Readers Poll: The Best Album Covers of All Time

The cover of the Beatles' 1967 LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic images in the history of rock & roll. The photo was originally going to show the Beatles (in their Sgt. Pepper's outfits) playing in a park. That slowly evolved into the final concept, where they stand amidst cardboard cutouts of their heroes. The band originally planned on including Leo Gorcey, Gandhi, Jesus Christ and Adolf Hitler in the photo. Common sense kicked Hitler off the cover (though they did create an image of him), the still-lingering bitterness of Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" comment kicked Jesus off the cover and Gandhi got the boot over concerns that India wouldn't print the album.

Actor Gorcey requested $400 for his likeness, a decision he probably lived to regret. Mae West initially refused, asking "What would I be doing in a lonely hearts club band?" The Beatles sent her a letter explaining the concept, causing her to change her mind. The only people still living from the cover are Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Dion DiMucci, Shirley Temple and Bob Dylan. 

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