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Diamond Dogs

Record Covers
Oct 1973 - Feb 1974 (recorded)
Artist/Maker
RCA Records (record label)
David Bowie (musicians)
Leee Black Childers (artist)
David Bowie (producers)
Guy Peellaert (artist)
Place of origin
Barnes (recorded)
Notting Hill (recorded)
Hilversum (recorded)

This sleeve for David Bowie's 8th album, Diamond Dogs, features the uncensored version of the cover artwork by Guy Peellaert. Diamond Dogs was inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, evident in the B side track titles 1984 and Big Brother. The cover artwork features Bowie as a hybrid human-dog. The V&A also owns a retouched version of the album with the male genitalia airbrushed out of the cover artwork.

Object details

Category
Entertainment & Leisure
Object type
Record covers
TitleDiamond Dogs (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Printed card
Card
Printing
Brief description
Gatefold sleeve for David Bowie's Diamond Dogs album, 1974.
Physical description
Gatefold sleeve featuring a painting by Guy Peelaert of David Bowie as a human-dog hybrid on the cover. The inside shows a misted cityscape of ancient and modern architecture by Leee Black Childers, with lyrics from the opening track Future Legend printed in the top right corner. The track list, band members, credits and trademarks are printed on the back cover.
Dimensions
  • Height: 31.2cm
  • Closed width: 31.4cm
  • Open width: 63cm
  • Closed depth: 0.5cm
  • Open depth: 0.1cm
Subject depicted
David Bowie
Literary referenceNineteen Eighty-Four
Summary
This sleeve for David Bowie's 8th album, Diamond Dogs, features the uncensored version of the cover artwork by Guy Peellaert. Diamond Dogs was inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, evident in the B side track titles 1984 and Big Brother. The cover artwork features Bowie as a hybrid human-dog. The V&A also owns a retouched version of the album with the male genitalia airbrushed out of the cover artwork.
Collection
Theatre and Performance Collection
Accession number
S.3353-2013

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Record createdMay 16, 2013
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1263456/diamond-dogs-record-covers-david-bowie/
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