![Atop Empire State- in construction; Chrysler Bldg & [Daily] News in middle foreground. (1931)](http://cdn1.retronaut.co/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Atop-Empire-State-in-construction-Chrysler-Bldg-Daily-News-in-middle-foreground.-1931--199x123.jpg "Balancing on the Empire State, 1920s")
1967 - The Pipers at the Gates of Dawn
1968 - A Saucerful of Secrets
1969 - Ummagumma
1970 - Atom Heart Mother
1971 - Meddle
1972 - Obscured by Clouds
1973 - The Dark Side of the Moon
1975 - Wish You Were Here
1977 - Animals
1979 - The Wall
1983 - The Final Cut
1987 - A Momentary Lapse of Reason
1994 - The Division Bell
Evolution?
List.
This whole entry seems surprisingly inaccurate, at least as far as the original North American LP covers as I remember them/still have in my collection, with many of these seeming to be modified versions of the original covers used in the covers for CD booklets for various editions. Specifically, from Ummagumma until The Final Cut, all Floyd albums as originally released in the UK & North America had absolutely no writing printed on the cover, although in North America at least pretty much all of them at some point acquired stickers on the cellophane the album came wrapped in at the store identifying the artist & album title. (I seem to recall a sticker was present from the very beginning on The Final Cut but I don’t think it was there at first on The Wall. For most earlier albums I can’t say whether they had a sticker when first released or not)
Although it’s a bit more complicated for Wish You Were Here. It’s my understanding that originally this album came wrapped in black, not clear, cellophane so that the album artwork wasn’t even visible in the store, but there was always a sticker on the cellophane identifying the artist & album title. What was beneath the black (and later clear) cellophane was the “handshake” photo seen above, but centered in the middle of the cover with a thick white boarder around all four edges, and of course no writing printed on the front cover itself.
Also FWIW, although the “Obscured By Clouds” soundtrack album is pictured, the earlier “More” soundtrack album from 1969 is not. I mention this only because not only is that the last Floyd album until Momentary Lapse of Reason to have words actually printed on the front cover, it’s also the *only* Pink Floyd LP (at least in the English speaking world) to identify the band as “The Pink Floyd” instead of just “Pink Floyd”
Brian is right about the covers, I had the English versions and none of the albums from Ummagumma to the The Wall had writing on the front cover. Most notable here are Meddle and Wish You Were Here and the Wall.
A little story about the Wish You Were Here album and the black cellophane cover . I recently sold a vinyl copy of said album on e-bay ( sacrilege I know but I have CD copy and I need the space). Given that it was secondhand andescrbed in good condition I was expecting to get £5 for it at most .
To my surprise, I got a right result as it got into a bidding war and went for £22 (even I didn’t think it was worth that much). Anyway my happiness was short lived, after he received the item the buyer got back to me and informed methat there was a big scratch on side 2 and as such it was rendered unplayable and what was I going to do about it ( it was perfectly fine when he left me).
I offered him a full provided he returned the item to me. He turned it down, giving me some story that it would cost him to return it . He then informed me that he wold happily keep it because of the cover but not at the price he paid for it. I am guessing he wanted the black wrapper quite badly.
God knew you guys would come out of the woodwork . . . like the true Floyd fanatics you are. For me, I did not care one whit . . . Obscured by Clouds came pretty obscured by the proper mental clouds. Dark Side was a mind-blowing blast of cosmic wind . . . Ummagumma was a thing to be treasured in a cave with a Pict . . . Atom Heart Mother was a message from a God who happened to have four teats.
Piper at the Gates was an eternal mistake, yet one to be relished as one shrieked with Careful With That Ax . . . Wish You Were Here was a horrific lament and Animals was the peal of a dying giant.
All were a soundtrack to a life never, ever to be trivialized and all still resonate like a massive gong in everything I do, think or say.
The Ummagumma album cover I have has a weird clay mask on each side. I’m pretty sure it’s the 1969 edition of the album What’s up with that? Just curious.
Don’t know about an alternate UG cover, but there’s a version of Relics with a weird four-eyed mask on the front.