Sticky Fingers

Andy Warhol designed the cover, which features a close-up photograph of a man's crotch in tight-fitting jeans, shot from roughly belt-level. The original vinyl LP featured a real, functioning YKK zipper on the cover — when unzipped, it revealed the same model in white cotton underwear. This made it one of the first truly interactive album covers and certainly one of the most provocative.

The identity of the crotch model has been debated for over 50 years. Andy Warhol himself was deliberately cagey about the answer. The most commonly credited model is Joe Dallesandro, a Warhol "superstar" and actor who appeared in several of Warhol's films including Flesh and Trash. However, other candidates have been suggested, including Warhol associates Glenn O'Brien and Corey Tippin, and even Jed Johnson, Warhol's partner at the time. Warhol may have used multiple models for different elements. The photographer is similarly disputed — Billy Name (born William Linich), Warhol's Factory photographer, is most commonly credited.

The zipper caused significant practical problems. During shipping and storage, the metal zipper teeth would press against and damage the vinyl record inside, creating ring-shaped scratches. Atlantic Records staff had to insert cardboard inserts to protect the vinyl, adding to production costs. The zipper also frequently snagged on adjacent records in shops and collections, damaging other albums' covers. Despite these issues, the zipper was retained for the original pressing run. Later reissues and CD versions simply printed an image of a zipper.

The album also marked the debut of the iconic "tongue and lips" Rolling Stones logo, designed by John Pasche (a student at the Royal College of Art) and appearing on the inner sleeve. Pasche was paid £50 for the design; it has since become one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Mick Jagger reportedly wanted the logo to reflect his own famously large lips.

The cover won a Grammy nomination and has been cited as one of the most daring pieces of album art in rock history. Original pressings with intact, functional zippers are highly collectible, with pristine copies fetching significant sums at auction. The cover established a precedent for provocative, sexually charged album imagery and demonstrated that packaging could be an art object in its own right. Warhol's involvement cemented the Stones' connection to the New York art world.