HYPERMADE CULTURE MAGAZINE

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Bare Skin on Vinyl

“Sexy Record Covers” explores desire, power and design
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Sexy Record Covers – TASCHEN Book Cover
Black Soul Explosion – Sexy Record Covers Book Spread
Surreal Erotica – Wilding/Bonus & Fausto Papetti in Sexy Record Covers
Sex Olympiade and German Vinyl Erotica – Sexy Record Covers Spread
Dutch Erotic Vinyl Covers – Sexy Record Covers Book Spread
The Best of Soul Vol. 2 – Vintage Erotic LP Cover from Sexy Record Covers
German Erotic Records – Die Sex-Olympiade in Sexy Record Covers
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“Sexy Record Covers” brings together hundreds of album covers where sex is more than a sales tactic – it becomes an aesthetic principle, a societal mirror, and at times an ironic commentary. The collection spans genres from jazz and punk to German schlager, and deliberately taps into the collective memory through its visual language: anyone who browsed LP racks in the 1970s will recognize certain motifs. The physical presence of these covers reveals how deeply visual culture was once intertwined with the medium of vinyl – and what has been lost in the shift to digital.

Nude woman depicted as a jigsaw puzzle on the erotic vinyl cover of “Salsa Agro Dolce” by Gruppo Irakere.
Salsa Agro Dolce by Gruppo Irakere shows a fragmented nude as a puzzle –
a bold example of erotic vinyl design from the Italy in the 1970s.
© Taschen Verlag

This story is told not only through images but also through voices: Dian Hanson, known for her erotic publications, analyzes the visual codes with sharp precision, while collector Eric Godtland adds personal anecdotes. Many of the featured LPs have only survived thanks to him—most were released by obscure labels in tiny print runs. Particularly compelling are the regional chapters, such as the section titled “German Mood,” where eroticism meets provincial charm, irony, and kitsch—a historical treasure trove beyond the bounds of conventional design history.

James Brown on a disco-themed vinyl cover titled “Sex Machine”, with nude female bodies forming the letters.
James Brown’s “Sex Machine Today” shows nude women shaping the letters of the title –
a bold example of disco-era erotic vinyl design.
© Taschen Verlag

What may first appear as a curiosity reveals, on closer inspection, a critical reflection on masculinity, Western consumer aesthetics, and the cultural handling of sexuality. Caught between nostalgia, voyeurism, and media history, the book documents a largely forgotten chapter of visual pop culture—perhaps precisely because it so directly engages with looking, desire, and lust. It is a book that doesn’t moralize but rather makes visible—and in doing so, provokes more than one might expect.

For more information about the book Sexy Record Covers, please visit the TASCHEN website.

TitleSexy Record Covers
AuthorDian Hanson, Eric Godtland
PublisherTASCHEN
BindingHardcover
Pages528
LanguageEnglish
Publication year2025
Dimensions29.3 × 29.3 cm
ISBN978-3-8365-9620-6
Price60 €

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The book was kindly made available to us by the publisher. The presentation and rating of HYPERMADE remains independent of this and is based solely on the content of the book.

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