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Few rock groups can claim to have broken so much new territory, and maintain such consistent brilliance on record, as the Velvet
Undergroundduring their brief lifespan. It was the group's lot to be ahead of, or at least out of step with, their time. The mid- to late '60s was
an era ofexplosive growth and experimentation in rock, but the Velvets' innovations -- which blended the energy of rock with the sonic
adventurism of theavant-garde, and introduced a new degree of social realism and sexual kinkiness into rock lyrics -- were too abrasive for
the mainstream tohandle. During their tim ...read more
Few rock groups can claim to have broken so much new territory, and maintain such consistent brilliance on record, as the Velvet
Undergroundduring their brief lifespan. It was the group's lot to be ahead of, or at least out of step with, their time. The mid- to late '60s was
an era ofexplosive growth and experimentation in rock, but the Velvets' innovations -- which blended the energy of rock with the sonic
adventurism of theavant-garde, and introduced a new degree of social realism and sexual kinkiness into rock lyrics -- were too abrasive for
the mainstream tohandle. During their time, the group experienced little commercial success; though they were hugely appreciated by a cult
audience and somecritics, the larger public treated them with indifference or, occasionally, scorn. The Velvets' music was too important to
languish in obscurity,though; their cult only grew larger and larger in the years following their demise, and continued to mushroom through
the years. By the 1980s,they were acknowledged not just as one of the most important rock bands of the '60s, but one of the best of all time,
and one whose immensesignificance cannot be measured by their relatively modest sales. Historians often hail the group for their incalculable
influence upon the punkand new wave of subsequent years, and while the Velvets were undoubtedly a key touchstone of the movements, to
focus upon these elementsof their vision is to only get part of the story. The group was uncompromising in their music and lyrics, to be sure,
sometimes espousing ableakness and primitivism that would inspire alienated singers and songwriters of future generations. But their colorful
and oft-grim soundscapeswere firmly grounded in strong, well-constructed songs that could be as humanistic and compassionate as they were
outrageous andconfrontational.
The member most responsible for these qualities was guitarist, singer, and songwriter Lou Reed, whose sing-speak vocals and gripping
narrativeshave come to define street-savvy rock & roll. Reed loved rock & roll from an early age, and even recorded a doo-wop type single as
a LongIsland teenager in the late '50s (as a member of the Shades). By the early '60s, he was also getting into avant-garde jazz and serious
poetry,coming under the influence of author Delmore Schwartz while studying at Syracuse University. After graduation, he set his sights
considerablylower, churning out tunes for exploitation rock albums as a staff songwriter for Pickwick Records in New York City. Reed did learn
some usefulthings about production at Pickwick, and it was while working there that he met John Cale, a classically-trained Welshman who
had moved toAmerica to study and perform "serious" music. Cale, who had performed with John Cage and LaMonte Young, found himself
increasingly attractedto rock & roll; Reed, for his part, was interested in the avant-garde as well as pop. Reed and Cale were both interested
in fusing the avant-gardewith rock & roll, and had found the ideal partners for making the vision (a very radical one for the mid-'60s) work;
their synergy would be thecrucial axis of the Velvet Underground's early work. Reed and Cale (who would play bass, viola,and organ) would
need to assemble a full band,making tentative steps along this direction by performing together in the Primitives (which also included
experimental filmmaker Tony Conradand avant-garde sculptor Walter DeMaria) to promote a bizarre Reed-penned Pickwick single ("The
Ostrich"). By 1965, the group was a quartetcalled the Velvet Underground, including Reed, Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison (an old friend of
Reed's), and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLisequit before the band's first paying gig, claiming that accepting money for art was a sellout; the
Velvets quickly recruited drummer MaureenTucker, a sister of one of Morrison's friends. Even at this point, the Velvets were well on their way
to developing something quite different. Theiroriginal material, principally penned and sung by Reed, dealt with the hard urban realities of
Manhattan, describing drug use, sadomasochism,and decadence in cool, unapologetic detail in "Heroin," "I'm Waiting for the Man," "Venus in
Furs," and "All Tomorrow's Parties." These werewedded to basic, hard-nosed rock riffs, toughened by Tucker's metronome beats; the oddly
tuned, rumbling guitars; and Cale's occasional violascrapes. It was an uncommercial blend to say the least, but the Velvets got an unexpected
benefactor when artist and all-around pop-art iconAndy Warhol caught the band at a club around the end of 1965. Warhol quickly assumed
management of the group, incorporating them into hismixed-media/performance art ensemble, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. By spring
1966, Warhol was producing their debut album.
Warhol was also responsible for embellishing the quartet with Nico, a mysterious European model/chanteuse with a deep voice whom the
bandaccepted rather reluctantly, viewing her spectral presence as rather ornamental. Reed remained the principal lead vocalist, but Nico did
singthree of the best songs on the group's debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico, often known as "the banana album" because of its
distinctiveWarhol-designed cover. Recognized today as one of the core classic albums of rock, it featured an extraordinarily strong set of
songs, highlightedby "Heroin," "All Tomorrow's Parties," "Venus in Furs," "I'll Be Your Mirror," "Femme Fatale," "Black Angel's Death Song,"
and "Sunday Morning."The sensational drug-and-sex items (especially "Heroin") got most of the ink, but the more conventional numbers
showed Reed to be asongwriter capable of considerable melodicism, sensitivity, and almost naked introspection. The album's release was not
without complications,though. First, it wasn't issued until nearly a year after it was finished, due to record-company politics and other factors.
