Odelay by Beck, Geffen Records, 1996, value £50

POSSIBLY one of the most unusual but certainly eye-catching images of a music album that you will ever find. It prompted the question: what is it? Is it a flying carpet, a mop or a dog? It is of course a dog.

Regarded as one of contemporary music's most important multi-instrumental artist, Canadian born Beck Hansen released this, his fifth studio album, as a pot pourri of combined musical genres, hip-hop, punk, folk, blues, funk, electronic and many other types.

It is often described as an album of great depth, containing multiple layers of high emotion. In 1996 it not only won Album Of the Year award, but just about every other music award going. It spawned five hit singles, two of them Where It's At and Devils Haircut made the UK charts; total album sales amounted to well over two million and became Beck's biggest seller.

It was originally going to be called Andale! which is Spanish for get going. After various delays the title was finally decided. Unfortunately one of the production team had difficulty in reading the handwriting, misspelled the title as Odelay. As the album was running late for release, it became known as the Over Delay. Beck thought it was more amusing to keep it as Odelay.

I have on occasion mentioned the current trend for purchasing framed prints of one's favourite albums. Demand for this one is rapidly rising with customers purchasing it solely for the album image without ever having listened to the music. As the dog is so integral to the success of this record I feel obliged to inform you that the breed is known as a Komondor, or Hungarian sheepdog, a large dog with an unusual white coat of tassels of hair, called cords, which provide protection from the elements and from predators. It was bred to guard sheep, goats and cattle from wolves, bears and other wild animals. They were left in the hills for long periods, but developed into an intelligent, independent breed of dog. Our Olde-English sheepdogs are of a similar breed originally intended for the same purpose.

This is an unusual illustration of an album cover making it instantly unforgettable.