BBC NEWS Americas Africa Europe Middle East South Asia Asia Pacific Arabic Spanish Russian Chinese Welsh
BBCi CATEGORIES   TV   RADIO   COMMUNICATE   WHERE I LIVE   INDEX    SEARCH 

BBC NEWS
 You are in:  Entertainment
Front Page 
World 
UK 
UK Politics 
Business 
Sci/Tech 
Health 
Education 
Entertainment 
Showbiz 
Music 
Film 
Arts 
TV and Radio 
New Media 
Reviews 
Talking Point 
In Depth 
AudioVideo 


Commonwealth Games 2002

BBC Sport

BBC Weather

SERVICES 
Wednesday, 14 March, 2001, 11:14 GMT
Sex Pistols cover tops chart
The Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
God Save The Queen reached number one in 1977
The sleeve of the Sex Pistols' God Save The Queen - which shows a defaced picture of Elizabeth II - has been named the best record cover of all time.

Second on the list was Closer by Joy Division with Nirvana's Nevermind third - but the widely acclaimed Sergeant Pepper by the Beatles only came tenth in the top 100 list.

The top ten album covers of all time
1. Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
2. Joy Division - Closer
3. Nirvana - Nevermind
4. The Who - The Who Sell Out
5. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
6. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
7. New Order - Blue Monday
8. The Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
9. The Clash - London Calling
10. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The chart was compiled by writers for rock magazine Q, which is publishing a book giving the stories behind the best album covers.

God Save The Queen reached number one in the UK in 1977 despite being banned by the BBC and marked a defining moment in the punk revolution.

The cover, designed by Jamie Reid, shows a picture of the monarch with the words "God Save The Queen" and "Sex Pistols" obscuring her eyes and mouth.

The single was first released on the A&M label after the band signed a record deal outside Buckingham Palace. But that contract only lasted a few days before A&M dropped them.

That version was then withdrawn and most copies destroyed - original copies now sell for £2,000 ($2,900).

But it was re-released by Virgin Records to coincide with the Queen's jubilee several months later.

The cover of Joy Division's Closer album, showing a black-and-white photograph taken in an Italian cemetery, was put at number two in the list, with Nevermind by Nirvana - which shows a naked child swimming under water - at number three.

Many regard the cover of Sergeant Pepper by The Beatles, a collage of many twentieth century icons, as the best album cover of all time.

But Q writers only put it at number ten in their list.

See also:

09 Feb 01 | UK
Never mind the headlines...
05 Jan 01 | Entertainment
'Top 100' rock'n'roll albums
10 Dec 99 | Entertainment
National Anthem's 'trance' remix
03 May 00 | Entertainment
Pistols stars attend premiere
08 Apr 00 | Tom Brook
Sex Pistols' furious return
Internet links:


The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Links to more Entertainment stories are at the foot of the page.


E-mail this story to a friend

Links to more Entertainment stories