Spin art: Museum showcases album covers

Album covers speak volumes about the type of music featured inside, such as Pink Floyd's "The Wall."

The Beatles created change when they -- not the record label -- chose to design the album cover for "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band."

"It took a band like the Beatles and their influence to say we want this on the cover," said exhibits developer Justin Collins.

And Frank Sinatra earned a Grammy award for designing the cover for "Only the Lonely," featuring a portrait of the singer done in pastels.

The Lake County Discovery Museum showcases some of the most memorable and inventive Long Play record album covers of all time in its new exhibit, "LP Art."

The exhibit opens Saturday and runs through Aug. 3 at the Wauconda museum.

See the cover evolve from early jazz sleeves to iconic rock albums to interactive CD booklets.

The exhibit contains sections on rock, punk, jazz, funk, hip-hop, pop, novelty and children's records. It also features highlights from the catalogues of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Pink Floyd.

A special area focuses on album covers by visual artists such as Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Norman Rockwell and Robert Mapplethorpe. Collins said the exhibit also features three-dimensional covers such as Alice Cooper's "School's Out," which folds out into an old school desk. The "Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals" features a pop-up display inside.

The exhibit also includes the history of the various audio formats and packaging used to distribute music over the years, including records, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, compact discs and MP3 files.

"Edison's picture was used on each of his phonographic cylinders," Collins said. "It was not about the artist. It was about the technology."

The exhibition features hands-on activities, as well. In the cover art studio, kids can design their own album cover or try to replicate a classic.

At the cover shoot, visitors can take the stage with costumes and props. Adults can try to recall band logos in the album art alphabet game.

A free audio tour provides a soundtrack for visitors as they explore the exhibit.

"It is hard to separate music from the covers. Many times, they were influencing each other," Collins said.