NME's 50 Iconic Indie Album Covers

From NME's 50 Iconic Indie Album Covers: The Fascinating Stories Behind The Sleeves

Disintegration: Paul Thompson and Andy Vella had designed all of The Cure's artwork until this point, but for 'Disintegration' Robert Smith was thinking of using someone new. In response, Thompson and Vella moved from their usual abstract designs into one that focused on Smith's face, which some saw as a conscious ploy to curry favour.

Boys Don’t Cry: The sleeve for ‘Three Imaginary Boys’ featured a fridge, a vacuum cleaner and a lamp – the latter apparently representing Smith. The same designer, Polydor art director Bill Smith, produced a similarly artful sleeve for ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, albeit one that seems to interpret the track ‘Fire in Cairo’ quite literally. (Thanks @colinaindow)