There have been endless trends that rock ‘n’ roll bands have been involved in, ranging from the hazy guitar tones of the late 60s psychedelic era, to 80s glam rock equipped with overloads of hairspray and glitter, which leads us to ask: how did this diverse genre transform over time? Trends and changes in the culture are made possible by artists and bands who are willing to push boundaries and what may be popular at a given time, paving the way for new sounds, as well as the evolution of the music. Many of these pioneers were widely credited for influencing the genre, spending much of their careers in the mainstream, including bands such as The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Not all rock bands were formed to create hits or become the ‘stars’ that the culture glamorized, but rather sought to be true to their creative visions, straying away from widespread conventionalities. One of these more polarizing bands has been recognized by many as icons, who influenced generations of music to come, but never quite got the recognition they deserved from the mainstream: The Velvet Underground.

Founder, Lou Reed, had an unconventional childhood, suffering from various mental illnesses and beginning to engage in drug use at the age of 16. Because of his frequent anxiety and mental ‘breakdowns,’ his parents consented for him to be put through electroconvulsive therapy, giving him reason to believe that they only placed him in this treatment to suppress his “homosexual tendencies.” It is perhaps the music or his reverence for “sound” that he was able to find some familiarity in the midst of his many personal quarrels, as he stated in a 2013 The Rolling Stone interview (that would be the last of his life), “I am very emotionally affected by sound. Sounds are the inexplicable… There is a sound you hear in your head, it’s your nerves, or your blood running.”

In 1964 New York City, Reed and violinist/producer John Cale formed The Velvet Underground, both sharing experimentalist tendencies and many other similarities in their musical visions. It was perhaps because of Reed’s troubled past, he was able to formulate and push for jarring noisiness and candid lyrics. After some rough demo tapes and live performances, they were recognized by the renowned artist, Andy Warhol, who became their manager and put them in touch with German singer, Nico. Being an already successful artist, Warhol had no desire to influence the band to commercial success but rather suggested that they hone in their offbeat ideas and implement them into their debut self-titled collaborative album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). 

On this album, Lou Reed was able to carry out his experimental sounds, as well as express himself lyrically, leading this a highly dense collection to now be regarded as one of the best of all time. In 1967, there was no other band that sounded quite like the Velvets, as Reed and Cale did not allow mainstream tropes to find their way into the majority of the album. Whereas many bands at the time sang ballads of love and peace, their sound evoked themes of paranoia and addiction. Plenty of these songs pedal to the metal, containing piercing guitar solos and lofi, but persistent drums; when each track ends, it feels as if the listener is finally able to breathe, as the array of instrumentation makes these songs sound intense and tireless. 

In these tracks, Reed discusses many grating topics, providing commentary on his drug use, as well as the cruel reality of New York’s underside. The second track is titled, “I’m Waiting For The Man,” equipped with a relentless drum and piano pattern that is overlapped by a raucous-sounding guitar. This song’s title is exactly what is being talked about by Lou Reed, as he describes waiting for his drug dealer on the street corner and feeling, “more dead than alive.” Though Reed wrote most lyrics, Nico handles the vocals on a few of these tracks, with “Femme Fatale” being one of the most commercially successful on the album. Nico has an extremely distinct voice that sounds nearly out of pitch at some moments, adding to the general uneasiness that many of these songs evoke. Here, she sings about a woman who fits the ‘femme fatale’ archetype, over a more delicate-sounding guitar riff–– Reed only providing backup vocals on the chorus. One of the more forlorn songs is titled, “Heroin,” where Lou Reed takes us through his headspace and coping, as someone who was addicted to the drug. The song begins with simple, slow guitar notes and strums that are eventually accompanied by a viola, the music also changing tempos throughout. Reed gives reason to his heroin use and sings,

 

“Because when the smack begins to flow

I really don’t care anymore

About all the Jim-Jim’s in this town

And all the politicians makin’ crazy sounds

And everybody puttin’ everybody else down”

 

Though gaining mass critical acclaim decades later, this album only sold about 30,000 copies in its first five years–– many radios not wanting to play its tracks due to its suggestive lyrical content and harsher sounds. Legendary record producer, Brian Eno, spoke on the influence of the record, stating that, “the first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”

Following their debut, The Velvet Underground went on to release three more studio albums, parting ways with Warhol after the first. Their second effort, White Light/White Heat (1968), picks up where their first left off, continuing to fuse distorted guitars and abrasive drums with Reed’s expressive cadence. Songs like “White Light/White Heat” and “I Heard Her Call My Name,” highlight the noisiness and penetrating solos that made them sonically special. In 1969, the band released a second self-titled project, being the first without their co-founder John Cale. Replacing him definitely had an impact on their creative direction, sounding much less brash, incorporating cleaner guitar tones and more accessible melodies. Nevertheless, The Velvet Underground (1969) became their most popular at the time, with soft sounding songs like “Pale Blue Eyes” and “After Hours” highlighting Lou Reed’s versatility in producing music that is melancholic in a way that is also sonically tranquil. On this album also came one of the most iconic Velvet songs, “Candy Says,” which Lou wrote from the perspective of Candy Darling, a transgender actress who had trouble escaping the feelings of their birth gender. This song became one of the first where Reed wrote about the nonconformity to societal perspectives regarding sexuality, a theme that he frequently touched on throughout his solo career. 

Lou Reed’s final album with the Velvet Underground, Loaded, came in 1970; still not a commercially successful band, Atlantic Records wanted them to produce an album that was ‘loaded’ with hits, implementing many stylistic choices from their last album. The band ended up culminating their different tropes, creating songs that utilize Reed’s affable choruses as well as their spontaneous guitar solos, though the entirety of the record has a cleaner sound than their earlier work. They pulled aesthetics from either of their self-titled albums, using some of the grating traits from their debut concurrently with the placidity found in their last record. It is clear that their label had more influence on this project than anything that they had released before, not carrying the same sense of polarity or edge that their first two releases possessed. Nonetheless, this album is widely critically acclaimed, having some of the band’s most important songs, such as the opening track “Who Loves The Sun,” and the progressive ballad “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’,” that concludes with one of their most iconic guitar solos. Some of their early noisiness is heard in the track, “Rock & Roll” going at full throttle, incorporating the shrill guitar tones and raggedy drums that originally built their unique style. 

The Velvets brought many influential ideas to light that made for progression of the genre, as well as creating foundations for many subgenres that were significant, decades down the road. Their sound developed the origins of punk rock–– considering bands like the Sex Pistols that came to fruition in the 70s–– containing subject matter that is harsh and poignant, seemingly indifferent toward their public perception. Other acts such as The Stooges display the influence that the band had in their wild solos and guitar tones that became popular in punk shows, where crowds would mosh to the shrewd, distorted string bends. The mere noisiness that is implemented in early Velvet Underground records is seen in bands like Sonic Youth and The Strokes, who blend rough instrumentation with smooth cadences. It is hard to imagine the landscape of rock ‘n’ roll without the attitude and approach that Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground had; in a 1996 interview David Bowie stated that “it was the fringe, strange bands that no one ever bought, like The Velvet Underground, that actually have created modern music…” They redefined what could be accomplished in music, reminding artists to stay true to their creative visions and be honest to themselves, no matter how eccentric their ideas may initially seem.

Article by: Anthony Figueroa

Photo by: Richard E. Aaron

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