Which Rolling Stones Album Has a Working Zipper on Its Cover?

“Sticky Fingers” (1971). The cover, designed by Andy Warhol and photographer Billy Name, featured a close-up of a man’s crotch in tight denim jeans — with an actual working zipper installed into the cardboard sleeve. If you pulled the zipper down, it revealed a white cotton brief underneath.

Retailers hated it. Many stores refused to stock the album at all, or they taped the zipper shut so customers couldn’t open it. Some display copies had the zipper removed entirely. A few conservative outlets even sold the record with a plain brown paper wrapper or cut the crotch area off the cover. The controversy only boosted sales — the album became the Stones’ first U.S. number one.