Underground supergroup United Nations have hit some legal roadblocks with the release of their self-titled debut, which was previously expected to hit shops this Tuesday (September 9). The band, which features Geoff Rickly of Thursday, Daryl Palumbo of Glass Jaw and Head Automatica, Chree from the Number 12 Looks Like You, and Kiss It Goodbye's Eric Cooper, have run into distribution problems with the album as many stores are refusing to carry it because of the records artwork, which may be infringing on copyrights.
As you can see from the photo above, the United Nations art is strikingly similar to that of the Beatles famed Abbey Road cover, but with a few flaming modifications.
In a recent interview with MTV, Rickly said: "We worked [on the cover art] with this British anarchist artist named James Cauty [formerly of the KLF], and he did all this great stuff. But it had some copyright issues, and that's why all the distributors and stores refuse to carry it. We have 1,000 copies of this album sitting around with artwork that has been banned and we're trying to figure out what to do with those.
And apparently this isnt the only the legal problem, Eyeball Records, which signed United Nations, is facing. Rickly is the only member of the group who is not under contract with another label, meaning no ones name appears on the disc other than Ricklys. However, he said his main band Thursday will likely sign a new deal in the next few weeks, putting him in the same boat as everyone else. Rickly would not say which label Thursday is signing with but did reveal theyve already started to work on their follow up to 2006s A City by the Light Divided with Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev). He also said the record should be out by spring 2009.
"Officially, we can't use any names, except for mine," Rickly said of United Nations. "This band is so possible because none of us gives a shit what happens to it. We've all got our other stuff and this is just for us to say, Fuck it we can do whatever we want here.'"
As we previously reported, the United Nations album is now streaming via the bands MySpace page.
Thursday "Ladies and Gentlemen: My Brother, the Failure
As you can see from the photo above, the United Nations art is strikingly similar to that of the Beatles famed Abbey Road cover, but with a few flaming modifications.
In a recent interview with MTV, Rickly said: "We worked [on the cover art] with this British anarchist artist named James Cauty [formerly of the KLF], and he did all this great stuff. But it had some copyright issues, and that's why all the distributors and stores refuse to carry it. We have 1,000 copies of this album sitting around with artwork that has been banned and we're trying to figure out what to do with those.
And apparently this isnt the only the legal problem, Eyeball Records, which signed United Nations, is facing. Rickly is the only member of the group who is not under contract with another label, meaning no ones name appears on the disc other than Ricklys. However, he said his main band Thursday will likely sign a new deal in the next few weeks, putting him in the same boat as everyone else. Rickly would not say which label Thursday is signing with but did reveal theyve already started to work on their follow up to 2006s A City by the Light Divided with Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev). He also said the record should be out by spring 2009.
"Officially, we can't use any names, except for mine," Rickly said of United Nations. "This band is so possible because none of us gives a shit what happens to it. We've all got our other stuff and this is just for us to say, Fuck it we can do whatever we want here.'"
As we previously reported, the United Nations album is now streaming via the bands MySpace page.
Thursday "Ladies and Gentlemen: My Brother, the Failure