Album: The Velvet Underground & Nico Artist: The Velvet Underground & Nico Year: 1967 Genre: Avant-Garde Rock, Protopunk Producer: Andy Warhol Track List: 1. Sunday Morning [L. Reed-J. Cale] 2. Im Waiting for the Man [L. Reed] 3. Femme Fatale [L. Reed] 4. Venus in Furs [L. Reed] 5. Run Run Run [L. Reed] 6. All Tomorrows Parties [L. Reed] 7. Heroin [L. Reed] 8. There She Goes Again [L. Reed] 9. Ill Be Your Mirror [L. Reed] 10. The Black Angels Death Song [L. Reed-J. Cale] 11. European Son [L. Reed-J. Cale-S. Morrison-M. Tucker] For something released in 1967, the debut album by The Velvet Underground sounds very far removed from the summer of love. Their scene was a different one: The Velvet Underground were an obscure New York act who likely would have stayed that way had they not been discovered by pop artist and icon Andy Warhol. Warhol took on the role of the bands manager and producer (though Warhol never really helped much in the studio; multi-instrumentalist John Cale maintains that Tom Wilson was the albums true producer), inviting them to become part of his scene at The Factory. He also introduced them to one of his superstars, German-born vocalist Nico. Warhols lack of help in the studio, however, meant that the album was truly in the creative hands of Cale and guitarist/songwriter Lou Reed. Reed never wrote his songs for shock value, but simply wanted to integrate the themes of writers like Nelson Algren, William S. Burroughs, and Allen Ginsburg into the world of rock. The controversial songs made for a dismal contemporary reaction, and the album did not sell well (at the time). In terms of influence, though, producer Brian Eno put it best when he said that everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band. This was true of a wide-ranging set of artists, from David Bowie to basically all of the punk movement. With this record, The Velvets perform a wide swath of material. The Black Angels Death Song, featuring Cales viola skills, was the bands calling card from their pre-Warhol days. Heroin is a seven minute masterpiece, so much of one, in fact, that Reed later refused to perform it because he thought it would convince impressionable fans to try the drug. Reed basically invents the ostrich guitar on tracks like Venus in Furs and All Tomorrows Parties. Meanwhile, Nico makes valuable vocal contributions on Sunday Morning, Femme Fatale, All Tomorrows Parties, and Ill Be Your Mirror. The Velvet Underground would later ditch both Nico and Warhol, but this nonetheless remains one of the bands most impressive works.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 02:36:12 +0000
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