Titus writes:
Can I thank lex and UKNR for all of the positive comments I have received about my love and (limited) knowledge of African music and in particular soukous. It is a musical genre that I greatly love, and its own brand of joyousness makes it - for me at least – absolutely timeless & ageless. lex has also said that he likes the sounds of soukous, so perhaps he’ll play more in the weeks to come.
At the risk of being labelled an old nostalgist (is there such a word?), I am this week concentrating on a band formed in 1964 in New York City, who were there way before most modern alternative/underground/progressive rock was formed and surely must have been one of the first true ‘underground’ bands. I refer to The Velvet Underground, and their original line up was Lou Reed, guitar & vocals; Welshman John Cale who played a plethora of instruments; Sterling Morrison, guitar; and Angus MacLise, drums (he was replaced by Moe Tucker quite early on, in 1965). One could argue that their avant garde style, musical experiments and controversial songs were instrumental in the birth of punk rock and many other musical genres.
In 1966, no less a person than Andy Warhol became their manager, and bizarrely they served as his house band! Perhaps their most iconic album The Velvet Underground and Nico was released on Verve Records in March 1967. I use the word iconic, because despite initial poor sales and much of the music press dismissing it, it later drew itself incredible acclaim, in part due its VERY alternative music and in part because of its striking sleeve, which depicted a banana, painted by Andy Warhol. For this LP, the German singer, actress and model Nico was selected to perform and as well as being noticeably tall, she had a deep, rather ‘deadpan’ voice, which many thought complemented the band well, especially in live performances. I have chosen All Tomorrow’s Parties from this album........a near Gothic anthem, in my opinion. The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts’ Club Band was released just after, and some say halted the progress of The Velvet Underground and Nico.
They released three more albums White Light/White Heat (1968); The Velvet Underground (1969); Loaded (1970) before disbanding in the early 70’s. All of the members appeared on their former colleagues’ later solo albums, and I reckon that the Lou Reed Transformer LP (1972) had, and still does have the most acclaim.
Nico moved on after the band parted company with Andy Warhol. Apparently Warhol told Reed to “think about” where he wanted to go.....did he want to carry on playing at Art Festivals & Museums or move into other areas? Reed replied that he would think about it, and promptly fired him! Cale & Reed also clashed and the former also left, making way for Doug Yule from Boston based Glass Menagerie in 1969. Yule’s inclusion in the band made for a much gentler third album which seemed more influenced by folk music, and this suited Lou Reed’s desire to put singing at the forefront, rather than the loud & abrasive ‘Vox’ musical influence of the first two LP’s.
By 1970 a disillusioned Reed had had enough, apparently stating that the band was failing to make progress. People in the industry cited that his drug dependency was clouding his vision. Sad to report that Sterling Morrison died in 1995 & Reed in 2012 after a brief reformation of the V.U. in 1972 involving himself, Cale & Nico, and some years on and off the road as a solo artist. John Cale O.B.E. is still alive age 81 and Moe Tucker is 79.
As for Nico, it was sad to see such a talented artist have a fifteen year addiction to drugs. She was born Christa Paffgen in Cologne in 1938, modelled extensively, appeared in many films, and apparently took ages in her dressing room to prepare. Plus she also had a pre-performance habit of burning a candle in its entirety, much to the irritation of Lou Reed & John Cale! Ironically she met her death in 1988 whilst cycling in Ibiza. She came off her bike, hit her head, and died from a cerebral haemorrhage – ironically when she was on a methadone replacement treatment for heroin addiction. Her Gothic style of music seemingly inspired many musicians such as Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure and Bjork.
You will hopefully appreciate that the above is merely a brief summary of the Velvet Underground’s career. I could go on writing for hours about such Colossuses, but lex would probably tell me off! What comes shining through however, is that they, as early pioneers, set the scene for many, many others to follow. They were there at the beginning, and their music, quite rightly lives on. It never seems to age. Their music was influential, and as more & more people have appreciated their work, their records have become more popular as the years have rolled on. I feel blessed to have followed them and enjoyed their immense contribution to (as Andrew Loog Oldham ‘s Immediate Records used to say) “The Industry of Human Happiness”.