The Velvet Underground & Nico Banana Vinyl Record

The Velvet Underground & Nico rare vinyl record and cover.

• Produced and designed by Andy Warhol.
• Early 1967 East Coast pressing featuring a partially peeled banana.
• Released by MGM Records, USA.

Warhol became the Velvet Underground’s manager in 1966 after seeing them perform in Greenwich Village and then brought German-born singer Nico to the table. Warhol designed the cover as a self-standing artwork, and this is marked by Warhol’s very noticeable printed hand signature. The original album cover allowed fans to peel back the banana skin as a sticker, revealing the fruit of a nude-colored banana underneath. The sexually charged effect was challenging for manufacturers to first pull off (the time it took to perfect the peel was partly the reason the album’s original release was delayed), but MGM deemed it necessary, since Warhol’s visual presence opened unprecedented doors.

The actor Eric Emerson, who was projected behind the group during Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, filed a lawsuit against the record label for non-payment regarding the use of his image (seen upside down on a non-sticker version). Between March/April 1967, the album was quickly withdrawn from record shops. After a few months, the album was redistributed with a large sticker that covered the top of the photo in question.

Paul Marechal: Andy Warhol: The Complete Commissioned Record Covers (Prestel).