Art Project: LP Covers On The Wall

If you can’t play ’em, frame ’em! All of the LPs shown in this post each contain the original vinyl.

Somewhere along the way, my hobby just got out of control. At one point I had literally more than a thousand vinyl LPs on my hands, and no way to listen to any of them.

That was more than a decade ago – now I have a spiffy new turntable, and I’ve cleaned house by unloading box loads of LPs at our friendly neighborhood record store. But I stumbled upon another tactic, and my kids really appreciate it.

You can take your old LPs and turn them into art objects – frames made especially for 12-by-12 albums are easy to find, and with just a small investment you can make every day Record Store Day.

My daughter’s Beatles shrine.

Those old album covers, often with eye-popping photography and graphics, are a lost art. A few years ago I found some of those frames on sale at the great Waterloo Records in Austin, and in my house that art is no longer lost.

My daughter created a Beatles shrine with a Rubber Soul LP and some vintage Fab Four press photos. My son is now the proud owner of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Clash and Big Brother and the Holding Company’s Cheap Thrills, all displayed above his Spider Man bedroom curtains.

You can find the LP frames (look for that designation on the packaging) for as little as $9.98 or for as much as $14.99. Try Urban Outfitters, Half Price Books (in some states), Hobby Lobby or your local record seller. You can also try shopping online, but the price goes up with shipping and such.

And one other thing: when I frame an LP cover, the original vinyl goes in with it. Who knows, one day one of my kids may lift the album out of its frame and play the record inside. What a great time capsule.

Makes a nice time capsule, too!

Psychedelia meets Spider Man.