Do Ya Think I'm sexy? (an article "for adults only")

When the 33 -lap vinyl was still the phonographic support of reference, in addition to the content of the engraved furrows, great importance was also given to the cover of Cardboard which enclosed the disc. It was the first thing that was noticed, of 33 laps; In fact, in the golden years a significant flowering of graphs and specialized photographers had developed. Inevitably, not all the covers were valuable or appreciable; There were also the trivially illustrative ones, and also those that were astutely tickle the buyer’s voyeurism.

Paschen, the publisher highly appreciated for his quality illustrated books, has collected in a powerful volume of the same format as the 33 laps, and 528 pages, on sale for 60 euros, a selection of – as the title says – “Sexy Record Covers”. The selection covers more than about seventy years of production, from 1947 to 2023, and, as is obvious, does not only contain graphically valuable works, but also examples of pure opportunism (“let’s put a naked girl on the cover that always takes effect”, in short), some of whom are decidedly “cheap”. All the material contained in the book comes from the personal collection of Eric Godtland, who has worked in the record industry for more than 35 years and in thirty years of travel around the world he has collected thousands of records.

Browse this very rich volume is a real fun, as it was to choose from the hundreds of proposed covers – some teasers, some funny, some embarrassing – those that have seemed more significant or curious to me: which are reproduced below for the kind concession of the publisher.

Various interpreters: “A Collection of Immortal Tenor Sax Masterpieces Artist”

Year not indicated, Toshiba

Great White, “Hooked”

1991, Capitol