A London street as a stage
The cover of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? shows two men passing each other on Berwick Street, a part of London known at the time for its record shops. One man faces the camera: London DJ Sean Rowley. The other, walking away, is Brian Cannon, who designed the sleeve.
In the background, producer Owen Morris holds a box containing the album’s master tape in front of his face. The street scene turns a simple walk into a small piece of music-industry theatre: the record is literally present, even as its makers remain anonymous to passers-by.
A costly image, an overlooked decision
The cover cost £25,000 to produce. Yet Noel Gallagher later admitted that he had not paid enough attention to the artwork process. Long after release, he recalled asking who had approved the cover. The answer, he was told, was that he had.
That memory gives the image an unexpected afterlife. The sleeve was carefully staged and expensive, but its approval was apparently not a decision Gallagher remembered making. In a band story often defined by Noel’s songwriting and strong opinions, the cover became an emblem of how a lasting image can emerge from a moment its supposed author barely recalls.
