FakeBand Maggie Pie and the Imposters, but having the band members' photos on the cover rather gives the game away; and secondly it's their only cover to feature [[SixthRanger guitarist Graeme Duffin]], who otherwise stays out of the limelight.
* Music/TheWhiteStripes: The two of them are surrounded by black-clad figures on the cover of ''Music/WhiteBloodCells''. On ''Music/{{Elephant|Album}}'' the band is shown from a distance, full frontal, but still in the center of attention.
* Music/TheWho: Group shots of the band are seen on ''Music/MyGeneration'' and ''Music/WhosNext''. A psychedelic album cover is seen on the cover of ''Music/AQuickOne''. On ''Music/TheWhoSellOut'' Pete Townsend and John Entwistle pose with products. Similar portraits of Roger Daltrey and Keith Moon appear on the back.
* Music/HankWilliams: ''Music/TurnBackTheYearsTheEssentialHankWilliamsCollection'' (2005) shows his silhouette on the cover.
* Music/TonyWilliams: The album cover of ''Music/{{Emergency}}'' shows a shot of him playing the drums.
* Music/DennisWilson: The album cover of ''Music/PacificOceanBlue'' features a close-up of the artist.
* Music/AmyWinehouse: The cover of ''[[Music/FrankAlbum Frank]]'' shows her in a pink dress, laughing. The cover of ''Music/BackInBlack'' shows her sitting on a chair against an empty background.
* Music/StevieWonder: Stevie sits near a sand hill on the album cover of ''Music/TalkingBook''. His face is seen on the album covers of ''Music/{{Innervisions}}'' and ''Music/SongsInTheKeyOfLife'', but as a drawing.
* Music/TheYardbirds: On ''Music/ForYourLove'', their debut album, each individual band member is present, but shown in a separate frame. On ''Music/HavingARaveUp'' the entire band is seen performing in a WhiteVoidRoom. The German and American album cover of ''Music/RogerTheEngineer'' also feature the band on the cover, while the British version only has a simple drawing on it. The LiveAlbum ''Music/FiveLiveYardbirds'' shows the band behind bars, while they have a case of FloatingHeadSyndrome meets Psychedelica on the cover of ''Music/LittleGames''.
* Music/{{Yes}}: The band usually subverts this trope, instead opting for artwork by Roger Dean on their album covers, but group photos did appear on the covers of ''The Yes Album'' and ''Time And A Word'', which features the wrong lineup (Steve Howe is pictured on the cover, even though Peter Banks is the one who played on it, as Banks announced his departure from the band shortly after its completion).
* Music/FrankZappa: Zappa did this sometimes. Albums like ''Music/AbsolutelyFree'', ''Music/LumpyGravy'', ''Music/ChungasRevenge'', ''Music/{{Apostrophe}}'', ''Music/SheikYerbouti'', ''Music/JoesGarage'', ''Film/BabySnakes'', ''Music/YouAreWhatYouIs'', ''Music/ShutUpNPlayYerGuitar'', ''Music/JazzFromHell'', ''Music/{{Guitar}}'' and ''Music/TheYellowShark'' just picture his face. The album cover of the second volume of ''Music/LondonSymphonyOrchestra'' features a picture of Zappa and his black cat. He can be seen from a distance on ''Music/FreakOut'', ''Music/WereOnlyInItForTheMoney'', ''Music/CruisingWithRubenAndTheJets'', ''Film/TwoHundredMotels'', ''Music/JustAnotherBandFromLA'', ''Music/ZootAllures'', ''Music/TinseltownRebellion'', ''Music/BroadwayTheHardWay'', ''Music/TheBestBandYouNeverHeardInYourLife''.
* Music/TheZombies: A group shot of the band is seen on ''Music/BeginHere''.
* Music/JohnZorn: Interestingly enough, Zorn doesn't feature his own face on album covers much, if any. A notable exception is "First Recordings 1973" (1995), a collection of recordings he made when he was 20 years old and in college. He used a childhood foto of himself in front of a desk.
* Music/PablloVittar: All of her albums with the exception of ''NPN Remixes'' have her on the cover.
[[/folder]]

** His face can also be seen on ''Music/TheManWhoSoldTheWorld'', ''Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars'', ''Music/StationToStation'', ''Music/LetsDance'', ''Music/NeverLetMeDown'', the 1995 US release of ''Music/TheBuddhaOfSuburbia'' (as well as its 2007 reissue in all regions), and ''Music/{{Hours|DavidBowieAlbum}}...''but from a distance. The opposite situation occurs with ''Black Tie White Noise'' where Bowie's face takes up >90% of the cover space.

** His face can also be seen on ''Music/TheManWhoSoldTheWorld'', ''Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars'', ''Music/StationToStation'', ''Music/LetsDance'', ''Music/NeverLetMeDown'', the 1995 US release of ''Music/TheBuddhaOfSuburbia'' (as well as its 2007 reissue in all regions), and ''Music/{{hours}}...''but from a distance. The opposite situation occurs with ''Black Tie White Noise'' where Bowie's face takes up >90% of the cover space.

