Although fellow member John Cale would object, perhaps rightfully so, the true focus of the Velvet Underground story is Lou Reed, who was equal parts street poet, rocker, and hustler. Surly, clad in leather and sunglasses, seldom seen without a cigarette, and owner of a tough-guy New York accent, he represented a new sort of rock anti-hero.
Born March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, NY, Reed discovered rock 'n' roll as a young teen in the 50's. Also popular at the time, particularly in New York, was doo-wop, and the young Reed first graced an acetate in the late 50's as a member of the Shades, a local doo-wop outfit.
He attended Syracuse University where he read the beat literature of the late 50's as well as authors Raymond Chandler and Delmore Schwartz, who had an influence on him. He took an interest in avant-garde jazz, and dabbled in poetry. However, his primary interest kept returning to rock 'n' roll, and upon graduation in 1964, he headed down to New York City to try to make things happen.
He landed steady, if not glamorous, work as in-house songwriter and sessionman for Pickwick records, which specialized in cheap-o product; there, he gained an apprenticeship in the business of churning out records, engineering, and even producing.
It was a fortuitous gig for another reason, for it was through Pickwick that Reed met John Cale, a Welsh classically-trained musician, in New York to study and perform classical music. Cale had previously met and worked with avant-garde pioneers John Cage and LaMonte Young, but was drawn by the emotional immediacy of rock music. He and Reed both kept up an interest in the avant-garde, Cale approaching it from the viewpoint of a classical musician, Reed from the viewpoint of rough-hewn rocker.
Once they realized the convergence of interests, they naturally became interested in creating a fusion of them; bringing avant-garde concepts to rock music, and exploiting rock music for avant-garde purposes. This meeting of the minds was the germination of the Velvet Underground, and it was a radical concept; rock music at that time was still considered cheesy teenage noise, and the avant garde world was far removed from it.
Reed played a servicable-and-improving guitar, and Cale was proficient at bass, viola, and organ, which gave them a versatile nucleus for a band. They began performing together as The Primitives, the lineup fleshed out by avant garde artist friends. In 1965, Reed brought in an old friend, Sterling Morrison, as guitarist, and the drummer's seat went to Angus MacLise. This quartet was the first to use The Velvet Underground moniker.
Article comments
1 - Vern Halen
uao -
Based on your last few articles, you & I must share a lot of the same record collection - Pasley Underground, Parsons, Love & now the VU.
After Yule joined the band, you're right: even if they didn't have Cale's presence, in late 68 - 69 they were still a knockout live band. I'd like to track down their La Cave Cleveland Oct '68 boot (Yule's first gig!)- I 've heard a couple of cuts, and one appears on the box set, but I bet the whole night was great.
2 - HW Saxton
uao,I just read this piece and found it
to be interesting. I used to be a major
Velvets freak owning many boots besides
of course all the studio stuff minus the
LP "Squeeze" which just plain BLOWS in
anyones book.The Bootleg series that was
released (and recorded on a hand held
tape recorder)by Void-Oids guitarist/Lou
Reed collabarator/cohort Robert Quine is
worth picking up if you are really into
these guys. It has extended versions of
many standards(a 30 minute "Sister Ray")
and a couple jam pieces never released
properly on wax.
I say that I used to be a Velvets freak
because one day I went to listen to the
second LP "White Light/..." and it just
didn't sound good to me anymore.Tried to
listen to it a few more times after that
and just couldn't do it. After years of
practically worshipping those guys I had
finally burned out on 'em.Changing taste
as I was getting older had something to
do with it I'm sure, but I still cannot
listen to them to this day. That also is
the case with 99% of all "R N R" with me
anymore.I'm much more content exploring
old obscure Blues,Gospel,R n B records,
strange Avant Jazz and composers such as
Harry Partch,Bruce Haack etc & all sorts
of African music from Hip Hop to tribal
drumming.Plus tons of other music that I
find intersting like Reggae,Dancehall &
Dub.Basically anything but R n R.I still
like to read & write about it and I find
it to be interesting as it has consumed
my ears for about 30+ years out of the
40+ I've been on this planet,though.What
a drag it is getting old!!! LOL.
