Lou Reed played in various bands in the 1960s and met the classically trained musician John Cale at Pickwick Records, a music factory where Reed churned out hits. Reed was then able to share his music, too extreme for the bland Pickwick, with Cale, Maureen Tucker and Sterling Morrison, collectively known as The Velvet Underground.
The eccentric pop-art artist Andy Warhol took it upon himself to make the band as famous as he was. On his advice, singer Nico was added in 1966, a German beauty with a melancholic voice. Warhol also designed the famous cover of the debut LP The Velvet Underground & Nico.
Influence
Cale eventually left the group due to a dispute over Nico, who was first Reed's and later Cale's lover. The Velvet Underground had little success during their existence. Drugs played an important role, as evidenced by the song 'Heroin'. Today, the debut album is considered by musicians and producers such as Brian Eno to be one of the most influential in music history.
Top 2000
There are no entries in the 23rd edition of the Top 2000. However, we have added Sunday Morning to our Top 2000 inspiration playlist on Spotify: Top 2000 inspiration playlist
Sunday Morning Classic: The Velvet Underground & Nico
On 22 May 2022, The Velvet Underground were featured as Sunday Morning Classic with the legendary album "The Velvet Underground & Nico".
The Velvet Underground And Nico – one of the most shocking and influential debut albums ever. Artist Andy Warhol had a major influence on the album's production and designed the recognisable cover, featuring a bright yellow pop art banana on a stark white background. On the original release, this banana was a sticker that concealed another, flesh-coloured banana. One of the most progressive and influential albums of all time.
The Velvet Underground & Nico was recorded during three different sessions in April, May and November 1966. The vast majority of the songs were written and sung by Lou Reed and deal with subjects that were taboo at the time, including drug use (Heroin) and sadomasochism (Venus in Furs). Musically, melodic pop rock and piercing avant-garde alternate; this progressive sound of the album is attributed to violinist/pianist/bassist John Cale. 'Femme Fatale', featuring Nico's voice, is a delicate, fragile track.
Due to difficulties with Verve Records, it took a year before the album was actually released. Partly because many radio stations refused to play the music due to the harsh lyrics, commercial success was lacking and the album did not rise above number 171 in the charts.
The Velvet Underground & Nico was initially largely ignored, but is now regarded as one of the most important albums in rock history. Rolling Stone placed the album at number 13 on the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and Time Magazine named it one of the 100 greatest albums ever. The Observer ranked the album first among the 50 albums that changed music.
Regarding the album's influence, musician Brian Eno is often cited, who remarked in 1982 that only 30,000 people had bought the album, but all 30,000 would start their own band.
Source: NPO and Wikipedia Photo: public domain (promotional photo)
