Wal-Mart doesn't like the leafy green; Alters Willie Nelson Album Cover

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Wal-Mart Tweaks Willie's Reggae
By Sarah Hall
54 minutes ago
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/eo/20050712/capt.7e4fd8842215b5c52dc86c894e87cb9a.jpg?x=130&y=170&sig=cB1bG6EE0BjUSoX29mHERQ--No, you're not smoking something--the cover of Willie Nelson's new reggae album comes in two separate versions: regular and Wal-Mart.
The cover art of Countryman, released Tuesday, features green marijuana leaves over a red and yellow background and looks similar to a large pack of rolling papers.
However, for those looking to snap up the CD at Wal-Mart's famously rolled back prices, the cover features a palm tree in place of the offending leaves, a change made by Universal Music Group Nashville out of deference to the retailing giant's strict guidelines with regards to lyrics and packaging.
"They're covering all the bases," Nelson commented to the AP.
Nelson's not the first artist to be edited by Wal-Mart. In the past, musicians have been asked to change lyrics in order to be stocked on the retailer's shelves, and Wal-Mart once refused to carry a
Sheryl Crowalbum because it contained a song with lyrics about children killing each other with guns purchased at the store.
The retailer also pulled Prodigy's 1997 album, Fat of the Land, from shelves after deeming the lyrics to "Smack My Bitch Up" too offensive by its standards.
Despite the toned-down cover art, Wal-Mart shoppers can rest assured that the contents of Countryman remain unaltered.
The long-awaited album features reggae versions of Nelson songs including "Darkness on the Face of the Earth" and "One in a Row," as well as covers of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" and "Sitting in Limbo."
Nelson also teamed with Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals to record "I'm a Worried Man" by Johnny and June Carter Cash.
"When he [Cash] found out I was doing a reggae album, he said, 'Hey, I've got a reggae song that I wrote when I lived there,' " Nelson told the AP. "Toots heard it and liked it..."

― kingfish (Kingfish), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

See I never thought this Wal-Mart thing was a big deal. I'm more inclined to blame the artist for caving in. Wal-Mart is a business not a government and they can stock whatever they want.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 23:36 (twenty years ago)

I write for Pitchfork and I care not for the unwashed masses in middle america without their indie record stores. Let them eat cake!

― no tech! (ex machina), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 00:13 (twenty years ago)

i think the walmart cover looks a little better than the other one.

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 00:46 (twenty years ago)

Willie Nelson made a reggae record? Dope.

― Tigerstyle Shamanic Vision Quester (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

I write for Pitchfork and I care not for the unwashed masses in middle america without their indie record stores. Let them eat cake!
-- no tech!

You got me pegged.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 02:52 (twenty years ago)

I write for Pitchfork and I care not for the unwashed masses in middle america without their indie record stores

Is this gonna be a future disclaimer in some future PFM reviews?

This to go along with the new NME disclaimer:Hope there's a raft you can cling in this review cause soon we will have you drowning in our hype-machine bull*$@#

― Cunga (Cunga), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 03:09 (twenty years ago)

these imaginary/romanticized "unwashed masses" all have access to amazon.com - walmart r assholes for doing this but there is pretty much no adult who can in any way claim that they had to either buy a record at walmart or do without it

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 03:10 (twenty years ago)

these imaginary/romanticized "unwashed masses" all have access to amazon.com

Do they?

― donuty! donuti! donuté! (donut), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 03:13 (twenty years ago)

I can reluctantly understand a young band, with their balls in a vice by their record company and their record deal possibly on the line, caving in to the pressure of Wal Mart's "standards" for increased sales, but it's a bit disapointing when an established artist like Willie (or Nirvana if my memory serves me- who changed something about In Utero) cave in to Wal Mart for rack space. I wish these more established artists with some some financial clout would put there foot down and maybe, possibly, lead to the world's biggest retailer re-thinking it's policies. Not that it affects me, or most music fans for that matter (due to the wide availablity of stuff via the Net or other retailers) but just for the sheer principle of it. (and no, I never ever shop at Wal Mart.)

― Mace, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 03:41 (twenty years ago)

if it had been a beer can they would have left it

― Mike Hanle y (mike), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:13 (twenty years ago)

Do people really order grime and krautrock cds they've never heard from amazon.com on their non existent computer on their non existent broadband connection?

― Jon, remind me again why you haven't drowned in your own vomit (ex machina), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:17 (twenty years ago)

but just for the sheer principle of it.

Which is what?

― Cunga (Cunga), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:22 (twenty years ago)

I saw Willie perform his version of "The Harder They Come" this past Sunday! It sounded good. He shouldn't have changed the art, it looks perfect.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:22 (twenty years ago)

The weird thing is, in Canada, Wal-Mart sells dope.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:32 (twenty years ago)

I bet Willie doesn't even know the art's been changed anyway. He doesn't seem to care too much about his records after they're out.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:34 (twenty years ago)

Sometimes, the Wal*Mart version is better from a collector's value. I've never seen the censored In Utero, and really, the fetuses on the back have nothing to do with my enjoyment of the album.

I grew up in a small town and somehow managed to get the CD's I wanted. Here's the first thread I ever started here, as relevant today as it was two years ago: Skid Row: "Get the Fuck Out" or "Beggar's Day"?

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:38 (twenty years ago)

the guy's name means penis for christs sake

― Mike Hanle y (mike), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 07:31 (twenty years ago)

Willie Nelson made a reggae record? Dope.
Forgive my intrusion, but do you mean.
"Willie Nelson made a reggae record? (Thats so) Dope!"
or
"Willie Nelson made a reggae record? (What a) Dope."

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 07:42 (twenty years ago)

I was listening to it this morning. It's really good. The only song I don't like is the Johnny Cash song. "Harder They Come" is pretty effing righteous.
And Willie just does his thing, like nobody told him it was a reggae album. The reggae is all in the production, big dub echo-y vocals, chach-chach guitar, etc.
Best new Willie Nelson album since maybe Teatro.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

I meant "dope" as in "rad."
I'm a get this.
(I do like palm trees as much as the smaller kind)

― Tigerstyle Shamanic Vision Quester (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

Willie would smoke a palm tree if he could.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

Let's spread a rumour:
280. Willie's weed is actually weak and seedy, but nobody has the guts to tell him. (stolen from the 100% not true rumours thread)

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 17:10 (twenty years ago)

Sad to say Willie's been buying schawg the whole time. The album's too fast, too country. The whole thing stinks of a "It's a Reggae Christmas" vibe.

― Tigerstyle Shamanic Vision Quester (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 14:13 (twenty years ago)

Get real!
Too fast?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

no dub :(

― Tigerstyle Shamanic Vision Quester (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 14:33 (twenty years ago)

I don't think Willie could pull off dub.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

"Whiskey River" is kinda dubby

― Tigerstyle Shamanic Vision Quester (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 14:48 (twenty years ago)

Do people really order grime and krautrock cds they've never heard from amazon.com on their non existent computer on their non existent broadband connection?
-- Jon, remind me again why you haven't drowned in your own vomit (yo...), July 13th, 2005.

No! They buy them at wal mart, duh.

― Hatedogs, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 14:52 (twenty years ago)

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