I don't understand what you mean by the
"rationalizing" of the song "Heroin".He
(Lou)doesn't mean this tune as any kind
of pro-drug tune to be sure.It could be
seen as an anti-drug song if anything,
since the protagonist of the tune has
decided to commit suicide via an OD on
junk. I am just a little curious as to
what you meant by this statement. No big
deal,but,if you should have a chance to
write back and explain,mucho appreciated
honestly. Thanks man, Harold.
3 - uao
I think I phrased that line poorly; it certainly isn't a pro-heroin song. Reed's lyrics are delivered in the manner of a guy who knows what he's doing is wrong, a teremdous surrender, but still goes ahead with it anyway; after all he feels just like Jesus' son. I used "justify" to convey this decision, but on a re-write, I'd phrase it differently.
Thank you, HW.
4 - HW Saxton
Ok cool,uao. I just wasn't sure of what
you were trying to say there. It's not
that it was ambigious or anything,I just
wasn't sure of how you meant it.It was a
good read though.
5 - Rodney Welch
Good thorough wrap-up -- although, as a dedicated VU fan, I think people sometimes make overmuch of the sex and sleaze angle. It's there, alright, but it's nothing compared to what people sing about today, and it isn't why I still play their stuff on a regular basis.
Two notes:
*I'm not real sure Nico was fired. According to the recent All Yesterday's Parties: the Velvet Underground in Print, 1966-1971, it was mainly a case of her wanting to do her own record, and both Cale and Reed lent a hand to help her with it.
*Lester Bangs said in his review of Loaded that the back cover of the album was a direct slap at Reed by the record company. It shows Doug Yule playing a piano in an empty studio -- you know, like he's the heart and soul of the band, the one who stays late working on tunes.
6 - HW Saxton
Rodney, from what I remember reading in
the Bockris book "Up-Tight", I'd always
thought that Nico leaving was pretty
much a mutual decision. That is, she was
ready to go as she didn't get on with
the band particularly well and the band
wanted her gone because she didn't bring
anything to the table.Musically that is.
Lou did give her "Chelsea Girls" and one
other tune though which I can't recall
"Little Sister" maybe? for her solo LP
though.
7 - uao
Thanks for the insights Rodney; I had never considered the Loaded cover like that before, but it makes perfect sense.
Ironically, I read a relatively recent interview with Dorothy Moskowitz of United States of America, who claimed Nico wanted to join that band in 1968 when Moskowitz departed, but I've never seen mention of it anywhere else. The only connection between the bands I could find was a single shared gig in 1968 that would have been post-Nico. Moskowitz said the VU intentionally knocked over USA's amps as they walked off.
8 - Sister Ray
Lou Reed wrote or co-wrote several songs on Nico's "Chelsea Girl" album
"Little Sister" (Cale/Reed)
"It Was A Pleasure Then" (Nico/Cale/Reed)
"Chelsea Girls" (Reed/Morrison)
"Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" (Reed)
I love the Velvet Underground and enjoyed the "Peel Slowly and See" box set. It features some early stuff in which Lou tries so hard to sound like Bob Dylan (glad he found his own voice) and a bluesy version of "I'm Waiting For The Man."
9 - HW Saxton
Dang,I forgot about "Wrap Your Troubles
In Dreams".I knew 'twas "Little Sister".
I just didn't wany to say for sure and
take the chance of being wrong. I used
to like Nico's version of "The End" as
well as I ever did The Doors. Maybe even
a little better. Her flat voice fits the
droning better than Morrisons bluesy vox
do.
