Velvet Underground & Nico 45th Anniversary Box Set Announced

Universal Motown Records GroupThe 45th anniversary of the release of The Velvet Underground & Nico will be marked with a six-disc box set, reports Rolling Stone. Available on October 1, the collection will feature numerous alternate takes, live tracks, practice sessions and Nico’s complete album Chelsea Girl, which also came out in 1967.

The practice sessions are from January 1966 rehearsals at the Factory in New York -- most likely the one owned and operated by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol.

Occupying the last two discs of the commemorative package will be a live show recorded at the Valleydale Ballroom in Columbus, Ohio.

The cover of the original The Velvet Underground & Nico became as famous as the music. It features a pop-art banana designed by Warhol, who's listed as a co-producer on the album.

The box set will be released by Universal. Details regarding the box set packaging have not been made public.

In January of this year, The Velvet Underground filed a lawsuit against the Andy Warhol Foundation, claiming the foundation has infringed upon their trademark for the cover of their debut album. The Velvet Underground took exception to the foundation reportedly licensing the image for iPhone and iPad cases. According to the complaint, the banana image was taken from an advertisement in the public domain.

The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the foundation has no copyrights in the design.