The Velvet Underground & Nico (Week 2)

1. Describe the music and image of The Velvet Underground & Nico


The music and image of The Velvet Underground & Nico can be very appropriately described as avant-garde. In relation to music, avant-garde refers to new and unusual ideas. For such forward thinkers as Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, John Cale and Maureen Tucker, music would become the outlet to that radical creative flow.

2. Discuss the primary songwriters in the group, Lou Reed and John Cale, their background and their respective roles within The Velvet Underground


The primary songwriters in the group - Lou Reed and John Cale - came together after years of music education and prior musical undertakings. Singer/guitarist Reed had seen his way through a number of garage band before securing a songwriting position at Pickwick Records (Gibbons, R.). John Cale came to America to pursue a study in music upon receiving a scholarship. The two met and got along quite well, having the ability to feed off of one another's experimental ideas. Shortly after enlisting the help of other members to flesh out the sound in 1964, The Velvet Underground was born.


3. Discuss who supported, promoted and produced The Velvet Underground & Nico

Andy Warhol, a renowned pop artist at the time, was responsible for the production and promotion of The Velvet Underground & Nico. On top of The Velvet Underground's uncommon musical endeavor, Warhol's popularity and image gained the band the publicity they needed. Warhol essentially took on The Velvet Underground as a way to begin to "form 3-D art;" art that wasn't just a picture, but rather something tangible you could hear and experience. It was Warhol's insistence that brought german actress/singer Nico into the ground for a period of time to record The Velvet Underground & Nico, which is now considered by many critic and fans alike to be one of the "greatest prophetic rock & roll albums of all time" (500 Greatest ALbums).


4. Discuss a minimum of two characteristics of The Velvet Underground & Nico album that set it apart from other popular recordings of the mid 1960s e.g. visual and musical aesthetic, the pairing of art and pop music, the contrast between its relative lack of success upon release and its colossal influence on popular music, instrumentation, production qualities, lyrical themes, etc.


Another characteristic that set The Velvet Underground & Nico apart was the inspiration that their music played in the music scene. Their style of music was so different that it was only a matter of time before other musicians caught on and expanded upon it. As Brian Eno supposedly said, "The Velvet Undergound's first album only sold 10,000 copies, but anyone who bought it formed a band" (Gibbons, R.).


5. What impression does The Velvet Underground & Nico have on you as a listener and as an industry professional?


When I listen to The Velvet Underground & Nico, I am quite often refreshed. In an industry that so often over saturates the sound that penetrate the ears and hearts of listeners, it's nice to hear music that is based off of vibe and feeling rather than production quality. While I do believe that the quality could have been better even considering the era in which it was recorded, 


Thanks for checking out my blog. As always, I've got some links for extra reading and sources up at the top under the References tab. Until next time!


-Matthew Morrison