The Velvet Underground & Nico (3) – The Velvet Underground & Nico

There are three versions of the back cover of the original American release:
1st - Has an image of actor Eric Emerson projected upside-down on the wall behind the band. Commonly known as the "Torso" cover (despite showing only Emerson's head and arms), this variant is also referred to as “first state” or the “Emerson Cover.”
2nd - The actor's image is covered by a large black sticker.
3rd - The actor's image is airbrushed out.

Historical info: The actor Eric Emerson (2), protagonist of some multimedia films projected behind the group during Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, filed a lawsuit against the record label for the non-payment of the rights regarding his image that can be seen upside down on the back cover of the first version. This led to the album being temporarily withdrawn from sale, likely in late 1967, while a large black lawsuit sticker was applied to the rear sleeve of remaining stock. On the rear sleeve of all subsequent pressings, the image is airbrushed to obscure Emerson.