There were a couple of leftovers from the first “Flaps” album cover post. Add in some suggestions from the Wordiverse with a special shoutout to CB for the first entry here) plus one I remembered at 3am and voila! …Part 2 beckons.
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The humble—and now, sadly, totally redundant—postcard has been used for album covers several times. Tim Buckley had a pop-out card for his Greetings From L.A. album and the Bonzos actually attached a postcard to their 1972 LP. The Boss’s simple design remains my favourite postcard. By using the gatefold principle, it really does evoke another era.
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Two other covers were mentioned in response to the previous “Flaps” post. One was the famous/notorious Alice Cooper album School’s Out, where not only did the flap of the school desk lift, you could fold out legs to raise the desk to, well, mouse level. Sadly my battered secondhand copy did not come with the original bonus gift.
The other was the second album by space-rockers Hawkwind. This lightning bolt centre-opening cover has it all. Diecut zig-zags, a tongue and slit latch, and a fold-out interior. The original LP also included a booklet/story/space log, but sadly I don’t have that marvellous extra.
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The album that I remembered in the middle of the night was Rare Earth’s In Concert from 1971. I bought this entirely for the back-pack cover with its two LPs nestled under the flap. The music is pretty bland but the cover is great.
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Also from 1971 comes the debut from Germany’s Ash Ra Tempel, featuring much missed guitarist Manuel Göttsching. Originals of this lavish package go for ridiculous money, so jumping on the 2023 MG.ART re-issue was mandatory. The music has a mystical krautrock space-jam vibe, just like the cover. Such a lovingly curated package: info sheets, poster, double-flaps (!) and clear vinyl record. Wundershön!
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Purple Overdose were a band from Athens—that’s the one in Greece, Georgia residents—who were active from the 80s through to the 00s. I didn’t know them at all, and bought this on the strength of the package. The music is good—neo-psychedelia in the spirit of the late 60s West Coast of the USA—but sadly the vocals are totally pants. Sounds like a guide vocal laid down by the chap who delivered the souvlakia to the studio. If I came across earlier albums I’d snap them up, but couldn’t recommend this other than to Purple Overdose completists and record collectors, for whom it is worth it just for the embossed postcards.
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Finally, one of my all time favourite album cover gems, Gluggo by the Spencer Davis Group (1973). The gatefold is full of silly and funny advertisement parodies, but the crowing glory is the gatefold that becomes a 3-D can (of what? Gluggo of course!) when the tab is inserted into a slot. Irresistible!
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That’s it for the flaps, folks.
But I do need your opinions… Am I daft enough to assemble a post on die-cut* album covers? Or will that get me bogged in a sticky mess?
* In Search Of Space is a fine example of a die-cut cover
vinylconnection.com.au 
The Hawkwind album really resembles those portable shrines or travel altars from medieval times, BYO candles & incense, very fun! But hey what’s this about postcards being totally obsolete?? I send ‘em all the time, sometimes random ones I find when I buy used books. Greetings from the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha.
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Where’s Robert gone now? Could be a board game in this.
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I’m sometimes called Waldo.
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That Rare Earth cover is fantastic! And if I’m not mistaken, the Ash Ra Tempel is first clear LP I’ve ever seen. The Springsteen album is a classic. When I was in college, I spent more time than I’d care to admit memorizing the lyrics to “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?”, along with Bruce’s exact delivery, so I could sing along at top volume. Ah, youth.
And YES to a post on die-cut album covers!
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It counts for much more when you can belt it out, right? Love that image. Anatomy texts over there, Springsteen lyrics front and centre.
Thanks for picking up on the question. I probably will, as there are some corkers as well as classics. But I might need a little break from album cover posts. I always think they are a ‘quick’ post, but in fact take twice as long as a 600 word review as there are so many photos to take and edit! Having said that, your YES is logged. 🙂
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And lines like this were especially fun to belt:
“Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps
Interstellar mongrel nymphs
Oh, Rex said that lady left him limp
Love’s like that
Sure it is…”
☺️
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😂
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Great post, Bruce. Some of these flaps were so creative and fun. In the age of streaming, it’s safe to assume the majority of listeners doesn’t even know what a gatefold is.
One of my favorites is “Ooh La La” by Faces. The die-cut design element that descends to make Gastone’s eyes appear to discolor and move to the side, and his jaw appear to drop into a leering smile is creepy but pretty memorable! 🙂
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Ooh La La is something special, isn’t it? Sadly I don’t have a copy, though there was one in my friend Steven’s collection. As I recall, it was slightly larger than standard cover size and as a result often rather battered and tattered. Sometimes it’s not good to stand out from the crowd!
Thanks for visiting, Christian. I thought of you as I was trying to photograph the Ash Ra Tempel; certainly one of the fanciest ‘kruatrock’ packages!
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I don’t have it in front of me, but I think my copy of In Search of Space is standard, money-saving non-flap. Which I can live with, as it’s a cool cover, anyway!
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It is cool, Pete. And yes, some territories went with the cheaper option, including Australia. It was quite a few years before I even knew what people were talking about with the lightning flash and tab!
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The Springsteen one is classic.
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Those are cool – 3D can! Postcard!
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Gotta love a gimmick, right? 🤣
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Bingo! The Rare Earth was hiding somewhere in the caverns of the cranium. Forgot about Buckley and Ive been on a bit of a listening jag.
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