Post 4 The Velvet Underground & The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground. The band consisted of; John Cale (a musical child prodigy), playing viola and bass, Lou Reed (founder and still a professional musician and singer), playing guitar and singing, Sterling Morrison, also on guitar, Maureen Tucker (with no prior experience), on the drums, and Nico, a dark-vocaled German Model.

What can I say?!? It’s a masterpiece nightmare. The band is: erratic pitch, timing, rhythmic, lyrics, panning (and various mixing effects and tricks), and almost completely randomness galore. I’m entertained and horrified. It’s like a comedy with gifted children playing together and separately. The band as a whole didn’t seem to care about becoming famous, much like Nirvana. They didn’t even care if the sounds carried beyond their own ears, unlike Nirvana, who had a special message for those chosen few who thought like they did. “Lou Reed,” however, “Harbored hopes that one of his latest songs was going to become a breakout hit.”*1

Andy Worhol was a pop-art producer who produced The Velvet Underground. He didn’t know much about music production. He wanted to combine art, film, and music. He watched from behind the mixing board, not too involved, but his presence was felt. He incorporated Nico, with “her deadpan Dietrich-like vocals,” giving the band it’s “doomy quality.”* ²

Characteristics of the albums were lighter than a driving rock beat of the day. They were also heavier than the softer feel-good rock of that time. There was also video recording and photographs taken of the band in the studio. The recording process in the studio was for them to play until there was enough material to make an album. Then bam!, just like that, they were done. The lyrics were about everyday happenings. It was as simple as that. People went away from a Velvet Underground concert with a sense of bewilderment, as the band, in a way, was trying to make agitating music.

The band was over, when in late 1968 John Cale decided to quit. He was very stern in his decision to call it done, although he didn’t give any reason why. I suspect it was because of the bands commercial failure. “Reed grew weary of the band’s unrelenting sound.” He was “at odds with Cale’s uncompromising experimental ideas. Convinced the Velvets had lost sight of its original concept and unable to usurp Reed’s leadership, Cale departed the band.”*³

On a side note, there is an order to everything. If you search the world over you will find structure. To break the rules in interesting ways to create something to draw attention is really great. We create extraordinary things, visually and audibly. There are advantages to using random things in creating a piece of music or art, however to throw things together is not using much creativity. If you have money and time to throw away, and don’t care about many people noticing it, sure bang away like a cave man or toddler, but if it is to be used to create income, then use these ideas with caution. Also, if you like randomness to resound, hide structure with your piece to give it solidarity. Over time it will be noticed and appreciated. I am going to attempt to do such things at times with my music.