The Velvet Underground & Nico

Since the early years of the 1960's, dramatic changes in music style, design and performances occurred that truly changed the direction that music was going. In this Blog, I will be covering the many elements that carved passageways throughout the music community.


With the release of cultural diverse music such as the Beatles' Revolver album (1966) and the Beach Boys Pet Sounds album (1966), the design of music had changed the way that music was not only heard, but also created.


The attraction to The Velvet Underground, in my opinion, stems from the culmination of art; music and movies rolled into one, giant, gumball of culture.




Several images come to mind when I think of the Velvet Underground & Nico. Dimly lit rooms filled with people smoking cigarettes, among other things, intense artwork and colors, oddly arrange music thundering through amplifiers are the main image that comes to mind when I think of the ideals that made the Velvet Underground flourish. The elements that drove the band were similar, but the music is what built them. They were an extremely laid back and artistic group, however their music was vastly different. The Eastern European influence, combined with the artistic arrangement was ideal for great things.  


John Cale earned his classical music degree in 1960 at Goldsmith’s College in London and had already been considered a prodigy of music at 11 years old. An educated and determined Cale would get the attention of American composer Aaron Copeland who would contribute to his education in modern composition by arranging a Bernstein scholarship for Cale in Massachusetts. After leaving Massachusetts due to creative differences with Aaron Copeland, Cale began working with “well-regarded minimalist composer La Monte Young in his Theater of Eternal Music.” (Howard, D) Cale had a very distinct musical background but it was newly adopted electric viola that was his instrument of choice. His “heavily amplified modal blues compositions were jet-engine loud and heavily steeped in Indian-derived drones.” (Howard, D)

At the same time composer, guitarist and songwriter Lou Reed was attending Syracuse University, in New York, and had recently joined forces with guitarist (and dorm neighbor) Sterling Morrison and caught the attention of those around him. His style and revved-up guitar playing, combined with the popular style of poetic songs he wrote, caught the attention of many people. 

One very influential person that contributed to The Velvet Underground's success was Andy Warhol, "artist and all-around pop-art icon, who caught the band at a club around the end of 1965. Warhol quickly assumed management of the group, incorporating them into his mixed-media/performance art ensemble, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. By spring 1966, Warhol was producing their debut album." (Untergerger, R 2012) With the powers at his disposal, and the proper combination of music, art and movies, The Velvet Underground soon became a new addition the Warhol's Factory.

With the overall success of their appearances at the Factory, the Velvets added a new element to the band. 

"Warhol was also responsible for embellishing the quartet with Nico, a mysterious European model/chanteuse with a deep voice whom the band accepted rather reluctantly, viewing her spectral presence as rather ornamental."  (Untergerger, R 2012)

Unlike the psychedelic LSD inspired songs of Revolver and Pet Sounds, that incorporated strange new techniques and instrumentation, the Velvets sound was clearly designed according emotional and experience based lyrics and music. Singer, songwriter and musician Lou Reed contributed the majority of the lyrics. The content was what set it aside from the other "pop-style" music. Strong lyrics, morally inappropriate content, hard-driving music, sex and drug references laced each track with such lather that it oozed from track to track. The ideal being the visions set aside by Warhol that incorporated pop art, music and video. By combining his vision into the music and art, the power of each vocal was understood and related to. With the release of their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1966), the pop scene was humming.

According to Richie Unterberger, columnist for AllMusic.com, "The album's release was not without complications, though. First, it wasn't issued until nearly a year after it was finished, due to record-company politics and other factors." 

The hardcore lyrics and music, as well as the combination of sex related environment and images, created waves in the small pond that the Velvets were wading in. The overall impact of this was more beneficial than expected, however. Brian Eno once stated " that even though hardly anyone bought the Velvets records at the time they appeared, almost everyone who did formed their own bands."

As an industry professional, musician and artist I can honestly say that the era was way out of my league. Although I can relate to a majority of the incidents that contributed to the Velvets success, or lack there of, I can only remember certain references that currently have intrigued me. I grew up knowing Lou Reed. "Take A Walk On The Wild Side" was my favorite song as a kid, but I was not introduced to the cultural impact that Reed contributed to the sensation known as the Velvets, until now. The association of Warhol and the Velvets creates a whole new image in my mind for the style of music that I recently just listened to, and I realize now that I was listening to this music pretty much all my life already. I remember the songs now, the images in my head, the strange sounding instruments that resembled Eastern European style, with strange heavy droning instruments, deep, sensual vocals of Nico, echoing constantly, and the unmistakable lyrics of Lou Reed were a reminder of the cultural impact that Warhol and The Velvets gave us.