10 Rock Album Covers That Led To Massive Lawsuits
6. The Velvet Underground And Nico - The Velvet Underground
Of all of the great pieces of art to come out of the '60s, The Velvet Underground's debut record is certainly up there with the classics. Using just a single banana that peeled off, the Velvets became one of the best kept secrets in rock and roll and a precursor to the art rock that would be popping up left and right in the next few years. So how did just drawing a banana become one of the biggest stinks in the legal offices?
Almost half a century after the album was released, The Velvet Underground's estate ended up suing the Andy Warhol Foundation for this image being printed as designs for potential iPad covers. It makes sense that Andy Warhol would stand by his own artwork, but since it was used to showcase some of the most raucous music of the time, you can see where Lou Reed and John Cale feel like they're responsible for the image's relevance.
Other than the actual lawsuit, the fact that Reed thought enough to sue Warhol for an iPad speaks to the type of artist that we were working with. This wasn't just some guy who was looking to plaster his name out there for fashion. What he did needed to be closer to the bone than something that you buy at a Best Buy.