# Albums with gimmick packaging **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2007, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968 "2007-12-14T05:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/21 "2007-12-14T13:47:34Z")
Besides the two Jethro Tull albums already mentioned, **Living in the Past** had a faux-leather cover with a picture book bound inside, and **A Passion Play** had a mock theater program bound inside the gatefold. Soft Machine’s self-titled first LP had a picture wheel cover, an idea later copied for **Led Zeppelin III**. Talking Heads’ **Speaking in Tongues** had a variation on the picture wheel idea, with a series of transparent plastic wheels covering a clear vinyl disc, designed by Robert Rauschenberg. Which reminds me of the first **Faust** album, on clear vinyl in a clear plastic cover, and even a clear plastic lyric sheet. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/22 "2007-12-14T13:49:03Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] pink floyd’s Wish You Were here was apparently originally packaged, briefly, in a black plastic envelope that contained a smell similar to burnt flesh. [/QUOTE] I’ve only seen it in blue plastic with only a sticker to indicate the album and group. _The Beatles_ (i.e., The White Album) was first published with the title embossed on the record; some early copies also had serial numbers. Later, the words were printed. _School’s Out_ by Alice Cooper opened like a grade school desk, and the record was covered by a pair of paper panties. _Public Image Limited_ was originally marketed in a round metal can. _Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake_ by the Small Faces was in a circular sleeve. _Rolling Stones Greatest Hits II_ was hexagonal. _The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys_ and _Shootout at the Fantasy Factory_ by Traffic had two opposite corners cut off, making them six sided. _Tadpoles_ by the Bonzo Dog Band had a die cut cover. When you pulled the record from the sleeve, the pictures moved across the musicians’ faces. **Clear Spot** by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band was in clear vinyl. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/23 "2007-12-14T13:50:41Z")
In **My Brother’s Blood Machine** by _The Prize Fighter Inferno_ (a one-man-band consisting of Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria,) the lyrics are printed on the backs of Tarot-esque cards printed on cardstock and included inside the sleeve. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/24 "2007-12-14T13:52:08Z")
_Sgt. Pepper’s_ had a few extras in it, including a paper Beatle mustache, cutouts of the band, some stripes, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/25 "2007-12-14T13:53:59Z")
Led Zeppelin III had that wheel spinning thing…whatever they are called. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/26 "2007-12-14T13:55:49Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] _School’s Out_ by Alice Cooper opened like a grade school desk, and the record was covered by a pair of paper panties. [/QUOTE] I got gypped. My copy had the LP in a clear plastic innersleeve rather than the notorious panties. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/27 "2007-12-14T13:56:31Z")
Oh, I also hear that some packagings of Syd Barrett collections included relevant trinkets such as a sequined fan (which I am feeling left out of as my copy of Crazy Diamond had none of that. [hijack]But as it was available only on CD, I bought it before I even owned a CD player and bought one just to listen to it without hearing Syd outside of Floyd before[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/28 "2007-12-14T14:08:10Z")
Then there’s the _Yesterday, Today, and Forever_ album cover which had the Beatles sitting on boxes surrounded by cuts of beef and mutilated baby dolls. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/29 "2007-12-14T14:11:12Z")
Monty Python had _Matching Tie and Handkerchief_, an album I owned at one time but do not remember exactly what the gimmick was. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/30 "2007-12-14T14:11:14Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] _Sgt. Pepper’s_ had a few extras in it, including a paper Beatle mustache, cutouts of the band, some stripes, etc. [/QUOTE] Not in the original release, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/31 "2007-12-14T14:16:30Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Monty Python had _Matching Tie and Handkerchief_, an album I owned at one time but do not remember exactly what the gimmick was. [/QUOTE] A die cut cover showing the tie and handkerchief. When you pulled out the inner sleeve, it’s revealed the items are being worn by a man being hanged. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/32 "2007-12-14T14:18:14Z")
hehe. Wish I still had it! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/33 "2007-12-14T14:29:07Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] Not in the original release, IIRC. [/QUOTE] Naw, I’m pretty sure they were in the original release. The Beatles talk about the extras in the _Anthology_ and how they had to scale back what they really wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/34 "2007-12-14T14:30:28Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] And their later album, _Pulse_, included a red LED in the front that would blink until the battery finally gave out. [/QUOTE] You may already be aware, but the batteries (I believe two AAs, but my copy is at work and I’m not so I can’t verify) are replaceable – just take the book containing the CDs and liner notes out, and there’s another cardboard sleeve that contains the batteries and light that can be taken out. I’ve replaced the batteries about three times since that album was released – it certainly sets it apart from the other CDs next to it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/35 "2007-12-14T14:38:02Z")
[QUOTE=Intelligently Designed] Led Zeppelin’s _In Through the Out Door_ was set in [a brown paper envelope](http://eil.com/products/led-zeppelin-in-through-the-out-door-329629.html) instead of the usual transparent plastic. [/QUOTE] “In Through The Out Door” had a few gimmicks. Besides the brown paper wrapper, there were four (maybe five?) different covers. You didn’t know which cover you got until after you bought the album, removed the shrink wrap, and took the album cover out of the brown paper wrapper. Each of the different covers was from the perspective of the various people in the bar. Also, the inside sleeve had drawings that were coated with chemicals that would turn colors if you wiped it with a damp cloth. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/36 "2007-12-14T14:38:34Z")
I forget the title, but Grand Funk Railroad had one circular album cover made to look like a silver coin. (“We’re an American Band,” was it?) ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/37 "2007-12-14T14:55:10Z")
Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks. “Striking it Rich” and “Where’s the Money” both had interesting album covers. “Striking” looked like a giant matchbook, the musicians’ heads replaced the match heads in the die cut on the inside. Both had cool, funny stuff also printed on the inner paper sleeves. Dave Mason’s “Alone Together” had three panels when unfolded, the top one was die-cut around his top hat. The LP itself was pressed out of multi-colored vinyl. John Lennon’s “Walls and Bridges” had a front made out of three horizontal sections that you could flip to mix and match. The artwork was stuff he drew as a kid. A locally produced LP called “D.I.Y” (do it yourself) of various Southern artists came in a clear plastic sleeve. The LP was also clear plastic. If it weren’t for the label in the middle the darn thing would be hard to see. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/38 "2007-12-14T15:07:22Z")
[QUOTE=Gordon Urquhart] You may already be aware, but the batteries (I believe two AAs, but my copy is at work and I’m not so I can’t verify) are replaceable [/QUOTE] I was not aware of that. I don’t have the album (they just weren’t the same Floyd after Waters left, IMO), so I assumed it was one of those embedded micro-batteries, like in the singing greeting cards. Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/39 "2007-12-14T15:23:15Z")
[QUOTE=randwill] A locally produced LP called “D.I.Y” (do it yourself) of various Southern artists came in a clear plastic sleeve. The LP was also clear plastic. If it weren’t for the label in the middle the darn thing would be hard to see. [/QUOTE] That reminds me of the Boston LP that had the same graphic as the cover printed on the whole thing… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968/40 "2007-12-14T15:23:39Z")
I’m sure there was an album once that had a front composed of a sealed transparent plastic pouch of fake semi-liquid vomit. I can’t remember any of the other details, but I’m sure I saw it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-with-gimmick-packaging/429968.md?page=3)