If you’re one of the lucky folks to have received a special Vault edition of the new album by The Saboteurs, then you’re also the proud owner of a very impressive alternate cover for the record.
Last week, The Saboteurs returned with their first record in 11 years. Titled Help Us Stranger, the new album is a stunning return to form for the group, and is likely to go down as one of the year’s best releases.
While admirers of the band were out on Friday picking up black vinyl editions from their music outlets, and white vinyl editions (with special hand screen-printed covers) from their favourite indie record store, some lucky fans found themselves looking at their special edition of the record, straight from The Vault at Third Man Records.
For those unaware, The Vault is the annual subscription service for Third Man Records, allowing eager fans to receive special edition versions of the releases that come out each year. In the latest round, fans of The Saboteurs received a green vinyl edition of Help Us Stranger, paired with a lenticular cover.
However, for the eagle-eyed fan, there’s a very nifty surprise hiding beneath it all, with a nod to one of the most famous album covers of all time.
Check out a video on The Saboteurs’ ‘Butcher Cover’:
As some fans of the band have noted, peeling off the lenticular cover reveals a hidden second round of cover artwork which parodies the legendary ‘butcher cover’ from The Beatles’ Yesterday And Today.
Released back in 1966, The Beatles’ compilation was collection of singles and tracks from Rubber Soul and Help!, though the music is often overlooked in favour of the record’s infamous cover.
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As the story goes, the cover was supposedly a response to the Vietnam War, the artwork sees the members of The Beatles dressed in white coats and surrounded by baby dolls and pieces of meat.
This edition was quickly removed from stores, though a number of old copies simply had new artwork pasted over the top. This has quickly led to fans paying immensely high prices for original copies of the record, becoming one of the most sought-after pieces of Beatles memorabilia to date.
Just last month, a copy of the record personally owned (and scribbled on) by John Lennon sold for $334,000 at auction. Needless to say, it’s an iconic piece of music memorabilia that any fan would love to get their hands on.
Now, being the vinyl-lover that he is, Jack White has ensured that his band pays homage to the classic cover as best they can.
Check out ‘Don’t Bother Me’ by The Saboteurs:
A faithful recreation, the Third Man Records logo can be seen taking the place of the Capitol Records logo on the original, while the font has been matched in order to ensure the front reads Help Us Stranger by The Raconteurs (the group’s name outside of Australia).
However, the icing on the cake here is the artwork itself, with the faces of Brendan Benson, Jack White, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler being Photoshopped over the faces of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, respectively.
At this stage, there’s no word as to whether a peeled or unpeeled cover might command more or less money on the resale market as per the original, but it’s definitely looking as though hardcore fans won’t have the nerve to sabotage their Saboteurs album to sneak a peek at this alternate cover.
In related news, Double J recently aired their interview with Jack White and Brendan Benson where they discussed the topic of having to utilise a different name in Australia.
“I love that there was a band with that name,” White explained, referencing the Queensland band that already grabbed the name The Raconteurs before them.
“So, they wanted to sort of sell the name to us, I guess. But we thought, no, you should keep it. It’s your name, you had it first. I mean, fair is fair.
“It was great to just have a different name some place in the world.”
Check out ‘Bored And Razed’ by The Saboteurs:
