Rock Album Cover Art…
Take a close look…see any you like – or remember? There was a time when as much artistry went into the album covers as there was in the grooves….an example:
Simple and classic…the cover art for Pink Floyd’s masterwork “Dark Side Of The Moon” – nothing on the front but this…and many consider this to be a pop culture masterwork as well:
Andy Warhol designed this cover: a “banana on white” which always makes the list of the best artwork of all time. Why am I telling you this?
Well, it’s another edition of the coolest, most unique album covers I own! Time for some “Physical Graffiti!”
Led Zeppelin’s sixth album, “Physical Graffiti” was released in 1975, and has been called one of the greatest double albums of all time, up there with The Beatles’ “White Album” and Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
So what makes this album cover so unique? Well, see the letters spelling out the name of the album in red letters in the windows of this building?
Check this out!
That’s right: when you take out the inner sleeves, it’s see-through!
Before we discuss this more, have a listen to the most famous song on the album: the haunting “Kashmir” – performed live in 1979:
This truly is a brilliant album, and I am so happy to have kept the original collector’s edition of the cover…here is my favorite song on the album: a tight, upbeat rocker called “Night Flight”: the video uses images of the building used on the cover!
Now, about the buildings you see in the photo…where might they be?
How about New York City? And guess who “hung out” there just the other day!
Yes, the original building is located in New York’s lower east side – at 96 St Mark’s Place in Manhattan!
Designed by Peter Corriston, the iconic die-cut artwork portrays a symmetrical brownstone tenement block, something that exists everywhere in New York City.
Funny note: the East Village building is home to a basement tea shop on the lower right of the photo aptly named “Physical GraffiTea!” Here’s a closer look;
One last funny piece of trivia: a terrific song on the album is “Houses Of The Holy”…which was the title of their previous album – it didn’t make the cut for that one so was used here!
Enjoy this video of the song, also with images from the album cover!
Oh – The Rolling Stones Used This Building Too!
Quite incidentally, the building also appears in the 1981 music video for “Waiting on a Friend” by The Rolling Stones, making it a great location to pay a visit and feel the history of rock and roll.
I began this series with another album that offered images that peered out from the inside cover, by this very same Rolling Stones:
But in this case, it was heavily censored!
Click here for the story of The Rollings Stones’ “Some Girls” cover – with some girls missing!
I showed you an image of some of the greatest album covers of all time – most see this one and know immediately how iconic it is:
Another example of famous images appearing on a band’s album cover…but aside from The Beatles, what are some of the greatest covers of all time?
Click here to see!
There are also times when an attempt to be funny, or shocking, or whatever results in this – and yes, this is real: have you seen The Beatles’ infamous “butcher cover?”
The Beatles “Butcher Cover” refers to the infamous original artwork for the 1966 album “Yesterday And Today”, which was only for the U.S. market. It features the band dressed in white butcher smocks, surrounded by pieces of raw meat and decapitated plastic baby dolls. Photographer Robert Whitaker intended it as a satirical commentary on the Beatles’ fame and the “falseness” of their idol status.
Oops!
Upon seeing advance copies, retailers and radio stations were horrified, so Capitol Records recalled 750,000 copies just days before the June 1966 release. To save money, Capitol pasted a new, “safe” photo of the band sitting around an open steamer trunk directly over the original butcher shot…so some did indeed survive!
Sometimes bad cover art is deliberate:
This Spinal Tap album cover is hilariously bad, but on purpose – the rockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” TRIED to make the worst covers and succeeded in a hilarious way – see more of their hilariously inept artwork here!
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Categories: 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Exotic Travel, Led Zeppelin, Music, New York, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, Travel, Travel Adventures
Back in the days when the album cover was sometimes more entertaining than the music on the record inside it! 😊Shared on Twitter, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes Pete, when album covers were art – inspired by the music inside and not just a shot of the band acting cool!
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Fascinating info regarding Physical Graffiti’s album cover! Our LP sadly wasn’t like this one. Funnily enough, my husband was wearing his Physical Graffiti tee-shirt at a French airport whilst waiting for a flight home, and who should he see but Robert Plant! Robert was kind enough to pose for a photo with my husband, even though he was tired at the end of a tour.
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OK, that’s an all-time great piece of trivia! How cool! I work in entertainment and have been lucky enough to meet a lot of people in movies, TV, music…most are gracious and really appreciate the fans – a few not so much but Plant seems to be one of the good one indeed – what a great story!
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Yes, my husband was thrilled to meet him.
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