This is an in-store cardboard promotional poster for Bob Dylan’s 7th album Blonde on Blonde. It’s a direct reproduction of the cover of the album when it was folded out. In fact, Blonde on Blonde was the music industry’s first ever double album although credited along with it is Freak Out by the Mothers of Invention.
The photograph is by Jerry Schatzberg and he talks about the photo session and the blurry photograph:
“I wanted to find an interesting location outside of the studio. We went to the west side, where the Chelsea art galleries are now. At the time it was the meat packing district of New York and I liked the look of it. It was freezing and we were very cold. The frame he chose for the cover is blurred and out of focus. Of course, everyone was trying to interpret the meaning, saying it must represent getting high on an LSD trip. It was none of the above; we were just cold and the two of us were shivering. There were other images that were sharp and in focus but, to his credit, Dylan liked that photograph.”
Dylan’s jacket was later reworn by the artist on his next two albums, John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline. The single Rainy Day Women came out in March 1966 and went to #2. Dylan knew a song called “Everybody Must Get Stoned,” would never get played on the radio…
Adhesive strips at top and bottom on the back of the poster allowed the record store to post the poster