Are you a record collector? Do you search for records with record sleeves in perfect or near perfect condition? I certainly do. But I’m prepared to allow my covers to be defaced by allowing the artist or cover designer autograph my covers, and I have many covers so defaced. Recently, I heard about an exhibition in the Netherlands called Vinylize! that showed covers that many graphic artists had “re-imagined” record sleeves by creating new cover art by painting the original sleeves. The exhibition was accompanied by a book that illustrated the covers and included a potted biography of the designers who had re-imagined the original designs.

Stimulated by this exhibition, I took two of my Andy Warhol covers to artist and record shop owner Romain Beltrame to re-imagine the designs.

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Even more recently, I heard about Greg Wooton’s book Marred for Life! A pictorial collection of record sleeves defaced by their owners.

Some of the record covers illustrated in the book are simply doodles while some have some artistic quality. Here are three examples from the book.

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I must have come across many covers defaced by their owners and felt that the covers had lost their charm. Now I’ll have to rethink my attitude, but not so far as to start collecting defaced record sleeves! I appreciate that even my autographed sleeves are defaced.

Marred for Life! and Vinylize! find their place on my bookshelf where I keep books on record cover design.