Sir Peter Blake is the godfather of pop art and a knight of the collage. He’s the man who made album art as iconic as the music inside—mixing rock stars with wrestlers, folklore with freak-outs, and turning sleeves into gallery walls. Everyone knows he designed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band… because of course who else would have ever thought of it? It’s the most obvious album art answer of all time. But here are 15 other sleeves that carry his visual fingerprints—and maybe a little glitter glue.
Apples – Ian Dury
One of Blake’s most tender pieces of cover work, this 1989 sleeve paid tribute to his former art student, Ian Dury. Filled with playful innocence and sly melancholy, it’s Dury’s punk poetry visualized.
A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil – David Sylvian
Blake meets surrealism in this moody and mysterious 1987 collaboration. Ethereal and haunting, it’s Blake dialing down the color and cranking up the dreamlike strangeness.
Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?
A who’s-who collage of 1984’s biggest pop stars. Leave it to Peter Blake to turn the world’s most star-studded charity single into a festive pop-art patchwork of musical goodwill.
Brand New Boots and Panties – Various Artists
This Ian Dury tribute is Blake going full Blake—cut-out chaos, candy-colored nostalgia, and loving nods to his former student’s legacy. One of the busiest and boldest sleeves of the 2000s.
Champagne Supernova – Oasis
For the single sleeve of one of Britpop’s most cosmic tracks, Blake paired surrealism with psychedelia. A champagne glass, some stars, and a little mystery—Gallagher-approved.
Colours – A Stranger Shadow
One of his lesser-known sleeves, but still distinctly his. Collage, color blocks, and found imagery swirl into something both classic and contemporary.
Face Dances – The Who
Multiple artists were involved, but Blake’s hand is all over this 1981 cover. He turned the band’s faces into a pop-art guessing game, like Warhol meets yearbook photos.
Gettin’ In Over My Head – Brian Wilson
For a Beach Boys legend, Blake brought California surrealism to life. It’s dreamlike, Dali-esque, and somehow makes Brian Wilson look like a Victorian daydreamer.
I’m Frank – The Fall
Yes, Peter Blake did a sleeve for The Fall. It’s stark, strange, and playfully serious—perfect for Mark E. Smith’s off-kilter genius.
Leaving Home – Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes
Blake combined guitars, gravitas, and golden age aesthetics for this under-the-radar gem. It feels like a scrapbook of six-string history.
Manhattan Boogie Woogie – Landscape
A tribute to Mondrian via synth-pop. Blake injected strict lines with rhythmic energy, transforming minimalism into maximalist motion.
Me and Mr. Johnson – Eric Clapton
Clapton covers Robert Johnson, and Blake covers Clapton. This one’s vintage without being dusty—a respectful nod to the blues in collage form.
Stanley Road – Paul Weller
Blake’s collage style finds its perfect match in Weller’s mod revivalism. This is one of his most celebrated sleeves—a bold, brash, British masterpiece.
Stop the Clocks – Oasis
This cover is Sgt. Pepper’s meets Definitely Maybe through a dream filter. A living room filled with absurdity, nostalgia, and Blake’s personal brand of chaos.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
You’ve heard of it, maybe? This is Peter Blake’s Mona Lisa. The cover that launched a thousand parodies, puzzle hunts, and theories. It’s the most famous collage in rock history—and Blake got £200 and no royalties. Talk about a bargain bin steal.
Peter Blake made music visible. Every sleeve is a miniature museum, a time capsule of pop culture in Technicolor. And if you’ve ever judged an album by its cover, chances are Sir Peter Blake was the judge and jury.