Classic album covers minus deceased band members
Over the weekend, when the sad news spread about the passing of Tommy Ramone, a really touching image circulated online, showing the Ramones debut LP, then the same cover with Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee Photoshopped out, and then, at last, Tommy removed as well. Dangerous Minds even shared it on our Facebook page.
The middle image, of Tommy standing alone in front of that iconic brick wall, seems to have come from a Tumblr called “Live! (I See Dead People),” which is devoted entirely to skillfully removing deceased musicians from their LP covers—sort of like “Garfield Minus Garfield,” but with a more serious intent. The subjects range from cult figures like Nick Drake to canonical rock stars like Nirvana and The Doors, and the results are often quite poignant. The blog hasn’t been updated in almost three years, so it seems unlikely the artists behind this project, Jean-Marie Delbes and Hatim El Hihi, will re-do that Ramones cover. Indeed, their Morrison Hotel still features Ray Manzarek, who passed on a little over a year ago.
New York Dolls, s/t
Ol Dirty Bastard, Return to the 36 Chambers
Nick Drake, Bryter Layter
The Who, Odds & Sods
Johnny Thunders, So Alone
George Harrison, All Things Must Pass
Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit
Jeff Buckley, Grace
The Doors, Morrison Hotel
John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy
The Clash, s/t
Elvis Presley, s/t
Hat-tip to Derf for this find.