The Velvet Underground

Alternative, avant-garde, extreme, alien, experimental and legendary. When you hear these words what comes to mind? It should be the Velvet Underground. This group has influenced bands ranging from the Sex Pistols, to U2 and has had an impact on rock and roll unlike any other group in history.

Produced and introduced to the public by Andy Warhol though his Exploding Plastic Inevitable the groups sound was unlike anything anyone had heard before. Their songs were filled with feedback loops, drones and experimental arrangements. Also, they were the first to discuss alternative sexuality and drugs so openly. For example in the song titled “waiting for my man”, the song follows a man into the inner city looking to score drugs from his man, which is his drug dealer.

Founding member and principle songwriter for the group Lou Reed wrote extensively about sexuality and drug culture, which had rarely been examined so openly in rock and roll before. Reed being bisexual himself wrote about his unfortunate electroconvulsive therapy to cure his opposite sexual thoughts in the 1975 song, “Kill Your Sons”.

Alongside Reed the other founding member John Cale who studied music at Goldsmiths College University of London contributed with songwriting, but had his most influence on the group was his electrically amplified viola. Unfortunately like Reed, Cale had a troublesome upbringing having being molested as a child. One of which was a priest and the other incident occurring at a church.

Originally comprised of members Lou Reed, John Cale, Angus Maclise, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker and Nico the band only played together long enough to record 4 albums. But these four albums made it into Rolling Stones top 500 greatest albums of all time.

To me as an industry professional the Velvet Underground epitomizes experimental music. Testing boundaries was what they did. I think the reason that they are so popular now is that unlike the time when they were making music, people today embrace experimentalism, sexuality is more open and music is more easily accepted. Without The Velvet Underground we wouldn't have alternative rock.