The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

The word “unique” would just barely begin to scratch the surface of describing the music and image of The Velvet Underground and Nico. The bands deadpan vocal presentation of the gritty realities seen and experienced amongst their peers on a day-to-day basis, provided much of the inspiration for a lyrical, musical and vocal style that had never been heard anywhere before.

John Cale is a musical prodigy who contributed immensely to the overall sound and success of The Velvet Underground.¹ As a classically trained musician and practitioner of a variety of instruments, Cale has the flexibility to pursue virtually any musical path he desires. Having performed avant-garde, modern, classical and rock oriented music, Cale had a significant influence on the artistic direction of The Velvet Underground.

Lou Reed began his efforts with The Velvet Underground as an attempt to create a new musical direction in stark opposition to what had become the more accepted and marketable pop subject matter of love songs and bubble gum lyrics. His desire for much of his lyrical content was not only to create something that had never been done before, but also to innovate music that was a departure from the accepted norm.

What set The Velvet Underground apart from many of the popular recordings of the mid 1960’s was not only their willingness to venture into risqué subject matter, but the desire to create chaotic and dissonant musical compositions than were being attempted. In addition, their association with Andy Warhol as their progenitor created an atmosphere which allowed for great artistic experimentation.

As an industry professional, I admire the willingness of those involved with “The Velvet Underground & Nico” to pioneer new musical territory. It is nearly impossible to listen to the music of this project without hearing the direct correlation between this band and almost all acts subsequent to it. From R&B, to Rock, to Hip-Hop, The Velvet Underground has in some way influenced almost every aspect of modern music. Although as a listener, certain of the material of The Velvet Underground is a bit unpalatable, I cannot help but recognize their overall value and contributions to music as a whole.

¹Howard, D. N. (2004). The Minimalists: Brian Eno and John Cale. Sonic alchemy: visionary music producers and their maverick recordings (p. 180). USA: Hal Leonard Corp..