What does Nevermind's cover show?

A baby swimming toward a dollar

Album Cover History Challenge – A 10-Question Trivia Quiz

Alex Steinweiss at Columbia Records is credited with creating the illustrated album cover around 1940, and this album cover history challenge explores the art that sold records. Recall Andy Warhol's banana for the Velvet Underground, Abbey Road's crosswalk, Pink Floyd's prism, Nevermind's swimming baby and Hipgnosis designs.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Steinweiss
Who is credited with inventing the illustrated album cover?
Banana
Which band's debut album featured Warhol's banana?
Abbey
What do the Beatles do on the Abbey Road cover?
Prism
Which Pink Floyd album shows a prism?
Nevermind
What does Nevermind's cover show?
Sgt Pepper
Who co-designed the Sgt. Pepper cover collage?
Hipgnosis
Which design studio made many Pink Floyd covers?
Unknown
Which Joy Division cover shows pulsar radio waves?
Born
Which Springsteen cover shows him from behind with a flag?
Roger Dean
Which band is known for Roger Dean's fantasy covers?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who is credited with inventing the illustrated album cover?
Answer: Alex Steinweiss
He worked at Columbia.
Q2: Which band's debut album featured Warhol's banana?
Answer: The Velvet Underground
Nico sang on it.
Q3: What do the Beatles do on the Abbey Road cover?
Answer: Walk across a zebra crossing
It was shot in 1969.
Q4: Which Pink Floyd album shows a prism?
Answer: The Dark Side of the Moon
Storm Thorgerson's team designed it.
Q5: What does Nevermind's cover show?
Answer: A baby swimming toward a dollar
It was released in 1991.
Q6: Who co-designed the Sgt. Pepper cover collage?
Answer: Peter Blake
It shows dozens of famous figures.
Q7: Which design studio made many Pink Floyd covers?
Answer: Hipgnosis
It was founded in London.
Q8: Which Joy Division cover shows pulsar radio waves?
Answer: Unknown Pleasures
Peter Saville designed it.
Q9: Which Springsteen cover shows him from behind with a flag?
Answer: Born in the U.S.A.
Annie Leibovitz shot it.
Q10: Which band is known for Roger Dean's fantasy covers?
Answer: Yes
He painted floating landscapes.

Album Cover History Challenge – Art You Can Hold

Album covers turned records into works of art. Around 1940, Alex Steinweiss at Columbia Records created illustrated covers, and sales rose, launching a new art form.

The 1960s brought iconic designs: Andy Warhol's banana for the Velvet Underground, Peter Blake's crowded Sgt. Pepper collage and the Beatles crossing Abbey Road. The design studio Hipgnosis created Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon prism, and Roger Dean painted fantasy worlds for Yes.

Later classics include Peter Saville's pulsar waves for Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, Annie Leibovitz's photo for Born in the U.S.A. and Nirvana's swimming baby on Nevermind. Streaming shrank covers to thumbnails, but vinyl's return has revived interest in album art.

What This Quiz Teaches

Music and art fans will enjoy these questions.

Who invented album covers
What Warhol designed
What the Abbey Road cover shows
Who designed Pink Floyd covers
What Unknown Pleasures shows

Did You Know?

Gatefold sleeves opened like books.
Some covers were banned.
Picture discs print art on vinyl.
Blue Note covers used bold type.
Cover art inspires merchandise.