2 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 2 album covers documented under the "pop art" design theme, all from the 1960s. These covers sit within the rock, pop tradition and feature work by The Velvet Underground, The Beatles. Each entry below includes the cover artwork, the designers and photographers behind it, and a short story about the visual choices that defined the release.
Andy Warhol's simple screen-printed banana on a white background became one of the first interactive album covers — the original pressing featured a peelable sticker revealing a flesh-pink banana underneath.
The concept was born from Paul McCartney's idea that the Beatles would become an entirely fictional band. The cover depicts the band in colorful satin military uniforms standing in front of a crowd of life-size cardboard cutouts of famous figures.