![]() ∙ In challenging artistic norms while balancing pop with abrasive sonics, the band influenced such forward-thinking artists as Patti Smith, Joy Division, The Strokes, and Sonic Youth. The Velvet Underground Follow Artist + The quintessential bohemian New York band of the 60s that fused art, rock, and poetry in a fashion that proved incalculably influential. ∙ The Velvet Underground was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and Rolling Stone included the group in its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. ∙ After pushing the limits of their sound with 1968’s distortion-filled White Light/White Heat, they returned to more pop-oriented territory on their 1969 self-titled album and 1970’s Loaded. ∙ Reflecting on the group’s first LP-which initially sold only 30,000 copies-experimental icon Brian Eno said, “I think everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band!” While the band was taking shape, nearby Andy Warhol was expanding his. Library of Congress as “one of the most enduring albums in the history of rock ’n’ roll.” They called themselves the Velvet Underground, their name inspired by a 1963 paperback depicting sexual subcultures. ∙ The band’s full-length debut, 1967’s The Velvet Underground & Nico, was recognized by the U.S. ∙ Artist Andy Warhol, who became their manager, insisted that they add German singer/model Nico to the group, and he included them in his traveling multimedia show, Exploding Plastic Inevitable. ![]() ∙ Formed in 1964, the band grew out of the friendship between Lou Reed and John Cale-the latter of whom had worked with pioneering experimental composers John Cage and La Monte Young. Few rock albums are as important as The Velvet Underground & Nico, and fewer still have lost so little of their power to surprise and intrigue more 50 years after first hitting the racks.One of rock’s most influential bands, The Velvet Underground embraced the avant-garde spirit of 1960s New York City, while laying the groundwork for decades of alternative and experimental music. ![]() March 2, 1942, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.d. The principal members were Lou Reed (original name Lewis Allan Reed b. While the significance of Nico's contributions have been debated over the years, she meshes with the band's outlook in that she hardly sounds like a typical rock vocalist, and if Andy Warhol's presence as producer was primarily a matter of signing the checks, his notoriety allowed The Velvet Underground to record their material without compromise, which would have been impossible under most other circumstances. the Velvet Underground, American band of the 1960s whose primal guitar sound and urban noir lyrics, influenced by avant-garde art and modern literature, inspired the punk and alternative rock movements of the 1970s and ’80s. The bracing discord of "European Son," the troubling beauty of "All Tomorrow's Parties," and the expressive dynamics of "Heroin" all remain as compelling as the day they were recorded. Lou Reed's lyrical exploration of drugs and kinky sex (then risky stuff in film and literature, let alone "teen music") always received the most press attention, but the music Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker played was as radical as the words they accompanied. Here, the Velvets dipped their toes into dreamy pop ("Sunday Morning"), tough garage rock ("Waiting for the Man"), stripped-down R&B ("There She Goes Again"), and understated love songs ("I'll Be Your Mirror") when they weren't busy creating sounds without pop precedent. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what's most surprising about this album is its diversity. While it reportedly took over a decade for the album's sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. One would be hard-pressed to name a rock album whose influence has been as broad and pervasive as The Velvet Underground & Nico. In his first documentary, filmmaker Todd Haynes uses the language of experimental cinema to spotlight the Velvet Underground, a legendary band that flowered within New Yorks avant-garde art world.
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