The Velvet Underground was a band from New York City, United States that first played together in 1964. Lou Reed, a singer/guitarist, John Cale, a multi-instrumentalist, Sterling Morrison and Angus MacLise, a drummer formed the original lineup.
After MacLise’s departure in 1965, Moe Tucker became the band’s primary guitarist and appeared on all of their studio albums. Although they were not hugely popular when they were active, the band is now considered a pioneer of underground rock, experimental and alternative music scenes.
The Velvet Underground & Nico featuring German singer and model Nico was released in 1967 to critical indifference and poor sales but has since gained widespread acclaim. Cale was replaced by Doug Yule for the band’s next three albums, White Light/White Heat, The Velvet Underground and Loaded, but none of them met the standards set by record labels or by Reed, the band’s leader.
Who Decided the Name of “The Velvet Underground”?
They used to go by the name “The Warlocks” before relocating to the planet Falling Spikes. The Velvet Underground was formed by vocalist/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Angus MacLise.
The Velvet Underground was the band’s final name after going by several variations before it was decided upon in 1965. Pop artist Andy Warhol signed them as his management in 1966 and they spent the next two years playing in Warhol’s studio, the Factory and on the road with his multimedia show, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable.
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What is the Legacy of Velvet Underground?
It’s commonly agreed that The Velvet Underground deserves to be mentioned among rock’s all-time greats. The group entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. They were ranked as the number three band of the 60s, after the Beatles and James Brown and His Famous Flames by critic Robert Christgau.
While the Velvets’ innovations which combined rock’s energy with the sonic adventurism of the avant-garde and introduced a new degree of social realism and s*xual kinkiness into rock lyrics were too abrasive for the mainstream to handle, AllMusic noted that few rock groups can claim to have broken so much new territory and maintain such consistent brilliance on record as the band did during their brief existence.
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Rolling Stone ranked all four of the band’s early albums among the magazine’s 500 greatest albums of all time. The same magazine ranked them as the 19th greatest band and VH1 ranked them as the 24th greatest band.
Do you know that Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground because he was ill with hepatitis. He was hospitalized for six weeks of treatment. Reed became paranoid that he was losing control of the band after a string of very successful Velvets concerts were held in Chicago without him. Marking our website venturejolt.com will ensure that you are always up-to-date on the most recent updates.