Ever wondered where those classic album cover photos were taken so you can go and snap them for yourself? Wonder no more. New York City is full of such places, and thanks to the internet it’s easier than ever to track them down. To get you started, here is a list of five of the most famous.
5. Ramones – Ramones
The Ramones were a notoriously hard to photograph, in terms of getting them all in the same place and in terms of striking a pose for the camera. This photo for their debut album was in fact taken by Roberta Bayley for Punk magazine, but Sire ended up buying the rights as it was the best of the bunch. You can find the spot at Albert’s Garden, a private community garden on 2nd Avenue. The exact location is at the back of the garden against the wall, which has now been plastered and painted over. The garden is often locked but you might get lucky while you’re there.
4. Simon & Garfunkel – Wednesday Morning, 3AM
Simon & Garfunkel chose an important part of New York life to feature on their debut album cover: the subway system. This photo was taken at the 5th Ave / 53rd Street subway station on the lower platform of the outbound E and F lines, while they were perhaps on their way back from a folk club. The subway was clearly a source of inspiration for the duo, considering the lyrics to ‘Sounds of Silence’: “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls”. And they’re not the only ones. Velvet Underground, Ramones and Grandmaster Flash all had album covers featuring New York’s underground network.
3. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
Peter Corriston’s sleeve design for Physical Graffiti ranks as a stone-cold classic of 1970s cover art. This is especially true of the original LP sleeve, which had die-cut windows exposing the people and objects in the building underneath. The band had no easy job finding the right building, though, scouting around town for weeks with Corriston. They eventually found what they were looking for at the enigmatically detailed 96-98 St Mark’s Place. The building is still standing and even has a tea shop on the ground floor called Physical Graffitea.
2. Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
When it came out in 1989, Paul’s Boutique was a revelation, utilising a dense web of samples that was completely new to hip hop at the time. Even Miles Davis never tired of listening to it. The photo for this multi-cultural record was taken on the Lower East Side, where the group added a ‘Paul’s Boutique’ sign to the sportswear shop at 99 Rivington Street at Ludlow Street (original ‘Lee’s Sportswear’ sign still visible on the cover). Until 2007, the space was a deli restaurant called Paul’s Boutique in honour of the record. Now it’s a gourmet wrap shop called Wolf Nights. I wonder if they know it’s an album cover location?
1. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
It’s a fact that Bob Dylan lived in New York City in the 1960s and made some of his best albums there. For a taste of Dylan’s New York, head to Jones Street at West 4th Street where the photo for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan was taken. One cold February afternoon in 1963, a 21-year-old Dylan and his then-girlfriend Suze Rotolo huddled together in the street for the photo shoot. The resulting image captures the true spirit of the Sixties, of freedom and young love. It also helped usher in a new ‘look’ for album covers that were more natural, replacing the staged portraits of old.
There you have it – five album cover locations to get you started on your visit to NYC. If you’re planning to stay a few nights, you might want to check out HotelClub where you can compare New York hotels.
