Inadvertently hampered sales of
The Velvet Underground's first album. The original back-cover photo included an upside-down image of Emerson, flashed over the band onstage. To pay a hospital bill, Emerson sued Verve Records (the Velvets' record label) for unauthorized use of his likeness. Verve stopped distribution of the album until the photo could be airbrushed and the cover reprinted. The delay kept the album from rising any higher than #129 in the Billboard music charts, costing them a potential Hot 100 hit.