Art on their sleeves

摘要

Don't judge a book by its cover, the saying goes. But when this phrase was coined back in the 1800s it was referring to the quality of a book's binding and cover versus the quality of the text within. When it comes to LP records, from the earliest days they have cried out from the record racks to be judged by their covers. Their sleeves either reflected the musical content or served to entice the listener by the use of striking artwork. As record company marketing departments became more sophisticated, other extras might be included, though usually these were only available to the first batch of buyers.