Music Album Covers with Single Eyes on Them

A composite image of 36 album covers featuring a single eye. 

A common saying is that the eyes are the windows to the soul. In ancient Egypt, the Eye of Ra symbol was believed to confer health, wisdom and prosperity. The eye also figures prominently in the Great Seal of the United States (finished in 1782) and appears on one dollar bills. The eye on the bill can be interpreted as the "eye of providence."

As symbols, eyes are versatile: they can be an indicator of good, evil, knowledge, myster, and many other. On music album covers, eyes usually come across as eerie especially since often just one eye is shown, disconnected from the rest of the face and the remainder of the body. All of the 36 albums shown here have just one eye. (There were more to share, but we curated the list.)

Some of the eye album covers are illustrations, such as the 13th Floor Elevators' 2000 "Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators", Alan Parsons Project's 1982 "Eye in the Sky", Robyn Hitchcock's 1990 "Eye", and the Steve Miller Band's 1982 "Abracadabra". A few album covers feature an eye with another image reflected in the cornea such as Al Caiola's 1965 "Sounds for Spies and Private Eyes", Scott Walker's 1969 "Scott 3", Redeye's 1970 "Redeye", Candlebox's 1998 "Happy Pills", and downset.'s 2004 "Universal".

The 36 albums with eyes presented are arranged chronologically from their release dates, 1960 to 2011. For album artists and titles, see the list below. For our second post on this theme with two eyes instead of one, see Music Album Covers with Eyes on Them.

The album we've listened to most of the 36 shown here is Scott Walker's 1969 "Scott 3".

List of albums

1960: Si Zentner and His Orchestra – "The Swingin' Eye"
1965: Al Caiola – "Sounds for Spies and Pirate Eyes"
1969: Scott Walker – "Scott 3"
1970: Redeye – "Redeye"
1971: Nektar – "Journey to the Centre of the Eye"
1973: Seatrain – "Watch"

1976: Pretty Things – "Savage Eye"
1982: Sphere – "Four in One"
1982: The Alan Parsons Project – "Eye in the Sky"
1982: The Steve Miller Band – "Abracadabra"
1983: Naked Eyes – "Naked Eyes"
1985: Boney M – "Eye Dance"

1990: Robyn Hitchcock – "Eye"
1990: The Sisters of Mercy – "Vision Thing"
1992: Miranda Sex Garden – "Iris"
1992: Banco de Gaia – "10 Years"
1995: Mr. Bungle "Disco Volante"
1998: George Michael – "Older & Upper"

1998: Candelbox – "Happy Pills"
2000: 13th Floor Elevators – "Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators"
2000: Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – "Attack!!"
2001: Nickelback – "Silver Side Up"
2001: The La's – "The La's"
2004: Evanescence – "Anywhere But Home"

2004: downset. – "Universal"
2004: The Sunshine Fix – "Green Imagination"
2004: Lost City Angels – "Broken World"
2004: Original Soundtrack Nip Tuck
2005: Numina – "Eye of the Nautilus"
2005: New Model Army – "Carnival"

2005: Tweet – "It's Me Again"
2006: Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory "Tree Colored See"
2008: Travis –"Ode to J. Smith"
2009: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – "Zero"
2009: A Skylit Drive – "Adelphia"
2011: My Morning Jacket – "Circuital"