NYC Album Art: The Coup, Party Music

It's been quite some time since our last installment of NYC Album Art, and today we look at a controversial one that never actually saw the light of day. What you see pictured was the planned cover art for The Coup's Party Music album, designed in June 2001.

Boots Riley, the guy in the forefront holding what looks like a detonator, explains his...unfortunate idea: "I came up with the idea with the photographer. We took the pictures on May 15, and we were done with it by the beginning of June. Any similarities are totally coincidental, and it was originally supposed to be more of a metaphor for destroying capitalism — where the music is making capitalist towers blow up. The politics of the Coup have more to do with the people organizing each other."

Since the album wasn't getting released until November of 2001, the band pulled the art from websites and created a new one after 9/11. When Pitchfork reported on the art change, they mentioned that "Riley had requested that the band be allowed to keep the artwork despite the terrorist attacks, but 75Ark would not allow it, calling the cover wholly inappropriate." The new image? A gasoline martini.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on January 29, 2008 1:42 PM

Comments [rss]

Spiny

First the Pakistan Airlines ad, now this. What's with Gothamist and the whole "OMG look this picture was designed BEFORE 9/11!" thing? There's no other reason for this post. Come on, guys, you're getting strange.

JacqueMehoff

is four months enough to still ride the terrorism 9/11 coattail? let's do a google image search of "twin towers" and see if we can connect them to Fear.

neckbeard

man people have trouble with reading comprehension, or dates, or something. stop being stupid.

the inside of The Bouncing Soul's "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" has a cartoon of their logo destroying the twin towers. that came out in May 2001. very eerie.

Agnostic Fart

75Ark isn't even around anymore....

This story is over six years old...

fishfryin

i'm boots riley, it's a pleasure to meet you!

jibbly

Hey man, gothamisters (gothamistresses?) gotta eat too!

eyekantspel

Gothamist knows that depicting the towers is a guaranteed comment/hit generator.

Recurring bait-themes: Twin Towers, Giuliani, Graffiti, Barack v Hillary, Cycling, Police...

rhodamine

yeah. i remember reading about this back in... 2001.

Nick S

She also has problems with the whole "I before E" thing.

I second that WOOT.

zoofroy

Hey AnnaZed, you're an idiot. Cover art notwithstanding, "Party Music" is a ridiculously infectious album, which is why it was ranked number eight in the 2001 Village Voice's Pazz and Jop poll.

mfib

Mary Grace has problems with chronology.

oh, and The Coup, WOOT!

emilydickinson

Is literacy that much of a dying art? They made the album cover in MAY - 4 months before th 9/11 attacks. How is that exploitative? It's just bad luck on the Coup's part.

MisterTissue

This "NEWS" story is over six years old! It's a little late for outrage.

MarygraceNYC

What a disgrace! Yes, lets make money off peoples greif. Jack Asses!

Nick S

how can you post that cover without mentioning Pam the Funkstress??

Papercutninja

OMG terrorism. Everyone panic and call your parents in Ohio.

Peter

Lynyrd Skynyrd released its album Street Survivors in 1977 just before some members died in an airplane crash. The original cover showed the band members surrounded by fire, now become not very appropriate imagery even though the airplane had not actually burned. Not surprisingly, the record company immediately changed the cover, and also not surprisingly the original albums became valuable collector's items.