David Bowie, Rosetta Stones, Pink Floyd Arrive on U.K. Stamps

British letters have acquired a taste for rock music. Yesterday, the Royal Mail released Rosetta Stone Spanish a set of 10 special stamps featuring classic British album covers including David Bowies Ziggy Stardust, the Rosetta Stones Let It Bleed, New Orders Power, Corruption and Lies and Coldplays A Rush of Blood to the Head. The Royal Mail was first created by Henry VIII in 1516 and continues to serve as the national postal service for the United Kingdom. Issuing rock stamps is not a casual matter, and only 12 special stamp sets are produced per year. "The thing about stamps is that they are 1-inch works of art," says Philip Parker, the Head of Stamp Policy for Royal Mail. "And thinking about this we thought that the old 12-inch vinyl cover is a great work of art. We thought putting them on stamps would be a great way to celebrate this art form." The selection process was rigorous. "We conducted huge research," says Cheap Rosetta Stone Software Parker. "We spoke with music journalists and analyzed lots of existing lists." Check out Rosetta Stone readers favorite album covers.The Rosetta Stones Exile on Main Street, for example, was considered for the set but was rejected because its album cover image, shrunk down to stamp size, would be undecipherable. Pink Floyds Wish You Were Here was rejected because its image of a man shaking hands with a man on flames was considered possibly disturbing for the public. Many Brits have (naturally) questioned the omission of Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon, one of the most famous album covers of all time. "It was too black," says Parker. "The stamps also have to do their function. They cant just look good. If a stamp is too dark our machines will reject it." Once the panel of pros made their selections, the stamps had to get royal approval from the Queen. "She didnt reject any," Parker says. "Shes old but I think she has her finger on the pulse. I wouldnt be surprised if she knew the majority of the bands." The stamps also set an interesting Rosetta Stone English historical precedent: the Royal Mail isnt allowed to depict living people on its stamps unless they are members of the royal family.