Would Sgt. Pepper's be exactly the same without Peter Blake's cover ? At a time when full-length records do not mean much any longer and album covers even less, I found interesting to make a website on sleeve design. Long before videos, record covers were the visual embodiment of music, a way to put images on sound. I remember having spent hours as a teenager detailing the cover of records while listening to them. Later on, I realised that some of them had things in common in their design, revealing either a mere sign of the times or a more deliberate connection. Some records even obviously copied famous sleeves, as a tribute or as a mockery. Here is a collection of record covers I came across, which share some common visual features.

Cubist jazz-rock guitar












Al Di Meola

The Best of Al Di Meola: The Manhattan Years (1992)

Earl Klugh

The Best of Earl Klugh, Vol.2 (1992)


Circus












The Rolling Stones

Rock and Roll Circus (1968/96)

The Rolling Bidochons

The Singles Collection (1998)


The sound machine














Phil Woods and his European Rythm Machine

Phil Woods and his European Rythm Machine (1970)

Pink Floyd

Relics (1971)

Jazzanova

...Broad Cast (2006)


Flash lights












Bryan Ferry

In your Mind (1977)

Tiga

Sexor (2006)


Stencil on parchment












Sigur Rós

Takk... (2005)

The Rasmus

Hide from the Sun (2005)


The family portrait












Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

Déjà vu (1970)

Bläck Fööss

1989 em Millowitsch-Theater Live (1989)


Blue moods












Kenny Burrell

Midnight Blue (1963)

Elvis Costello

Almost Blue (1981)


Orange sunset












James Iha

Let it Come Down (1996)

K.D. Lang

Invincible Summer (2000)


Pleased to meet...








































The Beatles

With the Beatles (1963)

The Rutles

Meet the Rutles (1963)

The Beatles

Meet the Beatles! (1964)

The Residents

Meet the Residents (1974)

Genesis

Land of Confusion (Single) (1986)

The Muppets

With the Mupples (1994)

Various

Meet the Covers! A Tribute to the Beatles (1997)

This Happy Breed

It's a Black and White World! (1999)

Beatallica

A Garage Dayz Nite (2001)

The Barkers

Meet the Barkers! (2005)

Various

A Buddha Lounge Tribute to the Beatles (2007)


Black and white stripes












XTC

White Music (1978)

Blondie

Parrallel Lines (1978)


Two-part plane




























Beastie Boys

License to Ill (back) (1986)

Beastie Boys

License to Ill (front) (1986)

Death Cab for Cutie

The New Year (Single) (2004)

Eminem

Kamikaze (back) (2018)

Eminem

Kamikaze (front) (2018)


Noise and fuzz












The Jesus and Mary Chain

Darklands (1987)

The Libertines

Up the Bracket (2002)


Berlin pantomime












Iggy Pop

The Idiot (1977)

David Bowie

"Heroes" (1977)


The poor little girl












Britney Spears

Britney (2001)

Happy Apple

Youth Oriented (2003)


Girls and monsters














The Rolling Stones

Some Girls (1978)

The Rolling Bidochons

Sales Gueules (1991)

Opium Jukebox

Sticky Bhangra (2002)


Ambrosia and Meredith












Shivaree

I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head... (1999)

Meredith Brooks

Deconstruction (1999)