The Velvet Underground is an American rock band from the United States of America. The musicians stood at the very origins of alternative and experimental rock music.
Despite a significant contribution to the development of rock music, the band's albums did not sell very well. But those who bought the collections either became fans of the “collective” forever, or created their own rock band.
Music critics do not deny that the band's work was a turning point in the history of rock music. The Velvet Underground is one of the first bands that allowed themselves to boldly experiment in the avant-garde direction.
Ambiguous, original sound and harsh, realistic lyrics Lou Rida greatly influenced the development of punk, noise rock and alternative rock.
The presentation of the debut album greatly influenced the development of post-punk. Experiments with feedback and noise on the next disc - on noise rock and noise pop, in particular on the Jesus and Mary Chain band. And the lyricism of the sound of the third collection from the group's discography is on indie rock and folk rock.
Unfortunately, the musicians of the group gained worldwide recognition after the collapse of the group. At the time of the short existence of the group, their work was not in demand. Songs for a long time passed by music lovers, which prompted the band members to announce the termination of their activities.
History of creation and composition of the group
At the origins of the team are two talented musicians. The first of these, Lou Reed, was born on March 2, 1942. At one time, he was a member of groups that created tracks in the garage rock genre. In addition, he wrote compositions for one major label.
The second member, John Cale, was born on March 9, 1942. The guy came to the USA from Wales in order to devote himself, alas, not to heavy music, but to the classics.
After meeting with Reed in the mid-1960s, it turned out that young people were united by common musical tastes. Actually, with the acquaintance of young people, the little history of The Velvet Underground began. The musicians began to rehearse a lot and experiment with sound.
The duo originally performed under the name The Primitives. Soon Reid and John were joined by guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Angus Maclise. The group's creative pseudonym changed several more times before the guys finally approved the name of the group.
In the mid-1960s, the members of the new group began to rehearse diligently. The compositions of this period are light and melodious. In 1965, the first song was recorded in the apartment of one of the musicians. The debut track was offered to listen to the famous Mick Jagger, but he ignored the work of The Velvet Underground.
Angus was the first to leave the band. The musician left the group as soon as the guys were paid for the first performance. Maclise turned out to be a man of principle. He left with the words that creativity is not for sale.
Angus' place was not empty for long. It was taken over by a girl named Maureen Tucker, who played tom and bass drums. The original percussionist created the rhythm literally on improvised means. She harmoniously fit into the existing style.
Music by The Velvet Underground
The musicians of the new band found support in the person of producer Andy Warhol. He gave the guys the opportunity to record at the professional recording studio Verve Records.
Soon the producer invited a new member to the group - German Niko. With her, the musicians released their debut album, which was already in music stores in 1967. In fact, the album expressed a "new word" in rock music. Despite this, the album was lukewarmly received by fans, and it reached the last position in the top 200 of the Billboard charts.
After this event, Nico and Warhol stopped working with The Velvet Underground. In 1967, with manager Tom Wilson, the musicians worked on the White Light/White Heat compilation. The tracks of the new album were distinguished by a more powerful sound. There was not even a hint of lyrics in them. The efforts of the musicians came to naught. This record turned out to be an even bigger "failure" than the previous work.
The loss did not motivate the team members to join forces. Increasingly, there were disputes and disagreements in the group. Cale soon announced to the "fans" that he was leaving the project. The group worked on the third disc with another musician. We are talking about the talented Doug Yulia.
The third studio album The Velvet Underground, from a commercial point of view, turned out to be an absolute "failure". Despite this, after the release of the collection, a "turn" began in the direction, and the compositions acquired melody and notes of folk.
Lou Reed from failure completely disillusioned with the group. He announced to fans about the beginning of his solo career. At that moment, work on the fourth disc in the discography was being completed. By the way, the new studio album became the band's first victory.
Presentation of the fourth studio album and the breakup of the group
In honor of the release of the fourth album, the group organized tours not only in the United States of America, but also outside their native country. The fourth album Loaded gave fans hope that all is not lost.
The composition of the group members began to change like “gloves”. There were contradictions in the team, and the "fans" reacted negatively to this. The Velvet Underground announced they were disbanding in 1972.
Reunion attempts by The Velvet Underground
The musicians tried to reunite the band. In 1993, a tour of Europe took place. However, Reed and Cale got into a confrontation again. This meant that the group did not have a single chance for "life".
On September 30, 1995, information appeared that Sterling Morrison had died of cancer. A few months after their death, The Velvet Underground was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, another member of the legendary band, Lou Reed, passed away. The musician underwent a liver transplant, but this did not save the star from death.
Interesting facts about The Velvet Underground
- The musical composition All Tomorrow's Parties was among Warhol's favorite tracks from the band's entire repertoire.
- The main themes of the third studio album are drugs, alcohol, prostitution. The musicians recorded the disc in 4 days.
- The band's lead singer, Lou Reed, had homosexual tendencies in his youth. Relatives did not come up with anything better than to treat him with electroshock therapy. After that, the guy did not communicate with his parents for a long time. Lu had problems with alcohol and drugs. Several times he was treated in a rehabilitation center.
- In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine included the band in the list of the 100 most famous artists of all time. The group took an honorable 19th place.
The Velvet Underground team today
In 2017, Tucker and Cale teamed up to please fans with old hits. The musicians performed at a concert dedicated to the legends of music. The stars performed a track from the first collection of VU
John Cale in 2016 replenished his solo discography with a new album MFANS. In 2019, the musician lived in California. In the autumn of the same year, The Velvet Underground are scheduled to perform in the United States, but not in full force.
