Top 10 Record Sleeves

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO

When the Velvet Underground released their debut in 1967 it was a commercial failure and completely ignored by music critics. Nowadays it is recognised as one of the most influential albums of the 20th Century, with one of the most recognisable album covers in rock history. Designed by pop-artist Andy Warhol, the sleeve invited consumers to, “Peel slowly and see”, revealing a flesh-coloured banana under the yellow skin. Lead vocalist Lou Reed shared the vocals with German singer Nico, due to a request by Andy Warhol, who was also the band’s manager. Reed was a fan of writers from the Beat Generation, such as William S Burroughs and Alan Ginsberg, whose work was an inspiration for his lyrics.

SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

One of the earliest examples of a concept album, this Beatles record from 1967 marks the beginning of the group’s fascination with psychedelia. It is also one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 32 million copies sold worldwide. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album as number one on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The sleeve also helped to make album art an integral part of the pop music experience. The cover image features over 50 characters from history and popular culture, with a mixture of colour and monochrome photographs. Some of the figures who make an appearance are occultist Aleister Crowley, Hollywood idol Mae West, psychotherapist Carl Jung, dancer Fred Astaire, musician Bob Dylan, and actor Tony Curtis.

THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS

David Bowie became a cult sensation with this glam record in 1972. The Ziggy Stardust of the title is a character of Bowie’s own invention, a sexually ambiguous alien messiah sent to save the earth with rock. Bowie embodies Ziggy in the album’s cover art, wearing a turquoise jumpsuit and purple boots. The juxtaposition of the extra-terrestrial Bowie and the mundane street intrigues the viewer and invites them into Ziggy’s world. Many Bowie fans cite his appearance as Ziggy on Top of the Pops as a formative moment in their lives. It was when Bowie looked straight down the camera and sang, “I had to phone someone so I picked on YOU!” that teenage fans lost their hearts to him. Fans play a large role in Ziggy’s story, as the album tracks chart Ziggy’s life on earth, until his tragic destruction by the very fans who love him. This was spookily re-enacted when Bowie 'killed' Ziggy in 1973 when he announced, at London’s Hammersmith Odeon that it was the character’s last gig.

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Pink Floyd released their eighth album in 1973, with this stark image on the cover. The idea came from an instruction by vocalist Richard Wright to his designers, Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell. He demanded something “smarter, neater – more classy” and the duo came up with the iconic prism. The artwork itself was created by George Hardie, and takes into account three elements – the band’s stage lighting, the album lyrics and Wright’s original instruction. The bold design was matched by the band’s innovative musical choices. They used multi-track recording, tape loops and synthesisers in order to develop a truly unique progressive-rock sound. It was also massively successful, topping the Billboard Top LPs and Tapes chart for a week, and remaining in the chart for 741 weeks between 1973 and 1988.

RUMOURS

Who hasn’t heard the rumours about Rumours? It is widely known that this album was released during a fraught period for Fleetwood Mac, during which band members were dealing with divorces, fights and affairs. The album art depicts drummer Mick Fleetwood, who had discovered that his wife Jenny had been having an affair with his best friend. The strange object hanging between his legs is in fact a toilet chain, stolen from a club the band played in their early years. Fleetwood is holding singer Stevie Nicks’ hand, who is dressed as her famous stage persona Rhiannon. This character is taken from Welsh mythology, and the song Nicks wrote about her catapulted the band into stardom. She had an on-off relationship with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, causing them to fall out on a regular basis. Despite all this heartache, the album has sold over 45 million copies worldwide.

PARALLEL LINES

You can’t go wrong with monochrome, as Blondie’s 1978 album clearly demonstrates. The apple-red album title is clearly reflected in the vertical black-and-white stripes, and front-woman Debbie Harry instantly draws the eye in her simple white dress. However, the suited-and-booted male band members weren’t so impressed with this photograph. They felt they had been demoted to a backing band, with Debbie Harry taking all the glory. This disagreement led to the dismissal of their manager, Peter Leeds, who had come up with the idea for the album art. The band’s music was at the forefront of the new wave movement, combining the edginess of punk and the novelty of electronic sounds. In 1979, the album reached No. 1 in the UK charts, sealing its fate as an international success.

LONDON CALLING

Smashing a guitar may be a rock ‘n’ roll cliché, but the Clash even smashed the cliché in 1979 by wrecking a bass. Pennie Smith captured the moment that bassist Paul Simonon raised his instrument, ready to dash it on the stage at the New York Palladium. Smith was concerned that the image was too blurry, but graphic designer Ray Lowry was sure that it would be a great cover. His addition of the album’s title in pink and green lettering is an homage to Elvis Presley’s self-titled album from 1956. Now this design can be found on t-shirts across the globe, and was even used for a Royal Mail postage stamp in 2010. London Calling is a perfect example of post-punk, incorporating a range of styles, from reggae to rock, from rockabilly to R&B. The album was certified platinum in the United States, and continues to be named as one of the greatest albums of all time.

MEAT IS MURDER

The political statement made by this Smiths album from 1985 is shown very clearly on the album’s cover. The photograph is of Marine Corporal Michael Wynn in the Vietnam War, taken from Emile de Antonio’s 1968 documentary In the Year of the Pig. However, the wording on the soldier’s helmet is different from the original. His helmet in fact bore the words “Make War Not Love”, but frontman Morrissey’s vegetarian title track caused them to be replaced by the slogan “Meat is Murder”. Morrissey pushed his strong views in several interviews, bashing Thatcherism and the monarchy, which caused a storm of controversy. Meat is Murder became the Smith’s only number one album, remaining in the UK charts for 13 weeks. Although many fans cite their next album – The Queen is Dead – as the band’s best, it was this album that caused the biggest stir.

HOUNDS OF LOVE

Kate Bush released her fifth studio album in 1985, which soon became her second album to top the UK charts. The dreamy, seductive cover art is very much of its time, but takes a rather unsettling tone when you find out that it was Bush’s brother who snapped the money shot. The dogs in Bush’s arms are a nod to the album’s title track, Hounds of Love, which became one of the artist’s most successful singles. The lines at the beginning of the song (“It’s in the trees! It’s coming!”) were taken from a British horror flick, Night of the Demon. The album contains an arty selection of progressive pop tracks, which feature Irish instruments, synthesisers and layered vocals. Bush was rewarded for her efforts with five-star reviews and international recognition.

THE STONE ROSES

The Stone Roses’ self-titled 1989 debut shows the band at the peak of their power. The cover design was created by artist John Squire, who was influenced by the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock. The artwork is inspired by the 1968 Paris riots – the colours of the French flag are smeared on the left hand side, and the lemons reference their use as a tear-gas antidote. The Stone Roses were from Manchester, where the Madchester scene was rapidly gaining fans. The band’s music took on the 60s jangle-pop style, with a nod to dance beats in the track Fool’s Gold. When the album was released hardly anyone noticed, but since then it has been recognised as a massively important contribution to UK culture.

THE CURRENT UK VINYL CHART – 9-15 September 2016

Trick – Jamie T

Astronaut Meets Apeman – King Creosote

The Colour in Anything – James Blake

Bad Vibrations – A Day to Remember

Foreverland – The Divine Comedy

Going Going – Wedding Present

Familia – Sophie Ellis-Bextor

My Woman – Angel Olsen

Rumours – Fleetwood Mac

Legend – Bob Marley and the Wailers