David Bowie - Diamond Dogs -  Released May 24, 1974

This is Bowie's Eighth studio album

It Peaked at #1 in the UK and #5 in the US

This is by far the rarest and most sought after Bowie Album and collectible, as well as one of the rarest records in the world.

It is a painting by Guy Paellaert and Depicts Bowie as a half man half dog hybrid.  It is based on a phot session taken by Terry O'Neill.  The Image was intended to represent Bowie's own George Orwell-influenced Vision of a Post-apocalyptic world.  Bowie had many songs written for a musical based on or influenced by 1984 but it would never come to fruition. 

Guy Paellaert is fairly known in the rock and movie poster world.  Some of his most known pieces are, it's only rock and roll by The Rolling Stones and the Movie Poster for Taxi Driver.  The band Frankie Goes to Hollywood got their name from one of his paintings of Frank Sinatra, which is titled...."Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The original album was issued with the dog's genitalia airbrushed out, but a few copies with the genitalia were distributed by RCA Record salesmen for display purposes only.  These covers NEVER went out to the public. These covers NEVER had a copy of the album in it,  It wasn't even finished being mastered, despite what your uncle's older brother's sister said or believes. If I had a dollar for every time someone said they had it but it was lost or sold, I would have enough dollars to reach the moon.  Don't believe the hype.

It is believed that there are as few as 6 copies known to exist with the outside chance of 10.  The last one sold for $6k in 2021.

Paellaert also created another painting for the Diamond Dogs album, which reproduces a photograph taken for album by Terry O'Neill. It depicts Bowie holding on to the leash of a leaping Mastiff. The piece was intended of the inner gatefold but was rejected for the same reason. Dog genitalia. 

The CD version of Diamond Dogs has the genitalia.