Hot Press Collected Covers Go Online

Yep, it's a mighty long way down rock 'n' roll. But it's not just the fields of technology, media and, indeed, musicianship and songwriting that have developed beyond all recognition since Hot Press launched.

We're starting with Volume 1 - 1977-78 and will be unveiling a new volume every few days between now and the end of the year. The complete collection will take you through both a musical and a social journey. "Across the swamps of time," as Mr. Dylan had it in 'If Dogs Run Free'...

So, here's the evolution of rock 'n' roll in images. Cast your eyes over the stark black-and-white cover featuring Rory Gallagher, in front of a cast of reprobates (we're talking about the guys seated around the cabinet table) on the very first HP - a Macroom Festival Special, which hit the streets in June 1977.

As the story unfolds, we'll get the opportunity to gaze in wonder at U2 before they were shaving (more or less!), on their very first cover story. We'll recall Thin Lizzy, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Boy George, Depeche Mode, Grace Jones and...uh...Howard Jones!

Then there are the famous blue nudie show shots, that were the source of considerable controversy when the good burghers of Ireland got their first look at them: Jerry Fish (or Ger Whelan, as he was known in his days with An Emotional Fish, when he graced the cover in his altogether back in '93); Shane O'Neill from Blue In Heaven, with offending tufts of pube peeking from his jeans; and Madonna, wearing little more than a come hither look (now a collectors' item, and not just among the raincoat brigade).

Then there are some truly iconic shots: a panda-eyed and pancaked Dylan in a craftily out of focus pic from Slane 1984; a film noir shot of Bruce in a wifebeater vest (recently voted one of the best Bruce covers of all time on Boss fansites), and Zooropa-era Bono in robe, hood up, looking like Bruce Willis's pug character in Pulp Fiction.

Recent years have been just as impressive – as well as being visually more sophisticated: Glen Hansard doing his alas-poor-Yorick bit with a skull in a hippy-hat for the first Frames cover; a gorgeous Rodrigo Y Gabriella portrait; Pete Doherty looking like a man on the run in a first Babyshambles HP cover and a wonderfully evocative sepia-toned rendering of reclusive My Bloody Valentine genius Kevin Shields.

2008 alone has given us a host of covers we're really proud of - Morrissey, Lisa Hannigan, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen and Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova leap out, even in the context of the staggering total of almost 800 front covers in all, to date.

Music's only part of the journey through the days - from Charles J Haughey to Paul McGrath some of the most iconic images on Hot Press covers have been of people to whom music is only a passion and not a career. Christy Turlington, Neil Jordan, Colin Farrell & Uma Thurman are just some more of the figures who'll pass through the window of the Hot Press cover gallery here on hotpress.com over the coming weeks.

So fasten your seat belts. We'll be on a voyage through formats, printing and design changes and developments too - as we move from the early days of B&W Tabloid - executed with golf balls (don't ask) letraset and scalpels - through spot colour, full colour, size changes (there were a few!) and logo redefinitions. We'll see the early incarnations of Photoshop (brought to Hot Press by Michael Crotty) and its evolution up to the modern day. We'll see photography get better and typography progress and headline writing get – well, you tell us!!!

There's been more plates made then we care to remember! And a few broken too.

Volume 1: 1977-78

Volume 2: 1978-79

Volume 3: 1979-80

Volume 4: 1980

Volume 5: 1981