Recently D Generation and Danzig member, Howie Pyro, finally revealed the true origin of the famous Warhol-created banana. What was Warhol’s inspiration? As always, real life. Whether or not that was Warhol’s intent, the cover remains one of his most famous works. With drug songs like “Heroin” and “I’m Waiting For The Man,” some have interpreted the album’s cover as a reference to the old schoolyard rumor that smoking a banana peel will get you high. However MGM deemed it warranted since Warhol’s stamp of approval was bound to go far in the 1960s.
The sexually-charged effect was difficult for manufacturers to pull off (the time it took to perfect the peel was part of the reason behind the album’s delayed release).
#THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO VINYL SKIN#
The original album cover allowed fans to peel back the banana skin like a sticker, revealing the fruit of a nude-colored banana underneath. Andy Warhol, Album cover The Velvet Underground & Nico for The Velvet Underground.
The Velvet Underground & Nico is now widely recognized as one of the greatest and most influential albums in the history of popular music. In fact, several other individuals who worked on the album are often mentioned as the album’s technical producers. What’s interesting, Warhol was the only formally credited producer but he had very little direct influence or authority over the album beyond paying for the recording sessions. Surprisingly, The Velvet Underground sold only 30,000 albums in its first five years – which can be called a failure, especially when you consider Warhol’s support. Warhol served as the manager and patron saint of the now-iconic art-rock band. He crafted the image and slapped it on the cover of his pet band’s first record. The banana itself is, of course, the handiwork of Andy Warhol. Aside from The Velvet Underground, there were screenings of Warhol’s films, as well as dancing and performances by regulars of Warhol’s Factory, especially Mary Woronov and Gerard Malanga. It gained attention for its experimental performance sensibilities and controversial lyrical topics, including drug abuse, prostitution, sadomasochism, and sexual deviancy. Released in March 1967, the album was recorded in 1966 while the band was featured on Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour. Today we will be talking about Andy Warhol and his famous banana cover of The Velvet Underground & Nico, the debut album by the Velvet Underground.
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