Released for a very short time in 1966 was an avant garde album cover. That Beatles sleeve was suppressed, and fast! The story is that the band had hired an avant garde Australian photog to do a cover. Not all bandmates were pleased but John and Paul had been to art school, with Paul hobnobbing with London's artsy set and with John striving to be a multi-dimensional artist. He certainly had a high creative streak. Anyway John backed use of that cover at full throttle.
My first instinct, when I saw it, was "SICKO! Who needs this?" But then I recalled that when I was in my early twenties, I'd probably just have guffawed at that bit, maybe adding, "These guys are CRAzee!"
But 1966 was not the time to try such a stunt in America. Yet, I can see that that cover has real merit as art. It carries the messages of the ludicrousness of civilized life and of how children worldwide are treated as chunks of meat with no regard to their human needs (something that would have struck a chord with John). Further, many young adult males are simply highly aggressive. Note that much highly popular hard rock carries an aggressive, in-your-face boldness. Artists, especially hard rock artists, are expected to take a fun-loving "amoral" stance (Stones). Sometimes the line is blurred between aimless barbarian rock and very forceful art rock (Metallica).
The Beatles "naughty" LP sleeve was only a small jump ahead of its time. Take a look at Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention with bandmates in drag a couple years later. That one survived the howls of indignation. I still think quite a bit of Zappa's art rock was cool, tho I'm not drawn to it these days.
My first instinct, when I saw it, was "SICKO! Who needs this?" But then I recalled that when I was in my early twenties, I'd probably just have guffawed at that bit, maybe adding, "These guys are CRAzee!"
But 1966 was not the time to try such a stunt in America. Yet, I can see that that cover has real merit as art. It carries the messages of the ludicrousness of civilized life and of how children worldwide are treated as chunks of meat with no regard to their human needs (something that would have struck a chord with John). Further, many young adult males are simply highly aggressive. Note that much highly popular hard rock carries an aggressive, in-your-face boldness. Artists, especially hard rock artists, are expected to take a fun-loving "amoral" stance (Stones). Sometimes the line is blurred between aimless barbarian rock and very forceful art rock (Metallica).
The Beatles "naughty" LP sleeve was only a small jump ahead of its time. Take a look at Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention with bandmates in drag a couple years later. That one survived the howls of indignation. I still think quite a bit of Zappa's art rock was cool, tho I'm not drawn to it these days.
[Scroll down to Mothers of Invention LP sleeve.]
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