Preface: In the 1960s, The Beatles led the "British Invasion," which reached its peak by the late sixties. Although British music dominated the mainstream rock scene during that time, the underground rock scene in the United States also had a profound impact on future generations. Geographically, this underground movement can be divided into the New York area and the West Coast area (similar to the distinction between Beijing rock and Northwest rock in China). The West Coast garage rock movement (1963-1968) has been covered in this blog before. In contrast, New York’s underground music was more avant-garde and artistic. (PiaNoProblem)

New York’s Greenwich Village (also known as the West Village) served as a hub for avant-garde art, along with the East Village, and Brooklyn, which was known for its bohemian and rebellious crowd (similar to Beijing’s Shu Village or Huoying). Originally, we were supposed to move on to post-punk after discussing punk in the last article. However, I feel it’s necessary to introduce a pioneering rock band from the late 1960s first. Otherwise, the following content might feel disjointed. Many rock fans are already familiar with this band, which hails from New York’s underground music scene: The Velvet Underground.

In 1962, renowned pop art leader Andy Warhol founded his studio in New York — The Factory. It became a gathering and creative base for a group of artists and performers known as Warhol Superstars. Musicians like David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones often mingled there.

In 1965, The Velvet Underground was formed, with Lou Reed and John Cale as its core members. Through an introduction, Andy Warhol became their manager and an important member of The Factory. In 1966, Warhol organized a multimedia event called Exploding Plastic Inevitable, which became one of The Velvet Underground’s most significant performances during their early years.

Another regular at The Factory was Nico, a figure associated with the "bone and skin" aesthetic (though labeling her under today's standards would be inappropriate). In fact, she was a highly talented singer, as well as a model and actress. Nico was introduced to Warhol by Bob Dylan, and Andy cast her in experimental films he co-created with Paul Morrissey. Nico expressed her desire to sing, and at Warhol’s suggestion, The Velvet Underground brought her on as their lead female vocalist.

On March 12, 1967, The Velvet Underground & Nico released their groundbreaking album The Velvet Underground & Nico, with a cover designed by Andy Warhol. This album, colloquially known as “The Banana,” was so avant-garde that it sold only 30,000 copies in five years. However, in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, it ranks 13th. In my opinion, it’s even more innovative and experimental than the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which ranks first. While Sgt. Pepper directly influenced psychedelic and art rock, Lou Reed’s experimental noise in The Banana album laid the groundwork for early punk and metal. Brian Eno famously said that everyone who bought one of the 30,000 copies started a band. While this may be an exaggeration, the album’s influence on punk, post-punk, dark ambient music, and noise music cannot be denied. Due to the album's commercial failure, Nico was kicked out of the band soon after, and Lou Reed had a falling out with Warhol, ending their management contract.

Sunday Morning

Although Nico was removed from the band, she had already started forging her own path before The Banana album was released. While Lou Reed and John Cale were fighting over her, Nico was performing at the legendary Dom Club. Her hypnotic, droning voice became her trademark, often described as “Nico’s Grave Look” due to its eerie low register. In October 1967, she released her debut solo album Chelsea Girl, a folk-pop album that’s quite pleasant to listen to. Both John Cale and Lou Reed wrote and played on the album, which also features a song written by Bob Dylan called I’ll Keep It With Mine.

In 1968, The Velvet Underground released their second groundbreaking album White Light/White Heat, which ranks 293rd on Rolling Stone’s list. This album was even more experimental and aggressive than the first, leading some to argue that it had a greater influence on punk, post-punk, grunge, and experimental rock. Afterward, John Cale left the band due to creative differences with Lou Reed.

In 1969, The Velvet Underground released their self-titled third album, which ranks 314th on Rolling Stone’s list. This album was entirely written by Lou Reed, with Doug Yule replacing John Cale. Yule sang on the famous track Candy Says. Stylistically, this album leaned more toward melodic folk, with less of the aggressive experimentation seen in previous works. It became clear that the sweet melodies in the band's first two albums were Reed’s contribution, while the raw experimental aspects came from Cale.

In 1970, The Velvet Underground signed with Atlantic Records, shifting their style towards more mainstream pop influences. That year, they released Loaded, featuring tracks like Sweet Jane and Rock & Roll.

Despite the band's immense influence on future musicians, The Velvet Underground wasn’t commercially successful at the time. Due to poor album sales and uncertain prospects, Lou Reed left the band before Loaded was even released. In 1973, the band released one more album, Squeeze, but by then, none of the original members remained, and the group disbanded.

Sweet Jane

After leaving the band, John Cale released his debut solo album Vintage Violence in 1970, though it received a lukewarm response.

Meanwhile, Lou Reed released his famous solo albums Lou Reed and Transformer in 1972. The song Perfect Day from Transformer became widely known, even appearing in the film Trainspotting.

Perfect Day

In 1973, John Cale released the well-received album Paris 1919. However, his most important works came in 1974 and 1975 with Fear, Slow Dazzle, and Helen of Troy, often seen as precursors to the punk era. After leaving The Velvet Underground, Cale collaborated with several famous bands, including Patti Smith and Sham 69. He continued creating high-quality experimental works until 2012.

Lou Reed released the infamous Metal Machine Music in 1975, which we’ve previously discussed in this blog.

In 1987, Andy Warhol passed away in New York at the age of 58. In his memory, John Cale and Lou Reed reunited in 1990 to release the conceptual album Songs For Drella. In 1993, the original members reunited for a European tour and released a live album.

Lou Reed passed away in 2013 from complications following a liver transplant.

With his death, a legend came to an end, leaving behind an incredible legacy of talent and musical inspiration. Many say that The Velvet Underground saved rock 'n' roll. Nearly every punk, post-punk, and avant-garde pop artist has been influenced—either directly or indirectly—by them. In the post-hippie era of "flowers and peace," The Velvet Underground stood as a counter-culture force, offering a darker, more introspective, and realistic take on rock music. Artists like David Bowie, Brian Eno, Patti Smith, and the punk musicians of the 70s from CBGB, as well as bands like The Cars, The Pretenders, Joy Division-New Order, U2, REM, and Sonic Youth, all owe a debt to The Velvet Underground. Without them, the vibrant diversity of modern rock might not exist.

Life Was Saved by Rock And Roll. —Lou Reed

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