100 Records That Shook The World, # 57

The Velvet Underground & Nico (LP)

Early copies of this Andy Warhol-designed sleeve invited the new owner to "peel slowly and see". Peeling the plastic yellow skin revealed a flesh-coloured banana underneath.

'The Velvet Underground & Nico' was The Velvet Underground and vocal collaborator Nico's debut album, originally released in March 1967 on the Verve label. It was recorded in 1966 during Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour, and it gained notoriety for its experimentalist performance sensibilities, as well as its focus on controversial subject matter expressed in many of their songs.

Although it was largely ignored upon release, the record has since become one of the most influential and critically acclaimed rock albums in history, appearing at number thirteen on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as well as being added to the 2006 National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.