The Record Nerd’s Guide to London: Recreating 4 Famous British Album Covers

Working in a record store, I like to tell people that I get to stare at album covers for a living. This week, I practically got to live inside them.As an Austin, Texas music geek, I had no choice but to take the United Kingdom by strategy. My first trip outside of the States ever was a visit to London, England, in the winter of 2022; for music and record geeks, few places in the world top our travel bucket lists. So, naturally, upon my arrival, I recreated four of my favorite rock album covers, which were shot in and around central London. 

I’ve only ever seen these famous scenes while playing these albums countless times at Waterloo Records & Video.

(Fun Fact: Waterloo Records took its name from the original name of the city of Austin, and the record store took its logo from the London Underground, which includes the original Waterloo station stop on the tube network. The store founder got permission from the City of London to use the logo back when the store was built in 1982!) 

Allow me to take you on a mini-tour of the London sites behind four of the most historically significant albums of all time.

The Clash – The Clash (1977)

UK Punk wasn’t born with the 1977 debut by The Clash, but the band is one of England’s few punk/post-punk acts to later break America, as well as manage to maintain relevance in the U.K. (and beyond) thanks to the group members’ later influence on dance and electronic music.

This is why I love The Clash, and why I wandered around Camden Market for about an hour (mostly due to my incompetence) before finally stumbling (almost literally) upon what are actually called “The Clash Steps.” This is where the original incarnation of the band stood in the photograph on the album cover. The market also houses a lot of great food and cool punk clothing shops. 

Because of the renovations around the market and tube station, the steps and the area immediately around them look only slightly different now compared to what was captured in the original photoshoot. However, there is no shortage of that punk spirit, and you can see why Joe Strummer and the gang fit right into this place: Buy some kickin Doc Martens at the store just across from the steps; grab a seemingly too affordable but beautifully made ‘70s Japanese guitar (like I did) at Camden Guitars which faces the market entrance; or catch a fun, grimy avant-dance rock show like Art of Noise at The Jazz Cafe just a few blocks down the street.

Like I said… No shortage!

The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)

When you visit the famous Abbey Road in London, you don’t expect it to be so… humble. The road and actively running recording studio sit cozily on a small corner in the borough of Westminster. (Unfortunately, because it is a working studio, visitors are not able to enter or tour unless they are booked to record.)

When you know the history, the studio is a quaint yet commanding little building, and tucked away to the right is the Abbey Road Gift Shop. There, you can pick up plenty of Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Abbey Road Studios-themed mugs, shirts, jewelry, and more.

Tourists consistently block local traffic to snap photos and videos of themselves crossing the very street the Fab Four crossed on the cover of 1969’s Abbey Road. The record itself is often regarded as the group’s best work, and is one of the biggest-selling albums – on vinyl and otherwise – of all time. 

I’ll have to admit, though, I cringed a bit watching London Uber, taxi, and police car drivers honk annoyedly at all the wannabe-Beatles crossing the single most famous “zebra” in the world. But that didn’t stop me from getting my own photo as quickly as I could.

Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

In very Abbey Road fashion, fellow Beatles-obsessed and Manchester Britpop heroes Oasis shot the (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? album cover on Berwick St. in Soho. In this rather tourist-y area are many two-story music shops and record stores, including the Yamaha Music shop on Wardour St. The piano shop is located just a block away from Sister Ray Records – the record store featured on the Morning Glory cover just over the left shoulder of the man on the left in the photograph. This music instrument shop is a must-see with its royal white-and-gold interior and beautiful second floor filled with gorgeous acoustic pianos.

In the area where I captured my version of the album cover, there are countless vintage and boutique clothing stores, record stores, and eclectic eats. Soho was the birthplace of the Swinging Sixties, and you should definitely explore the stomping grounds of The Rolling Stones, Elton John, The Clash, and David Bowie.

David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

David Bowie changed the world with Ziggy Stardust, and it’s the album that shot him into… er, ‘superstardom’ in 1972. On today’s 23 Heddon St. where the cover was photographed, The “K. West” sign is no longer there – however, it’s still a beautiful little corner, and all the other details remain overwhelmingly on-site.

I went the extra mile, so-to-speak, and made this photoshoot complete with a visit to The Starman bar and restaurant located just behind me in the photo above, and rocked out at the famous 100 Club later that New Year’s Eve-ning to see the official “Best Band” AND “Best Bowie Tribute” in the U.K., Absolute Bowie. For the show, I wore the outfit in the photo below, attempting to imitate the look on Bowie’s Earthling (1997) album cover.

It was Aladdin Sane. (Sorry, not sorry… can you tell Bowie is one of my favorite artists ever?)

My first visit to London was all I hoped it could be. There is no shortage of clubs and music history spots for all of us record and rock nerds to indulge in. Certainly, I’m already scheduling my next trip so I can get to do everything else I didn’t get to do…

But now that I’m home, maybe I can finally find the time to sleep.