The record sleeve for The Pixies’ album, Doolittle, was created in 1989, designed and art directed by Vaughn Oliver. Oliver created this design in collaboration with photographer Simon Larbalester.

The design features a negative image of a monkey with a halo. This was in reference to one of the songs in the album, “Monkey Gone To Heaven”. The monkey is surrounded by the numbers five, six, and seven. These numbers come from lyrics in the song: “If man is five/ If man is five/ If man is five/ Then the devil is six/ Then the devil is six/ Then the devil is six/ Then the devil is six/ And if the devil is six/ Then God is seven/ Then God is seven/ Then God is seven”.

Vaughn Oliver drew inspiration from surrealism and developed a style that involved dark and macabre photography with use of texture that evoked a feeling of desolation and decay, which suited the dark themes of the album. The photograph was shot in black and white and was hand bleached in order to create the dark and dingy textures.

Oliver worked extensively with the band in order to create the design that suited the album’s themes and lyrics. His use of textures and dark photography as well as unorthodox methods became a defining aesthetic in the rock genre of the time.

 

Source:

“Vaughn Oliver- Visceral Pleasures” by Rick Poyner

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