On this date, Nov. 25, in 1968, The Beatles ninth (official) album was released. Their only double album, The Beatles, is better known as The White Album because of the design – a pure white booklet with “The BEATLES” in black using Helvetica font (more Helvetica here).
In full disclosure I should point out that The Beatles are my favorite band and there isn’t an album cover of theirs I don’t love. The Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album was the first time complete lyrics had ever been included with an album cover and I think it may have been my first read along. One year for my birthday, my father – a master of finding the hard to find – gave me the original Yesterday and Today album cover. The controversial “butcher cover” (see here) featured the band dressed in white smocks and covered with baby dolls and pieces of meat. When the album was recalled, instead of destroying the originals Capitol reprinted the much more boring image of the band sitting in a suitcase over the top. Even to this day when I walk into any antique store I check the corners of the Yesterday and Today albums to see if they can be peeled away.
So on this anniversary of one of my favorite albums (design and sound) being released. Here are a few other covers I like, taken off the PopPhoto.com Web site (here).
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Clockwise from top left – Bjork: Homogenic, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Whipped Cream & Other Delights, Elvis Costello: This year’s Model, Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A., Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley, The Clash: London Calling |
I don’t know the story behind the London Calling album cover, but I doubt it’s an accident how similar it is to the album Elvis Presley.
There are virtually hundreds of more covers I appreciate, these are just a few. For fun, here are a few album covers that I’m exist because they are so horrible.
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Left to right – Devastatin’ Dave the Turntable Slave: Zip Sap Rap, Orion: Reborn, Johnny Janot: Expose Yourself to Cajun Music and johnny Janot |