* Music/TheClash: ''Music/{{Sandinista}}'' has a group shot of The Clash posing against a wall, shot from a distance, nevertheless.

* Music/IronButterfly: ''Music/InAGaddaDaVida'': The band performing during a concert.

Compare with FaceOfTheBand (when one person of a group is featured more prominently than the others) and WolverinePublicity (when one person is always put on the cover, despite hardly being in the work half of the time).

* Music/TheRollingStones: ''Music/TheRollingStones1964'', ''Music/TheRollingStonesNo2'', ''Music/OutOfOurHeads'', ''Music/AftermathAlbum'', ''Music/TheirSatanicMajestiesRequest'', ''Music/BetweenTheButtons'', ''Music/GoatsHeadSoup'', ''Music/ItsOnlyRockNRoll'', ''Music/BlackAndBlue'', ''Music/DirtyWork'', ... The cover of ''Music/{{Undercover}}'' is a subversion, as the band is shown twice, but very small and in the form of a sticker. The cover of ''Music/SomeGirls'' is also a subversion, as the band wasn't originally intended to be portrayed on it. Originally they showed photos of famous celebrity actresses and models, done without asking permission. Some sued and as a result the cover was quickly changed by having band members' faces in place of some of the women's faces.

* ''Series/SesameStreet'' actually has an unwritten rule that no matter how little he may be involved in the product, Elmo has to be featured on the covers of books and [=DVDs=], otherwise they won't sell (overlapping this trope with WolverinePublicity at times). Case in point: When the 25th anniversary edition of ''Film/SesameStreetPresentsFollowThatBird'' was released, Elmo was included on the DVD cover art, despite Elmo only appearing in a ''very'' brief cameo toward the end of the movie [[note]]and this pre-dates Kevin Clash's Elmo at that[[/note]]. Similarly, the direct-to-DVD special ''A Sesame Street Christmas Carol'' also has Elmo on the cover, though the special is about Oscar, and Elmo only appears in flashback clips.

* Music/AphexTwin shows off his grinning face on ''...I Care Because You Do''[[note]]Painted as a self-portrait.[[/note]], ''Music/RichardDJamesAlbum'', the ''Come to Daddy'' EP[[note]]Superimposed on the faces of several children, a reference to the TitleTrack's music video.[[/note]] and the "Windowlicker" single cover[[note]]Superimposed on a woman's face, a reference to the music video.[[/note]].

* The cover of ''Videogame/DarkSouls3'' features an armoured man officially called The Red Knight. [[spoiler: He's actually the FinalBoss, the Soul of Cinder, an amalgamation of everyone that ever [[GroundhogDayLoop linked the First Flame]]. This includes the player characters (ie you) from the previous ''Dark Souls'' games and the first game's FinalBoss Gwyn.]]

* Music/TheRollingStones: ''Music/TheRollingStones1964'', ''Music/TheRollingStonesNo2'', ''Music/OutOfOurHeads'', ''Music/{{Aftermath}}'', ''Music/TheirSatanicMajestiesRequest'', ''Music/BetweenTheButtons'', ''Music/GoatsHeadSoup'', ''Music/ItsOnlyRockNRoll'', ''Music/BlackAndBlue'', ''Music/DirtyWork'', ... The cover of ''Music/{{Undercover}}'' is a subversion, as the band is shown twice, but very small and in the form of a sticker. The cover of ''Music/SomeGirls'' is also a subversion, as the band wasn't originally intended to be portrayed on it. Originally they showed photos of famous celebrity actresses and models, done without asking permission. Some sued and as a result the cover was quickly changed by having band members' faces in place of some of the women's faces.

* Music/TheStooges: All three albums, ''[[Music/TheStoogesAlbum The Stooges]], Music/FunHouse'' and ''Music/RawPower'' have the band and/or Iggy Pop on the album cover.

* Music/{{Heart}}: Their debut LP, ''Dreamboat Annie'', featured Ann and Nancy Wilson sitting back-to-back, apparently topless (the picture was cropped apparently for modesty reasons, but other unreleased photos from the same shoot revealed they were wearing towel wraps). This backfired on them when an unscrupulous record company deliberately circulated false rumours that the sisters were not only bi-curious, they had experimented with ''each other''. Contracts were severed shortly afterwards by the furious and humiliated sisters, and the first single for their new label was ''Barracuda'', a scathing TakeThat at Mushroom Records.

* Music/TheWhiteStripes: The two of them are surrounded by black-clad figures on the cover of ''Music/WhiteBloodCells''. On ''Music/{{Elephant}}'' the band is shown from a distance, full frontal, but still in the center of attention.

** ''The Big Bubble'' has four men posing on the cover, and at the time it was rumored to depict The Residents unmasked for the first time. It was really four hired models, but the cover art still fits the trope conceptually - the album was supposed to represent the career of a FakeBand also called The Big Bubble, and the cover models were supposed to be portraying said band. In fact, the original LP had the image depicting The Big Bubble off-center and sitting over a backdrop with semi-transparent images of the Residents in their usual eyeball mask guises subtly superimposed, thus hinting at it being sort of an [[ShowWithinAShow album within an album]].

