[ Album Cover ] Roxy Music - Roxy Music

The album cover, rather than representing the band as virile rock gods, featured what looked like a cheesecake pin-up from a glamor magazine. Yet the model, Kari-Ann Muller, is less a pouting ingenue than a knowing predator, teeth bared, who is laying a trap, a gold record peeking out from behind her wrap. The cover art for Roxy Music's debut album is notable for its influence on subsequent graphic design trends, particularly in the realm of album covers and visual branding. It introduced a bold and daring style that challenged conventional notions of beauty and fashion, setting a new standard for album cover design in the 1970s.  

The design itself was highly innovative for its time. The striking image of model Kari-Ann Muller’s pose was reminiscent of Manet's painting "Olympia." The photo was manipulated and stylized to create a surreal and enigmatic atmosphere, reflecting the avant-garde and glam rock influences of the band's music. This fusion of art, fashion, and music established a new standard for album cover design, influencing subsequent designers and artists. The cover's bold and provocative imagery captured the spirit of the glam rock movement, which was emerging in the early 1970s. It challenged conventional notions of beauty and gender, contributing to the cultural dialogue surrounding identity and representation. As such, the cover became an iconic symbol of the glam rock era and influenced fashion, photography, and visual culture beyond the realm of music. It was refreshing to see the cover breaking societal norms the way it did, especially with the extreme conservative nature over in America. Something like this would’ve sparked way more controversy if it was released in America.