The 45 record sleeve has long been viewed as a medium for design experimentation, a blank slate onto which designers could unleash their creativity and ingenuity. From the 1950s to the 1980s, before the 45 was replaced by the CD, and then in the 1990s, when grunge became the rage and 45s enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, 45 record–sleeve design combined photography, illustration, color, and typography with innovative bravado. For this reason, vintage 45 record sleeves today are sought-after collectibles by music buffs and designers alike.

Compiled by well-known designers and authors Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz, Five Hundred 45s contains more than 500 examples of striking seven-inch record sleeve design across every genre of music and its great musicians—all reproduced at full size. This gorgeous book includes a foreword by Lenny Kaye, music critic and guitarist for the Patti Smith Group, as well as essays offering diverse perspectives on the subject by avid collectors, industry insiders, and designers. The book is organized into thematic chapters, with a mix of dynamic, visually inspiring pairings on every spread. A discography at the back provides complete information for each sleeve, rounding out this highly collectible volume.

About the Author
Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz are award-winning creative directors, designers, authors, curators, and packagers specializing in music and pop-culture books. Their many published works have covered diverse subjects within these genres: film animation and special effects, movie and rock posters, rock photography, graphic and Web design, and typography. They have designed for artists such as U2, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ramones, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Joan Jett, and Bon Jovi. Drate was a four-time judge on the Grammy music packaging committee, co-designed the Grammy Award–nominated album package Talking Heads: Fear of Music, and wrote 45 RPM, the first visual history book on the 45 record sleeve. They both live and work in New York City