Tremendous, though flawed, artwork on Godspeed You Black Emperor! — Yanqui U.X.O.

Today, a brief post about Canadian ninesome Godspeed You Black Emperor's amazing new album of epic chamber rock, called Yanqui U.X.O. The album, recorded by Steve Albini of Big Black fame, refers to unexploded ordnance-landmines, a cause that has also been championed by underground satirist, David Rees, and his Get Your War On. The picture to your left is a hyperlink to the Constellation Records website (so click on it to enlarge), where you will be able to see in detail each of the connections of the major music labels (Sony, Columbia, Epic, MCA, Polygram, Motown, Geffen/DGC, Interscope, Universal, AOL/Time Warner ... ...) and their indirect links to warfare. But apparently there was a bit of a mistake made:

The back panel of both the CD and LP jackets contain a chart linking four major record labels to their respective holdings in the military industrial complex.

Extensive internet research was conducted to compile and confirm the information contained in the chart. These pages and documents can be accessed from the chart graphic itself and also through the text version of the chart.

The band understood there to be at least four major record labels (AOL Time- Warner, BMG, Sony, and Vivendi Universal), and was unsure as to the ownership of EMI. Searches unearthed dozens of stories relating to the merger between AOL Time-Warner and EMI. Overlooked were other stories detailing the halting of the merger by a European Union commission charged with its assessment.

While several people undertook fact checking on the various linkages to military ventures, the basic ownership of EMI was not examined further. Consequently, EMI appears on the chart as a subsidiary of AOL Time-Warner when in fact and as of this writing, it continues to comprise a company separate from the other four majors (albeit one which has embarked on many co-ventures with several of these record companies).

Godspeed and Constellation are kicking their own sorry asses over the inclusion of this factual error and while the initial print and record run has already been dispersed to many parts of the world pending its release in early November, any subsequent printings will have the error rectified.

For consistency, the artwork will continue to appear on the Constellation web site in its original form until such time as the actual jacket artwork has been altered.

Constellation
October 12, 2002

The error notwithstanding, the packaging and overall theme of Godspeed's latest is quite possible the finest of the new millenium. For a textual explanation of the band's diagram, go here. I don't think they'll be signing to a major label any time soon.