Description

Andy Warhol's idea for Sticky Fingers was a close-up of a man's crotch in tight jeans, and he wanted it to work. On the original LP, designed by Craig Braun, the zipper was a real metal zip. Pulling it down revealed a second image underneath: white briefs, stamped with Warhol's name. Mick Jagger chose Warhol's concept over Braun's own pitch, a sleeve made to look like a pack of rolling papers.

Who is wearing the jeans is still argued over. Jagger once named Jay Johnson, most accounts say Jed Johnson, the makeup artist Corey Tippin has said it was him, and Joe Dallesandro and Glenn O'Brien have also been suggested. The zipper caused practical trouble too: shops reported that it pressed into the vinyl of records stacked on top of each other, so it was moved towards the centre of the sleeve, where it did less damage. In Spain, Franco's censors banned the cover outright, and Spanish copies used a different design by John Pasche and Phil Jude showing fingers in an open tin.

The album, released on 23 April 1971, also launched a logo. John Pasche's tongue and lips, partly inspired by the Hindu goddess Kali, appeared for the first time on Sticky Fingers, in a red version produced by Braun's team, and it became the band's trademark. The sleeve was nominated for the Grammy for Best Album Cover in 1972.

Credit

Concept and photography by Andy Warhol; design by Craig Braun