#23 The Velvet Underground, 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' (1967)
Previously #13
The original art rock record, ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’ burst onto the scene to no acclaim. Funded by Andy Warhol, the album was experimental and controversial… and one of the most influential of all time. The record only sold 30,000 copies within its first 5 years but “everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band!,” said Brian Eno in 1982. Amongst those 30,000 was a young musician named David Jones, later to be known as David Bowie. “I’d never heard anything quite like it, it was a revelation to me.” When asked if the record was an influence on him, he responded, “Yes, tentatively. It influenced what I was trying to do, I don’t think I ever felt that I was in a position to become a Velvet’s clone but there were elements of what I thought Lou was doing that were unavoidably right for both the times and where music was going. One of them was the use of cacophony as background noise and to create an ambience that had been unknown in rock I think.” “It was Dylan who brought a new kind of intelligence to pop songwriting but then it was Lou who had taken it even further and into the avant-garde.”
The album was rejected by Columbia Records, Atlantic Records and Elektra Records citing reasons from the reference to drugs to John Cale’s viola. The themes within the songs covered topics such as drug abuse (a lot of heroin references), prostitution, sadomachism and sexual deviancy. There were also songs about Warhol’s Factory Superstars, written at his request; ‘Femme Fatale’ is about Edie Sedgewick, ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ is about Nico herself. The album’s sound was driven by John Cale, while its lyrics were all Lou Reed. The record’s poor reception caused strain on Reed and Warhol’s relationship, which led to them parting ways. Nico was kicked out of the group following its release. She would often take too long to get ready before shows, insisting on burning a candle before getting on stage. Her proclivity to hold up the start of performance irritated Reed. Also, she was partially deaf in one ear, which caused her to veer off key sometimes. Lastly, no review of this record is complete without a mention of the famous cover. Perhaps even more famous than the music within, Andy Warhol’s famous painting of a banana has become an iconic image of the 20th Century. One might argue that the artwork is in more homes than the actual album. Highlights on the album are ‘Sunday Morning,’ ‘I’m Waiting For The Man,’ ‘Femme Fatale,’ ‘Venus In Furs,’ ‘Run Run Run’ and ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties.’
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