The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin

3) The Beatles — The Beatles (1968)

Generally called "The White Album" for obvious reasons, this minimalist approach was a stark turn away from the era's baroque covers — a trend invented by the Beatles themselves. This less-is-more tack placed the Fab Four, as usual, ahead of the pack, showing that the arms race of increasingly elaborate covers wasn't the only way to go. It also hinted that the music inside had the same philosophy: far more sophisticated than most previous rock, yet considerably stripped down from what the Beatles had been creating just a year earlier. Designed by pop artist Richard Hamilton, each copy of the first pressing featured an individual serial number on the front, creating millions of unique collector's items.

2) Elvis Presley — Elvis Presley (1956)

Elvis was already a huge regional star in the south when label RCA was determined to make him an international one. The label found a photograph that managed to convey the incredible energy this brash youngster — and his hips —  brought to every performance. You could almost believe he was a gospel singer (in fact, gospel was his favorite genre) caught in a spiritual frenzy if you didn't know better. But then everyone who heard him knew better.

1) The Beatles — Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

And here it is: the all-time champion. Even today, it's easy to see why this cover caused such a stir. Just look at the audacity, the complexity and the sheer spectacle of it. Feast on icons from Marlon Brando and Fred Astaire, to Mae West and Marilyn Monroe, to Karl Marx and Oscar Wilde. Sift through enough props to turn any flea market green with envy. And who but the Beatles would think of placing their younger versions alongside their current selves? Most of all, you have to appreciate the trademark humor, leavened with their obvious goal of creating great art. This cover had it all, literally and figuratively.