02/04/2012

Sir Peter Blake Recreates Sgt. Pepper Sleeve

British artist Sir Peter Blake has recreated the iconic album sleeve for The Beatles' 1967 Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on his 80th birthday.


Sir Peter Blake has recently commented on the album sleeve, confessing some stark admissions:


"It's a cross I bear, it's an albatross I have to deal with. What vaguely depresses me still is that I'm known pretty much as 'Peter Blake - who did the cover of Sgt Pepper' when I've done so much else. Every so often I manage to forget it but it comes back all the time."


However, Sir Peter has set aside any misgivings he has about his most famous work on the sleeve of arguably the Fab Four's greatest album, and has created a new poster re-imagining the image to mark both his 80th birthday and designer Wayne Hemingway's Vintage Festival.


Cutouts of actress Marilyn Monroe and comedians Lenny Bruce and WC Fields have been replaced by Amy Winehouse, Kate Moss, artists Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst and musicians Eric Clapton and Noel Gallagher. Sadly, gone too are The Beatles themselves.


"I don't own the copyright. Part of everything that went wrong at the time was that my agent signed away any kind of royalties and the copyright so we had to ask Apple Corps - The Beatles' management - for permission and they didn't want it to be associated with advertising."


Apple Corps have yet to comment on Sir Peter's claims. Meanwhile, for this reinvented poster, Sir Peter has used what he called "family, friends and icons" as the main focus. His longtime friend Sir Paul McCartney is in there, alongside designer daughter Stella and her sister, photographer Mary.


A huge array of famous faces are featured, including restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, chefs Delia Smith and Rick Stein and Kate Moss and Paul Smith from the fashion world, and Noel Gallagher, John Peel and Paul Weller from the music world. Late singer Amy Winehouse also features as Sir Peter fondly recalls his first memorable meeting with her.


The Vintage Festival which brings together fashion, music and art from the 1920s to the 80s is being held at the Boughton Estate in Northamptonshire on 13-15 July.


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