The Velvet Underground
The VU started in about 1964. Their original line-up included Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Angus Maclise.
Like all starting bands, the descision for a name was a tough one (personally though, they made a good choice with the Velvet Underground). They decided on it after finding a book in the street on sadomasochism (which is a pretty awful thing, I think, go research it if you wanna know). Despite the odd subject of the book, they went for the name anyways.
In the beggining, it took them a while to find their sound, which is usually how it goes. They started playing and getting good, even made a demo tape you can hear on the box set, but when they got their first playing gig for $75, Maclise accused the band of being sell-outs and quit, leaving them in need of a new drummer.
Well, Sterling Morrison knew a guy from college who had a sister who played drums, the infamous Mo Tucker. She was what Lou Reed described as "innocent", and it was hard to disagree. She didn't play drums like most do, which becomes obvious when listening to the drums in most VU songs. Instead of drumsticks, Mo Tucker usually used mallots rather than drumsticks, and her drumset was not like the common drummers. Once, when her drum set was stolen, she took in garbage pails and played on those. She didn't sing much, but did sing on "The Murder Mystery" and "After Hours" (a personal favorite<3)
The Velvet Underground is now just getting started. Andy Warhol picks them up and helps produce their record (well, more like funding..) and also created the album art for The Velvet Underground and Nico (which would be the banana, with the words peel slowly and see written, and a pink peeled banana would be found underneath). Its was Andy's idea for the group to work with Nico, the german-born model who was one of Andy's superstars. At first, the colabboration went well, and songs like Femme Fatal (written about Edie Sedgwick on Warhols's demand, by the way) and I'll Be Your Mirror were made. Sunday Morning was supposed to be sung by Nico, but Reed's vocals were used instead after a power struggle was emerging between the two. Things stopped going so well, and their partnership ended by the time the next album was under way.
White Light/White Heat is a song written about the use of Speed. Their next album was named after the song, and was a change from their last. Also, while this album was recorded, I believe, Lou Reed was in a hospital with hepatitis for a while. White Light/White Heat was a loud, noisy song, and the album was much like that. When recoreded, lots of the songs were recorded at once, like Sister Ray, and many songs included lots of improv. The album was on the top 200 charts at 199 for a few weeks, and the band was getting tired of not receiving their due credit for their work. Cale and Reed fought a lot during this album, and before the next album was started, Cale left the band.
Cale was quickly replaced by Doug Yule, I believe. Their next album, The Velvet Underground had a new sound because of this- a lot softer and a lot less experimental (since there was no longer a distorted viola wailing in the background). Doug Yule had big shoes to fill, and he certianly did a good job! He played guitar, bass, keyboards, occasionally would drum and also did vocals for some songs. He did a lot for the band, and their new album's sound reflected that.
The band started touring after this album, when New Yorkers didn't quite accept them, and things starting going badly for Reed and the band, again. In 1969, they started working on their last album with most of the original members, Loaded. It got the name because of being "loaded with hits". It was, actually, having the songs "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll" on it, two of the only songs that ever really get radio play. Besides relations with Tucker, who was actually pregnant during the recording of this album, but still was credited for the drumming parts, Reeds relations with most members of the band were rocky, especially Yule. Eventually, Reed was replaced.
Soon after Reed was gone, Morrison and Tucker left, who Yule replaced, made an album with and toured with, but are not to be mentioned in this biography.
<33
The VU started in about 1964. Their original line-up included Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Angus Maclise.
Like all starting bands, the descision for a name was a tough one (personally though, they made a good choice with the Velvet Underground). They decided on it after finding a book in the street on sadomasochism (which is a pretty awful thing, I think, go research it if you wanna know). Despite the odd subject of the book, they went for the name anyways.
In the beggining, it took them a while to find their sound, which is usually how it goes. They started playing and getting good, even made a demo tape you can hear on the box set, but when they got their first playing gig for $75, Maclise accused the band of being sell-outs and quit, leaving them in need of a new drummer.
Well, Sterling Morrison knew a guy from college who had a sister who played drums, the infamous Mo Tucker. She was what Lou Reed described as "innocent", and it was hard to disagree. She didn't play drums like most do, which becomes obvious when listening to the drums in most VU songs. Instead of drumsticks, Mo Tucker usually used mallots rather than drumsticks, and her drumset was not like the common drummers. Once, when her drum set was stolen, she took in garbage pails and played on those. She didn't sing much, but did sing on "The Murder Mystery" and "After Hours" (a personal favorite<3)
The Velvet Underground is now just getting started. Andy Warhol picks them up and helps produce their record (well, more like funding..) and also created the album art for The Velvet Underground and Nico (which would be the banana, with the words peel slowly and see written, and a pink peeled banana would be found underneath). Its was Andy's idea for the group to work with Nico, the german-born model who was one of Andy's superstars. At first, the colabboration went well, and songs like Femme Fatal (written about Edie Sedgwick on Warhols's demand, by the way) and I'll Be Your Mirror were made. Sunday Morning was supposed to be sung by Nico, but Reed's vocals were used instead after a power struggle was emerging between the two. Things stopped going so well, and their partnership ended by the time the next album was under way.
White Light/White Heat is a song written about the use of Speed. Their next album was named after the song, and was a change from their last. Also, while this album was recorded, I believe, Lou Reed was in a hospital with hepatitis for a while. White Light/White Heat was a loud, noisy song, and the album was much like that. When recoreded, lots of the songs were recorded at once, like Sister Ray, and many songs included lots of improv. The album was on the top 200 charts at 199 for a few weeks, and the band was getting tired of not receiving their due credit for their work. Cale and Reed fought a lot during this album, and before the next album was started, Cale left the band.
Cale was quickly replaced by Doug Yule, I believe. Their next album, The Velvet Underground had a new sound because of this- a lot softer and a lot less experimental (since there was no longer a distorted viola wailing in the background). Doug Yule had big shoes to fill, and he certianly did a good job! He played guitar, bass, keyboards, occasionally would drum and also did vocals for some songs. He did a lot for the band, and their new album's sound reflected that.
The band started touring after this album, when New Yorkers didn't quite accept them, and things starting going badly for Reed and the band, again. In 1969, they started working on their last album with most of the original members, Loaded. It got the name because of being "loaded with hits". It was, actually, having the songs "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll" on it, two of the only songs that ever really get radio play. Besides relations with Tucker, who was actually pregnant during the recording of this album, but still was credited for the drumming parts, Reeds relations with most members of the band were rocky, especially Yule. Eventually, Reed was replaced.
Soon after Reed was gone, Morrison and Tucker left, who Yule replaced, made an album with and toured with, but are not to be mentioned in this biography.
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