The group's associationwith Warhol and the Exploding Plastic Inevitable had already assured them of a high (if notorious media) profile, but
the music was simply toodaring to fit onto commercial radio; "underground" rock radio was barely getting started at this point, and in any
case may well have overlookedthe record at a time when psychedelic music was approaching its peak. The album only reached number 171 in
the charts, and that's as high asany of their LPs would get upon original release. Those who heard it, however, were often mightily impressed;
Brian Eno once said that eventhough hardly anyone bought the Velvets records at the time they appeared, almost everyone who did formed
their own bands.
A cult reputation wasn't enough to guarantee a stable livelihood for a band in the '60s, and by 1967 the Velvets were fighting problems
withintheir own ranks. Nico, never considered an essential member by the rest of the band, left or was fired sometime during the year, going
on to afascinating career of her own. The association with Warhol weakened, as the artist was unable to devote as much attention to the band
as hehad the previous year. Embittered by the lukewarm reception of their album in their native New York, the Velvets concentrated on
touring citiesthroughout the rest of the country. Amidst this tense atmosphere, the second album, White Light/White Heat, was recorded
in late 1967.Each of the albums the group released while Reed led the band was an unexpected departure from all of their other LPs. White
Light/WhiteHeat was probably the most radical, focusing almost exclusively on their noisiest arrangements, over-amped guitars, and most
willfullyabrasive songs. The 17-minute "Sister Ray" was their most extreme (and successful) effort in this vein. Unsurprisingly, the album
failed to catchon commercially, topping out at number 199. By the summer of 1968, the band had a much graver problem on its hands than
commercial success(or the lack of it). A rift developed between Reed and Cale, the most creative forces in the band and, as one could expect,
two temperamentalegos. Reed presented the rest of the band with an ultimatum, declaring that he would leave the group unless Cale was
sacked. Morrison andTucker reluctantly sided with Lou, and Doug Yule was recruited to take Cale's place.
The group's third album, 1969's The Velvet Underground, was an even more radical left turn than White Light/White Heat. The
volumeand violence had nearly vanished; the record featured far more conventional rock arrangements that were sometimes so restrained it
seems asthough they were making an almost deliberate attempt to avoid waking the neighbors. Yet the sound was nonetheless effective for
that; therecord contains some of Reed's most personal and striking compositions, numbers like "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Candy Says" ranking
among hismost romantic, although cuts like "What Goes On" proved they could still rock out convincingly (though in a less experimental
fashion than theyhad with Cale). The approach may have confused listeners and critics, but by this time their label (MGM/Verve) was putting
little promotionalresources behind the band anyway.
Even in the absence of Cale, the Velvets were still capable of generating compelling heat on-stage, as 1969: Velvet Underground Live
(notreleased until the mid-'70s) confirms. MGM was by now in the midst of an infamous "purge" of its supposedly drug-related rock acts, and
theVelvets were setting their sights elsewhere. Nevertheless, they recorded about an album's worth of additional material for the label after
thethird LP, although it remains unclear whether this was intended for a fourth album or not. Many of the songs, though, were excellent,
serving as abridge between The Velvet Underground and 1970's Loaded; a lot of it was officially released in the 1980s and 1990s.
The beginning of the 1970s seemed to herald considerable promise for the group, as they signed to Atlantic, but at this point the
personnelproblems that had always dogged them finally became overwhelming. Tucker had to sit out Loaded due to pregnancy, replaced
by Yule'sbrother Billy. Doug Yule, according to some accounts, began angling for more power in the band. Unexpectedly, after a lengthy
residency at NewYork's famous Max's Kansas City club, Reed quit the band near the end of the summer of 1970, moving back to his parents'
Long Island home forseveral months before beginning his solo career, just before the release of Loaded, his final studio album with the
Velvets.
Loaded was by far the group's most conventional rock album, and the most accessible one for mainstream listeners. "Rock and Roll"
and"Sweet Jane" in particular were two of Reed's most anthemic, jubilant tunes, and ones that became rock standards in the '70s. But the
group'spower was somewhat diluted by the absence of Tucker, and by the decision to have Doug Yule handle some of the lead vocals. Due to
Reed'sdeparture, though, the group couldn't capitalize on any momentum it might have generated. Unwisely, the band decided to continue,
thoughMorrison and Tucker left shortly afterward. That left Doug Yule at the helm of an act that was the Velvet Underground in name only,
and the 1973album that was billed to the group (Squeeze) is best forgotten, and not considered as a true Velvets release. With Reed,
Cale, and Nicoestablishing important solo careers of their own, and such important figures as David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Patti Smith making
no bones abouttheir debts to the band, the Velvet Underground simply became more and more popular as the years passed. In the 1980s,
the original albumswere reissued, along with a couple of important collections of outtakes. Hoping to rewrite the rules one last time, Reed,
Cale, Morrison, andTucker attempted to defy the odds against successful rock reunions by re-forming in the early '90s (Nico had died in
1988). A European tour, anda live album, was completed in 1993 to mixed reviews; before a planned American jaunt could start, Reed and
Cale (who have feuded constantlyover the past few decades) fell out yet again, bringing the reunion to a sad close. Sterling Morrison's death
from illness in 1995 seems to havepermanently iced any prospect of more projects under the Velvet Underground name, although a few of the
surviving members played togetherwhen they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. By that time, an impressive five-CD box set
(containing all four of the studioalbums issued when Reed was in the band, as well as a lot of other material) was available to enshrine the
group's legacy for the ages. « hide |
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