I found 20 of the greatest vinyl album sleeves of all time in the attic
Some years ago I was clearing out the attic of my family home and I found a treasure trove of fantastic vinyl that my father had accumulated throughout his life. It made me excited to see musical gems from my own past, as well as jewels in the crown from my father’s extensive, eclectic collection of records.
Below are a selection of the twenty most unusual, wacky, funny, cool or downright odd record sleeves in the collection. It reminded me how remarkable a vinyl album cover is. To see it in such a large format, announcing itself so boldly. I felt transported to that moment when you would buy a new record and hold that sleeve in your hand, turning it over, studying it in detail, marvelling at the thought process and all of the hands & minds that had brought it to the world.
Sadly, that tradition is largely fading, with audio streaming services now showcasing just a little thumbnail of the cover art. But as the mad masterpieces below illustrate, nothing compares to a striking album cover, no matter how odd or unintentionally strange it might be.
If you’re interested in album cover art and that particular creative process, then I highly recommend the Hipgnosis documentary on Netflix. You might also enjoy my story about the time I created dozens of album covers for my fictitious genre-bending musical career.
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I presume the dog’s name is Seamus Gallagher.
Big Shay they call him.
The voice of Erin.
The jumper your granddad wears.
Rock ‘n’ Rollies.
Pitchfork f**king loves this album.
“Mann’s music on this record is as potent and invigorating as a freshly sharpened pitchfork, cutting through the mundane and delivering a jolt of pure sonic energy.” 9.8 / 10
Hearty AND Hellish.
What a combo.
Come on Ireland!
This guy is living in the past.
And in the future.
A future imagined by someone from the 1930s maybe.
Just your average run-of-the-mill, psychedelic Swedish children’s album called “5 ants are more than 4 elephants”.
Flatpack Swedish jazz.
These guys have it in the bag.
Airline bands.
A sadly neglected genre.
One saxophone. Good.
Three saxophones. Better.
I want whatever that golden key around his neck unlocks.
Hines’ 57 varieties of excellence.
Colonel Sanders joins James Galway for a jam session.
Go on admit it.
You can hear that riff from the Batman theme in your head right now.
I know you want to listen to it immediately. Here it is.
There’s only one Jacques Dutronc
One Jacques Dutrooooo-ooonc.
Brilliant Biggles Bebop.
Disappointing sequel to George Gershwin at the petrol station.
She might be lonely, but she has her own modern jazz quartet.
That’s more than most people can say.
