Whatever happened to freedom of expression???
Wal-Mart Tweaks Willie's Reggae
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 Crow album 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."
Nelson originally started work on the album for Island Records in 1995 with producer Don Was, who's worked with the Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt, among other big names.
However, after Island founder Chris Blackwell left the company, the album fell to the wayside until a former Island exec landed at Nelson's current label, Lost Highway Records and revived it.
The 72-year-old country singer is currently on the road again, appearing with Bob Dylan in small venues across the country.
On Sept. 18, Nelson will reunite with fellow Farm Aid founders John Mellencamp and Neil Young in Chicago to mark the benefit concert's 20th anniversary. Dave Matthews Band is also scheduled to appear and other acts will be announced at a later date.
Over the years, the concerts have raised more than $27 million to benefit farmers.
Tickets for Farm Aid '05 go on sale July 30.
