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GnR Lies - alternative / prototype album cover


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I have always wondered something about the Lies album cover - it's clearly a spoof of a British Tabloid newspaper since it has the exact style and even contains mock headlines based on British T.V. shows ("Dinky Den in the Pen" /"Westenders Star" is clearly a spin on 'Dirty Den' from 'Eastenders'.) So given that these references would have meant nothing to an American, how come the design is based on a British paper and who created it? None of the band or people in Geffen etc would have known exactly what it was spoofing, except maybe Alan Niven, as he is a British ex-pat ?

Also, when image searching for the cover I found these apparent prototypes were up for sale a few years ago. Are they legitimate? If they are as rare as the seller indicates then surely they'd be worth more than a couple of hundred dollars?

http://www.rootsvinylguide.com/ebay_items/guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-album-artwork-insert-one-of-a-kind

http://www.rootsvinylguide.com/ebay_items/guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-album-artwork-insert-one-of-a-kind--2

guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb

guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb

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I think Guns had a very contentious time with the British press on the ‘87 Appetite Tour. Lots of lies and crazy stuff written about Axl n’ Slash (eat dogs for breakfast, etc.)- and then Donnington in ‘88 of course. Anyway- always thought it was reference to that.

Whatever the case- it’s an effective cover IMHO- as it’s still one of the first images that comes to mind when I think of the band (especially with all the rumors, innuendos, and wannabe insiders, etc. through the years)...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/21/2017 at 10:46 PM, Nice Boy said:

I have always wondered something about the Lies album cover - it's clearly a spoof of a British Tabloid newspaper since it has the exact style and even contains mock headlines based on British T.V. shows ("Dinky Den in the Pen" /"Westenders Star" is clearly a spin on 'Dirty Den' from 'Eastenders'.) So given that these references would have meant nothing to an American, how come the design is based on a British paper and who created it? None of the band or people in Geffen etc would have known exactly what it was spoofing, except maybe Alan Niven, as he is a British ex-pat ?

Also, when image searching for the cover I found these apparent prototypes were up for sale a few years ago. Are they legitimate? If they are as rare as the seller indicates then surely they'd be worth more than a couple of hundred dollars?

http://www.rootsvinylguide.com/ebay_items/guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-album-artwork-insert-one-of-a-kind

http://www.rootsvinylguide.com/ebay_items/guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-album-artwork-insert-one-of-a-kind--2

guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb

guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb guns-n-roses-lies-prototype-original-alb

They are legit indeed!

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