** ''The Big Bubble'' has four men posing on the cover, and at the time it was rumored to depict The Residents unmasked for the first time. It was really four hired models, but the cover art still fits the trope conceptually - the album was supposed to represent the career of a FakeBand also called The Big Bubble, and the cover models were supposed to be portraying said band.

* Music/DavidBowie: Appears on most of his album covers in close-up, most notably ''Music/{{David Bowie|1967}}'', ''Music/SpaceOddity'', ''Music/HunkyDory'', ''Music/AladdinSane'', ''Music/YoungAmericans'', ''[[Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum Low]]'', ''Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum'', and ''Music/{{Heathen}}''.

** Artistic depictions of Bowie are used in ''Music/DiamondDogs'', ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps'', ''Tonight'', ''Music/{{Outside}}'', and ''Music/{{Reality}}''.
** The outright aversions are ''Tin Machine II'' (a photograph of a kouros replicated four times in a line), the original cover of ''Music/TheBuddhaOfSuburbia'' (which used an edited still from the miniseries it was released as a tie-in with), the original US cover of ''Music/TheManWhoSoldTheWorld'' (a cartoon cowboy walking past a mental institution) and ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'' (just the titular black star). Even then, most of these cases are mitigated to an extent; ''Tin Machine II'' and the UK release of ''Buddha'' both feature Bowie on the back cover, and the UK cover of ''TMWSTW'' and US/2007 covers of ''Buddha'', which '''do''' depict Bowie on the front, are considered the canonical ones. Thus, ''★'' holds the distinction of being the only Bowie album to not depict him on the front or back cover in any capacity in any version (though even then his image is still present in the interior gatefold on both CD and LP copies).
** ''Music/{{Earthling}}'' and ''Music/TheNextDay'' are subversions: the former has Bowie standing with his back to the camera, the latter reproducing the ''Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum'' cover but with a white square blocking out Bowie's face.

* Music/PhilCollins is another musician who makes a habit of appearing on his album covers, usually in close-up. ''Dance Into the Light'' instead features a full-frontal picture of him dancing. ''Going Back'', his soul and Creator/{{Motown}} cover album, provides a unique variation: the cover is an old black-and-white photo of Collins at thirteen years old, while Collins himself was in his late fifties when the album was made.

* Music/PeterGabriel: The album ''Music/{{So}}'' is a picture of Gabriel in close-up.
** The cover of his third album, as well. Technically, it has NoTitle, but it's called ''Melt'' by fans because that's what it looks like his face is doing.

* Music/VelvetUnderground: On ''Music/TheVelvetUnderground'' the band members are featured on the album cover.

** His face can also be seen on ''Music/TheManWhoSoldTheWorld'', ''Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars'', ''Music/StationToStation'', ''Music/LetsDance'', ''Never Let Me Down'', the 1995 US release of ''Music/TheBuddhaOfSuburbia'' (as well as its 2007 reissue in all regions), and'' 'Music/{{hours}}...' ''but from a distance. The opposite situation occurs with ''Black Tie White Noise'' where Bowie's face takes up >90% of the cover space.

* Music/TheBeatles. The album covers of ''Music/PleasePleaseMe'', ''Music/WithTheBeatles'', ''Music/AHardDaysNight'', ''Music/BeatlesForSale'', ''Music/RubberSoul'' and ''Music/LetItBe'' just show pictures of the band members' faces in full close-up. On ''Music/{{Revolver}}'' their huge faces are shown in a field of smaller images.[[note]]''Revolver'' is, however, the first Beatles album to feature a group photograph in which the band [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic isn't looking at the camera]].[[/note]] On ''Music/{{Help}}!'' and ''Music/MagicalMysteryTour'' they are shown from a distance and in different clothing, but in an empty background that does not distract from the viewer watching at them. ''Music/AbbeyRoad'' shows them crossing a street, again from a distance, but they are clearly on the foreground.

** The iconic album cover of ''Music/SongsFromTheBigChair'' is a black-and-white close-up of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.

** The iconic album cover of ''Songs from the Big Chair'' is a black-and-white close-up of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.
** Orzabal and Smith stand side by side on the artwork for ''The Seeds of Love''.

* Music/{{Nirvana}}: Subverted by the album cover of ''Music/{{Bleach}}'', which shows the band members performing, but their faces can't be seen because their long hair covers them up.

* Music/PinkFloyd: The album cover of ''Music/ThePiperAtTheGatesOfDawn'' shows the band as seen through the eyes of a diamond, while ''Music/{{Ummagumma}}'' shows the band in a DrosteImage. Usually, they subvert this trope in favor of a Hipgnosis-designed picture on the cover.

** Orzabal and Smith stand side by side on the artwork for ''The Seeds of Love''