4 album covers in our archive
Pink Floyd is featured in Behind the Covers' archive with 4 album covers from the 1970s. Released across Harvest Records (UK) / Columbia Records (US) and Harvest (UK) / Capitol (US) labels, the artwork sits in the rock tradition. Each cover is documented in our archive with design notes covering photography, conceptual, surreal, controversial, censored, graphic design. Below you'll find the full story behind each Pink Floyd cover — designers, photographers, label history, and the visual choices that defined the release.
Two businessmen shake hands on a sun-baked studio backlot, and one of them is on fire. Pink Floyd asked Storm Thorgerson how to picture people who hide their true feelings, and he answered: 'Set a man on fire.' A real stuntman, fifteen takes, and a singed moustache later, here's the result.
A keyboardist asked for something as classy as a chocolate box. What he got was a beam of white light splitting into a rainbow against pure black, a design pulled from a 1963 physics textbook that would end up on more T-shirts than almost any image in rock. Here's how Pink Floyd's prism came to be.
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Pink Floyd — album cover art and credits.
The Wall by Pink Floyd — album cover art and credits.
