No. 1
Guns n Roses: Appetite for destruction
Designed by Robert Williams
This was banned due to partial nudity (amongst other reasons I suspect) and represents the pinnacle of album artwork for me. Beautifully drawn, stark, bright, memorable and is a perfect example of art operating in harmony with music. This album cover is so damn cool even the graphic that was chosen to replace it after it was banned became one of the most instantly recognisable graphic motifs ever - right now being sported on countless tattoos, t-shirts, hats, bullet-belts and god knows what else.

 

Rolling Stone position 1 held by: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
49th verdict: Sgt Pepper is a very stylish contender - but how many people have it tattooed on their bodies? Exactly - it's good, but it's not right.

No. 2
Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast
Designed by Derek Riggs
When you think of metal, this is or something like it is probably what springs into your head. The fact it is brilliantly drawn with both real menace and humour at it's core should not be forgotten. I could have chosen any of about ten other album covers they have done (another particular favourite being the somewhere in time cover) but I think this is the finest example of composition, use of colour and brilliantly realised characters.

Rolling Stone position 2 held by: Never mind the bollocks
49th Verdict: Tough one this as the punk style is so precious to a whole generation and I don't want to be disrespectful. It's shit though really isn't it and they were wrong - fools.

No. 3
Van Halen: 1984
Designed by Margo Zafer Nahas
A really fine illustration which is witty and of significant artistic merit. I come from a generation sadly bereft of vinyl albums for the most part, but I can just picture this working so well at the larger size proper 80s albums afforded.

Rolling Stone position 3 held by: The White album by The Beatles
49th Verdict: If you look at the two together The White Album is obviously a disappointment of style over content and reminds me a bit of the Emporer's New Clothes. It's cool because The Beatles told you so. As if - lets see John Lennon belt out 'Hot For Teacher'

No. 4
Rage Against The Machine: Rage Against The Machine
Photograph taken by: Malcolm Browne and earned the award of World Press Photo of the Year in 1963
The cover features a photo of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, burning himself to death in Saigon in 1963. This is a cool image on so many levels - brutal, dramatic, thought provoking, black and white (which as we all know is cooler than the Fonz taking an ice bath after having scored a hat-trick for England in the 1966 World Cup Final) and highly politicised - erm, not that I have a clue what statement it's making. It's a man on fire so maybe it was a protest against burning people? Yer, burning people sucks.

Rolling Stone position 4 held by Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones. Do one Mick, this is just a picture of some jeans!? What is this a Levis ad?? Rage had a man burning to death - TO DEATH, IN FLAMES. tsk.

No. 5
Megadeth: Peace Sells, but who's buying?
Designed by: Ed Repka
This is the second best album name ever (the first also being by Megadeth, namely Killing is my business and business is good) and is perfectly visualised using another Skeletor rip-off, Vic Rattlehead. How many bands these days have developed mascots with a whole back-story of their very own? The colours and stance of Mr.Vic leaning over the For Sale board with macabre glee somehow transcend the rather camp nature of the swords and sorcery angle of its peers and the political agenda explored through the lyrics of the music are realised with clarity and beauty.

Rolling Stone position 5:  Exile on Main St.
I don't own this album and I'm not really much of a Stones fan, but this is just a bunch of slightly out of focus pictures, right? I'm sure it had fantastic significance in 1972 when Rolling Stone explained it all - but this is just boring, boring, boring. Do one Mick, this isn't an add for instamatic cameras.

The remainder of my top ten would be:
6. Alice in Chains: Dirt
7. Metallica: Master of Puppets
8: Nirvana: Bleach
9: Green Day: Dookie
10: Black Sabbath: Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath

The first 50 from Rolling Stone look like this;