Nirvana’s Nevermind has been voted the most iconic album cover ever with 44 percent of music fans picking the image of a naked baby reaching for an underwater dollar bill.
The idea for the 1991 disc came to singer Kurt Cobain as he watched a show on water births.
Second was Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic, The Dark Side of the Moon (36 percent), which has an enigmatic prism, inset, reflecting beams of light into deep space.
Storm Thorgerson of designers Hipgnosis revealed the band’s on-stage light show inspired it, while co-designer Aubrey Powell claimed it resulted from a prism on top of sheet music.
David Bowie comes third with his 1973 album Aladdin Sane (34 percent). It features Bowie with his eyes closed, made up with a deathly-looking pallor and a red-and-blue lightning bolt across his face.
Fourth is The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (27 per cent) with the band dressed in colourful costumes and fifth is Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (23 percent) released in 1977.
Singer Stevie Nicks is dressed in dark robes holding a crystal ball in one hand along with the hand of drummer Mick Fleetwood, who has his foot on a stool.
Harriet Scott from research agency Perspectus Global, which commissioned the survey of 2,000 people, said: “Having a great sound is essential, but cover art is an important part of creating a buzz.”