Sleeveface Photos – The 20 Best Record Art Shots Since 2008
Sleeveface Photos: Introduction
Sleeveface Photos, also known as LP Portraits, are a picture meme in which a vinyl record sleeve is placed in front of one’s face and a profile shot is taken, revealing a “hybrid face” of the subject and the artwork featured on the record sleeve.
This practice became a real fad in 2007, and what is left today is thousands of photos available on different online platforms.
The 20 Best Sleeveface Posts
Along the years, I have collected lots of cover art illusion memes I came across on the internet.
So today, you can explore the 20 best sleevefaces we’ve chosen with a few friends from among these remarkable images:
John Cassavetes – Staccato
Credit: Anny Celsi, Nelson Bragg, and Ivan Pyzow.
Garfunkel – Angel Clare
Credit: Christophe Gowans.
Electric Light Orchestra – Discovery
Credit: Christophe Gowans.
Freddy Mercury – Mr. Bad Guy
Credit: unknown.
James Taylor – Never Die Young
Credit: André Bonsanto, Grazieli Eurich, Fabio Ansolin, Mauricio Toczek, Maicon Ambrosio and Gabriel Junqueira (Unicentro, Brazil).
Miles Davis – Miles Davis (Amiga)
Credit: Kálmán Tünde.
The Best of Bill Withers
Credit: Kommunikation Lohnzich.
Madonna – True Blue
Credit: Luise Peeck.
La Roux – I’m Not Your Toy
Credit: Marcio Reverbcity.
The Very Best of Elton John
Credit: Matthias and Mrs K.
Harry Belafonte – An Evening With Belafonte
Credit: Nathan Rosen & Jeanne Azzerone.
Françoise Hardy – Françoise Hardy
Credit: Pat Póvoa.
John Farnham – Whispering Jack
Credit: Paul and Sonia Child.
Charlie Rich – Behind Closed Doors
Credit: Pete Willocks.
Nancy & Lee – Nancy & Lee
Credit: Quint Kik & Eric Walet.
Mireille Mathieu – Bonjour Mireille
Credit: Richard Matera.
Udo Lindenberg – Daumen Im Wind
Credit: Till Hogrefe & Tanja Brinker.
Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti
Credit: Tom & Paul Reas.
Ramones – End Of The Century
Credit: Víctor Cabezas, Manolo Martínez, Facundo Ramone, and Michael Ramone.
Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
Credit: William Petrovic.
More About Carl Morris and the Sleeveface Phenomenon
Welsh DJ Carl Morris invented the name “Sleeveface” in April 2007, when pictures were taken of him and his friends holding record covers to their faces while DJing at a bar in Cardiff, UK.
Then, his friend John Rostron placed the photographs online and started a Facebook group, and it quickly became viral.
The precise origin of the concept, however, is unknown. Prior to the release of Sleeveface, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Eskils posted multiple sleeveface-style pictures on the Waxidermy forum in 2006.
The act of covering one’s body part with an album sleeve has previously been seen in album covers, with the oldest example being the cover art of John Hiatt‘s 1979 album “Slug Face” where he is pictured holding a sleeve in front of his face. A similar concept was employed for Huey Lewis and the News‘ 1982 album “Picture This,” as well as cover art collages by visual artist Christian Marclay, whose work dates back to the early 1990s.
The phenomena of sleevefacing quickly attracted the attention of mainstream media sources and influential tech blogs such as BBC, and The Guardian, among others, in late January 2008. The craze spread to photo-sharing groups and social networking sites such as Flickr. The official Flickr group has over 4,000 picture entries as of January 2023.
The Website and The End of The Sleeveface Fad:
In late 2008, John Rostron and Carl Morris released the book “Sleeveface: Be the Vinyl”, which features a collection of pictures from around the world.
According to Wired Magazine, the book’s distribution sparked some anxiety about the commercialization of a common culture.
Besides this commercial attempt, one can browse thousands of pictures on their official website.
Join Our Community!
Subscribe to La Newsletter
Stay informed with the latest news and blog posts from the world of high fidelity sound.
Gregory de Richemont
At the helm of Le Son, Gregory combines his business administration expertise with a deep passion for high fidelity sound. Renowned for his skill in analog audio, Gregory's journey from corporate life to audiophile expert is a testament to his dedication to pure sound. Discover more on our About Us page.