Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Sir Peter Blake | V&A Search the Collections
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sir Peter Blake, born 1932
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Object:
Sir Peter Blake, born 1932 (designer)
Haworth, Jann, born 1942 (designer)
Cooper, Michael, born 1941 - died 1973 (photographer)
EMI Records - The Gramophone Co. Ltd. (publisher)
Parlophone (publisher)
Colour offset lithograph on paper and card
Credit Line:
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The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released by EMI Records in 1967, is arguably the most famous album sleeve of all time. The image on the album cover is composed of a collage of celebrities. There are 88 figures, including the band members themselves. Pop artist Peter Blake and his wife Jann Haworth conceived and constructed the set, including all the life-sized cut-outs of historical figures. The set was photographed, with the Beatles standing in the centre, by Michael Cooper. Copyright was a problem as Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager, had to locate each person in order to get permission to use their image in this context.
Physical description
Gatefold cover sleeve for the long-playing record 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' recorded by The Beatles for EMI Records, The Gramophone Co. Ltd. / Parlophone.
The image on the album sleeve is composed of a collage of celebrities and the band members of the Beatles: Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Place of Origin
Sir Peter Blake, born 1932 (designer)
Haworth, Jann, born 1942 (designer)
Cooper, Michael, born 1941 - died 1973 (photographer)
EMI Records - The Gramophone Co. Ltd. (publisher)
Parlophone (publisher)
Colour offset lithograph on paper and card
Marks and inscriptions
Lettered with title, credits, lyrics etc. and 'Cover by M C Productions and The Apple / Staged by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth Photographed by Michael Cooper Wax figures by Madame Tussauds'.
Dimensions
Height: 31.4 cm, Width: 31.4 cm
Object history note
This version of the sleeve can be distinguished from the 1967 version by the presence of a barcode, and the absence of two glued-down flaps along the inside of the gatefold and of the original printers' name 'Garrod and Lofthouse Ltd.'.
Descriptive line
Gatefold cover sleeve for the long-playing record 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' recorded by The Beatles. Cover design by M C Productions and The Apple, staged by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth. Published by EMI Records, The Gramophone Co. Ltd. / Parlophone, Great Britain. 1988 reprint of the original 1967 design.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Edge, Kevin. The Art of Selling Songs: Graphics for the Music Business 1690-1990. London. 1991. p.125.
Oak, Arlene. Shake it up Baby! Graphics recording change: Beatles album covers 1963-70. RCA/V&A MA thesis, 1992. p.49-57.
Errigo, Angie. and Steve Leaning. The Illustrated History of Rock Album Art. London. 1979, p.74 (illus)
Leigh, Spencer. Sgt Pepper - The Cover. Record Collector. Issue No 94, June 1987.
Harry, Bill. The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia. Virgin Books. 1992. pp.585-590.
Production Note
This is a 1988 reprint of the original 1967 design.
For an original 1967 version of this sleeve see E.577-1985.
Materials
Colour offset lithography
Subjects depicted
Starr, Ringo; Lennon, John; McCartney, Paul; Harrison, George; The Beatles; Rodia, Simon; Peel, Robert (Sir, Second Baronet); Huxley, Aldous; Curtis, Tony; Berman, Wallace; Handley, Tommy; Paramahansa Yogananda; Mahavatar Babaji; Lindner, Richard; Marx, Karl; Wells, H.G.; Sutcliffe, Stuart; Livingstone, David (Dr); Shaw, George Bernard; Adams, Julia; Miller, Max; Ball, Lucille; Mix, Tom; Power, Tyrone; Bell, Larry; Crane, Stephen; Einstein, Albert; Westermann, Horace Clifford; Lahiri Mahasaya; Lewis Carroll; Breen, Bobby; Dors, Diana; Fields, William Claude (W.C.); Jung, Carl Gustav; Southern, Terry; Thomas, Dylan; Brando, Marlon; Wilde, Oscar; Crowley, Aleister; Poe, Edgar Allen; Lawrence, Thomas Edward (Lieutenant Colonel); Temple, Shirley; Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent; Hope, Bob; Monroe, Marilyn; Astaire, Fred; Laurel, Stan; Hardy, Oliver; Dietrich, Marlene; West, Mae; Dion; Hall, Huntz; Dylan, Bob; Liston, Sonny; Merkin, Richard; Stubbins, Albert; Bonn, Issy; Weissmuller, Johnny; Burroughs, William, Seward; Stockhausen, Karlheinz; Barnes, Binnie; Music; Dolls; Uniforms; Musicians; Trombone; Oboe; Trumpet; Piccolo; Drums (membranophones); Marijuana; Hyacinth
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