Walmart alters Nelson's new album

Wal-Mart Tweaks Willie's Reggae
By Sarah Hall

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.



this is really too much

What happened to the big freedom of speech thing Americans always boast?

Obviously a store has the right to choose what it sells but it won't do itself any favours by not selling something that lots of people would buy, it's just losing money

Actually, Wal Mart is powerful enough to do this...and people keep on shopping there to ensure they stay in power. Some towns have no other options besides Wal Mart for shopping. Those that do often eventually lose the option when Mom and Pop go out of business due to Wal Mart.

Oh no - they are not losing money. They are one of this country's leading retailers and they are still growing. They also do the same thing with books and movies - and they buy in such quantities that they have a lot of clout. Universal is willing to change things to make them happy.

America has become a place of "freedom of speech" at your own risk. Everyone seems to want the government to protect them from everything - even themselves. MTV and vh1 bleeped Live 8 for inappropriate language - your BBC (at least the stuff that I saw) did not.

I personally have never set foot in a Wal Mart and I never intend to. I despise censorship in any form.
Sorry for the rant - Wal Mart just pushes my buttons.

Kathleen

I don't think it's somewhere I would visit either, any other shop would simply put a label on the cover or simply not sell the item at all.

I also despise censorship, it implies that we are too stupid to think for ourselves. Warnings are fine, but not shops banning the sale of certain products to certain ages simply because there is language some people deem bad or there's some fake blood or some sex (oddly sex is legal at 16 here yet porn is rated 18, stupid)

Hey, Walmart's privately owned. It's their right not carry stuff they deem offensive. Just like it's my right to tell someone to get off my property if I don't like them swearing like a sailor. If it's private property you and you alone should be the one to determine what goes on on it. Just because I don't agree with Walmart's decision doesn't mean they should be forced to carry the CD with the original cover.

Adrian

Then they shouldn't carry it at all should they? Censorship, plain and simple.

Not carrying it would help make more people aware of what is going on. You think someone who is a Willie Nelson fan who excitedly runs into Wal Mart to buy the new album only to discover they will not be selling it will continue to shop there once they have their eyes opened? Censoring it keeps people blissfully unaware that Wal Mart is playing Big Brother for them.

exactly!

If Walmart wants to censor the products that they carry, that's their right to do so as long as they are privately owned. If they don't want to carry the product, they don't have to. If they want Willie Nelson to put a palm tree on the cover of his CD, he can either put a palm tree on the cover or stand on principle and lose Walmart sales. Its their store. They get to decide what goes into it. The worse scenario is telling forcing people to accept anything on their property.

Adrian

If the label is willing to alter it to sell it at Wal-Mart, then they're the ones doing the censorship.

Personally, I think Willie has been smoking more than Mary Jane if he's gone reggae.