CHEESECAKE RECORD ART

In the 1950s, the record album saw a boom in sales due to the development of the Hi-Fi and the popularity of Rock and Roll. With so many albums on the market, record companies spiced up their packaging with pictures of scantily clad maidens, thus proving again that "Sex Sells".

click the image for a larger view Miss You by Thip Taylor
This was rated by a group of record collectors nationwide as the top all-time cheesecake album cover. Some think the model is a young Julie Newmar (Catwoman on TV's Bat Man) I can't say this is certain, but I wouldn't mind taking her for a spin in MY Batmobile.

Kay Martin and her Body Guards
This is another of the most sought after LPs by collectors of cheesecake record covers. In most cases the nude model in the photo is NOT the singer on the disc, but this is an exception. On top of this the album is quite good and Kay has a great voice for rock and roll. The outstanding cut on this in my opinion is entitled "Swamp Girl".
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click the image for a larger view "You're gonna make it after all.."
As I mentioned before, the model on the cover is seldom the performer on the album. In many cases, the photos were chosen from a library of shots to be used wherever they were needed, whether it was on a record or in advertising. This is an interesting example because the model is a teenage Mary Tyler Moore. Before she made it big, she made her living posing for photos like this one. I've seen at least 4 other LPs with her picture on it, but I think this pose is the most lurid of the lot.

Waiter, there's a girl in my bottle?
Another model who later broke into TV was Barbara Eden. With that martini glass and lit cigarette, we see what kind of life Jeannie led when Major Nelson kept her close up in the bottle.
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click the image for a larger view The Best of Musical Comedy Songs
No discussion of models in the 50s would seem complete without mentioning Betty Page. This is one of 3 LPs with her photo on the cover, and I feel it is the best. At one point she was the MOST photographed model in the business, but she got into trouble when one of her earliest employers was arrested by the feds and charged with selling porno by mail. Ultimately the charges were dropped, but the embarrassment proved too much for Betty and she retired and became a schoolteacher. When do classes start??