Velvet Underground | Artist

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed 1964 in New York City by singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise, who was soon replaced by Maureen "Moe" Tucker on drums. Reed and Cale were previously in proto-Punk band The Primitives. Their unique Garage Art-Rock edged with Cale's avant-garde influence and Reed's street-wise lyrics made the VU one of the most influential bands of the 1960's. For their early shows Andy Warhol, who was acting as their Manager, suggested they use the German-born singer Christa Päffgen aka Nico. The addition of Nico gave the band an even more exotic twist and she featured on three songs on their masterpiece debut album The Velvet Underground and Nico. The follow-up album White Light/White Heat was brilliant feedback drenched noise rock driven by Cale's droning viola, Reed's rudimentary guitar sound and Tucker's pulsating drumming, it was a radical turnaround from the song-based format of the first album. Cale left at this point and the VU essentially became Lou Reed's band. Their final two albums The Velvet Underground and Loaded, are characterised by Reed's vocals and songwriting. There was a fifth studio album Squeeze but this was by Doug Yule and didn't feature any of the original VU members. The four Velvet Underground studio albums: The Velvet Underground & Nico, White Light/White Heat, The Velvet Underground and Loaded, are masterpieces. Other outstanding albums include 1969 Velvet Underground Live With Lou Reed and the archival releases VU, Scepter Studio Sessions and The Complete Matrix Tapes.

Artist Website: velvetundergroundmusic.com

Featured Albums: Velvet Underground

Related Artists: Lou Reed, John Cale, Moe Tucker, Nico