10 - Sister Ray
She called Morrison her "soul brother." Supposedly, there is a Nico biopic in the works called "The End." It'll be hard to top the documentary "Nico Icon," IMO, which includes some good Velvets footage. How I wish I could have seen one of those Exploding Plastic Inevitable shows live!
The original post said "Venus In Furs" was a transgender song. I thought it was about a dominatrix and her submissive mate, Severin.
"I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
different colors made of tears"
I love that bridge!
11 - HW Saxton
I have the book "Venus In Furs" by the
author Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch.
Severin is the name of the protagonist
in the story and the song seems to
mirror the book more or less for better
or worse.
12 - Tan The Man
Nice. The Velvet Underground and Nico is one of the best albums.
13 - Marty Thau
Worth mentioning are some of Cale's solo albums -- Vintage Violence, Academy In Peril, and Paris 1919. There are others but these 3 are outstanding.
14 - HW Saxton
As for John Cale's solo LP's I really
like "Slow Dazzle" with that zombied out
version of "Heartbreak Hotel" on it and
I agree with "Academy In Peril". "Fear"
also had a few decent tracks on it but a
lot of stinkers as well.
15 - Rodney Welch
Sister Ray -- I haven't heard about that biopic, but I agree with you that Nico Icon is a terrific film, one that really takes you a lot of strange, sad places. I'm thinking in particular of her mom crying as she listen's to her daughter's records.
Another good VU-esque film: I Shot Andy Warhol, which is of course about Valerie Solanis. But for anyone who wishes they were at the Factory back in the day, it fits the bill.
The most famous of all Warhol's doomed "heroines," of course, is Edie Sedgwick, whose tragic life story was brilliantly realized in Jean Stein's famous oral biography.
There was some talk a few weeks ago that (thank God) Katie Holmes will NOT be appearing in an Edie Sedgwick film, tentatively titled Factory Girl. The title intrigued me, as it is also the title of a Rolling Stones song from Beggar's Banquet, and I began to wonder if the song was about her. Edie was, I believe, a Mick Jagger conquest, but the lyrics only partially fit. (Jagger seems to be singing about a working-class sow.) Legend has it that Bob Dylan got a bad taste of her too, which inspired him to write the meanest kiss-off in rock history.
Somewhere around the time I saw the films cited above, I saw Warhol's Chelsea Girls, which like all Warhol's films is mostly a series of aimlessly warped home movies, where you just turn on a camera and hope to hell something spontaneously great happens. For example, you get to watch Nico trimming her bangs for what seems like an ice age. It also features most of the Factory regulars: Ingrid Superstar, International Velvet, Ondine, Gerard Malanga, Mary Woronov, and Edie.
Definitely a thing you can't experience on DVD, as it requires two projectors running side by side, the films playing off each other. (The Exploding Plastic Inevitable apparently operated from the same idea, with the band playing in front of either the films or colored slides.)
Unless you're at least a little obsessed with this chapter of art history, or arrive just a little stoned, it makes for a long three and a half hours.
The film was screened at the local art theatre by a friend of mine; I think he got the film from the Warhol Foundation, and it came with very specific instructions as to which reel had to be run at which time. He had to keep running around from one side of the theatre to the next to work the projectors.
Also, I think you and HW are right about "Venus in Furs" being a purely S&M song.
Thanks Marty for citing the best Cale discs. I saw a couple of them in the record shop the other day and wasn't sure which was best.
16 - uao
Yeah, I blew it on that Venus In Furs; I shoulda listened to VU while writing to refresh my faulty memory. Not sure now what I had it confused with at the time. Can't fix it; archive post.
I'm digging your discussion a lot though. This is one reason why I post these bands; it's educational for me to read what comes up here; people's individual responses to music are pretty fascinating, and you guys know your stuff. Whets my own appetite to re-listen; I think I might dig up some old Nico solo stuff to listen to tonight.
17 - Randy P
VU lives on! Give me some wrap around shades, a leather jacket, and Venus in Furs.