The 3D Lenticular Cover of 'Their Satanic Majesties Request' (1967)

The Rolling Stones’ 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request is famous for its groundbreaking lenticular cover—a 3D image that shifts as you tilt it. It was one of the first of its kind in rock history, and it cost a fortune.

The band’s photographer, Michael Cooper, shot the cover using a special stereoscopic camera. The image shows the Stones dressed as wizards and druids, seated around a table with a crystal ball, surrounded by astral and psychedelic imagery. The 3D effect required a complex lenticular printing process where multiple frames are interlaced behind a ribbed lens.

The price tag for producing just the cover was reportedly enough to anger the label, Decca, who deducted the cost from the band’s royalties. That financial tension contributed to the already strained relationship between the Stones and their management. The cover itself became a cult artifact, often cited as the band’s psychedelic peak, even though the album received mixed reviews at the time.