6 Must-Visit Record Stores for Every Vinyl Lover | Gadhouse
Your crate-digging guide to 6 top global record stores from Los Angeles to Tokyo, plus the perfect Gadhouse turntable for
Pimrapat Chowiwattana
August 10, 2025
What makes an album cover truly great? A great one sticks with you long after the music ends. Some of these picks might already be familiar covers you’ve seen in record stores or on t-shirts. But beyond the visuals, each one carries a story that adds another layer to the music.
Pic Credit: Amateur Photographer
Sticky Fingers was bold in sound and even bolder in design. Released in 1971, it featured a close-up of jeans with a real working zipper you could pull down to reveal underwear underneath. The concept came from pop art legend Andy Warhol, while designer Craig Braun handled the technical challenge of making a functioning zipper on cardboard. The design matched the Rolling Stones’ rebellious vibe, making the cover as memorable and impactful as the music.
Pic Credit: American Songwriter
This cover reimagined the album as a visual experience. Peter Blake and Jann Haworth crafted a fictional “concert in the park,” surrounded by over 50 life-sized cutouts, including familiar faces from Marilyn Monroe to Albert Einstein. Each person was carefully chosen to reflect pop culture and the changing times. Even the album’s title came from a playful moment. McCartney misheard “salt and pepper” and quipped “Sgt. Pepper,” then added “Lonely Hearts Club Band” to make it sound quirky. The artwork became so iconic that it’s been parodied by other artists, including Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention.
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Pic Credit: Louder Sound
Pink Floyd’s album art has always gone beyond the ordinary, and Wish You Were Here is one of their most iconic examples. The cover shows two businessmen shaking hands in a studio lot, one of them completely engulfed in flames. This image reflected the band’s critique of the music industry and broader themes of absence, disconnection, and alienation. Remarkably, the fire effect was done by stuntmen entirely with practical effects, no digital editing involved.
Pic Credit: Hidden Track
The cover’s screaming face is one of the most unforgettable images in rock history. It was painted by Barry Godber, a computer programmer who created the artwork after hearing the band’s early recordings. Said to be based on his own reflection in the mirror, the painting captured the intensity of the album’s themes. The central figure, “The Schizoid Man,” the powerful screaming face became the face of King Crimson’s groundbreaking debut. Tragically, this was Godber’s only album artwork, he passed away shortly after. But his work left a lasting legacy.
Pic Credit: Brett Stanley
This surreal cover features Weyes Blood floating in a fully furnished bedroom submerged underwater. Shot in a real pool, everything from the bed to the posters was physically built and sunk to create a dreamlike atmosphere. The concept ties closely to the album’s themes: climate anxiety, fading innocence, and emotional disconnection. The water represents the subconscious, while the bedroom acts like a personal altar, a safe, imaginative space where you can escape and drift into your own world.
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Source: Amateur Photographer, American Songwriter, Louder Sound, Hidden Track, Brett Stanley
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