The Fool did make the sleeve for the record itself, which replaced the standard white paper sleeve that featured on almost every other record release.Ĩ. “If you look closely at the album cover, you’ll see two people who are flying, and two who aren’t,” John Lennon said, with Ringo Starr chipping in, “Have a look at the cover and come to your own conclusion! There’s a lot of red-eyed photos around!” Upping the trippiness was the gatefold design of the Fool, the Dutch collective Fraser wanted no part of, telling McCartney their contribution just wasn’t a good painting.
Blake and Haworth’s collage had been assembled over the previous week. The band was recording that night and arrived at Michael Cooper’s London photography studio in the late afternoon. Half the Beatles turned up high for their March 30th photo shoot. It was a police badge.” Indeed – the letters stand for Ontario Provincial Police, with the second P being mistaken for a D.ħ. badge that McCartney is wearing, which John Neary, in a Life article, called the British equivalent of “Dead on arrival.” In the same article, McCartney said, “It’s all so bloody stupid. On the album’s reverse, McCartney’s back is to the camera, and next to his head are the lyrics “without you” from George Harrison’s “Within You Without You.” “Clues” are alleged to be sprinkled throughout the record’s artwork: with the guitar floral arrangement on the front cover, for instance, and the O.P.D. These featured on the back cover, which would also do its part to fuel the “Paul is dead” craze that would shortly spring up. Pepper was the first record to feature printed lyrics in the packaging – which helped spark the “Paul is dead” rumors. Leo Gorcey, who starred in the Bowery Boys films, wanted $400 for his likeness, thus taking himself out of the mix.Ħ.
Blake considered the collage “a theater design,” his mindset being that the fictional band had just played a concert in the park, and now were taking a photograph with their audience. There were a range of reactions from the celebrities the Beatles wanted to include.Īctress Mae West, upon learning of the Beatles’ request, said, “What would I be doing in a lonely hearts club band?” Shirley Temple wanted to hear the record before she would commit. Occultist/satanist Aleister Crowley did manage to make the grade, though.ĥ. EMI boss Sir Joseph Lockwood vetoed Gandhi’s inclusion, worried that the album would not sell in India. Lennon wanting to be be “bold and brassy” in McCartney’s words, stumped for Hitler and Christ to appear, and also Gandhi. All told, there are 57 photographs in the collage. John Lennon was the most problematic Beatle when it came to who he wanted on the cover.Įach Beatle had been tasked with coming up with a list of men and women throughout history that they wished to have join them at the grand imagistic fete seen on the album cover. He was also a fan of Gene Vincent and Elvis, a “real deep common denominator” for McCartney.Ĥ.
Pepper to appeal as much to teenagers as octogenarians. The appeal of Blake was that his art was envelope-pushing in a more modern sense, but with elements of the past, and the Beatles wanted Sgt. The Beatles were also going to situate themselves in an Edwardian sitting room amidst some bric-a-brac of old trophies and photographs. McCartney’s friend John Dunbar enthused that an abstract canvas, without any text, would work best in those heady times: “People will know what it is, man, people will know what it is!” he remarked. The cover was almost an abstract painting. McCartney hasn’t gone on record about the earlier image, but Mercblecket did entertain the Beatles upon their arrival in Stockholm in 1964, and according to Swedish record dealer Jorgen Johansson, group member Roger Wallis has claimed he gave McCartney a copy of the EP during the trip.ģ.
Pepper by the Swedish brass band Mercblecket, featured artwork that was strikingly similar to the final Pepper cover. But he may have drawn inspiration from an obscure Swedish band.Ī Beatles tribute/parody EP, released three years prior to Sgt.