VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO ENTRY

The musical band The Velvet Underground consisted of band members Lou Reed, John Cale, Maureen Tucker, Sterling Morrison and model Nico. The music and image of The Velvet Underground & Nico album could be described as modern rock with parental advisory content. Their music was laced with sexual deviance and drugs. The group has been placed very low among the great all-time rock groups when it comes to the standards of the mainstream airwaves. They have been placed in top all-time modern rock groups when mentioned in modern rock surveys. Their music was not handled very well by the main media outlets because it went against everything that was coming out in that era.

 Lou Reed envisioned using great poets' writings and bringing them to life in rock music. Lou Reed wanted to bring out the stories of the social outcasts and create artistic masterpieces. Through reading and studying Lou Reed developed a fascination with words and phrases. He then was able to apply them easily to his lyrics. John Cale was performing compositions on the BBC network at the age of eleven. Later, Cale took a Bernstein Scholarship and worked with LA Monte Young, the minimalist composer when he came to America. Lou Reed and John Cale were the primary song writers for the group. Cale's musical talents elevated the bands musical nature since he was versed in various stringed instruments such as bass and viola. He was also a talented piano player.

 Andy Warhol was the supporter and promoter for The Velvet Underground & Nico album. He had a huge influence on The Velvet Underground & Nico album. Being inexperienced as a band manager did more harm than good for the album and the band. He was not able to get them booked at big venues to perform instead he had them playing in small auditoriums and art museums. Andy Warhol would also be responsible for bringing German model Nico to the group as well.

 A few characteristics of The Velvet Underground & Nico album that made it different from more popular albums in that era. One of which is the style of the rhythms they used that were based from the essence of African music. The group influenced many groups that came in the latter years despite not achieving a lot of success in the mid and late 60s. The pairing of art and pop music worked very well with the band under Warhol because their lyrical content was a perfect match for Warhol's artist visions.

 Before this course I had never heard of The Velvet Underground band or the album The Velvet Underground & Nico. After researching and learning about this band I have nothing but respect for them. With everything that was being released in the rock genre at that time they decided to take their music in a completely different direction. Even though commercial success eluded them; they still managed to have a lasting impact on the industry. They inspired many bands to want to emulate their sound. From an engineering perspective it would have been an honor to be a part of such a powerful album. Even though it was not successful from a mainstream point of view; just knowing that you helped create an album that would be a blueprint for up and coming bands in the future would have been an accomplishment in itself.