The 90s were a simpler time. A time before properly trained graphic designers. A time when Contemporary Christian Music was enjoying its heyday. During this compelling decade, with its fluorescent colours and inexplicable hairstyles, many famous and phenomenal Christian albums were recorded - albums like DC Talk's seminal 'Jesus Freak', and the chart-busting Delirious? smash King of Fools.
Today though, we're not interested in those classics. Instead, we're here to pay tribute to some of the most extraordinary album covers in the history of Christian music.
DC Talk - Nu Thang
Let's begin with this reminder of how in the 90s, you could get away with a lot of things. Butchering the English language was one of course; another was graphic design which looks like a terrible, terrible accident. The members of DC talk - mere children at the time - presumably had no idea that this candid shot, in which they're all dressed for entirely different social engagements, would end up adorning a hit album.
Don Moen - Rivers of Joy
Why would you want one image of transcendent 90s worship legend Don 'God will make a way' Moen when you could have three? Especially if you can save time by using two from the same photo shoot. This cover is so beautiful because it hints at the ultimate 90s worship supergroup, featuring Don Moen on piano, Don Moen on lead vocals, and a third Don Moen who just dances around like Bez out of the Happy Mondays.
Holy Soldier - Holy Soldier
Wow. There's just so much to say. The military theme of this band and their eponymous album is somewhat undermined by the leopard print border and enough hairspray to freeze a marauding bear. One of them appears to be in the navy; the rest of the group are obviously on shore leave. This is from the days before photoshop, otherwise you'd be seriously questioning whether this is truly five different men.
Brent Lamb - to be like Jesus
Brent wants to be like Jesus; and he's clearly trying to get there with the old facial hair / symbolic surname combo. The cover sees him hanging loose and gazing into the middle distance - a popular theme of 90s Christian album covers - possibly encased in a distressed picture frame. Just like Jesus.
Rick Elias - Rick Elias and the Confessions
I don't know much about Rick, but I know two things I like about him. First, he's got a better mullet than Brent Lamb, and second, he's even more confident at doing that thoughtful middle-distance stare. 90s CCM albums were dominated by these two themes, and also often included a sort of blurry moving city feel in the background. It's a winning formula, and Rick is a master of pulling it off. I have no idea if 'the confessions' were his backing band, or if this is just a spoken word album of a young mulleted Catholic talking to his priest. Come to think of it, Rick does look like he has a lot on his mind...
The Winans - Return
What the Winans are up to in this image is entirely up for interpretation. It's CCM's very own version of the Mona Lisa. Are they inhaling? Exhaling? Wincing? Some combination of the three? It's wonderfully unclear, but the guy at the back looks as if he's just taken a painful kick to the Winan family jewels.
Benny Hester - United we stand / divided we fall
You might argue that with his famous Marilyn Monroe portrait, Andy Warhol had called time on the idea of multi-coloured versions of the same picture. Benny Hester begs to differ. I think he makes a strong case.
Susan Ashton - Wakened by the wind
I include Susan not so much because of the cover itself, which is actually quite unremarkable, but because her album is a strong reminder of a kinder time, when we didn't look so hard for irony, double-meaning, or the opportunity to laugh at people.
Martin Saunders is an author, screenwriter and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter@martinsaunders
