10 Greatest Rock Music Album Covers Of The 1980s

10. Oranges And Lemons - XTC

Sneaking in right at the end of the decade, British band XTC's album Oranges and Lemons was released in February of 1989.

The album was based on 60s psychedelia, offering up many slices of jangly, swirly goodness that fans absolutely lapped up. Also, unlike some psych albums, you can enjoy it without taking drugs!

Psychedelia also played a huge part in the album's artwork, which took its lead from the biggest 60s band of them all.

Oranges & Lemons' colourful cover, which depicts cartoon versions of the band playing instruments against an orange and yellow background, was inspired by the work of Heinz Edelmann.

Edelmann was an illustrator who served as the art director on The Beatles' 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine. The cover art was also based on the works of Milton Glaser, the artist who designed the logo for DC Comics.

It turns out that borrowing from the best is a really good idea, as Oranges & Lemons is gorgeous to look at.

Bright, vibrant, and oozing with joy, the cover perfectly captures XTC's happy-go-lucky spirit and boldly stands out in a world preparing for the arrival of the bleak and dreary 90s.