1/151. Songbird - While “Funny Girl was running on Broadway in the mid-1960s, Barbra Streisand acquired a dog named Sadie, a gift from the other cast members. On the cover of her 1978 album “Songbird”, she’s holding the poodle and in her handwriting are the words, “Sorry, couldn’t find a bird.”
15 dogs who rocked album covers
Who let the dogs out? Plenty of artists have, and featured dogs on the covers of their albums. Here’s a few of our favourites.
2/152. Because They Can - The two hirsute blonde brothers that were Nelson were already fading by the time their second album was released, garnering a famously bad review of Because They Can. It was the simple riposte – “Maybe they shouldn’t”. As for the cover – even an iconic shot from William Wegman couldn’t save this dog of an album.
3/153. Best of the Pogues – Another William Wegman photo graces the cover of The Pogues 1991 Best Of compilation. But it was far from a dog, opening with the Christmas classic “Fairytale of New York” and celebrating the band at their rollicking best across the next 13 tracks.
4/154. Veedon Fleece - The cover for Van Morrison’s eighth album shows a pensive Van the Man between two Irish Wolfhounds. The photograph was taken adjacent to the Sutton House Hotel, a converted mansion overlooking Dublin Bay, where Morrison first stayed upon arriving in Ireland in 1973, soon after his divorce from Janet Planet.
5/155. Shabooh Shoobah - Singer Michael Hutchence and photographer Grant Mathews are credited with the cover concept to INXS’ breakthrough album. With its exposed male torso holding a whippet, instead of the usual band shot. It emanated mystery and intrigue that elevated the band from their pub rock infancy.
6/156. American Recordings – Photographer Andy Earl shot the iconic photograph of Johnny Cash that was used on the cover of the 1994 album American Recordings in Werribee, Victoria. Cash was touring Australia and a cover was needed urgently. But the dogs were just a happy accident. “The truth is that the dogs only wandered into the frame for a couple of shots,” says Earl. “That couldn’t have been staged even if we had thought of it”.
7/157. Odelay - The authors of 100 Greatest Album Covers said of the memorable photo of the Komondor – a Hungarian sheepdog – “Beck’s cover caused quite a stir when it first appeared as no one was quite sure what the picture was all about. The only comment the record company could make about the cover was one of relief when they learned that the album would be released on time”.
8/158. The Fall – Photographer Autumn de Wilde “wanted to use a bunch of dogs because she likes working with animals,” says Norah Jones about the image on her fourth album. “We ended up just loving the Saint Bernard so much that we got some shots with just him. He was so beautiful.”
9/159. Pampered Menial - Three engravings from 1849 are attributed to the collection of London businessman Robert Vernon make up the front, back and inside cover of Pavlov’s Dog’s 1975 debut.
10/1510. Raditude – Owner Jason Neely captured our favourite action cover when his rescue dog Sidney (“I have never seen a dog with as much energy!” said Neely) was around two years old. He submitted it to National Geographic shortly thereafter and Weezer’s manager thought it would make a great cover. Correct.
11/1511. Priest=Aura – Guitarist Marty Wilson-Piper says in relation to the cover image on The Church’s eighth album “The picture of a wild dog/wolf on the cover was perhaps our greatest record sleeve. It is such an evocative picture”. Agreed.
12/1512. All Shook Down - The album cover art was taken by then student Michael Wilson in Newport, Kentucky. The dogs “vulnerable, yet unified and unbreakable form … told a story”. It also perfectly reflected the desolate, sometimes troubled, soundscape of the Replacements seventh and final album.
13/1513. Parklife - The album cover for Blur’s 1994 album was among the ten chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of "Classic Album Cover" postage stamps issued in January 2010. Most of the pictures in the CD booklet are of the band in the greyhound racing venue Walthamstow Stadium. But the cover shot was taken on November 2, 1988 at Romford Stadium, Essex, by sports photographer Bob Thomas.
14/1514. Tusk – The band’s 1979 album was the first not to feature any member of Fleetwood Mac. Instead it featured Scooter, a dog owned by producer/engineer Ken Caillat. It’s also his jeans the dog is latched on to. Fans of the band were not happy.
15/1515. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - The dog on the front cover of Neil Young’s second solo outing is named Winni after the Canadian city of Winnipeg where Young’s musical career too flight. Though the photo itself was taken farther south in warmer climes of California’s Topanga Canyon.